My 00 Gauge layout - Oldmoor Junction Model Railway

[Cowley]

Now that definitely looks interesting - and something I'd not thought about. I might try modelling something like that on a separate board at some point (I've got some flexitrack and an old shelf so I could probably throw something together).
The sort of idea I'm going for with this station is that the line might have once gone further but was cut back several years ago when the line beyond Oldmoor-on-Sea stopped making money, and Oldmoor-on-Sea station is becoming less and less popular as holidaymakers move from trains to cars. (The idea for this sort of station - i.e. not very popular and designed to serve a holiday destination - came from Filey Holiday Camp station: http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/f/filey_holiday_camp/)

-Peter

Fascinating place. I just love stuff like that.

 

[Peter C]

Fascinating place. I just love stuff like that.

I spent quite a while the other day just looking through various photos online of that station, but it seems that the only photos are of a Class 45, a few DMUs, and then a steam loco on a service each - if that makes sense. It was only open for thirty years I think and the platform design (where it curves, following the track to the headshunts) is particularly interesting.

==========

In terms of the station on my layout, I did some thinking last night after posting about what I'd done and I realised that I could probably get some more scenery in and make the railway look more embedded into said scenery if I changed the trackplan a bit. As is probably pretty evident from some of my recent posts, I'm getting more into the whole scenery aspect now as I've done most of the trackwork (railway centre excluded), and so having space for more of it and the ability to work the railway into the scenery would be ideal.
Here's what I've done:


This is a different design to what I had before in terms of the fact that the railway is on broadly the same level as the scenery, as opposed to the station being surrounded by walls. I liked the idea of the station being beneath street level but I didn't think it would work well in practice, especially with the road over the platform.
It's probably best to go through this design as if we're following a train along the branch:

• Train (Class 121 or 153) leaves Little Piddling on-the-Wold station and travels along the single-track branch next to the double-track mainline. (I've removed the junction right by Little Piddling station as due to the placement of the power track, only short engines and coaches could use it. I've moved the power track to the branchline and I'm going to reinstate the junction at some point.
• The train passes over the junction connecting the branchline to the mainline.
• The train rounds the curve and runs behind the buildings on the walkway next to the beach. There's probably going to be a gap between the a couple of the buildings to allow people to see the trains going past.
• The train can now use one of four ways of getting into the station:
  • straight into platform 3
  • straight into platform 2
  • into platform 1 via curved loop
  • into platform 1 via points (straight section)

So there's quite a bit which can be done here. Because the curved loop can hold a Class 153, the longest train I plan to regularly run on this bit, I can use it as a siding with extra operational flexibility thanks to the entrance/exit to the siding at both ends. This means a unit could run into the station from Little Piddling, then run into the loop, and then instead of having to reverse back into Oldmoor-on-Sea to leave the station area, it can leave directly from the loop. It also means that I could have four units in the station area, which is a bit excessive as although this town will get a regular service (and more trains during the Summer), it won't be so popular that the station will be full. The loop also means a single-coach loco-hauled service can be run into either platform 1 or platform 2 (P2 would take a bit more work but it's do-able) and then can be run back out with the engine at the right end of the train.

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

Yes I see what you mean. You could do something a bit similar to a mini Penzance with that corner maybe?

 

[Peter C]

Yes I see what you mean. You could do something a bit similar to a mini Penzance with that corner maybe?

Having looked at a few photos, that's kind of what I'm aiming at. The idea of a slightly raised walkway (it's going to be at the same level of the station platforms) next to the beach came from a place I went to holiday a couple of years ago: no railway there sadly.

-Peter

 

[The_Train]

Just catching up on this Peter and the changes are all sounding great. Loving the idea of a holiday destination - they were so important in this country in the past and Filey is a great example of a holiday station serving one purpose. I believe the approach to the station and the platforms remain in situ there along with the tunnel that passengers used to use to exit the station and head straight into the holiday camp. No tracks remain and the tunnel is obviously blocked up but I love this sort of thing!

Back to your layout - I like the idea suggested further up about being able to setup your layout to run different eras. I've seen quite a few on YouTube doing this and it means you are catering for everyone (thinking of your YT viewership there)

 

[Peter C]

Just catching up on this Peter and the changes are all sounding great. Loving the idea of a holiday destination - they were so important in this country in the past and Filey is a great example of a holiday station serving one purpose. I believe the approach to the station and the platforms remain in situ there along with the tunnel that passengers used to use to exit the station and head straight into the holiday camp. No tracks remain and the tunnel is obviously blocked up but I love this sort of thing!

Thanks very much! The idea of a seaside station on the layout goes all the way back to the start of this thread. The original trackplan as shared in post 1 shows a seaside station where Little Piddling is now, and it's something I've wanted to be able to play around with for over a year now. Being able to include the beach makes it even better.
I've seen a few photos of Filey Holiday Camp station in its closed state and a lot of it is still there, yes. I really love the way the station looks as though it was made as quickly as possible just to get people to the holiday camp and back - although it's not necessarily the prettiest start to a holiday!

Back to your layout - I like the idea suggested further up about being able to setup your layout to run different eras. I've seen quite a few on YouTube doing this and it means you are catering for everyone (thinking of your YT viewership there)

I like the idea of having the layout set up to run in different eras too, and it's something I've thought about a bit since the suggestion was made upthread. Personally I'm not too fussed about the differences in eras on the layout at any given point, though, so whether it's something I'd do or not is up for debate at the moment.

-Peter

 

[SteveM70]

Ah lovely - nice to know my ramblings are of interest!


Interesting: I'd done a bit of googling but "railway station with road above platforms" didn't return much. I'll have a look at Loughborough and see what else I can find.

-Peter

Quorn and Woodhouse is the same

 

[reddragon]

Sounds all a bit Oh Mr Porters to me!

 

[Cowley]

I’ve got a couple of useful books for inspiration somewhere Peter. I’ll have a look for them this week sometime.

 

[Jaz avalley]

I run Goathland at different eras but it is preservation so easy,we planBlackpool but the trams and the seaside not the trains, there is at least one popular seaside station and the track runs close to the water,your idea seems more interesting to be honest,taking your time so you end up wi th an idea you like is always worth the time, and you have someone to mull ideas over which is extremely useful, nice work

 

[Peter C]

I run Goathland at different eras but it is preservation so easy,we planBlackpool but the trams and the seaside not the trains, there is at least one popular seaside station and the track runs close to the water,your idea seems more interesting to be honest,taking your time so you end up wi th an idea you like is always worth the time, and you have someone to mull ideas over which is extremely useful, nice work

Thanks very much I've always thought the Little Piddling - Oldmoor-on-Sea branch to be a mix of heritage and mainline, so all sorts of trains will be running along it.
This layout has been about five years in the making I suppose so I've definitely spent a lot of time thinking about ideas!

I’ve got a couple of useful books for inspiration somewhere Peter. I’ll have a look for them this week sometime.

Ooh interesting - I might have a look into getting them if you can find the titles

-Peter

===============================
[new post made 8.3.2021]

Hello everyone!

I've been continuing the rock-and-roll lifestyle of model railways by spending most of this evening cutting up bits of card to make platforms - what a time to be alive!
I used the Metcalfe platform kits as in my experience, as they're the best way of making good-looking platforms to the required sizes (I'm not sponsored by Metcalfe - I wish I was though) and they solve the issues of making cereal-box card platforms and then having to work out how to make them look less like adverts for Frosties (other cereals are available) and more like stations.

Anyway - here's what I've achieved. For those following along at home, my materials were a craft knife (I used an old one I bought on a holiday in Yorkshire a few years ago but I'm sure any others would work just fine), the Metcalfe platform kit (make sure you get the right scale!), a cutting mat, and about two hours. You'll also need something to test the gauging around your platforms - I used a Lima Class 156 from @reddragon.


(I've blanked out most of the photo as it showed all the messy bits of the layout and the bit underneath)

The triangular platform section, which will eventually become platforms two and three, is yet to be fitted with the self-adhesive (yeah right - the corners kept coming up on the other bits so I've used a glue stick to stick them down) platform edging pieces, but it shows you what the station will look like. I spent most of my time when working on this section trying to make the platform fit in the space available so the trains didn't hit it as they went into platform three (furthest from the camera), which is why it has the indentation in it. You may notice that platform one (the one the 156 is in) also has a thinner bit, which is to allow for trains to use the crossing the 156 is next to. The triangle section is also yet to receive its edging stones.
The ramp at the top of the photo is not necessarily going to be in that exact position; it originally went near the bottom of the photo, where you can see the cereal-box card, but because I'm going to be essentially extending platform one out to form the beach walkway, having a ramp there seemed a bit pointless. I might move the ramp out of this station area entirely and use it somewhere else; I'd like something to provide access from platform to trackbed and stairs might be better.

The track has been pinned down and tested and it all works, so I'm happy with it. I've started doing a bit of work on the beach walkway but the building I designed for it was too large, so it's back to the drawing board with that idea. My plan is to have a series of buildings (shops and a pub) along the walkway and then at some point to have a gap between buildings with maybe a public seating area to allow people to watch the trains and the sea. Whether I'm going to include part of the sea, or if I'm just going to include the beach on the layout, I don't yet know - I'm thinking at the moment that I'll probably go for just the beach to give the impression it's quite a deep one, as have been most of the beaches I've been to.

That's it - I've made a few platforms and spent an entire evening working out how to make card constructions structurally stable. And jolly good fun it has been too!

-Peter

 

[reddragon]

Thanks very much I've always thought the Little Piddling - Oldmoor-on-Sea branch to be a mix of heritage and mainline, so all sorts of trains will be running along it.
This layout has been about five years in the making I suppose so I've definitely spent a lot of time thinking about ideas!


Ooh interesting - I might have a look into getting them if you can find the titles

-Peter

===============================
[new post made 8.3.2021]

Hello everyone!

I've been continuing the rock-and-roll lifestyle of model railways by spending most of this evening cutting up bits of card to make platforms - what a time to be alive!
I used the Metcalfe platform kits as in my experience, as they're the best way of making good-looking platforms to the required sizes (I'm not sponsored by Metcalfe - I wish I was though) and they solve the issues of making cereal-box card platforms and then having to work out how to make them look less like adverts for Frosties (other cereals are available) and more like stations.

Anyway - here's what I've achieved. For those following along at home, my materials were a craft knife (I used an old one I bought on a holiday in Yorkshire a few years ago but I'm sure any others would work just fine), the Metcalfe platform kit (make sure you get the right scale!), a cutting mat, and about two hours. You'll also need something to test the gauging around your platforms - I used a Lima Class 156 from @reddragon.

View attachment 92126
(I've blanked out most of the photo as it showed all the messy bits of the layout and the bit underneath)

The triangular platform section, which will eventually become platforms two and three, is yet to be fitted with the self-adhesive (yeah right - the corners kept coming up on the other bits so I've used a glue stick to stick them down) platform edging pieces, but it shows you what the station will look like. I spent most of my time when working on this section trying to make the platform fit in the space available so the trains didn't hit it as they went into platform three (furthest from the camera), which is why it has the indentation in it. You may notice that platform one (the one the 156 is in) also has a thinner bit, which is to allow for trains to use the crossing the 156 is next to. The triangle section is also yet to receive its edging stones.
The ramp at the top of the photo is not necessarily going to be in that exact position; it originally went near the bottom of the photo, where you can see the cereal-box card, but because I'm going to be essentially extending platform one out to form the beach walkway, having a ramp there seemed a bit pointless. I might move the ramp out of this station area entirely and use it somewhere else; I'd like something to provide access from platform to trackbed and stairs might be better.

The track has been pinned down and tested and it all works, so I'm happy with it. I've started doing a bit of work on the beach walkway but the building I designed for it was too large, so it's back to the drawing board with that idea. My plan is to have a series of buildings (shops and a pub) along the walkway and then at some point to have a gap between buildings with maybe a public seating area to allow people to watch the trains and the sea. Whether I'm going to include part of the sea, or if I'm just going to include the beach on the layout, I don't yet know - I'm thinking at the moment that I'll probably go for just the beach to give the impression it's quite a deep one, as have been most of the beaches I've been to.

That's it - I've made a few platforms and spent an entire evening working out how to make card constructions structurally stable. And jolly good fun it has been too!

-Peter

My main station, Red Dragon is made from 3mm ply cut to shape on suitable thickness timber battens then painted grey. I might make Lemmington Grizzy the same but with a stone face.

My suburban station will require curved platforms so another option is required for the platform edges, which I want to be SR concrete & brick mixtures.

 

[Peter C]

My main station, Red Dragon is made from 3mm ply cut to shape on suitable thickness timber battens then painted grey. I might make Lemmington Grizzy the same but with a stone face.

Ah cool - I've previously used small bits of wood from my local model shop to make platforms but I never went anywhere with the idea. It's something I'd definitely look into going back to if lots of platforms are required!

My suburban station will require curved platforms so another option is required for the platform edges, which I want to be SR concrete & brick mixtures.

This might be of some use, but how easy it would be to make curved platform edges I don't know: https://peco-uk.com/products/platform-edging-concrete

-Peter

 

[reddragon]

Ah cool - I've previously used small bits of wood from my local model shop to make platforms but I never went anywhere with the idea. It's something I'd definitely look into going back to if lots of platforms are required!


This might be of some use, but how easy it would be to make curved platform edges I don't know: https://peco-uk.com/products/platform-edging-concrete

-Peter

Thanks Peter

Yes that's what I'll need, just not there yet!

 

[Peter C]

Thanks Peter

Yes that's what I'll need, just not there yet!

You're very welcome. I had thought of using those edging strips on Eastfield Road on my layout and did quite a bit of looking into what I could use to make the station

-Peter

 

[reddragon]

You're very welcome. I had thought of using those edging strips on Eastfield Road on my layout and did quite a bit of looking into what I could use to make the station

-Peter

Just realised the cost! Bank loan territory!! How the hell can they charge all that for 1 piece, wow!

 

[Peter C]

Just realised the cost! Bank loan territory!! How the hell can they charge all that for 1 piece, wow!

I don't know if you get just one piece in that pack - you might get several bits. It totals 168mm.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BNIB-OO-...314741&hash=item2f50f4eaaf:g:lEMAAOSww6lf20xj has a five pack of those pieces for £5.60.

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

I don't know if you get just one piece in that pack - you might get several bits. It totals 168mm.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BNIB-OO-...314741&hash=item2f50f4eaaf:g:lEMAAOSww6lf20xj has a five pack of those pieces for £5.60.

-Peter

Yes you definitely get a fairly decent run of length. You also need the slopes at the end though...
I bought some Ratio SR concrete fencing the other day for Eggishford. Luckily over the last couple of years I’ve built quite a good box of N gauge leftover bits to make things out of.
Actually it’s surprising what you can make if you give it a go.

 

[reddragon]

Yes you definitely get a fairly decent run of length. You also need the slopes at the end though...
I bought some Ratio SR concrete fencing the other day for Eggishford. Luckily over the last couple of years I’ve built quite a good box of N gauge leftover bits to make things out of.
Actually it’s surprising what you can make if you give it a go.

Clearly the Peco website is rubbish! Hattons have packs of 5 for less! Clear description.

Peco Products LK-62 Platform Edging. Concrete Type (Height 20mm)

hattons.co.uk Peco Products LK-62 Platform Edging. Concrete Type (Height 20mm)

www.hattons.co.uk

 

[Cowley]

Clearly the Peco website is rubbish! Hattons have packs of 5 for less! Clear description.

Peco Products LK-62 Platform Edging. Concrete Type (Height 20mm)

hattons.co.uk Peco Products LK-62 Platform Edging. Concrete Type (Height 20mm)

www.hattons.co.uk

Yes I found the Peco website a bit awkward to use compared to others.

 

[Peter C]

Do not adjust your sets - I've finally found something worth talking about on the OJMR! Also - die-hard collectors of a sensitive disposition; look away now...

I've not really been doing much on the layout at the moment, but today I managed to get some progress made on the engine front. The engines in question were the two Deltics from @reddragon, which had developed some sort of issue - they'd started smoking and just couldn't be bothered to do anything. You'd think they were naughty teenagers, honestly...
The two Deltics both started smoking quite a bit when I tried running them last (this was several weeks ago, maybe even a couple of months by now), and so I left them on the shelf for a rainy day when I could fix them. Today was that day (it didn't rain though - I'm claiming it was false advertising) and the solution was really quite simple: so simple I could do it!
The solution was just to run the two engines one after the other on the Tidy-Track wheel cleaner until the smoke stopped. I had the window open and there was barely any smoke in the grand scheme of things but it was still concerning to see a Deltic imitate an A4. After around fifteen/twenty seconds, the smoke stopped and the motor sped up, now fully fixed. This was the case for both locos and now I had two working engines. Lovely!

Only trouble was - I didn't have two working engines for long. The blue Deltic - 9003 The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry - had some issues with the chassis, particularly around the motor bogie area. One section had broken and the chassis was far too high up in the bodyshell for the bogie to sufficiently turn, leading to a derailment on the curve when I tested it. I took the body off the engine and managed to break another bit of the chassis, meaning it either needs poly-cementing back together or I need to get a new chassis. I'm probably going to go down the second route as it's easier and there's less chance of me gluing my fingers together in a hilarious fashion
All this was a really long-winded way of saying I've swapped the blue Deltic body over to the chassis from the green one; die-hard collectors will be furious at this I know. I decided a fair while ago that the blue Deltic would stay as-is (it would get a clean but that would be it), and the green one would be painted to some other livery. My current thinking is either another blue one - preferably a mainline-registered one - or the Porterbrook one. I'm leaning more towards the latter option here as I find the livery so out-of-the-ordinary and cool that it's just begging to be done. It would also save buying the £160 Accurascale version!



If you've made it this far, well done. It's probably best that you make another cup of tea and get comfy; it's now time for this week's instalment of everyone's favourite soap opera - Oldmoordale (Oldmoor Street? Oldmoor Enders?) How did Mrs Miggins get on with mending that hat stand? Where did Dave Hatley find his collection of comedy beer mats? Find out now...

'Mrs Miggins goes to the sea' and other stories
We join Mrs Miggins on the platform of Oldmoor Junction station. This being a TV soap opera (I wish), the trains are inaccurate for the time period and never ran in the area. Mrs Miggins is viewing a timetable board and finds trains to Oldmoor-on-Sea - she's not been to the seaside since an incident in Morecambe in 1973 and wants to try it again. She books a ticket straight away and boards the next train.
This being a First Great Western service, the train's late and old; Mrs Miggins has to sit next to some dreadful youth with his tinny be-bop tunes playing from his earphones all the way and eventually learns she hates rap music. As the train pulls into Oldmoor-on-Sea, she's glad the journey's over. Mrs Miggins leaves the train and makes her way to the beach. On her way, she passes an ice-cream stall. She doesn't like ice creams following a holiday in Portsmouth before the war and steers clear, lest she be persuaded by a Calippo-wielding salesman into buying a '99.
As she relaxes on the beach, Mrs Miggins sees a familiar-looking shadow come towards her. She squints and removes her glasses to try and get a better picture, but this just makes things worse. As the figure approaches, she realises who it is.

[scene change - Oldmoor, Crown & Anchor pub]

Dave Hatley is serving his customers as he does every afternoon as he hears that someone spotted Mr Miggins, thought to have died in Bognor Regis in 1965, in the local post office buying a book of first class stamps. Dave's shocked by this news: does Mrs Miggins know?

[scene change - Oldmoor-on-Sea]

Mrs Miggins is taken aback by the person stood in front of her. He's wearing a grey jacket and carrying an umbrella - seems familiar. "Hello Maureen," he says, "haven't seen you in about fifty-six years". It's Mr Miggins - he never died at all! He simply got left behind in Bognor when Mrs Miggins got on the wrong bus with both their tickets in her pocket and, given the lack of public transport in the area, he's only just managed to get out.
The pair hug and the episode ends.


I hoped you liked that - I certainly enjoyed writing it.

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

Blimey. My mother in law is called Maureen and I’ve just placed her in the exact centre of your story!
Re Deltics - I mean they smoke a lot anyway and frequently break down so it all sounds very believable to me.

 

[Peter C]

Blimey. My mother in law is called Maureen and I’ve just placed her in the exact centre of your story!

Oh wow - I expect that could lead to some interesting stories if you put her in the middle

Re Deltics - I mean they smoke a lot anyway and frequently break down so it all sounds very believable to me.

Haha! If they'd been smoking from the roof then I'd be more inclined to keep them as they were...

-Peter

 

[MotCO]

Do not adjust your sets - I've finally found something worth talking about on the OJMR! Also - die-hard collectors of a sensitive disposition; look away now...

I've not really been doing much on the layout at the moment, but today I managed to get some progress made on the engine front. The engines in question were the two Deltics from @reddragon, which had developed some sort of issue - they'd started smoking and just couldn't be bothered to do anything. You'd think they were naughty teenagers, honestly...
The two Deltics both started smoking quite a bit when I tried running them last (this was several weeks ago, maybe even a couple of months by now), and so I left them on the shelf for a rainy day when I could fix them. Today was that day (it didn't rain though - I'm claiming it was false advertising) and the solution was really quite simple: so simple I could do it!
The solution was just to run the two engines one after the other on the Tidy-Track wheel cleaner until the smoke stopped. I had the window open and there was barely any smoke in the grand scheme of things but it was still concerning to see a Deltic imitate an A4. After around fifteen/twenty seconds, the smoke stopped and the motor sped up, now fully fixed. This was the case for both locos and now I had two working engines. Lovely!

Only trouble was - I didn't have two working engines for long. The blue Deltic - 9003 The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry - had some issues with the chassis, particularly around the motor bogie area. One section had broken and the chassis was far too high up in the bodyshell for the bogie to sufficiently turn, leading to a derailment on the curve when I tested it. I took the body off the engine and managed to break another bit of the chassis, meaning it either needs poly-cementing back together or I need to get a new chassis. I'm probably going to go down the second route as it's easier and there's less chance of me gluing my fingers together in a hilarious fashion
All this was a really long-winded way of saying I've swapped the blue Deltic body over to the chassis from the green one; die-hard collectors will be furious at this I know. I decided a fair while ago that the blue Deltic would stay as-is (it would get a clean but that would be it), and the green one would be painted to some other livery. My current thinking is either another blue one - preferably a mainline-registered one - or the Porterbrook one. I'm leaning more towards the latter option here as I find the livery so out-of-the-ordinary and cool that it's just begging to be done. It would also save buying the £160 Accurascale version!



If you've made it this far, well done. It's probably best that you make another cup of tea and get comfy; it's now time for this week's instalment of everyone's favourite soap opera - Oldmoordale (Oldmoor Street? Oldmoor Enders?) How did Mrs Miggins get on with mending that hat stand? Where did Dave Hatley find his collection of comedy beer mats? Find out now...

'Mrs Miggins goes to the sea' and other stories
We join Mrs Miggins on the platform of Oldmoor Junction station. This being a TV soap opera (I wish), the trains are inaccurate for the time period and never ran in the area. Mrs Miggins is viewing a timetable board and finds trains to Oldmoor-on-Sea - she's not been to the seaside since an incident in Morecambe in 1973 and wants to try it again. She books a ticket straight away and boards the next train.
This being a First Great Western service, the train's late and old; Mrs Miggins has to sit next to some dreadful youth with his tinny be-bop tunes playing from his earphones all the way and eventually learns she hates rap music. As the train pulls into Oldmoor-on-Sea, she's glad the journey's over. Mrs Miggins leaves the train and makes her way to the beach. On her way, she passes an ice-cream stall. She doesn't like ice creams following a holiday in Portsmouth before the war and steers clear, lest she be persuaded by a Calippo-wielding salesman into buying a '99.
As she relaxes on the beach, Mrs Miggins sees a familiar-looking shadow come towards her. She squints and removes her glasses to try and get a better picture, but this just makes things worse. As the figure approaches, she realises who it is.

[scene change - Oldmoor, Crown & Anchor pub]

Dave Hatley is serving his customers as he does every afternoon as he hears that someone spotted Mr Miggins, thought to have died in Bognor Regis in 1965, in the local post office buying a book of first class stamps. Dave's shocked by this news: does Mrs Miggins know?

[scene change - Oldmoor-on-Sea]

Mrs Miggins is taken aback by the person stood in front of her. He's wearing a grey jacket and carrying an umbrella - seems familiar. "Hello Maureen," he says, "haven't seen you in about fifty-six years". It's Mr Miggins - he never died at all! He simply got left behind in Bognor when Mrs Miggins got on the wrong bus with both their tickets in her pocket and, given the lack of public transport in the area, he's only just managed to get out.
The pair hug and the episode ends.


I hoped you liked that - I certainly enjoyed writing it.

-Peter

I'm looking forward to the omnibus (or should that be omnitrain) edition

 

[Peter C]

I'm looking forward to the omnibus (or should that be omnitrain) edition

Haha - though seeing as this soap seems to be following the trend of Acorn Antiques, it might end up being an 'omibus'...

-Peter

 

[The_Train]

Do not adjust your sets - I've finally found something worth talking about on the OJMR! Also - die-hard collectors of a sensitive disposition; look away now...

I've not really been doing much on the layout at the moment, but today I managed to get some progress made on the engine front. The engines in question were the two Deltics from @reddragon, which had developed some sort of issue - they'd started smoking and just couldn't be bothered to do anything. You'd think they were naughty teenagers, honestly...
The two Deltics both started smoking quite a bit when I tried running them last (this was several weeks ago, maybe even a couple of months by now), and so I left them on the shelf for a rainy day when I could fix them. Today was that day (it didn't rain though - I'm claiming it was false advertising) and the solution was really quite simple: so simple I could do it!
The solution was just to run the two engines one after the other on the Tidy-Track wheel cleaner until the smoke stopped. I had the window open and there was barely any smoke in the grand scheme of things but it was still concerning to see a Deltic imitate an A4. After around fifteen/twenty seconds, the smoke stopped and the motor sped up, now fully fixed. This was the case for both locos and now I had two working engines. Lovely!

Only trouble was - I didn't have two working engines for long. The blue Deltic - 9003 The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry - had some issues with the chassis, particularly around the motor bogie area. One section had broken and the chassis was far too high up in the bodyshell for the bogie to sufficiently turn, leading to a derailment on the curve when I tested it. I took the body off the engine and managed to break another bit of the chassis, meaning it either needs poly-cementing back together or I need to get a new chassis. I'm probably going to go down the second route as it's easier and there's less chance of me gluing my fingers together in a hilarious fashion
All this was a really long-winded way of saying I've swapped the blue Deltic body over to the chassis from the green one; die-hard collectors will be furious at this I know. I decided a fair while ago that the blue Deltic would stay as-is (it would get a clean but that would be it), and the green one would be painted to some other livery. My current thinking is either another blue one - preferably a mainline-registered one - or the Porterbrook one. I'm leaning more towards the latter option here as I find the livery so out-of-the-ordinary and cool that it's just begging to be done. It would also save buying the £160 Accurascale version!



If you've made it this far, well done. It's probably best that you make another cup of tea and get comfy; it's now time for this week's instalment of everyone's favourite soap opera - Oldmoordale (Oldmoor Street? Oldmoor Enders?) How did Mrs Miggins get on with mending that hat stand? Where did Dave Hatley find his collection of comedy beer mats? Find out now...

'Mrs Miggins goes to the sea' and other stories
We join Mrs Miggins on the platform of Oldmoor Junction station. This being a TV soap opera (I wish), the trains are inaccurate for the time period and never ran in the area. Mrs Miggins is viewing a timetable board and finds trains to Oldmoor-on-Sea - she's not been to the seaside since an incident in Morecambe in 1973 and wants to try it again. She books a ticket straight away and boards the next train.
This being a First Great Western service, the train's late and old; Mrs Miggins has to sit next to some dreadful youth with his tinny be-bop tunes playing from his earphones all the way and eventually learns she hates rap music. As the train pulls into Oldmoor-on-Sea, she's glad the journey's over. Mrs Miggins leaves the train and makes her way to the beach. On her way, she passes an ice-cream stall. She doesn't like ice creams following a holiday in Portsmouth before the war and steers clear, lest she be persuaded by a Calippo-wielding salesman into buying a '99.
As she relaxes on the beach, Mrs Miggins sees a familiar-looking shadow come towards her. She squints and removes her glasses to try and get a better picture, but this just makes things worse. As the figure approaches, she realises who it is.

[scene change - Oldmoor, Crown & Anchor pub]

Dave Hatley is serving his customers as he does every afternoon as he hears that someone spotted Mr Miggins, thought to have died in Bognor Regis in 1965, in the local post office buying a book of first class stamps. Dave's shocked by this news: does Mrs Miggins know?

[scene change - Oldmoor-on-Sea]

Mrs Miggins is taken aback by the person stood in front of her. He's wearing a grey jacket and carrying an umbrella - seems familiar. "Hello Maureen," he says, "haven't seen you in about fifty-six years". It's Mr Miggins - he never died at all! He simply got left behind in Bognor when Mrs Miggins got on the wrong bus with both their tickets in her pocket and, given the lack of public transport in the area, he's only just managed to get out.
The pair hug and the episode ends.


I hoped you liked that - I certainly enjoyed writing it.

-Peter

Haha I really enjoyed that tale
Guess they have a lot of catching up to do. Wonder what Mr Miggins has been up to in Bognor for all this time?

 

[Peter C]

Haha I really enjoyed that tale
Guess they have a lot of catching up to do. Wonder what Mr Miggins has been up to in Bognor for all this time?

Haha - nice to know people are liking them.
Seeing as there's so much interest (my letterbox has been flooded with about three letters asking about situations vaguely similar to this just this week), I'll share the next tale with you all.

==========

What was Mr Miggins doing in Bognor? What's happened to Dave Hatley's collection of Ordnance Survey maps? Did Mrs Miggins finish mending that blanket box?*

[Oldmoor-on-Sea station. Black and white. (like Brief Encounter but on a budget)]

"And that, Maureen," says Mr Miggins, "is how I came to open a well-known department store chain and finally make enough money to pay for me bus fare out of Bognor."
Mr and Mrs Miggins are sat in the refreshment room at Oldmoor-on-Sea, talking, in the way elderly couples tend to go on a bit, about the 'good old days'. You know, like the war.* Mr Miggins has broken a tooth on a particularly hard scone and Mrs Miggins has lost her glasses following an eventful walk along the promenade but apart from that, they're just fine.
"Well that is interesting," Mrs Miggins responds. "I never would have thought you could do that with a sponge finger and a pack of crayons."
(A bell rings, alerting the pair to the fact that their train's about to leave.)
"By 'eck!" shouts Mrs Miggins. In doing this, she's shocked half the refreshment room and someone's scalded themselves with their tea but Maureen doesn't care. Ever since a walking holiday in the Pennines, she's had a dodgy leg and needs more time to walk to places safely. Mr Miggins helps her up from her chair, and just like in Brief Encounter, they shuffle to their train.

[cut to the platform. The train's waiting, ready to leave]

The pair shuffle along the platform, hurriedly trying to make it to the closest door. Unluckily for them, this is the first time in the history of trains that the doors have actually been locked 30 seconds prior to departure; they miss their train home and make their way back to a bench to have a rest. The camera pans away, showing a seagull wearing glasses which look suspiciously like those Mrs Miggins was wearing last time.

[cut to the Crown & Anchor in Oldmoor. Dave Hatley's washing glasses.]

Dave's just finished cleaning a particularly grubby pint glass when one of his regulars bursts in. "Mr Miggins has been seen on the platform at Oldmoor-on-Sea, with Mrs Miggins!", the customer shouts.
"Get out - this is the kitchen!" Dave responds. He's from Yorkshire so he says things like they are. He moved 'down south' for the work but can never understand why everyone pronounces things like they're yawning halfway through the word. This is why he's never been to a garden centre to buy fake grass for his lawn - that and the fact that he has a phobia of daffodils.

You'll have to wait for the next instalment to hear more - the pips have gone off on the phone to say the call's about to be cut off. Remember the milk and eggs!

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

There’s definitely a lot going on there. I think Lapford is a bit quieter than this!

 

[reddragon]

Haha - nice to know people are liking them.
Seeing as there's so much interest (my letterbox has been flooded with about three letters asking about situations vaguely similar to this just this week), I'll share the next tale with you all.

==========

What was Mr Miggins doing in Bognor? What's happened to Dave Hatley's collection of Ordnance Survey maps? Did Mrs Miggins finish mending that blanket box?*

[Oldmoor-on-Sea station. Black and white. (like Brief Encounter but on a budget)]

"And that, Maureen," says Mr Miggins, "is how I came to open a well-known department store chain and finally make enough money to pay for me bus fare out of Bognor."
Mr and Mrs Miggins are sat in the refreshment room at Oldmoor-on-Sea, talking, in the way elderly couples tend to go on a bit, about the 'good old days'. You know, like the war.* Mr Miggins has broken a tooth on a particularly hard scone and Mrs Miggins has lost her glasses following an eventful walk along the promenade but apart from that, they're just fine.
"Well that is interesting," Mrs Miggins responds. "I never would have thought you could do that with a sponge finger and a pack of crayons."
(A bell rings, alerting the pair to the fact that their train's about to leave.)
"By 'eck!" shouts Mrs Miggins. In doing this, she's shocked half the refreshment room and someone's scalded themselves with their tea but Maureen doesn't care. Ever since a walking holiday in the Pennines, she's had a dodgy leg and needs more time to walk to places safely. Mr Miggins helps her up from her chair, and just like in Brief Encounter, they shuffle to their train.

[cut to the platform. The train's waiting, ready to leave]

The pair shuffle along the platform, hurriedly trying to make it to the closest door. Unluckily for them, this is the first time in the history of trains that the doors have actually been locked 30 seconds prior to departure; they miss their train home and make their way back to a bench to have a rest. The camera pans away, showing a seagull wearing glasses which look suspiciously like those Mrs Miggins was wearing last time.

[cut to the Crown & Anchor in Oldmoor. Dave Hatley's washing glasses.]

Dave's just finished cleaning a particularly grubby pint glass when one of his regulars bursts in. "Mr Miggins has been seen on the platform at Oldmoor-on-Sea, with Mrs Miggins!", the customer shouts.
"Get out - this is the kitchen!" Dave responds. He's from Yorkshire so he says things like they are. He moved 'down south' for the work but can never understand why everyone pronounces things like they're yawning halfway through the word. This is why he's never been to a garden centre to buy fake grass for his lawn - that and the fact that he has a phobia of daffodils.

You'll have to wait for the next instalment to hear more - the pips have gone off on the phone to say the call's about to be cut off. Remember the milk and eggs!

-Peter

I am sorry Peter but Mr Miggins has claimed delay repay for the unreliable service received. Apparently after a day on the beach, they spent a long time in the pub and by the time they came out the it was dark & the train driver had gone to bed and the last timetabled train of the day didn't run.

 

[Peter C]

There’s definitely a lot going on there. I think Lapford is a bit quieter than this!

Haha I thought Oldmoor was a nice little quite town too - turns out the population get up to all sorts!

I am sorry Peter but Mr Miggins has claimed delay repay for the unreliable service received. Apparently after a day on the beach, they spent a long time in the pub and by the time they came out the it was dark & the train driver had gone to bed and the last timetabled train of the day didn't run.

Oh yes - I forgot that last bit. This being FGW, though, the delay repay was about 5p - or as Mrs Miggins calls it, a shilling.

-Peter