10. In the background.

It's getting too cold in the shed to spend too much time in there, but I have managed to do a bit of work on the rear left corner. This is going to be the boundary of the estate, with the gateway, walls and lodge. So far they are only placed in position. There will be a tree and garden access between the house and wall, with a small garden to the left. I've got to experiment on some shop bought trees with spray glue, assorted dried herbs and spray paint to see what I can come up with. The house is one I built some time ago and is based on a drawing in a 'Ladybird' book.

9. Platform Surface

I've been suffering from a severe chest infection for over a month. Coughing fit to bust and unable to sleep lying down, so feel a little washed out. However, after 3 different batches of antibiotic and two loads of steroids I seem to be on the mend slowly.

While the main layout proceeds slowly, (I have cut some sundeala board to sizes suitable for the main drag) the Hubbards Hills 009 miniature railway moves slightly quicker. I've finally managed to surface the platform and a photo follows.

Having looked at a lot of pictures of old seaside and estate model railways I saw that most had either a low ground level gravel platform or a planked one. I went for the latter, as I haven't seen it modelled very often. The surface is made up of many 3inch strips of 3mm stripwood from Hobbies, laid with staggered joints and glued down on  a bed of pva glue. Then I painted the whole lot with a grey trial pot, wiping of the excess to show the planks off. I think I was a bit to liberal with the paint, as it seems to be too thick in some places. Not like the trial piece I made, where the grain of individual planks showed through. I forgot that, on that piece, I'd watered the paint down somewhat!
It has been suggested that I try removing some paint with wire wool. We shall see.

8. The Pipe Dream

While concentrating on my little 09 project at the moment I've previously mentioned my planned 009 large layout based on the Boston area . I just thought I'd show you the provisional track plan. I hope it is readable.

This was found in a forum on one of the model railway sites, I forget which one, and is for a double-decker layout, though it could be used as two singles. It is ideal for my purposes, as it goes from one quayside (Boston) to a cassette which is moved to the next section ending in another quayside (Freiston).

A large layout in all, and one I'm unlikely to complete in its entirety. However, if I get the first bit done I'll be (reasonably) happy.

7. The owner's family appears

Assorted medical matters (self and MrsJ) taking precedence over the last few weeks, little advancement made in either of the two layouts being built. However, I have continued painting the various Andrew Stadden figures that I have in the 'to do' box, and show the results here.

They are;- Mr Ian Nesbit, Mrs Dinah Nesbit, and their children Jenny, Sally and Gary. All resemblance to any other well known railway family is probably quite intentional. The Nesbits are the owners of Hubbards Hills estate, just outside Louth in Lincolnshire, and the small miniature railway runs about a mile from the gates through a pleasant valley to a small tearoom by a waterfall.


I am only working on the gateway end for now, though I have ideas for the other (new boards tagged on at some future date?).


The main 009 layout of the Boston Tramway is maturing slowly with the main features blocked out on paper and some trackwork planned. I'll be putting photos up eventually, but don't expect too much too soon! I have a reputation in the family for slow progress, having once taken three years to make MrsJ a spice rack.

6. The basics continue

After a small hiatus because of health issues, both my own ticker problems and MrsJ's diagnosis of  Myelodysplastic Syndrome (doctor's letters full of long medical terms which basically don't spell good news) I managed to get into the shed and do some work on the baseboards for 'Hubbards Hills', the 09 (7mm to I foot scale on 9mm gauge track) layout. This is two 3foot long boards anchored in the middle by hinges which will eventually be split and pinned, this coming apart to allow board storage.

The track on one board is complete, point mechanics (rod in tube) in place and wiring dropped through to the underside of the board. More electrics to follow.

I found time yesterday to paint the sky. Three different shades of blue, light at the bottom grading to a mid blue at the top. These were melded into each other hoping to give a vision of the sky round this area. Little streaks of white were incorporated to give variety. I hope it doesn't look too bad. Don't forget, it will have trees etc. in front to break it up.

 

 

The holes in the right hand corner are for access by the cassette style fiddle method of changing trains. There will be a slight mound in front of these which should hide the workings.

 



In the corner I used some triangular fillet that I had lying around (the planned doll house stairs will have to wait) in order to try disguise the sharp angle of the corner.

I've been painting some Stadden figures for the layout, more about these next time. When I have taken the photos.

5. A little conversion work

There are certain cliché vignettes that seem to turn up on model railways of all scales, the bus on an overbridge, the car accident, the house on fire, a car blocked in by sheep, little yellow Reliant three wheel vans; I could go on. I am no exception to wanting to include little scenes to keep the children (and hopefully a few adults) amused. Already, in my box of accessories waiting for use are the trio from 'Last of the Summer Wine' (Compo, Clegg and Foggy) and a flock of sheep amongst which is a wolf hiding under a sheepskin (shaped lump of plasticine). The latest addition is this.

Here we have two vicars, not just any old vicars but two well known to the rsilway model fraternity some years ago and immortalised by the Rev.Wilbur Awdry in his book 'Duke the lost engine' as the thin clergyman and the fat clergyman, being based on himself and the Rev.Teddy Boston, who not only had a large model railway in his barn but also a small full size narrow gauge line running in his rectory garden at Cadeby in Leicestershire. This group is my little nod to their fame.

They started life as four separate figures from Omen Figures and I had to decapitate them all, replace two heads, remove waistcoat detail from one and turn it into a jumper, add a camera and strap and rebuild the neck areas to properly represent dog collars. The plastic bases are there rather than the usual 'pin up a leg' method because my granddaughters like to move the figures about and I hope to have them travelling to visit other 7mm scale lines at exhibitions.

4. More Planning

Although I'm working on the details for the 'Boston and Freiston Shore Railway' I'm also building a small portable layout in 09, and this is actually fairly well advanced. The track is laid and point control (rod in tube) in position. Platform area delineated. Here is a poor quality photo showing a few buildings dotted about for effect. The little sheds and cabins are actually old Biltezee card kits enlarged up on my home scanner and put together quickly. The station itself is made of coffee stirrers.

 

 

Also, I have painted a loco and coach from Teebee via Shapeways. These are pictured on a little scene I knocked up for taking photos, and it has nothing to do with the layout. Those of you with good eyesight will note that there are no couplings fitted as yet. I haven't decided whch to use. Also, the figures to the right are standing on Perspex ovals, just like the old Airfix models used to be. I'm using this method, rather than the 'pin up the leg' way, as I've a couple of young granddaughters who like to move the population about.

That's it for today.

3. A bit more background

Apologies for the poor resolution of the picture, but the original was quite large.

Looking at my source book - The Railways of Boston by Neil R Wright, published as part of the History of Boston project back in 1971, I can give some details of the various proposals I cultivated for my little line. This is a 53 page pamphlet giving a lot of detail on the reasons for railway development in the Lincolnshire, and particularly Boston, area; as well as the political shenanigans involved. Chapter 6 is the important one as far as I'm concerned, titled Lines to Grantham - and Freiston Shore. This chapter is some 7 pages long, with photos and diagrams, and covers the various railway or tramway proposals from the Great Northern main line to Freiston Shore on the Wash coast.

I don't intend to go into detail, but there were some 8 different propositions between 1862 and 1880, by which time the necessity had disappeared, as the Corporation had built the new Docks on the edge of town. This removed the requirement for improvement of the old quayside facilities, and the need to build any kind of cargo handling equipment out of town.

The particular plan I have at the moment is of the 1871 version, going from various branches in town, (the main railway station, High Street and South End, through the Market Place and town centre out via Spilsby Road to Haltoft End, where the line turned south heading for Freiston, finishing in a mile long pier over the mud flats.

I haven't gone into the where's and wherefors of the proposal, but in all honesty I can't see that ir would have been built in real terms. Objections would surely have been raised to the line going through the town's historic centre, and the streets  exiting from there are extremely narrow (most of them these days are one-way traffic) which would have caused much congestion (I have photos showing the entry to South End having only enough width for a single lorry. Apart from that, it would have run only yards from the Historic Parish Church.

For this reason I have changed the layout to ignore the town, and have mated a number of the proposals to allow my own route. In doing so I have taken liberties with the history and geography of Boston to my own advantage.

More next time.

2. Inspiration

These are just a small selection of books from my library of reference material I've always had an interest in the history of my home town of Boston, Lincolnshire even though I left there in 1969 I still have a couple of relatives in town. I've also had a fondness for looking at pictorial volumes of railway lines, stations et.al.

You will notice, on the left hand side, a small booklet entitled "The Railways of Boston", by one Neil Wright. This was published a long time ago as part of the "History of Boston" project, which involved local authors and historians writing small books on differing aspects of the town. In this title the author covered the railway infrastructure, and one chapter considered the various options considered for a line to Frieston* Shore, to the east of town at the mouth of the River Witham.

 

 

Map from "The Railways of Boston"

 

The story behind the proposals is that the original port facilities of the town were alongside a number of small riverside quays near the town centre, and as ships became larger and the river became more unnavigable the Council looked for an alternative means of keeping the port going. The Great Northern Railway was a force in town and were approached about building a new docks at the end of the river, with a railway link to their main line (the Lincolnshire Loop) and from there to the midlands and London. They were already heavily involved in the new docks at Grimsby, so declined. The local council, over a number of years, then looked at these various proposals for a line joining facilities at Frieston Shore the main line.  More about these lines next time.                                                                                

 

*I have seen it spelt in various ways in different publications.                                                             

 

 

 



1: Introduction

Over the years I have nearly built a number of model railways, but not really brought ant to completion. My working life involved moving house at regular intervals so nothing came to fulfilment. One little line did make it into print in the late 1980s, but this disappeared into the murk of history along with the others. Most of my ideas were narrow gauge, and I started with 009 but went up to 0-16.5 when my eyes started to go. Now that I'm retired , theoretically I have time to spare, but as I seem to have 'volunteered' granddaughter baby sitting duties for three days of the week and MrsJ seems to have my weekends planned out then I still have little time for pastimes.

I do have a garden shed about 12 feet by 8 feet, and although this has to hold the gardening gear as well as caravan awnings etc., I have laid claim to part of it. It has old kitchen units round some of the walls, and is going to be the layout.

I originally come from Boston in Lincolnshire, and have an interest in the standard railways of that area, with a special yearning to find out more about the various proposed tramways around town. You will learn more of these later.

 

Diagram of the various proposals for a Boston to Frieston Shore tramway connecting to the Great Northern Railway at Boston. This is my starting point, though I'll be changing the eventual line to a narrow gauge tramway, using lines like the Southwold, Isle of Man, Wantage and Wisbech and Upwell as inspiration.

 

You will find out more about the historical and the model railway in future posts. Feel free to look in.