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Old 9th August 2009, 22:01
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Toddington Ted Toddington Ted is offline  
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 272
Andoversford Junction

Over the last 3 years I have finally "bitten the bullet" and constructed a model railway layout (00 Gauge) at home (albeit in the garage loft which is not ideal). I am aware that I have probably done things the hard way by going for a prototypical layout theme but it was always going to be a bit of a compromise anyway as the actual length covered would be about 30 feet to scale and the garage is 16 feet wide, so I have had to be a little accommodating. I wanted something from my home area but not just another GWR country line; the junction with the M&SWJR giving a Midland flavour until after the grouping and then a Southern after Nationalisation when SR U Class locos were a common sight. There was also a tunnel at one end which was ideal for a break into a fiddle yard. The main problem (for me) is that the bulk of the station and junction is on an embankment so quite a lot of extra woodworking and bodging was needed to make it look "right". There were 2 signal boxes, one built before the M&SWJR connection and the second built at the M&SWJR's expense to control the Jct. In fact there were 3 as the original station box was replaced by a GWR "Standard" wooden box in Nov 1935, so I have modelled that as well so as to cover the period between both WWI and WWII (the line was busy during both wars with traffic from Salisbury Plain etc going north and vice versa). I soon found of course that it was impossible to replicate exactly the layout in minature as it was in the 1st 40 years of the 20th century as I don't have a 30 foot garage! I also found that some things work out really well whilst others, like ballasting etc, are a real pain - but that's the fun of railway modelling I guess. I'm no good at kit building locos or coaches really so the 72xx in the photo was built for me from a kit professionally back in the 1980s. Lots still to do like the backdrop (should have done that first I guess!) and the station cattle dock but its a great deal of fun nevertheless. I'm a keen supporter of GWR loco 2807 so one does feature on the layout. Several 28xxs have been logged on the line including some involved on demolition trains after the line closed in 1962, but no firm evidence yet that 2807 ran over this line, but I'm sure it did. I do have photographic evidence that 72xxs did and the lovely M&SWJR 4-4-0s. Regarding the latter, I believe a whitemetal kit is available so I'll have to save up to get one made - unfortunately patience and excellent eyesight not so much in abundance these days! I'd welcome any comments and will try and post a few more updated images maybe.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 7239 on MSWJR line.jpg (102.9 KB, 77 views)
File Type: jpg Andoversford Goods Yard.jpg (132.3 KB, 78 views)
File Type: jpg Andoversford Jct 1930s.jpg (130.1 KB, 63 views)
File Type: jpg Stn Forecourt & Yard 19 Feb 09 Small.jpg (134.6 KB, 67 views)
File Type: jpg Andoversford Jct Box Aug 08.jpg (89.9 KB, 62 views)
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