Blakeney: A M&GNJR never was

[Jim de Griz]

I've just finished phase 1 of my layout, by which I mean I've finally got it to the point where I no longer feel obliged to explain the work left to do to visitors.

I decided on a East Anglian station because of holidays spent there when I was a kid and the M&GNJR because I had a considerable amount of LNER and LMS stock to start with from the railway I built with my Grandad when I was younger. A sea side resort appealed because I was space limited, but still had a number of larger engines I wanted to run!

Blakeney was the originally planned terminus for the M&GNJR (rather than Cromer) and was an important port prior to the 19th Century and is infamous for being so lawless in the 16th Century that they refused to supply a ship to fight the Spanish Armada! Unfortunately the harbour silted up in the late 19th Century and for better or worse the railway decided to go to Cromer instead.

For my purposes I decided to assume the harbour had remained viable and continued to handle coal from the North and imports/exports to the continent (in a similar manner to Wells further round the coast) The M&GNR built their line to Blakeney, including a branch to the harbour before deciding on the extension to Cromer. Blakeney therefore prospered both as a harbour town and a seaside resort. With a direct link to Norwich it also because a favoured haunt of the middle/upper classes looking for a quieter life outside the city but still able to commute for work.

(Red line - M&GNJR as built, Blue - my take on the 'original' plan)

The whole layout measures 10'x4' with a terminus station running to a fiddle yard behind the backscreen. As I move around a lot it has to transportable with everything over 2 inches tall removable so the boards can be folded up to fit inside my car.

The station has three platforms, one much longer than the other intended to cater for excursion trains. The harbour provides the excuse for considerable goods traffic and particularly an excuse to run long coal trains down to Norwich.

I've tried to research the trains that ran to and from Cromer and then extrapolate what sort of trains might run from Blakeney. The B12 is about to enter the fiddle yard at the head of the Blakeney section of the Cromer-Kings' Cross express. I often run this train with fish vans at the front. Long term I'll look at adding some through coaches to over services to link up with other expresses.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

While generously proportioned by Norfolk standards, the station (realistically in my opinion) is challenging to operate when the excursion trains are running, particularly if you want to keep the local trains running on time!

The unsung hero of all this is my J15 which, until I get round to finishing my J69, currently acts as the Station Pilot as well as heading the local goods trains. Shunting the carriage sidings means propelling rakes of 6 coachs round a 180 degree 2nd radius bend (not my best idea) and the J15 has repeadly proven to be the only non-Pacific capable of the job! (The J11 struggles, but the 4 coupled locos can't manage it!)

In quiet moments though the station is still a fairly rural affair with plenty of elderly stock (That amusingly for the M&GNJR has probably been transferred there as part of a modernisation drive!) I have left some of the coaches lettered as M&GNJR as some coaches still bore the name into the post war era.

The station buildings are venerable Superquick buildings. The island platform is in the running for the oldest item on the layout. It is certainly older than I am having been built by my uncle. Unfortunately, both are pretty much life expired and the only way I could bring them up to standard would be to more or less replace them, a Trigger's Broom scenario. Longer term I intend to replace them with scratch built buildings based on Sheringham.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

The Engine Shed is located at the far right of the layout along with the turntable. Originally only planned for two locomotives + a spare road, it is already heavily over subscribed and I think that adds to the seaside excursion aesthetic I'm going for.

I haven't currently got it wired up for multiple engines on the same road, that is on the 'to do' list. Long term the goal is to get storage up to 6 tender locomotives and one tank engine. I also need to figure out what I'm going to do with that narrow bald strip alongside the track. Its the last bit of baseboard without something on it and keeps proving too useful as a tool holder for me to get round to finishing it off.

As the setting is supposed to be rural I did want some trees, the original plan called for about half a dozen, I've exceeded that a little. I do love how they make the cottages fit into the scene and I'm quite proud of the bridges as they are scratch built from card. Note also the little 0-4-0 harbour shunter, my very first loco so gets a run out even if she is a few hundred miles away from her home. In my head the harbour master must be a Scot and having talked management into buying the Pug from the Caledonian has refused to have her repainted!

The small wood also does a good job of hiding the 2nd radius curves, the bridges giving an impression of distance all out of proportion to the actual amount of track. The signals did work, but the mechanism I designed hasn't proved tough enough to survive multiple moves and is now so unreliable it needs outright replacement.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

Phase 2 is predominately improvements to already existing features

• Replace the signal mechanisms

• Continue modifying the Hornby Gresley's into GNR versions

• Finish J69 and ensure she is capable of managing the loads expected of her

• Figure out a workable auto uncoupler (noting I've already ballasted the track)

• Replace the station buildings

I'm also working on improving reliability, particularly reducing derailments by hunting down causes and fixing them.

Phase 3 will look at bringing more of my Grandfather's old locos back into service. As the M&GNJR ran excursions to Wales I can see excuses to run GWR and even SR excursions into M&GNJR rails. I just need to imagine up an impressive enough sounding reason for them to do so, some sort of festival I'm thinking. The key bit there will be working out how to ensure the engine shed and fiddle yard can cope with the extra coaches and their locomotives.

Jim de Griz

[60526]

Couplings, perhaps look at - https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/161518-ma ... nt-4286545
I saw this layout Elbow Lane exhibited by Dave Smith from Carshalton club at Basingstoke yesterday. Essentially he mounts 2 magnets under the baseboard and added a metal wire to a tension lock coupling only on the stock to be uncoupled, it worked very well. You need to read the topic for more detail. Whilst still only working from the underside of the board without cutting any holes, another idea I saw was to use magnets but to be able to raise them by the use of a servo motor. http://www.dingoservo.co.uk/uncoupler-unit.html

[strang steel]

That is a great layout in a confined space. You have certainly crammed a good deal of railway into it.

The signal box? Is it a card or plastic kit, or a ready made item. I have an interest in 00 signal box acquisition as I built one from a laser-cut kit which looked the part on its own, but now with more station buildings on my baseboard the box looks rather under scale. Bachmann make a GC-style one which would suit my geography perfectly, but it is ready made at £72 - which seems very steep just for a signal box.

I will look forward to your further progress reports.

[Jim de Griz]

Couplings, perhaps look at - https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/161518-ma ... nt-4286545
I saw this layout Elbow Lane exhibited by Dave Smith from Carshalton club at Basingstoke yesterday. Essentially he mounts 2 magnets under the baseboard and added a metal wire to a tension lock coupling only on the stock to be uncoupled, it worked very well. You need to read the topic for more detail. Whilst still only working from the underside of the board without cutting any holes, another idea I saw was to use magnets but to be able to raise them by the use of a servo motor. http://www.dingoservo.co.uk/uncoupler-unit.html

Thank you for the suggestion, I had been experimenting with magnets under the baseboard (its only 4mm deep) but the results had been very unreliable. Looking at the thread you suggested the magnets I had brought are far too small. I'll have to have another go.

That is a great layout in a confined space. You have certainly crammed a good deal of railway into it.

The signal box? Is it a card or plastic kit, or a ready made item. I have an interest in 00 signal box acquisition as I built one from a laser-cut kit which looked the part on its own, but now with more station buildings on my baseboard the box looks rather under scale. Bachmann make a GC-style one which would suit my geography perfectly, but it is ready made at £72 - which seems very steep just for a signal box.

I will look forward to your further progress reports.

Thank you

I'm not entirely sure where the signal box originated. I remember fixing it with my Grandfather so it was either my uncle's or brought second hand. It is plastic and claims to be Hornby R503-010, made in Great Britain.

I've repainted the woodwork to LNER colours (it was white originally I think) and added the name board on the front. I believe the rest is original.

Unfortunately I can't get into the cabin itself because I would love to repaint and detail the internals, but the roof is glued on good and proper!

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

A 'new' pair of carriages and an interesting historical note as despite being ancient (possibly Victorian rather than Edwardian) there LNWR coaches were sent to the M&GNJR in the late 1930's (36 - 38 depending on my source) as part of a modernisation effort to rid the line of 6 wheel passenger stock.

It doesn't show well in the photos, but they are lettered M&GN despite having apparently been transferred after the LNER takeover. Paul Johnson has two photos of these coaches showing them painted this way, one is even post war. Why exactly they were painted that way I don't know, but it makes a nice historical oddity to model.

In service, I have them rostered as the Blakeney portion of the Cromer/Yarmouth/Leicester/Nottingham service. They usually travel behind a local passenger service bound for Melton Constable to meet up with the other portions. Here they are being shunted into the station whilst waiting for the Blakeney-King's Cross to depart.

Jim de Griz

[Atlantic 3279]

Hello Jim,

Did the ex-LNWR and MR coaches transferred to the M&GN in the mid to late 30s actually get a repaint into some sort of brown (be it plain or grained) in the first few years following transfer, or were the insignia simply altered, deferring any full repaints until "necessary"? My knowledge of M&GN matters is extremely limited.

[Jim de Griz]

According to the (limited) information I’ve managed to find the exLNWR coaches were repainted in simulated teak. The photos available seemed to show the sides as quite dark and unlined so thats the style I tried to go for.

Looking again at the 1939 photo I’m not entirely convinced they were completely unlined.

I’ve seen conflicting information on the MR coaches, some sources say they were repainted in simulated teak, some in ‘LNER brown’. I’ll admit I went for teak with mine because I prefer the look.


I have no evidence to back it up, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there was a fair bit of loyalty to the old company colours and insignia in the carriage works. Adding the old insignia to transferred coaches would be one way to try and assert a degree of independence in a manor that might not be noticed by the powers that be.

….or it could be explained in the form of good old fashioned miscommunication. The shop was given the coaches to repaint and no-one thought they needed to specify that they should now be lettered LNER

Jim de Griz

[john coffin]

According to Digby, "Guide to M&GN", when first transferred in 1936 the carriages retained the livery from their
originating railway, ie LMS red, or LNER brown/teak. Later they would have received the Stratford brown, rather
than full teak.

However, the transition period was likely to allow many variations.

HTH

Paul

[Jim de Griz]

Thanks Paul, thats very interesting and sounds like a good excuse to add a crimson lake coach to one of my sets! It would make for an interesting talking point.

I deliberately picked the transition era to give me both leeway and freedom to pick and choose liveries. Some of the M&GNJR engines kept their old colours until at least mid/late 1937, so a 4-4-0 in M&GNJR brown is also on the (far too long) to do list.

Regarding Stratford brown, I’ve seen a few different takes on it. Has it ever been definitively nailed down as a particular shade or is it one of those questions that will probably never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction?

Jim de Griz

[john coffin]

I don't think anyone has been particularly specific about "Stratford Brown", however, maybe some GE people have a better idea,
since they the GE seemed to be often somewhat hard up, and had I seem to remember to reduce painting costs so instead of
teak finish on carriages, painted brown, or even something which is known as scumble.

I have, because of the transfer of GNR carriages, a number of books about the MGN, but the three I need to find are not
readily to hand. They are the Wrottesley MGN history, Ronald Clark's original volume on the MGN, and some things from
the drawings I have including Alan Wells stuff.

Not sure how quickly I can dig through my archive, but will see.

Paul

[john coffin]

sadly Clar'k's earlier book only offers two comments.
until 1936 carriages in teak, although I stand by the earlier comment about retaining original transfer colours,
and then after 1937, "uninspiring carriage brown" from Stratford.

One point to allow you to expand your traffic, there were 3-5 fish trains a day from Lowestoft, except of course
on Monday, since the trawlers did not go out on Sunday.


Paul

[Jim de Griz]

3-5? That is a lot more than I estimated.

I only have two fish vans running at the head of the morning express to London, I guess I should consider added more vans to take fish to more local destinations. (Norwich in particular)

Admittedly Blakeney harbour is a lot smaller than Lowestoft, but it does seem that I have underestimated how many waggons of fish it might generated.

Jim de Griz