site built and maintained by Monkeytree Web of PlymouthHasbury Hill |
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model in progress wiring track plan contact me model rail videos model rail links home coming soon (well, one day): area map timetables |
The Prototype Hasbury Hill is a (ficticious) small town on the South Devon coast, built on a hill above long red cliffs, overlooking the English Channel. Below the cliffs is the popular beach-side station of Addlesford. So popular is this station that even several mainline trains stop here, especially during the summer months. The town is well connected to the national rail network and due to its location, receives train services from several train operating companies. Both Hasbury Hill and Addlesford have direct services to London, Penzance, the south coast to Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Brighton and also North to Birmingham, then cross country to Newcastle and as far as Edinburgh although often passengers from Addlesford will need to change at either Exeter or Plymouth to finish their onward journey. The Model and this Site The aim of this site is to provide pictures and regular updates as the model progresses. This is my first attempt at building a model railway so there'll be no advice given out, just information as to what I'm doing, how I'm doing it and where I get my advice and information. Feedback and comments are always welcome and appreciated...contact My main interest is to be able to run a number of trains to a set timetable with the actual operation of the trains, points and signals being my main concern. (Must be in my genes. My father, Ron, was a railway signalman in the Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street areas for over forty years.) The control panel is going to be large and as important to me as the layout itself. I'm going to use switches for the points. I've experimented with studs and don't particularly like them and as the panel will incorporate route lights on all points, switches will take up less room on the control panel. The whole layout will be run with four controllers, two running the up trains and two running the down, with one up controller and one down controller sharing the running of the maintenance depot and engine sheds. Using four controllers with the layout well sectioned will enable four trains to be run at once, but that depends on whether I can find any assistant operators! If you're interested, please contact me. The layout is end to end, from mainline terminus to fiddle yard but you won't watch the same train for more than a short distance. Once a train goes into a tunnel it will be a while before you see it again - if you ever do! Addlesford Beach station isn't particularly big and can't accommodate full length trains, but is extremely busy with visitors and day trippers visiting the beaches and taking strolls along the famous beach path which runs alongside the railway line. As I said, my main aim is operation, so I am not remotely worried about whether the right type of carriages are being pulled by the right loco or whether a certain loco would never have been seen in South Devon, or whether there's really a ten year age gap between different stock. Hasbury Hill station is used by several different train companies, and in particular, the Bamford Train Company which has the franchise for the local services to Penzance and the various local branchlines. This company, based in the South Hams, is renowned for buying its rolling stock from wherever it can get it and then not bothering to repaint in its own colours until absolutely necessary. Most people would be hard pushed to say what its own colours actually are! Its not unusual to see a train usually seen on the Settle and Carlisle twenty years ago winding its way up the hill to the main station. It's even purchased stock back from the Indian government which was sold to them by British Rail shortly before its demise! This is great for enthusiasts who can frequently be seen sitting along the sea wall near Addlesford Beach station, photographing and filming their favourite locos and rolling stock. In addition, the region is frequented by steam specials from all over the country, pulling eager travellers along the South Devon coast and freight trains can occasionally be seen going into the old freight route that runs through the town behind the station. All this gives me considerable modellers' licence and I intend to use it. |
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