[jamesukusa]

Hello,

Towards the end of this year I will be starting on what they call here in the US a "Lifetime Layout"... and it will probably take me a lifetime to finish it but I'm in no hurry so that is OK with me.

My last layout had to be abandoned as I moved house, but my new place has a triple garage (strangely common here in Southern California) and my available space is going to be 21x11ft

I want to model the colliery & sidings at Annesley in Nottinghamshire, (complete with all the muck & grime) I grew up near there and although I'm not old enough to remember the days of steam it's that ever popular steam to diesel transition period I will be trying to recreate in 00. I've seen a few of the US layouts here and although impressive, the US diesel motive power and the whole box car thing just doesn't do it for me. I suppose it all stems from my Hornby Flying Scotsman trainset back in the 70's in Nottinghamshire.

The track I am using will be Atlas code 100 and Peco points (or turnouts as they say here) I know Atlas track probably doesn't represent the UK prototype in any way shape or form but shipping track from the UK will be prohibitive so I will be working with what I have at my disposal.

As I'm over 5000 miles away I cant nip down to the local library and look at old maps or books for ideas and reference, therefore I'm heavily reliant on the Internet and the memory of my dad who worked as a signal man in various locations around Notts.

Attached are a few diagrams showing my first attempts made in Anyrail. I will be building this in modules and I plan to do the Colliery section first. I would really appreciate any comments or advice.

The first image shows a screenshot taken from Oldmaps.co.uk showing the colliery as of 1967, the 1955 map was too blurry to give a good image. As you can see there is a great loop which goes under the Midland mainline and I definitely want to recreate this.

The second image below shows my representation in Anyrail, Obviously compression has been applied but I think I've managed to capture the flow and overall feel. The map shows a connection from the colliery to the Up line on the Midland. I'm not sure I can represent that as I think the gradient may be too much in my compressed space. Feel free to comment…

This image below shows (heavily compressed) the Annesley sidings area around the engine shed, just not enough space to have the yard ladder.… again open to comment.

This final image below shows the modules quickly thrown together in Anyrail, I'm not precious about any of this and I'm looking for input as I keep staring at it and I think I need a fresh set of eyes.

I wanted to incorporate a Mainline station (hence the addition on the layout picture above at the bottom of the image) there is probably going to be some modelers licence here as the stations around Annesley & Newstead were hardly that…but I do want somewhere for my mainline trains to run around, therefore I was planning hidden loops so the trains appear to "go somewhere" and a hidden fiddle yard on a lower level. I've got 21x11 to play with so I should be able to fit that in somewhere. Just wanted to mention the crossovers on the plan are slips, not diamond crossings.

This has turned into a long post so I hope some are still with me. Any comments or suggestions are welcome, I wont be starting the benchwork until about November but I wanted to get this communities thoughts on what I'm trying to achieve.

Lastly a couple of pics showing Annesley yard in it's glory.

Thanks in advance

James.

 

[Brian Considine]

An interesting project - please keep the updates coming.

 

[jukebox]

Loads of scope for atmosphere there!

You should give some thought to access - how do you plan to reach into the middle of the layout if you have a derailment there? I'm planning a layout with a very similar space, but have started with the premise of a central operating "aisle", so that I have no more than approx 4ft to reach into the furthest corner.

Good luck with it, and yes, do keep the updates coming!

 

[jamesukusa]

Hello,

Yes access is certainly one of the things I've been thinking about. The Anyrail plan isn't set in stone in anyway, I wonder if I put the Colliery and yard at an angle leading into the centre of the room like a peninsula, that would at least enable me to walk around. Only one of the sides will be up against the garage wall so I can gain access from one side.

The garage looks like this.

Am I trying to cram too much in?

 

[billericaybill]

It would be good to attach some measurements to those sketches. And some of the garage. Then to think if your idea of a centre peninsula will work. If the garage is 10' wide then thats two sides at 2 'wide, 2 aisles at 2' and a 2' wide peninsula. Thats quite a small aisle for everyday operating. The track plan is obviously "right" as its based on the original so can't comment there. The harder thing then is to know exactly what every siding was used for for operating purposes and for placing scenic details.
Looks like a great project, UK done in Californian style.

Andrew

 

[Rod Allcock]

Hello James

My name is Rod Allcock, I am now 62 (!) and have just seen your post abouth Annesley Colliery. I don't know if this project is still active or what if any progress you may have made but I may be able to help you if you wish.

Between late 1953 and September 1959 I lived in the former manages house in the middle of the yard at Annesley colliery and have very vivid memories of the railway operations at the time. Initially the colliery railway was operated bu Annesley No. 1, a Hudswell Clark 0-6-0ST and Annesley No. 2, a Peckett 0-6-0ST. At the age of 4 I could read the works plates and remeber being able to tell the difference in appearance between the two locos. The Peckett was painted a lighter green than the Hudswell Clark (but that, of course, was not the only difference.) I well remeber the excitement in late 1957 with the arrival early one late autumn morning of the first diesel loco, again a Hudswell Clark named 'Charles Buchan' bearing the legend 'Emfour 7' on the cab side sheet. Not long after, Annesley No. 1 was stripped and the pieces lay around forlornly for a couple of years. I now realise it was because the boiler ticket had expired but at the time we (my brother and I) thought it had just been taken to pieces because it was not needed anymore. The Peckett was then a spare engine and I cannot remember it being used again during my time there.

The working loco spent virtually it's entire life hauling rakes of about 11 empties up through the landsale yard to an elevated site near Newstead, overlooking my junior school, from where the empties were allowed to run by gravity under the screens for loading and then by gravity down to the Midland exchange sidings. I think by then the Great Central exchange sidings were out of use.

I suppose that you would use a Farish 08 to represent the Colliery loco as in later years an ex BR 08 name 'Robin'(?) was in use. The landsale yard was on one side of our hose and garden and the full wagon line on the other with the brickworks the other side of that. The brickworks had Lister 'Autotrucks' to carry 'blue' (unfired) bricks from the pressing mill to the kilns and behind to brickworks was a twin cable ropeway carrying mining spoil from the pithead over the Leen Valley line to tips on the other side.

I have been searching, so far in vain, for 1950s photographs of the railway. Do you have any?

 

[Wheeltapper]

Used to live in the area...1950s 60s 70s....lots of memories of Annesley and all the steam era in the East Midlands.
Thanks for the memories and good luck with the project I for one will be keeping a keen eye on your progress.

 

[kristopher1805]

A great project, my father used to be a premium apprentice on the LNER and often worked past Annesley on his footplate period and afterwards. I have found a site 'Annesley Fireman' which you can google and this is really helpful stuff, great stories and photos, also details of what worked which sort of train with excellent pics for weathering, a huge project to do the whole thing of course but a worthy effort by any standards.

Please keep us posted and up to date

 

[Sparky]

The Colliery does not exist any more. The only items left are the surface Electrical Workshop. And the concrete bridge over the sidings to the Great Northern and London Midland sidings
I have found a picture from Hudswell Clarke of EM four 7 ( Charles Buchan).
the first loco to work ar Annesley was a Hunslet 0-4-0 built 1868 named 1Annesley purchased by William Worswick and Co. Coilliery owners 1865.
Hope this helps

 

[6991]

To anyone visiting this thread for the first time, I recommend a trip to the Annesley Fireman website. Thanks Kris for the tip (from 2012 !!!). There hasn't been a lot of activity for the past few years since 2018 or so (I hope Chris's health is OK). The website is an absolute treasure, documenting many aspects of Annesley life in the 1960's prior to closure. The personal anecdotes and innumerable photographs represent a truly unique website.
6991

 

[kristopher1805]

Kind of you to ask about my health, I am OK generally and despite being of retirement age I am pretty much still working although in part time jobs that add up so not as much time on the model railway as I would like but busy on here. Also I do seem to have a lurgy that I cannot shift ggrrr - shares in Lemsip must be doing very well!


Regards

Christopher (Kris)

 

[kristopher1805]

Ah you do not mean me but the site's author, as you say there is not anything new for a while and I can only hope the site gets added to, we are all sadly getting older

Regards - Kris