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©1997-2008
Beckenham & West Wickham MRC

Website maintained by
Greg Marshall


Contact Webmaster- gregmarshall121@hotmail.com

March 2006

We have succesfully exhibited at Langley Park 2005, Gravesend, Broadstairs and is shortly to be exhibited at Romford. We did find that the layout has a slight problem with shunting room from one platform to another. To do any stock moves would entail backing into some of an empty fiddle yard road to carry this out. If the fiddle yard operator was making up the next train or setting up an arrival road this caused problems.

We are constructing another 4 foot by 3 foot board to fit between the overbridge and what was the fiddle yard entrance so we will have this extra space to properly model the single line running away from the terminus. It will make this look a lot better and should improve the lot of the fiddle yard operator.

December 2005

The layout has now had three exhibitions to its credit. November was quite hectic with Gravesend two day show and Broadstairs two day show, but we had a very good time at both and were made to feel welcome. The previous month we exhibited at Langley Park - our clubs annual bash. At all three exhibitions the layout provided entertainment to the visitors and did not misbehave itself.

However, saying that we did find a problem with the decoders (which were fitted to locos) were it seems loosing instructions following a ‘short or power surge’. After some head scratching and an e mail to a manufacturer the problem has been sorted out. We can lock the decoders which will prevent any further problems which were encountered. The layout is a kind of test bed and we seem to be learning about the do’s and don’ts of DCC.

Now the layout is back at the club rooms further work is planned in upgrading the wiring namely to remove the old section switches. Fixing up a proper control panel, placing signal and track circuits and getting on with the scenery. (John’s domain).

We have saved up a bit of cash and can purchase two 3x4 plywood boards plus timber to add to the terminus/fiddle yard section and have a slightly longer section leading from the fiddle yard in a proper single line to the bridge and the small siding in front of the signal cabin will extended alongside the single line to buffer stops so that we will have a proper traffic sidings capable of holding 4 coaches.

The other board will be used to extend the other end of the platforms incorporating a terminus end similar to the small half board which was done as a temporary measure. (This will effectively make the layout 34 feet long — about 12 meters for the metric mob.) So we will need painters, carpenters, and scenery help and electrics persons. So please if you want to help see John or me.

The layout has some invites for 2006 — Erith in January and Romford in April.

Autumn 2004

Spring 2004

The four main boards have now been completed. They have all been fitted with patten makers dowls so the boards can line up and some captive bolts are used to fix all together. The boards sit on reused trestles from last layout. The track has been completed and awaiting electrics and point motor completion. This is the first time all four and a half boards(used for terminus to fiddle yard mode) were joined up at the allotment club house last Tuesday(22nd April). All was in order and the next stage can be started.

Summer 2003

Work is progressing on Farnborough Road. The team decided that the existing boards were in need of replacement as they being made of blockboard had started to warp. It was also felt that they were too heavy to lug up and down stairs.

The overall plan is that from a new construction we can have the boards designed so that they can operate as a through station when the full oval is up at an exhibition or we can have a terminus to fiddle yard to operate at a small or one day exhibition or in the new club rooms when we have found one. The work started will gear up for the latter as the oval is not required until late next year.

The new replacement boards are 4 foot long and 3 foot wide. Made from 6mm birch ply supported on 3x1 timbers. Enough material was purchased for six boards.