Laying the shed

Just a few pictures showing todays progress with laying out the engine shed and coaling stage area along with the diesel refuelling point - a lot of work left plus some under board strengthening to do now the ply top has been cut through...

LMS Compound conversion

A couple of years ago I picked up an elderly Hornby MR Compound in BR Black livery when helping my Dad out with running the LWMRS Second Hand Stall.  I had intentions of doing things with it - including fitting a properly proportioned tender and fixing various details to make it more passable with more modern offerings.

About 3 months ago I ended up bidding on a Crownline detailing kit on eBay to 'detail' it to a LMS version with the longer front frames etc and when the pack arrived got started.

The kit is not what I would call the best fitting but does improve the look somewhat and it now looks far less 'plasticy' than the original offering. 

After various bits of fiddling (especially around etch that fits down to make the brake gear) and swapping the tender for a surplus Fowler Airfix tender-drive model it's nearly finished.  I've done the first stage of painting today (and lining on the tender) but still have the number to change and then weathering to be done - still quite a bit of touching up to be done and 'blending' in with the orignal finish.

I'm pleasantly surprised how well it runs and doesn't (so far) seem to suffer from the problem of my Airfix 4Fs with slowly turning/sticking driving wheels being pushed along by a jumpy tender drive...

Sat with the still to be completed water carrier/sludge tender

The planning process...

Here are some pics from the initial laying out of track to see if the much amended original 'paper' plan actually worked on the finished/amended baseboards - a bit of Arkwright's favourite 'jir-jir-jiggling' worked the trick so that points didn't end up over joins.

These all date to March this year and while initial progress was quite quick work and other life commitments keep happening...

The First Post...

So welcome to my Blog and to Abthorpe Central.  I'm hoping through the coming months (years) to document the progress of my layouts construction and hopeful completion and exhibition.  The layout was initially designed to fit into my last flat which had a nicely sized spare room but on moving the plan had to be 'shrunken' down quite a bit and as a result a lot of the curves are tighter than I would like and the platform lengths aren't quite what they were meant to me.

General end of platform/entrance to shed view (really need to tidy up as I go...)

The eventual aim is to have a terminus station based in North East Lincolnshire set in about 1958-63 which was part of a (non-existent) line from Lincoln to the coast in the 1880s and was constructed by the MS&L (later Great Central Railway).  The basic premise of the line was a mixture of tourists for a seaside resort (much like the real life Cleethorpes and Skegness) and also the fish docks and shipping imports. The Cental part of the name is a hangover from the other competition in town (the MR later LMS) which had a small terminus and shed but which had come under BR(E) control and closed in 1956 - this gives a good excuse to run ex-LMS types with a valid reason of a route to Lincoln and Nottingham.


The trackplan is something of a mix of the real Cleethorpes with bits of Aberyswyth  (ex-Cambrian Railway) thrown together as both have interested me for differing reasons.  The shed at the back (operating side of the layout) is not quite the size I initially intended but will have a twin road Northlight Shed (currently being kitbashed from an old Triang/Hornby model) with extra storage lines, a turntable, coaling stage and ash plant along with a 'new' servicing line for those new fangled diesel things.

Site of shed (and turntable - under the boxes eventually)

I will add more background and ideas as I progress along with other photos from the initial design and planning stage (when I can find them..) along with ongoing construction of the layout, building, locomotives and rolling stock as time / funds permit!


These are a few of my current projects -


Crownline Conversion kit (with Airfix tender etc) for LMS build 4-4-0 Compound - still to be finished and renumbered/lined.

Station Building - based on Aberystwyth plans/pictures/visit/drinking in!