Swansea Railway Modellers Group

- Bow Creek Junction (N gauge) -

- by Niel Clements -

So, for the first time in 54 years I have laid track in anger for my own layout. Other than tacking down some OO gauge for my lad’s ‘run-a-round’ and a couple of short lengths of narrow gauge for Kingston, this was a first.

Now it has to be said that actually getting to the point of laying track has only come about by picking the brains and asking lots of questions of fellow members at SMRG, so ‘Thank You’ to all those who have shown great patience with putting up with my questions.

Bow Creek Junction is fundamentally a 4-track n gauge ‘tail chaser’ set in the East End of London around the early 1960’s. The centre part will be a 6-platform face station and the intention of a motive power depot when funding and time allows.

The base board went down last year, 21ft in length and 4 ft wide, with a minor incursion for a roof supporting beam which I decided was best left in place. All sealed and painted a base colour white. Then read you shouldn’t paint the base board white because it will show when you do the ballasting and miss a bit; well, I’ll just have to shovel enough ballast on so I don’t miss a bit.

Things went into abeyance for a few months and then several things happened at the same time. First a surprise cheque from a PPI claim arrived, to which my wife said ‘You can now have the railway’. So, I placed a couple of significant orders for track, points, controllers, point motors and a good deal of ‘sundries’. And then Boris said ‘Stay at Home, Protect the NHS and Save Lives’. So I did.

Progress has happened slowly. Measure, remeasure and measure again before cutting. The same with gluing; dry run after dry run. Sit and study the wiring diagrams. Lie underneath the base board and talk through the wiring with no-one but yourself, and then re-study the wiring diagram. Solder with care and a certain amount of trepidation and then, stand back in amazement as an engine moves along a short section of track and utter disbelief as point motors work and facing points become reversed. Again, thank you to all those I have been watching and asking.

I now have 4 platform lines in place; all wired and engines running on them. A single crossover and the lead to the MPD are laid and have working point motors. There are 2 double lead crossovers (Slows to Fasts and vice versa) laid but awaiting wiring and the fitting of point motors; but that is all in hand. Earlier this week the Down Fast line from the elevated section to the level was pinned and glued down, all with cant and curve set as required. This morning it was the turn of the Up Fast. Tomorrow could see the wiring being connected and then test running over the weekend. The next couple of weeks will see the elevated section extended and see progression on the Slows.

It is all a learning curve and the building of confidence; proving the theory works and that some things are not as frightening as may seem. And I am enjoying the challenge and quite proud of my achievements to date. There are still a number of things I haven’t resolved as to how I will achieve the result I want but will work at it, ask some more questions and maybe even look online. Ultimately, I will find a way that suits myself and the way I work. It might not be textbook but that all depends on whose textbook you read; I’ve discovered that much.