Great Eastern East London layout in 2FS

[David Eveleigh]

Good morning,
I thought you might like to see some pictures of my new model railway.

David

[Atlantic 3279]

Very nice, thank you. It amazes me that people achieve such things in 2mm scale.

[john coffin]

I would have thought Graeme, that as an ex optician, you would have promoted 2mm scale modelling
for those worrying about their eyesight!!!!!!!!!

Stunning model, whilst the size of the models is offputting in one way, it is certain that you can
achieve something much more quickly since it seems within reach.

Paul

[David Eveleigh]

Thank you for your kind comments. I have been building the layout for about the last year, though I have been collecting parts for it for many years, for instance the etched presses for the embossed brickwork and viaduct arches seen in this view have been part of my range of etched kits for sale for years.

I find it difficult thinking up realistic names for layout elements and 19th century names were often very quaint and interesting sounding, and everyone seemed to want to emblazon the walls of his premises with the full extent of his activities - I named the businesses after early English composers of organ music. As an erstwhile church organist, they are all people whose music I have played for services.

It is based very, very loosely on an Iain Rice plan called 'Cornfield St.' published in the magazine he edited for a while, Model Railways Illustrated, (Morill). My layout is for a competition within the 2mm Scale Association which was meant to run this year, and thus the modelled portion is 600 mm long and 238 mm wide.

You might like to have a look at pictures of some of my other layouts, Framsden and Goldhanger, on my website, www.eveleighcreations.com

David

[Hatfield Shed]

I like the suggestions of ships masts with the sails loosely brailed up, discernable through the murk; this is such a feature of early London docks railway network photographs, of which the GER had a large share.

...I find it difficult thinking up realistic names for layout elements and 19th century names were often very quaint and interesting sounding, and everyone seemed to want to emblazon the walls of his premises with the full extent of his activities - I named the businesses after early English composers of organ music. As an erstwhile church organist, they are all people whose music I have played for services...

Can you fit in Thos. Linley somewhere? You would surely have played his music in church had he not drowned in a boating accident at 21, which limited his output...

[David Eveleigh]

I haven't heard of Thomas Linley - there was William Herschel, of course. He is famous for having discovered the Planet Uranus, but to him being Astronomer Royal was merely a hobby. His serious business was as a musician. I taught on of his descendants/relatives in my role as a Mathematics teacher.

I am glad you noticed the ships masts. I was particularly keen to include a quote of the famous photograph of the ordinary London street with a bowsprit right across it as well. In the foreground I plan to have a Thames sailing barge and a swim head lighter - have to get on with those soon.

Here is one of my other models which I made a long while ago and is destined for one of the gaps in the other photographs I posted.

[Ocean Swell]

very nice modeling!

In the foreground I plan to have a Thames sailing barge and a swim head lighter - have to get on with those soon.

If you need any detail photos of Thames sailing barges let me know as one of my uncles in the UK is the skipper/part owner of one (TSB Edme which is one of only two remaining never fitted with an engine). Not many people realise, but there were over 2000 Thames sailing barges in trade immediately prior to world war 1 and countless lighters.

Cheers

[rockinjohn]

Hi mention of the barges reminded me that Ipswich Corporation named a few buses after Barges that plied the Thames&further north.

[kimballthurlow]

Hi David,
Thank you for the photos of your lovely Thames docks diorama.
And thanks for the lean to musicians names, very stimulating.

Kimball

[David Eveleigh]

Thank you for the responses regarding Thames sailing barges. I hope that the the strong colours (dark red for the sails and black for the hull) will increase the feeling of depth to the rest of the scene. Also, the strong verticals of the mast and contradictory oblique line of the sprit will help break up the strong horizontal of the viaduct and the quayside, and provide framing opportunities for photographing ... and I just like them. I wonder if I am drifting rather too far away from talk of LNER modelling here, though?
Best wishes,
David

[Tim Watson]

Kept that one under wraps David. The scene with bow sprit across the houses is famous. I wonder if the back ground masts are a bit too random & plentiful? Glad to see you used the delightful NLR cranes.
Nothing wrong with thread drift. Some of us have gone underground...

Tim

[Hatfield Shed]

...I wonder if I am drifting rather too far away from talk of LNER modelling here, though?

Part of the scene, surely. Between the fish landings and trade with mainland Europe from the East Coast ports, significant traffic was generated for the LNER and its precursors. And wasn't the LNER the largest ship owner and operator among the Big Four?

[David Eveleigh]

Well, I guess the Great Eastern Rly was probably the only British Railway company to have one of its ships captains 'executed' by the Germans for having tried to ram a U boat. Read all about it here. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-36745439
As regards the density of ships masts - this is in keeping with many photographs of docks I have from the period - in fact I pretty much copied a photo - I just cannot remember which book it was in!
I had to remake the North London cranes - by the time I got to painting them I found that the styrene from which the originals were made had become seriously denatured and brittle.

[exile]

AS someone also modelling a dockside scene (in 4mm), I agree totally David about the number of masts.

I have seen several pictures with boats tied up side by side for loading/unloading. The inboard vessel would discharge to the quayside often using the quayside cranes, while the outboard vessel would discharge to lighters using its own davits. This would give rise to a very great density of masts.

[drmditch]

Congratulations on a lovely model.
However, (I suppose there has to be a however), please can I make a comment on your ships?
I used to be as much of a maritime enthusiast as a railway one, and it is surprising how some well-modelled railways when it comes to ships are let down by lack of research. The honourable exception being 'Burntisland', and I'm sure that there are others.

It would seem from the angle of the lower shrouds in your penultimate picture, that the deck level of the ships is about level with the girder bridge. This would put most of your railway well below water level. I also can't work out how many ships with what rigs are represented. There also seem to be a significant number of royal and even skysail yards crossed, and I would suggest that you might have made these rather broad and heavy in comparison with the lower yards. In the timescale represented, most larger square-rigged ships would have had divided topsails (and even divided topgallants), so the upper topsail yards would have been lowered onto the lower when in port. Smaller ships, brigs and topsail schooners would not have crossed as many upper yards.
While I'm being critical, there is something that does look odd about those shrouds. Is it a fidded mast with a top?
There is also, to my eyes, something not quite right about the clipper bow of the nearest ship, and the jib-boom seems to have a rather extreme taper.

By the way, the last of the 'Geordie' collier brigs sank of Yarmouth in 1904.

If it would help, I can probably find a picture or two and PM them to you?