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Whitecross Street
John Baggaley
Set in the late 1960s/early 1970s (British Rail’s ‘Blue Period’) the layout represents a fictitious station and small parcels depot located near the real Moorgate Station. There was once an SECR service running from Snow Hill to Moorgate via an east facing junction from the Snow Hill/Farringdon line to the Widened Lines (which ran from Kings Cross & St Pancras to Moorgate) Although this SECR service ceased in 1916 and the connection lifted some years later, I have assumed that for my purposes it remained open and the line was later electrified on the 3rd rail system. The station is pure imagination and supposes that the independently minded SECR decided to build their own station rather than share the existing station with the Met, GN and LMS. It is supposedly located on the site of the Midland Railways (LMS) Whitecross Goods Depot, the area is now all vanished under the later Bishopsgate development.
The passenger service is by the Southern Region and sees a variety of EMUs. The small parcels depot is also accessible from the Widened Lines and in addition to SR trains sees Midland and Eastern Region diesel hauled parcels trains with locos and parcels stock typical of those Regions. That is a far as a real life justification goes. The aim has been to produce a small and interesting layout to use a collection of EMUs and parcels stock.
Constructed on purpose built plywood baseboards with Peco OO trackwork (Code 100), the scenics are inevitably a bit limited and utilise a variety of sources for the structures, mostly modified Metcalfe and Walthers kits. Rolling stock is from most of the major manufacturers supplemented with kit built models mainly from DC Kits and Kirk.
The operational side uses 2BIL, 2EPB, 4CEP and other multiple unit stock, Class 33s and 73s, with short van trains, Class 419 Motor Luggage Vans hauling a parcels van or two. Classes 15/16/24/25 from the LMR and ER may also appear.
Control is DCC, but with directly switched points.
The passenger service is by the Southern Region and sees a variety of EMUs. The small parcels depot is also accessible from the Widened Lines and in addition to SR trains sees Midland and Eastern Region diesel hauled parcels trains with locos and parcels stock typical of those Regions. That is a far as a real life justification goes. The aim has been to produce a small and interesting layout to use a collection of EMUs and parcels stock.
Constructed on purpose built plywood baseboards with Peco OO trackwork (Code 100), the scenics are inevitably a bit limited and utilise a variety of sources for the structures, mostly modified Metcalfe and Walthers kits. Rolling stock is from most of the major manufacturers supplemented with kit built models mainly from DC Kits and Kirk.
The operational side uses 2BIL, 2EPB, 4CEP and other multiple unit stock, Class 33s and 73s, with short van trains, Class 419 Motor Luggage Vans hauling a parcels van or two. Classes 15/16/24/25 from the LMR and ER may also appear.
Control is DCC, but with directly switched points.