Masterplan Offbeat Routes –Part 1
AIMING for the light
Track plans to get you thinking in three dimensions
Not ever yone is drawn to mainstream railway subjec ts, with more of fbeat systems providing plenty of modelling potential. In this first instalment of a two-part feature, Paul A. Lunn goes off the beaten track to examine a trio of light rail systems.
Light railways, minor routes and tramways have always fascinated me. In recent years there’s been an everincreasing range of more unusual locomotives and stock from ready-to-run manufacturers, making it the best of times to consider such schemes. There’s no reason to concentrate on the ‘olden days’ e ither, as contemporary prototypes can also provide plenty of inspiration.
In this first instalment, we’ll consider the Derwent Valley Light Railway, the narrow gauge Ashover Light Railway and the Sheffield Supertram system. Next month, we’ll study the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway, the Van Railway in mid-Wales and the Dock lands Light Railway.
DERWENT VA LLEY LIGHT RAILWAY
• Each square represents 1ft.
Freight demonstration trains are a popular feature on the preserved Derwent Valley Light Railway (DVLR), which is now part of the Yorkshire Museum of Farming at Murton, just to the east of York. Thanks to the archivist Jonathan Stockwell, we’re able to use part of the museum’s excellent photograph collection, which has helped me produce a slightly unusual track plan portraying the DVLR as it was in steam and early diesel days.
Rather than focus on the DVLR’s stations, which were all very similar in appearance, my aim was to feature some of the principal industrial locations. In some cases, these were part of a station yard, and freight operations will offer increased operational value. I’ve arranged them in sequential order and within a reasonable space for ‘OO’. Bearing this in mind, the accompanying track plan commences scenically with a cement terminal at Osbaldwick, Murton Lane wagon repair works siding, Sledmere Siding, Wheldrake Yard and, finally, the Government’s Forward Filling Depot No. 5 near Cottingwith.
If you have space, you could add semi-scenic sidings (in a fiddleyard capacity) on the left-hand end. More advanced modellers, perhaps with additional space, could interpret my Setrack design using flexible track for a more organic feel. There’s also the potential to convert the left-hand end into a through-fiddleyard.