Atomic Systems

This is the start of the construction of the East Suffolk Railway.

First, the Route Map from Ipswich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, with branches to Framlingham, Snape Maltings and Aldeburgh. There is also a connection with the 3 ft. Southwold Railway in Halesworth.




Then, the First Spade at Wickham Market Station, from where the branch trains to Framlingham will eventually depart.




Just a few more details to add LOL !

fG

Nice errr....

Fields?

Sam

Nice, looking forward to this one!!! Will be interesting to go over the Norwich-Lowestoft line between Haddiscoe & Somerleyton on the way to Yarmouth!

It will also be great to see the WORKING swing bridges that were on this route (at Beccles, Haddiscoe and Yarmouth I seem to remember).

How will you do this in MSTS ?

Good luck with the route as it's my old stomping ground. (In fact had considering having a bash myself but I'm sure you'll do much better....and I'll get to keep my hair )

You should have taken the opportunity to start with Southwold, and build out in both directions from the GE bit on there.

By the way, can I just say that in Suffolk they had fields of a different shape, sort of... oh, all right, I'll shut up.

David,
I doubt you'd need to see a working swing bridge. When I used to holiday on the Broads, it always seemed that the bridge was open to rail by default - so unless you have an enormous yacht in your scenery...

I'm sure Ron Picardi, master bridge builder could make an animated swing bridge if it's needed. He's over on T-S.com and you can download tons of his work there to see what his models are like.

Hi

I expect that somewhere in Xtracks there is invisble track (not a problem using it with UKFS, as you cant see the rails anyway), and then use a animated bridge, or even better a bridge that thinks it is a level crossing, open most of the time, allowing boats (on a carspawner) to pass, and then when a train approaches the bridge lowers, the boats stop, and a signal (adapted to stay at danger until the train is very close) goes green.

Is it just me or would that be the epitome of cool

Chris

Yep, tres cool. The route builder would have the last laugh as some kiddie would be bound to try and drive his train into the river only to find it sailing safely across on invisible rails

That would be ultracool. cooler than cool. Freezing, in fact.

Slow down, guys... I've only just started laying some tracks

In fact, I've now completed the trackwork at Wickham Market, and worked up and down the line from there. Going South I've reached Woodbridge (no track there just yet), going North I've got to the junction with the Snape Branch, and on the Framlingham Branch I'm approaching Pelham.

That makes a few miles for the Claud to stretch its legs (or wheels, rather).

There are some interesting gradients on this line, contrary to what you might expect from East Anglia. The line runs at right angles to a number of rivers and every time it dips down, crosses it and comes back up onto the plateau. The worst will be the Beccles Bank which has a 1 in 87 gradient.
Not quite as bad as Thaxted, but still hard work!

The fields are purely temporary, I just can't stand the default billiard table, it puts me off. I am considering getting Mosaic to unleash my 'creative powers' on the terrain

I will give the swing bridges some thought. There were two of them, both were replaced in the 1920's. I don't want to pin the route down to one particular time period, so as a compromise I think I may build one as the old one and the other as the new one.

I need to do a lot of work on the various structures to do the line justice.

It will be a while. Also, no further progress this week because of another business trip. I sometimes manage to build models on the laptop when travelling, but the RE is frankly unusable without a numeric keypad

When I get a bit further into it I may post some screenies.

fG

With regards to the swing bridges there were three methinks. (Beccles / Haddiscoe and Breydon Water - Yarmouth). I think the first two lasted to the late 50's whilst the Breydon Water one went 1953 (Yarmouth - Lowestoft line). It has been replaced by a quite dramatic road lifting bridge. Will see if I can find some piccies.

I must admit I like the sound of invisible track and an animated bridge with boats going through. I think we should all now insist on this

Beccles swing bridge lasted until after 1958, as I have a photo taken then of 70003 crossing the bridge. The caption indicates that the bridge was then 'only 30 years old'. Seems it was the cost of maintaining this bridge and the one at Haddiscoe which was a major cause of the Beccles to Yarmouth (South Town) line being closed.
Reedham (new name for you all) swing bridge was operational in 1952; but I have no information on when it was closed.

Reedham swing bridge is on the Norwich to Lowestoft line (together with another one at Somerleyton) and as far as I know both of them are still in use today (if not, as I'm now in Yorkshire) they were definately working in the 90's.

Just remembered there's another one at Oulton Broad still in use (they're just like London buses) on the East Suffolk line proper. So that's four at least that will have to be made (six if you also do Lowestoft to Norwich !!!)

I know we have a member in Broadland somewhere - maybe we should club together and buy him an all day ticket to go do the definitive research - or give Jimbob a one-shot Kodak for his next trip to Yarmouth...