The Kelston Park Project

Padster

Returned...
No, it's not the name of a spy novel or a weekend TV show, it's my first ever attempt at building a route for upload to the DLS. Except this is not a route, it is a 4-board module. So if you ever needed a 4-board-shaped hole to fill in your route, Kelston Park could be just what you require. Work is progressing fairly well and I hope to have the Park ready for upload to the DLS in July. Here is the unfinished map:

parkmap.jpg


Beginnings

The name 'Kelston' originates way back to the days when I had a model railway layout. The railway was a simple affair due to space constraints and consisted of a fiddle yard-terminus set-up, with a small branch going to a mythical place called Kelston Manor, also served by the fiddle yard. I had always imagined what Arcadian splendour must have awaited those who took the train to this place, and now I am creating it with Trainz.

A Tour of the Park

Visitors to the park can enter the grounds in two ways. They can either take the dirt path up to the hall or jump on a train. The drive up to the hall is out of bounds to visitors. We decide to walk to the hall, passing the railway station on our way:
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This station was built especially for the Earl of Kelston by the Southern Railway Company to be his private boarding point for train journeys around the country.

After a short walk, we arrive at the hall and its gardens. Built in the 18th century by the master builder, tafweb, the hall is essentially Georgian in character, and was for many years home to the War Department and later the Ministry of Defence. Between the 1920's and 1950's, Kelston was an RAF airfield, later passing to the USAF at the height of the Cold War. In such times, access to the park was forbidden to visitors.

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At the rear of the hall is the Oriental Garden. The name is somewhat anachronistic these days yet it has stuck. The centrepiece is the Stupa or Pagoda, which was sourced from local materials rather than the Far East.
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Finally, we come to the engine shed behind the Oriental Garden. Kelston Park is somewhat unusual in having a full-sized standard gauge railway running through it, yet it was built to this size for expediency. It was no pleasure line either, but constructed to bring coal in to run the house. The Earl wisely realised that he could avoid the need for his own locos and stock by building to the same gauge as the national network, and got the Southern Railway to do all the hard work! Later, he would use the connection to transport his racehorses around the country. The connection to the outside world was severed in the late 50's, and the line now terminates at the eastern lodge.
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Conclusion

As you can see, there are quite a bit of grid areas remaining, but there will be progress reports in the coming weeks. On this map there will be a large 'brownfield' site at the top right hand of the map: this is where the airfield once stood. I aim to use it as a showground, though of course there are many uses you can put it to. You could also join the Kelston Park railway to your existing line. Whatever you do I hope you will enjoy Kelston Park when it arrives on the DLS in July. Stay tuned for progress reports.

Best wishes,
Padster
 
Well freightcar, I suppose the word module means you can use it as part of something else. Let's say for example you wanted a country park on your layout, you could attach Kelston Park to it using the Merge feature. Or, of course you could use it on its own. Kelston is not a sprawling route: I am deliberately restricting it to four baseboards so that people will have an easy download, plus I can put in lots of detail without killing the processor. I suppose another word for 'module' would be 'compact'.

Best wishes,
Padster
 
Progress Report no. 1

Hello everyone. The Park is steadily progressing now, with its release onto the DLS expected at the end of this month. A few things have been modified, and the idea of an affiliated airfield has been dumped. Instead I have created a huge artificial lake which you will be able to sail boats on. Anyway, here are the pics:

The hall has been moved back slightly to allow for a better entrance:
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And here's an overview of the hall and park:
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Looking across the lake to the island with its mausoleum:
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A closer shot of the mausoleum:
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Looking across the lake from the far shore:
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And finally, a look at the locomotive shed, still under development:
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As you can see, there are large areas still unfinished, but I am slowly getting things done. I have decided to increase the baseboards to 6. The railway is very basic to operate: we only have one train going at a time because there are no run round loops at either end, so trains have to reverse back to the car park. We always have an observation car tacked on the rear so that people can see out as the train reverses.
Of course, you might decide to modify the track to your own preferences.

Also in development is a guide and map to the park. This will probably be in pdf format and will be released at the same time as the route itself.

More to come soon.
Best wishes,
Padster
 
Progress Report no. 2

Hi all, here are some more screenies of my recent work on the park.

I have decided that a tramway will run through the park instead of a railway, so I have spent some time putting catenary up and that. I had intended to test it with Mr Whiteleys Blackpool 167, but the DLS isn't playing ball. Anyway, here are the pics:

The car park tram station. This is where people board the tram...after parking their cars....
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An overview of the car park:
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An aerial shot of the tramway. In the distancs is said car park station, while the depot station is on the bottom left of pic:
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The depot station, with wooden flooring:
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The junction to the depot itself:
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The depot shed. Unfortunately the walls aren't in place yet, thanks to a typical British summer!
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Through the woods:
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More soon,
Best wishes,
Padster
 
Nice Job!

Nice job Padster. The module concept is a good one. Unfortunately, this module no matter how beautiful will do me little good. I model railroads on the poor side of the tracks.:'(
 
Looks great Padster!
Am I right in assuming that the tramway is (loosely) based on Beamish museum? (Or the other one, Crich or whatever it's called? I forget)
Good idea :). Looks realistically laid out aswell.

Cheers

Chris
 
One word Pads:- BRILLIANT!

Personally, I'd have stuck with the steam railway idea, but it's your layout, not mine!

Hoping everything goes well,
Hayden Lynch

P.S.Oh, another thing - the DMU set in your last pic of your first post - where can I find it?
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for your kind comments. The DMU is from Just Trains Train Driver add-on. The line has more in common with Heaton Park in Manchester, though parallels could be drawn with Beamish and Crich.

I am really getting into this tram lark, and a trip out to Blackpool is on the cards for this weekend. Plenty of trams there!

Best wishes,
Padster
 
Progress Report no. 3

Just to let those interested know that Kelston Park is on the back burner at the moment. I have recently bought Kuju Rail Simulator and am getting to grips with the World Editor to create my own route. As a hardened Trainzer I really shouldn't be saying this, but KRS is fantastic! And, more importantly, I got it for a tenner at Tesco!

I am not going to dump Trainz however, as there are one or two things it trumps KRS at: ease of use, different modes of transport, great forum etc.

I will attempt to finish Kelston Park in the next few weeks.
Best wishes,
Padster
 
Thanks everyone for your kind comments. The DMU is from Just Trains Train Driver add-on. The line has more in common with Heaton Park in Manchester, though parallels could be drawn with Beamish and Crich.

I am really getting into this tram lark, and a trip out to Blackpool is on the cards for this weekend. Plenty of trams there!

Best wishes,
Padster

hi
would the train driver add on pack go with TRS2004
nice route, the station reminds me of some of the small railways where i live.:)
cheers
tom
 
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