Intro

 The why and wherefore

This is my first urban project, a change from endless bucolic BLT’s but as a last project I needed a break. The location did exist, the line was a spur off the Industriebahn Tegel-Friedrichsfelde that ran past Lübars, the only village in Berlin.

 

91 693 of Pankow running on the ITF on the line to Lübars

 Lübars is in the north-east of Reinickendorf has the classic structure of a Brandenburg village: a village green, a church, some single-storey classicist farmhouses, a village inn, horse breeding, and surrounding farmland. Lübars also still has some functioning family-run farms.

The goods yard is in a quiet corner of the Industriebahn Tegel–Friedrichsfelde (ITF) in the mid-1960s Immediately after crossing the Heidekrautbahn railway line, the route enters the Reinickendorf district. A connecting curve joins from the Heidekrautbahn to the south, followed by the Lübars freight yard. Directly beyond this, until the 1950s, was a branch line to a factory complex on what is now Wilhelmsruher Damm, located between Eichhorster Weg and Königshorster Straße. The line crosses Quickborner Straße and runs north of the Märkisches Viertel district

Background

 The coal yard - courtesy Transpress

The yard was adjacent to the small goods shed, in which there is a coal merchant served by a single siding.

 

The coal merchant 

Der Chef

  

Coal was delievered by horse drawn dray, this was the stable. 

Layout

 The initial idea 

The project began a idea on RMweb that uses the BB018 baseboard kit from SMS, it changed with the acquisition of a longer BBO17, serious planning was helped by one of James Hilton’s plans that can be squeezed into 110 x 22cm., the only changes are to hide the ‘A’ siding behind a facade and ‘D’ siding runs along the front edge of the baseboard.   

The Hilton idea 

 

 

 

The reality 

 

Buildings

On such a small layout there are just two complete structures plus a facade that hides the ‘A’ siding. A wooden shelter for the passengers and a rather careworn store that was once a stable for the coal merchant’s horse.

Operation

 Operating the layout

The unloading area is large concrete hardstanding for local delivery drivers to refuel from a tank wagon rather than having to trundle back to the depot and there is a ground level platform for the workers at the local factory. 

The rules

• Only one locomotive 
• Only four wagons
• Magnetic auto-couplings 
• DCC turnouts

Hands free (mostly - although I find the free running rolling stock has magnetic axles - which I must address) operation should mean this isn't a problem. In addition, a tiny 'off stage' area is sufficient to swap out vehicles and store two wagons 'off the track' when not in use.

 

Operationally there are just two things to do - either swap the loaded van, or swap the unloaded tank wagon. The locomotive will be stabled infront of the office between playing, so operation always starts here before heading off stage to collect whichever I choose from the 'hidden siding'. If it's the van it's on the left of the locomotive (viewed from the front, open side) if it's the tank, it will be on the right. Swapping the stock over takes around 5 minutes. This sounds short to many of you I'm sure – but sufficient in between chatting to the punters.

The right side of the plan will become a concrete hardstanding, ‘B’will used to fill heating oil from rail to small city-friendly road tankers and ‘C’ will be home to a tiny Prussian style brick goods shed.

A simple scene of a tank wagon downloading heating oil into a small delivery road tanker seems an attractive idea. The right side of the diorama will become a concrete hardstanding with the rear siding used for unloading tank wagons containing heating oil. Once the road tanker had filled a number of heating oil tanks for factories, schools, community heating plants, etc. it was often easier to refill at a designated siding from a railway wagon rather than return to the depot.

Stocklist

 Just a few items of stock

 

The wagons, only four allowed at any time