BLOSSOMS BLACK COUNTRY RAILWAY & CANAL MODEL

IN THE BEGINNING

High there, for many years now I had been planning a model of the Black Country landscape I remember from my youth. Living in Tipton at Dudley Port and a stones throw from both the canal and both the old LMS and GWR railways , I spent many hours train spotting (steam) and touring the local canal system on my bike which both were still very active transporting goods to the hundreds of factories this area was famous for.

The canal at Dudley Port where I did my train spotting standing on that slab in front of the bridge girder. The LMS station of Dudley Port in front and the GWR rail passing under the canal at this point. My house was just out of the photo to the right.

An opportunity was arising with the forthcoming conversion of the loft into another bedroom for the grand kids and so the seeds have been set for my model giving me an area of roughly 10-0" by 30'-0".

The main theme of the layout will be of industry, which of cause was my view of this area in the 1950's, and would be mainly canal based, as this is my main interest, and the railway would be secondary. It will be based roughly on 1947 ish and will include a large double oval with various sidings to factories etc. the canal will not represent a particular place but in fact be a compilation of various features of that area and include a canal tunnel, a set of three locks and many arms, wharves etc supplying the factories.

The layout will include,
Coal yard (based on F Mitchards, Tipton)
Palethorpes (based on their Tipton model factory & pig storage)
Power station (based on Ocker Hill station)
Canal/rail interchange basin (based on Riders Green)
Steelworks (based on Bilston)
Gasworks (Typical)
Brick makers & marl-hole (based on Rattlechain brickwork's, Dudley Port)
Terraced housing (Typical)
Boat building dock (Typical)
Coal mine & narrow gauge cable way (based on 'The Ginnies')
Foundry (Typical)
Boiler Makers (Typical)
Engineering Co (Typical)
Chemical Co (based on Chance & Hunt, Oldbury)
A railway station (based on GWR Dudley Port low level)
and a collection of about a dozen other various industrial/factory buildings.
just to give an idea f what I will be trying to achieve here are a few photo's of the area's that will be included in the layout.