Peterborough North

[Mallard60022]

Empty stock trains; what a great excuse to run all sorts of weird coaches both 'cripples' and ex works!! I've got some very weird coaches

Other ideas:

footex including Cup Final stuff which might bring all sorts from all over the place; Sunday school outings; works excursions; private charters; employee specials; engineers stuff; Spalding Flower Specials; weed killing train (very thin spotters need to be aware when this runs ) ; circus specials; farm moving specials; ITV Regional Services Special (yes, that did happen); Royal Train; Prototype tests.

P @ 36E

[JeffP]

Another queastion has just occured (sp?) to me, Gilbert: how do you keep the layout clean? Not just the rails, but dust etc off the whole scenery, buildings etc and all the stock?

[gresley]

Another queastion has just occured (sp?) to me, Gilbert: how do you keep the layout clean? Not just the rails, but dust etc off the whole scenery, buildings etc and all the stock?

 

Come on Jeff, this is reality !!! How did mother nature cope ???

 

gresley

[artizen]

Your bridge is an excellent view blocker of those ***** bookcases!

[simon hudson]

I love looking at this layout I can only ever hope to asspire.Do you have 60030 on stock, at all? My favourite A4 (Since recieving her Christmas 1961).I think it was O.S Nock who quoted of her as being a star of Grantham in the 50's

Edited March 10, 2012 by simon hudson

[great northern]

Another queastion has just occured (sp?) to me, Gilbert: how do you keep the layout clean? Not just the rails, but dust etc off the whole scenery, buildings etc and all the stock?

 

This was another thing which was planned very early on Jeff. I chose to have a laminated wooden floor rather than carpets specifically to keep the dust to a minimum. As I have a massive allergy to house dust that made the choice even easier. Of course some dust does still settle, particularly on the roofs of coaches and wagons, and I do try to remember to use a soft brush to get rid of it now and again. I actually had a big clear up not long ago, and got as much junk as possible out from under the baseboards. That seems to have helped with reducing dust too. Track needs a going over with a good quailty rubber occasionally, but I have found that DCC does significantly reduce the amount of crud that builds up. Another big factor in dust reduction is the nice high clean ceiling. Not much seems to fall from there compared with the loft.

[great northern]

I love looking at this layout I can only ever hope to asspire.Do you have 60030 on stock, at all? My favourite A4 (Since recieving her Christmas 1961).I think it was O.S Nock who quoted of her as being a star of Grantham in the 50's

 

Yes, here she is. Rostered for the Down Yorkshire Pullman today, so she will be sitting in this fiddle yard spur for a while yet. This is actually one of my few sound fitted locos, though you'll have to take my word for that.

 

[simon hudson]

Thanks isn't she a stunner hope her buffers are nicely polished!

[great northern]

I was going to give you a bit of a rest this weekend, but then I saw what the next train in the sequence was. I also have loads of light, which is (almost) controllable by judicious use of the blinds, so here are a few more shots.

 

 

Wending its way through the signal forest comes BR(E)'s star train. I know it didn't run on Sundays, but then it is never Sunday on my layout, so we're OK. Let's follow her stately progress through the station.

 

 

 

 

 

getting closer...... this has to be one of the classic Peterborough view points.

 

 

Well it had to be a Top shed loco didn't it? The Haymarket engine was on the Down train. Incidentally, during my spotting days KX engines sometimes headed both Up and Down trains, but never ever did two Haymarket engines appear.

 

 

We placed our mate on the Up platform to get this view.

 

 

One for those who like to see the coaches.

 

 

Now emerging from under the overall roof, and for the first time today i couldn't crop out the ****** bookcases.

 

 

Trying to be a bit artisitic here. It doesn't suit me.

 

 

On the dogs leg curve, under Crescent Bridge, and the regulator will now be wide open.

 

 

Another attempt at a different view. The train has again separated on an under track magnet without me noticing. The track on the extreme right will be extended under the bridge. It should go into South yard, but there is no room for the necessary turnout, so it will be purely cosmetic.

 

 

Back at the North end, a filthy local B1 on the 3.00pm slow to Grimsby brings us back to the realities of late '50's BR. Monochrome seemed very appropriate for this shot.

 

 

I couldn't resist one in colour though. That's all for today. I will however place on record that I think for the first time ever I have succeeded in keeping out of shot all stanley knives coffee mugs and other such reality killers. I've also been very heavy handed with the cropping. Does that meet with your approval?

[gresley]

Does that meet with your approval?

 

Gilbert,

 

Most definitely. However, don't become a "slave" to that. The main thing is the representation of the real thing and not the "incidentals" round about.

Afterall, when you were seeing some exciting action progressing through your field of view, did you take any notice of such minor, unimportant things ?

If you become too involved with "perfection" you will lose the "reality".

 

gresley

 

gresley

[coachmann]

The Thompson Restaurant Car looks rather tasty. Methinks I'll have to add one to my collection seeing as the old Gresley D10C is rather long in the tooth for 1957....

[JeffP]

VERY nice pics again, Gilbert.

 

I look forward to viewing such Immingham stalwarts as Mayflower, and A.Harold Bibby.

Which, incidentally, was my last steam hauled train on the old GCR line from Grimsby to Doncaster.

[great northern]

VERY nice pics again, Gilbert.

 

I look forward to viewing such Immingham stalwarts as Mayflower, and A.Harold Bibby.

Which, incidentally, was my last steam hauled train on the old GCR line from Grimsby to Doncaster.

 

You will see Mayflower Jeff, in fact you probably already have, as she is a regular on the KX- Cleethorpes trains at present. Mr Bibby though was at Doncaster in 1958, so despite Bachmann having just produced him he is unlikely to appear. There will be more Immingham B1's shortly, but not named ones.

[westerner]

I do like the arty photo with shadows.

[great northern]

I do like the arty photo with shadows.

 

Oh! Thanks Alan, I really wasn't sure about that one. It's something a bit different I suppose.

[great northern]

 

Look what I just found! :D :D :dance_mini: Passing Peterborough North summer 1958.

 

Photo copyright of and courtesy of Andrew C Ingram.

 

Thank you Bachmann. Then of course there will have to be at least a couple of 4F's, and one of those J11's was an Immingham engine. Can't find an excuse for an L&Y tank though. Oh, and some more WD's - I only have three and it gets a bit boring seeing the same ones all the time. Locoholism rules. LNER fish vans too, I only need about 25 of those. Still, plenty of time to save up. Don't think I'll retire yet though. Especially with tempting e-mails from Tim arriving very regularly. The A1/1 and W1 have just fallen a long way down the list though........

[Mallard60022]

 

Look what I just found! :D :D :dance_mini: Passing Peterborough North summer 1958.

 

Photo copyright of and courtesy of Andrew C Ingram.

 

Thank you Bachmann. Then of course there will have to be at least a couple of 4F's, and one of those J11's was an Immingham engine. Can't find an excuse for an L&Y tank though. Oh, and some more WD's - I only have three and it gets a bit boring seeing the same ones all the time. Locoholism rules. LNER fish vans too, I only need about 25 of those. Still, plenty of time to save up. Don't think I'll retire yet though. Especially with tempting e-mails from Tim arriving very regularly. The A1/1 and W1 have just fallen a long way down the list though........

 

Vous avez friends in high places (is Barwell above water level?)........2P at PN - jammy dodgers to that. Love those old pics like that.

The only reason I do what I do for a few hours a day is to 'feed my habit' (coach kits + loco's I like + wagons I think I can use + stuff etc.)

P @ 36E

[great northern]

Back at the station, it's about 3.00pm, and the dreaded "dead hour" is upon us. This is the time when nothing much happens, and small boys rapidly become bored. All fruit pies have been consumed long ago, and a whip round reveals we have one and tuppence halfpenny left between four of us. If we are not careful, our behaviour might get us ejected.......... So, what have we to brighten things up? Something signalled on the Down main, it's the 1.45pm KX - Newcastle relief, could be a Gateshead loco? As it comes out from under the roof we see it is dirty enough.

 

 

but no such luck. It's one of ours.

 

 

 

Looks unloved, uncared for, you can hardly identify it even from close range, but we see it very regularly so it must be in fairly good condition under all that filth. Nevertheless the customary boos and shouts of "scrap it" must occur. We'd never have thought that within a couple of years "they" would do as we asked, and Duke of Rothesay would cease to exist. We didn't mean it, honest!

 

 

And this is what we get on the Up, just a Grimsby local. Hang on though, why is the station announcer saying it's going to Kings Cross? It doesn't say that on the timetable. Ah, a kind gentleman heard us talking, and says it runs "unadvertised" to London on Fridays. What's that about then? How will people know about it if it's not advertised? And why is a Lincoln engine on an Immingham duty? Wonder what's down the other end?

 

 

Oh, no! it's just that Spital Bridge D16 which has been simmering in the loco yard for ages - we somehow missed it moving and backing onto the 3.22pm to Peterborough East. And now it's starting to rain............

 

Well, it wasn't all glamour and excitement you know.

[Guest Tom F]

I enjoyed the little write up just as much as the photos....little young Gilbert spotting! I wonder what's on tomorrows spotting agenda!

Edited March 14, 2012 by Tom F

[The Stationmaster]

Gateshead all over, alas, you could always tell as they hove into view because the smokebox number was illegible at the distance when it could have easily been read on a Top Shed engine, even a run-down Top Shed engine. Caught to perfection on 'Duke of Rothesay' - another reminder of a different world.

[coachmann]

Just to flesh in a bit of detail in your Compound picture, you will need a tender with Deeley frames that has been rebuilt with a Fowler tank which is somewhat shorter than the chassis. Unless of course someone can come up with another shot showing a Compound in Peterborough.

[Timara]

Just to flesh in a bit of detail in your Compound picture, you will need a tender with Deeley frames that has been rebuilt with a Fowler tank which is somewhat shorter than the chassis. Unless of course someone can come up with another shot showing a Compound in Peterborough.

 

Might be easier than you think to do that tender Coach. Bachmann's 2012 plans include a rebuilt Deeley tender behind one of their 7Fs, which I suspect is as per 53808 is preserved. Whether they sling the same one behind one of the Compound models is anyone's guess though!

[S.A.C Martin]

Lovely write up Gilbert.

 

Duke of Rothsey seems to have had a good reputation compared to the others. Certainly I am finding more photographs of this A2/1 overall. Was it because she was a KX engine for a good while in service?

[great northern]

Might be easier than you think to do that tender Coach. Bachmann's 2012 plans include a rebuilt Deeley tender behind one of their 7Fs, which I suspect is as per 53808 is preserved. Whether they sling the same one behind one of the Compound models is anyone's guess though!

 

Oh lord! That's another can of worms opened then, and this time one about which I know the best part of ******all. I shall have to rely on you LMS experts.

[great northern]

Lovely write up Gilbert.

 

Duke of Rothsey seems to have had a good reputation compared to the others. Certainly I am finding more photographs of this A2/1 overall. Was it because she was a KX engine for a good while in service?

 

No, she was at New England continuously from about 1950 onwards Simon, but I agree that there are a lot more photos of it (can't call a Duke "she" surely?), than of most of 35A/34E's other A2 variants. Memory also tells me that I saw 508 most days when I was out spotting, so one can only assume that it was a well liked and therefore a good engine. Mind you, things can get a bit skewed because most of my visits to the ECML would have been on Saturdays, and summer Saturdays at that, and things were entirely different then to normal weekdays. Basically everything that could turn a wheel was likely to be pressed into service, and even then at least 30% of trains were V2 hauled. Most of the records that I have seen in various magazines show a fair number of A2's in use on Saturdays, but significantly less during the week. But yes 508 had "scrap it" yelled at it more than most.