Mortimore's Yard - '70s trip freight workings

[HillsideDepot]

Welcome to Mortimore's Yard!
 

I've finally decided I should share some of my layouts with RMWeb, so here are some pictures of the first one, Mortimore's Yard. Like all my layouts Mortimore's is set in the Bristol Channel coastal city of Westonmouth and serves what freight traffic remains on the once busy city docks. Following a landslide on the main route to the docks Mortimore's Yard has a renewed significance in the area as all traffic has to be reversed here, and many wagons are shunted either for delivery or for onward transit outward. The yard takes it's name from Mortimore's coal merchants who have a private siding opposite the yard.
 

So much for the fiction, Mortimore's Yard is inspired by various locations in Bristol, especially Wapping Wharf and Ashton Meadows, and many of the buildings are based on examples in my home town of Chippenham. The layout has been exhibited locally, but is primarily now for my entertainment at home.

An on-going project at the moment is to construct a working timetable of trains and traffic flows, along with continuing detailing and weathering of locos and stock.

Rather like the sleepy nature of the layout, nothing happens quickly on my work bench, especially as modelling is just one of my spare-time activities, in the mix with leading an Explorer Unit and running a Young Leaders Unit in Scouting, helping out in various ways at my Church, and getting out in the countryside kayaking, cycling and hiking.

 

The layout has 3 boards each 3'6" x 2' as that is the best size to fit my car.

 

 

Mortimore's coal yard.

 

Having run round 6V42 the Fawley to Blaise Sidings Esso train a class 33 sets back into Mortimore's Yard to detach a defective wagon.

 

A Hymek accelerates away past the war-time signal box as it leads a trip freight to Queensland Yard from where the wagons will be dispersed around the country.

 

A quite moment at the stop blocks.

 

 

 

Some general views of the area around the sidings.

 

Bristol Division Tunnel Inspection Coach DW150144 basks in the sunshine.

Edited August 30, 2021 by HillsideDepot

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi Adrian

 

Thanks for sharing the layout with us. I like the wartime signal box, something you do not see on many ex-GWR layouts.

 

 

Not too sure about the dodgy name.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Thought is was ANOTHER of Clive's layouts at first.....

[Andrew P]

Looking good but that DODGY GEESER Clive gets in on the act everywhere,   hahha

 

I do like the plan, nice and spacious by the looks of things.   :locomotive:    

[HillsideDepot]

Thanks for your comments and "likes".

 

Sadly the layout isn't named after Clive, although there may be a family connection somewhere back in history. Mortimore & Son was the coal merchant formerly based at Chippenham station. Their old offices still stand and are now a listed building.

Hopefully the model captures the feel of the original. It was quite a challenge as the building appears to have had many alterations over the years, each one in a different style of planking!

 

The "cabin" (in Western terminology) at the far end of Mortimore's Yard No.3 Road is based on this delightful hut which once stood in Chippenham's Up Yard.

Part of the Westinghouse Brake & Signal Company's factory is just visible in the background.

 

These little memories from my childhood (and teenage years) all sparked models, gave me ideas and inspiration.

 

[37114]

Nice to see Mortimer's yard on here Adrian, you have done a cracking job on the layout and love the coal merchants office, does it have a leaky roof like the prototype?

[HillsideDepot]

Nice to see Mortimer's yard on here Adrian, you have done a cracking job on the layout and love the coal merchants office, does it have a leaky roof like the prototype?

Thanks Rob. Not sure if the roof leaks, it's always warm and sunny whenever I visit Mortimore's Yard  The model has slightly warped over the years, so it is more representative of the real one than when it left my work bench. I think I used every style of Wills planking available and hand scribed some parts too. That's the beauty of basing a model on a real structure, you get textures and contrasts which I for one couldn't imagine or invent without seeing the real thing.

[mudmagnet]

Great looking buildings! Will certainly make interesting models!

[HillsideDepot]

Another typical railway structure is the small arch bridge carrying the line over urban roads, although these may have been nothing more rural tracks when the railway was built. In Chippenham the arches at Lowden and Sheldon Road provided the inspiration for the bridge which is almost at the centre of the layout.

 

 

 

 

Many hours was spent with lengths of flexi-track laid out on wallpaper on the floor, adjusting curves, tweaking angles, pondering the plan. Time spent at this stage certainly paid off as the resulting plan has stood the test of time. Much of the railway west of Chippenham station is on an embankment, and that too was an influence in the design of Mortimore's Yard, and open top baseboards were used. 

 

 

 

Even at this stage there was further tweaking of the plan, paper stapled to the woodwork to simulate the landscape while the rest of the scenery was "imagined". 

 

 

 

Gradually, bit by bit, the plan became reality, and since then the model has almost become a real place.

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot
Photos re-instated after Dediserve debacle

[class"66"]

Looking forward to more of this now...

 

 

 

cheers neil..

[HillsideDepot]

As it is a Bank Holiday weekend there is nothing happening in the sidings at Mortimore's Yard, but if the weather is kind perhaps it'll be a chance to relax in the garden.

 

First some of the gardens behind the terraced houses in Langley Road:

 

Might have to cut the grass and feed the rabbit first though

 

Other's will have the vegetable plot, as seen from the back bedroom window, to tend before they can relax

 

Minimal maintenance with a large area of concrete, but a bench to relax on once the veg has been checked

 

Now the gardens behind the bigger houses in Tugela Road:

 

All very neat at number 7

 

Next door at number 5 there is an alternative type of garden produce

 

And finally, the garden behind the Scout HQ in Audley Road. Space for games, a camp fire circle, flag pole and the green hut which is used by the Venture Scout unit.

 

Have a relaxing weekend! 
 

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot
Photos re-instated after Dediserve debacle

[class"66"]

More super pictures here...

[HillsideDepot]

A few more photos from the archives...

 

As has already been mentioned, Mortimore's Yard draws heavily on childhood memories and locations around Chippenham for its structures and settings, albeit mixed together in a different order.

 

The walk to town, or to my maternal grandparents included a footpath alongside the GWML between Unity Street and Lowden where, if I was lucky, I would see a train run along the high embankment. A little further on another path, known locally as the "Cinder Track", linked Sheldon Road with Goldney Avenue. This second path was further away from the railway, but offered views into the rear of Kingham's frozen food depot, before continuing between Castle Combe & Chippenham Dairies delivery depot and Downing Rudman & Bents joinery factory. So whilst not replicating either of the actual footpaths, the influence for this path besides the railway at Mortimore's Yard is clear.

 

 

Looking from the very end of the layout a partial view is possible of the shunters' "cabin", the prototype for which was illustrated in a poor quality print from 110 film (remember that?)

 

 

Finally for now, with only a morning shift on Saturdays at Mortimore's Yard this blackbird is left to sing on the aerial undisturbed by the clanking and banging of wagon shunting.

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot
Photos re-instated after Dediserve debacle

[class"66"]

Ive started adding little bird to the layout

luv all the fine detailing!!

[HillsideDepot]

Lunch is over, Jimmy Young has said "TTFN" and the final notes of his Town Talk signature tune have faded from the radio in the Cabin, it can mean only one thing for the crew of the No.2 Pilot: time to sort the yard, before the sidings start filling with wagons returning from the various terminals in the docks area.  

 

With a long raft of wagons drawn right down to the far end of the head shunt this unobstructed view across to Mortimore's coal yard is briefly possible before wagon sorting commences and blocks the view once again. 

 

 

Sunny seventies summer days, would they ever end?

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot
Photos re-instated after Dediserve debacle

[Rivercider]

I am now thinking I must have briefly seen this layout at an exhibition a few years ago,

all very plausible, and nicely done 

 

cheers

[HillsideDepot]

Thanks Kevin, that's praise indeed, coming from someone with your inside knowledge of railway working.  

 

The layout has been shown around the Bristol region over the last few years, Calne, Cheltenham, Nailsea, Clevedon, Bradford-on-Avon and Taunton all featuring (I think those are all correct, going from memory as I can't find the folder at the moment), so you may well have seen it at some point.

 

Indeed the internal documents which you have shared in various topics here and on Flickr have been very important influences in creating the right "feel" to the operation of the layout, so much so that I have created a series of facsimiles for Mortimore's Yard and the locations served from there. They are still a work in progress, along with a Working Time Table, but I hope to post them here when they are finished.

[HillsideDepot]

The area of embankment behind the "cabin" is bit of a dumping ground, although it's often hard to decide what has come down from the yard and what has come over the fence.

 

 

I really must pluck up courage and tackle the wires on the GWR lineside fencing.....

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot
Photos re-instated after Dediserve debacle

[HillsideDepot]

The photo of 50032 in post #9 is taken at an unusual location so far as the railway between Chippenham and Bath is concerned as the line is at the natural level of the, indeed the road here is in a cutting under the line as it crosses the top of the hill. To the left hand side (west) of the loco of the loco, but out of shot and actually behind me as I took the photo is a narrow lane through the trees which leads up to Lowden Manor (one the GWR missed off its list). Needless to say, this also inspired a feature on Mortimore's Yard, but in version of reality(!) this track leads up amongst the trees to the premises of Mortimore & Son.

 

 

It's high summer and little is doing at the coal yard, but a local spinster, proud owner of an immaculate convertible Morris Minor, calls at Mortimore's to order coal for the winter, taking full advantage of the lower prices offered by merchants when business is slow.

 

Just below the bridge in post #9 is a little gate which opens on to some steep brick steps. This path was used by postmen to access the mail exchange apparatus, where TPOs would pick-up and set-down mail bags at speed. Or alternatively this little gate into the woods offers the ideal spot to laze away the afternoon watching the shunting and hoping a Western will appear, as booked, on 8B05, the 1110 trip from Stoke Gifford (it will if I'm working the fiddle yard!).

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot
Photos re-instated after Dediserve debacle

[HillsideDepot]

Mortimore’s Yard is located within the city’s docks complex, and although traffic has declined significantly in recent years and continues to do so, the sidings have seen a considerable increase in traffic following a landslip which rendered the direct route to many of the terminals usable. Whether BR will fund repairs or whether this slip and the consequent complication of traffic operation will hasten the demise of these freight terminals remains to be seen. For now Mortimore’s Yard is enjoying an Indian Summer of activity.

 

The main yards in the city of Westonmouth are:

 

• South Depot
• Queensland Road
• North Depot Increasingly used by the Civil Engineers as revenue earning traffic declines

 

The Docks Branch, working from its connection with the mainline to the south west of England serves the following locations:

 

Docks Branch

• Ashley Road, Bird Group

Outwards scrap metal in 16t unfitted minerals

• Pew Hill, Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co Ltd

Inwards foundry sand in Covhops

Occasional inwards industrial coal in 21t Minfits

Outwards engineering products in VB opens

• Mortimore’s yard, F.C. Mortimore

Inwards household coal 16t unfitted minerals               

 

Somerdale Branch

• Blaise Sidings, Esso Petroleum

Inwards petroleum products in tank wagons

• Somerdale Works, Fry's

Outwards chocolate products in 16t Vanfits

 

Redcliffe Branch

• New Cut Goods Depot

NCL “smalls” traffic received and despatched overnight in CovAB

Inwards house bricks in 12t Tubes

Inwards tinplate (for export) in Shocvans

Inwards bagged china clay in 16t Vanfits

• Redcliffe Wharf, B.O.C.M

Inwards seasonal animal feedstuffs (beet nuts) in 16t Vanfits

• Redcliffe Back Mills, Hovis

Inwards grain in Covhops

 

Hotwells Branch – only accessible to class 03 locomotives

• Baltic Wharf, Herber Denty Timber

Very occasional timber on bolster wagons and various open wagons

• Poole’s Wharf, Holms Sand & Gravel

Outwards sand and gravel traffic in 13t hoppers, 13t sand tipplers and 27t tipplers

• Albion Ship Yard, Charles Hill & Sons

Inwards occasional steel plates

 

Newfoundland Branch

• Marsh Pond, St Anne’s Board Mills

Inwards wood pulp in Timber Ps

• Wapping Quay, Lowell Baldwin Ltd

Inwards house coal in 21t Hoppers, with addition peak loads in 21t Minfits

• Avon Street, ACPM (Blue Circle)

Inwards cement in PO Presflos

[HillsideDepot]

The traffic flows listed in the previous post are the result of a long period of research, based primarily on traffic flows in the Bristol area in the early to mid 1970s, but also with an eye on the available model wagon types.  

 

I am gradually building a collection of Working Time Tables for the period (and a number of public ones too) by regular searching on eBay. There are two types of Working Time Table in this era, Mandatory and Conditional. 

In very simple terms that means "must run" and "might run". Besides the Working Time Table there were also local books of trip working and pilot locomotives. These are very hard to come by, but Kevin Redwood has kindly posted extracts in his threads, such as here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_05_2014/post-7081-0-03935200-1401382781.jpg

 

I then slowly go through the timetables and record the times every freight train arrives, passes or departs the relevant Bristol locations. This process can be quite slow where trains pass between Up and Down sections of the book, and where they stop for various reasons and reappear several pages later. But I don't mind admitting that I find these old timetables fascinating. True, they often raise as many questions as they solve, but finding such delights as a Light Diesel running between Bath Road Depot and Malago Vale Carriage Sidings with the note "Runs only when Diesel Pullman Train is not available" is wonderful.

 

Having found the real trains, I then worked the Mortimore's Yard traffic into the scheme, connecting into and out of the relevant longer distance workings. Bagged china clay in Vanfits for the board mills arrives via 7B11, the 0250 Exeter Riverside to Avonmouth, while the empty vans return to the Duchy via 7B30, the 1855 Avonmouth to Ponsandane (FX)/Drump Lane (FO).

 

Based on the 1974 time table, (but now I have the complete 1975 version likely to be amended) I produced this table of possible flows.

 

1974 Bristol Freights.xlsx

 

This forms the basis of my own Working Time Table for Mortimore's Yard and it's associated terminals. Once that is set (I still have a few conflicts over the single line to Ashley Junction), I will be able to produce a "simplifier" for the yard itself.

In reference to another thread on here, I have probably just proved my credentials as a nerd! But a very happy and content nerd. 
 

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot

[Rivercider]

Hi Adrian,

 

that is a lot of work you have put in there!

 

One traffic flow that was still passing in 1978 when I first joined Bristol TOPS  was the Texaco tanks,

4 wheeled tanks from PBA Chittening  estate (I think) via the PBA Royal Edward Yard to Exeter City Basin (the sidings on the down side).

I seem to recall they went down as a block train in the afternoon, but returned discharged formed into one of the night services from St Blazey

which called at KIngsland Road to detach, they then went down to Avonmouth on one of the local trips later that morning,

 

edit

looking at your simplifier 7B11 02.50 Exeter Riverside - Avonmouth looks the likely service to return the discharged tanks, along with other general traffic.

cheers

Edited May 23, 2015 by Rivercider

[HillsideDepot]

An couple of early morning shots from the attic window of a house in Tugela Road.

 

D7042 arrives slowly into the Reception Road with 9B09, the 0704 trip from Westonmouth South Depot to Somerdale Works conveying empty 12t Vanfits for Fry's. The vans have come from a variety of locations across the country being formed up at South Depot having been dropped off by various long distance freights which have called during the small hours.

 

Having unhooked D7042 now runs round its train of empties before heading back up the branch at 0750 to access the Somerdale Branch which has a facing connection in the Up direction.

 

The Hymek will later return to Mortimore's Yard running DBV (diesel [engine] and brake van), drop the brake in the yard for local trip work, and proceed LD (light diesel) to Marsh Pond to begin the first of three round trips on the wood pulp circuit for St Anne's Board Mills. Strangely, photos of these working are extremely illusive (and will remain so until Cambrian produce their promised kit for the distinctive wagons   ).  

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot
Photos re-instated after Dediserve debacle

[HillsideDepot]

This thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/99543-leaving-goods-brake-vans-unattended/&do=findComment&comment=1902027 is yielding useful information about the use of brake vans in the era which Mortimore's Yard is set. I had already scheduled brake vans to arrive and depart for the local Pilot loco trips to use each day (thereby avoiding the "burned out brake van" model), but what would be left at a yard such as Mortimore's over night and at weekends?

The hours for the signalman would likely be 0545-1345 Monday to Saturday inclusive and 1330-2130 Monday to Friday (i.e. no Saturday afternoon shift). Presumably yard staff (shunter? supervisor?) would work similar hours, leaving the yard unmanned overnight and after Saturday lunchtime at weekends.

 

I have read that loaded coal hoppers left at Ashton Meadows too long would have their doors dropped, and I remember the air-braked vans of chocolate being kept on Middle Siding at Temple Meads at weekends, so would I be looking just at empty wagons left unattended? Or would less "attractive" loads be left there?

 

As well theft and vandalism, of course this is the era when TOPS was having an impact. Would that mean that the yard was cleared daily to allow wagons to take up their next duties? Or at least moved to be available at a bigger yard? My yard isn't big, so I wouldn't see it having space to store surplus wagons, but would wagons on the less frequent flows hang around for a few days awaiting the call to work? Might there be a couple of sand hoppers, for example, standing-by for a larger than usual demand from Holms? Or would they be brought in from further afield?

 

Lots of questions I know, and some are probably in the "how long is a piece of string" category, but any advice would be appreciated. 

Edited September 3, 2022 by HillsideDepot

[Rivercider]

I have a few thoughts about the yard working.

 

The yard would only be staffed during the hours the box is open. How many would be based there I wonder?

As well as the guard with each trip loco Mortimores Yard might also send out  travelling shunter if the work was complicated,

the 03 pilot might also need a travelling shunter to help on the Hotwells Branch.

In 1978 when I went into Bristol TOPS as well as the shunting staff there were still a few commercial freight staff in the area,

one at Hallen Marsh who visited locations at Avonmouth, one at Wapping Wharf and at least one mobile man who would visit Filton CCD and Bath Westmorland,

I think they did wagon labelling, TOPS numbertaking, possibly sheeting or securing wagons, and liaison with customers. 

If it was busy enough there may have been a chargeman or possibly a grade 'A' supervisor to co-ordinate it all.

 

So the staff might comprise

1 x chargeman, 08.00-16.00 SX

3 x shunter, (1 each 05,45-13.45   13.30-21.30 and a mobile man 08.00-16.00.) SX  

2 x shunter, 05.45-13.45 SO 

1 x commercial, 09.00-17.00. SX

This staffing level would dramatically drop over the next few years though!

 

As regards wagon stabling, as you say it might vary a lot.

 

A van or two  of bagged clay, or a wagon of steel plate left over the weekend would be possible, though I doubt any loaded vans from Frys would be left there! 

 

The TOPS system for wagon ordering should have meant that large numbers of empties were not hanging about, but there were variations.

Most vans and opens were in an unassigned common user pool. 

For a specific one off consignment empties would be ordered using TOPS. Say Westinghouse wanted four vb opens and two turned up would you send them to Westinghouse straight away, or wait a day for the others then send all four together?

For firms with regular outward loading the local freight rolling stock clerk would make a TOPS input each afternoon requesting wagons for future loadings which might be set at say 3 a day so there should always be empties in the pipeline.

Depending on how far the empties had to travel you may get anything between 0 - 6 turning up on a specific day.

 

Holms Sand and Gravel may well have a pool each of the hoppers, tipplers and sand tipplers specifically assigned to Pooles Wharf, if there was not capacity in their sidings to hold all the empties it is possible a few spares would have to be kept at the yard.

 

What is your train service like, do you have a morning arrival of rough marshalled traffic to be sorted out for each local yard?

If you have a late afternoon clearance of outwards traffic and it was a full load then may be some empties would be left off for tomorrow.

 

Then there is always the possibility a crippled wagon or two may have to be knocked out to wait for the C&W moblie gang to attend before the wagons are fit to go forward. 

 

cheers

Edited April 28, 2016 by Rivercider