Great Tunsley Dale

by trains12

original page on Old RMweb

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Comment posted by Digital on Sun Mar 09, 2008 11:16 am

Hi Peter,

Is the layout operated by DCC or standard DC.

Regards

John

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??? posted on Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:33 pm

Hi John

It is normal DC but at present it is still in the wiring stage. I have far too much stock to convert to DCC To give an idea of cost to convert the four exhibition layouts and the main layout together with stock two years ago the cost was put at some ??????‚??20,000 pounds by ZTC that was 500 plus engines all points controllors sound etc. Just cant aford it so it stays with miles of cables and nightmares if something goes wrong. Paul is in a similar boat as well but we both have thought of doing a small modern image layout which will be DCC. in the near future.

Regards

Peter

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Comment posted by Heiter on Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:43 am

Where are the manufacturers when you need *their* support...??

Excellent layout and a credit to you...

Colin.

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??? posted on Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:45 pm

Hi all

Just a update on the layout. Wiring has continued this last wek and a futher two boards have been completed upto the connection stage. Timber has been oatained to complete the last three boards while the other boards are made and ready for tack layout. Work on the last Gravel loader is well in hand as is some of the smaller sheds etc. I will post some further shots in the next few days.

Peter

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??? posted on Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:06 pm

Hi All

Just to let you all Know that my unit in Nantlle will be open house this Saturday 25th march between 10.30am to 4.00pm where I will br working on Tunsley Dale. I will al so have the clubs O Gauge Layout Waterley Cross working. All are welcome ,if you want instructions one how to find me contact me either on 01286 882 332 or pm me. Have coffee or tea but also no beer

Also there is Porth Eithin Porth Penrhyn and Dartmouth but not up.

Hope to see some of you

Peter

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Comment posted by MartinWales on Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:42 pm

Shame! I'm at York

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??? posted on Fri Mar 21, 2008 8:40 pm

Hi All

Just a few photos of what has been done in the last few weeks

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??? posted on Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:27 pm

Hi All

Just a shot of the two Blue Pullman set that will be used on the layout. I seem to be haveing a few problems post picx at present.

Peter

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Comment posted by pharrc20 on Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:37 pm

A quick posting on the sort of stock that will be needed to operate on the layout. Ok well starting with the obvious sort of wagons given that the layout is loosely based on the real rail served quarry at Tunstead, these will be the long lived ICI bogie limestone hopper wagons. I have two rakes myself that I operate in conjunction with the rakes owned by Hazel Grove & District MRS of which I am a member. There is a rake of 16 wagons in the 1950s/60s livery of medium grey plus weathered examples formed 5+5+5+1 (I think) and a 1980s/90s rake of 14 wagons. However for Great Tunsley we will require at least another two rakes plus some spares. Both Peter and me have a couple of the old High Peak Casters kits for these wagons, which to be brutally honest are not exactly well detailed but they do look like the wagons once built and modified. So, to make up the shortfall we are looking at producing some more wagons ourselves in brass and whitemetal but that is still on development at the moment.

Other suitable stock for the steam era will include the 5-plank ICI Lime opens, which were once produced by Airfix many years ago and later a version was produced by Hornby. Yes, the chassis are not accurate for these plus those monster couplings to contend with as well so a program of coupling upgrades to Bachmann type narrow couplings will hopefully solve that problem. Except Bachmann couplings are in short supply at the moment Other opens and small hoppers will also be used for general stone flows from Great Tunsley. The next biggest wagon type that we will need is the BR 24t COVHOP and I am aware that Bill Bedford has a kit in the pipeline. Then there is Presflos, Prestwins and Conflat Ls along with a mix of everyday goods wagons that could be scene passing the quarry on the mainline as well.

Moving onto the 80s, the ICI hoppers remain dominant abeit with a light grey livery when ex works rapidly becoming a rusty dusty brown colour darkening with age. Air brake stock from this period from the real Tunstead was mainly the CBA covered hoppers (conversion in hand), Tarmac PGAs (in hand) and Peakstone PGAs (future project). I have started to build a rake of Parkside 21t HTV hoppers but given Hornby's recent decision to model the Clam/Rudd and Tope wagons, I wouldn't be at all suprised if Hornby turned round and produced a rtr rebodied and welded HTV model as per the Parkside kit, so I will see what happens on that front. The final type of stone wagon in this era is the 27t stone tipplers MSVs. I have amassed a rake of 20+ of these using the Bachmann chalk tippler and added extra brake rigging and vac cylinders to the chassis. Yes I know the chassis is incorrect type and the body is too high but that doesn;t bother me. Lots of Speedlink wagons PAAs, PBAs, TTAs etc. as appropriate to era

Into the 90s, we can still run the ICI hoppers until 1997 and run Bachmann JGAs in Buxton Lime Industries and RMC liveries and later on CAIB PGAs 30+ of those, and later still Freightliner HHAs. All we need now to complete the picture would be RFS built RMC PHA/JGAs, EWS/Cemex HOAs and Freightliner HH HIAs in green and white. Oh and some Tiphook KPAs just to be complete. And some Nat Power/EWS JHAs and JMAs..... Not much to ask is it Again lots of ancillary stock appropriate to era and Enterprise operations JAAs. JIAs, TTAs, TUAs, Cargowaggons, PCAs

Its gonna be fun!!

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??? posted on Sat Apr 05, 2008 5:07 pm

Hi all

Just an update on the progress of the layout. In the last few days we have fished the baseboards at the end of the layout and have errcted the baseboards for the fiddle yard ready for the laying of the cork. Some more of the electrics have also been done. It is hoped that the laying of the track in the fiddle yard will start tomorrow. If all goes well and the weather is good will will try to trst the erection of the whole layout next Saturday outside the unit in Nantlle. Will post some more photos of the laying of the fiddle yard.

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Comment posted by pharrc20 on Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:15 pm

A few more photos of the layout showing the extended fiddle yard taken today. I spent the weekend at Peter's lair and helped to lay some new track, solder the rails onto the copperclad and put the plywood top on the newest fiddle yard baseboard. Note the track is not aligned or pinned down yet on the new board, but that won't take Peter long to do!! In the first photo of those uploaded by Peter in the last post, the mainline and quarry line track and points are all laid and ballasted and connect up with the tracks leading in/out of the fiddle yard. I knew I should have taken a similar photo for comparison before I left sunny N Wales.

Cheers Paul

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Comment posted by SweeneyTodd on Mon Apr 14, 2008 4:33 pm

That's one huge fiddle yard 16 lines ! , i want to ask what type of points are used and how will it be powered , i'm fairly new to the hobby and working on a quite a large layout , i want to ad a fiddle yard probably about half the size of yours , if you can have you got a track plan to show where your adding power ? if not no worries

The whole layout looks great , i will be following your progress .....

Shaun .

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??? posted on Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:02 am

hi Shaun

Thanks for comments. The track and points in the fiddle yard are all Peco Code 75. What is shown is not the full extent of the yard there is still afurther 6ft board to add with the other points on. The feeds to the layout are at each end of the yards on each main line. The lines are split in the middle so giving 32 sidings appox. 8ft - 10 ft long. the points are controlled by Hornby or peco points motors which will be operated by either stud and probe contact or spring centre off swiitches, havent made my mind up yet. The whole layout is standard DC control.

peter

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Comment posted by Grimleygrid on Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:36 am

Really looking forward to seeing photos of this layout when finished, great work so far. The buildings are stunning, absolutely superb modelling. Lots of fun ahead for you guys me thinks!

Can we have some photos of 60s on JGAs running on your layout please, or pairs of 37s on the ICI hoppers!

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Comment posted by pharrc20 on Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:36 am

Yep, I can't wait for the day when we can start filling up the fiddle yard with stock and get some trains running. I think I can muster a 60 and some BLI JGAs plus some of Peters, plus a pair of Buxton 37/5s on a long rake (24) of ICI Hoppers.

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Comment posted by Grimleygrid on Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:20 pm

Look forward to the photos Paul.

Any idea when you will be up and running?

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Comment posted by pharrc20 on Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:48 pm

We were going to appear at the North Wales Exhibition organised by Colwyn Bay MRC and held at John Bright School, Llandudno, but this exhibition has now been cancelled. So not sure what our first outing will be, but the extra time will give us a chance to finish off all of the scenery and sort the stock out etc.

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??? posted on Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:52 pm

Hi all

Have been at the unit today and have laid the track in the fiddle yard that was in Pauls photos above. Hope to have the final hand made track completed by Thursday so it can be laid on Friday. In the mean time am wiring up odd sections. Paul and myself are going to Tunstead on Monday to flim further details of the plant ie hoppers. cement kilms etc and also make a sound recoring of the loading of a train through the main hoppers so when we load the ICI hoppers on the layout there will be real sound of them being loaded. Will post some more shots in the next few days.

Back to it.

Peter.

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??? posted on Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:32 pm

Well as promised further shots of the progress made this week on the ayout. Paul and myself are at Tunstead on Monday to view the site and make a recording of the loading of the hoppers so that we can fit sound into the model hopper. Should get a lot of photos. :

Peter

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??? posted on Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:40 pm

Hi All

Update

Have been up at Tunstead early this week with Paul photographing etc most of the plant thanks to Tarmac. Some great shots so I can now complete the models. Some more point motors and wiring completed as well as a little mod to the track laout. Will post some more shots in the next few days.

Peter

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??? posted on Wed May 07, 2008 6:02 pm

Hi all

Some shots taken by Paul on Monday of this week showing the trackwork completed where the Vertical lime kilns and the South Works will fit. Have started today the model of the lime kilns today so will post some shots of the progress of this. Still working on the wiring.

Regards

Peter

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Comment posted by MartinWales on Wed May 07, 2008 6:29 pm

Looks even better now than when I saw it a fortnight ago!

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Comment posted by Andy C on Thu May 08, 2008 6:19 am

John Taylor brought down 2 sets of etches for the ICI hoppers last night at the Rochdale club night - Im probably going to sideline the Ivatt 2-6-0 Im building on wednesday nights and have a shot at them - theres a lot of bits and i suspect the RSU will be in demand - ive already promised to re-write and draw his instructions as i go alomg because theres already 1 bit Im not sure of where it goes! it does look like it will make a nice model with a bit of care in the building and I suspect an article may follow in one mag or another! I'll keep you posted on progress! (but they my end up as P4 models behind a blue rat)

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Comment posted by pharrc20 on Fri May 09, 2008 11:22 am

I'd be interested to see how you get on with these, having had the prototype kit built up and finding that some of the tabs and slots didn't fit made things a bit tricky.

Peter and me have been developing a kit for the hoppers for a good number of years now and when the Appleby and Modelex kits were proposed we decided not to proceed, but now both of these have fallen by the wayside, we have decided to push ahead with our own kit and started to draw up the parts required. As previously outlined in this thread, we will need quite a few hoppers for GTD layout.

Cheers Paul

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Comment posted by Andy C on Fri May 09, 2008 3:22 pm

Funny you said that Paul - I was looking at the sideplate tabs and indents in the top and bottom frame plates and the tabs looked slightly overlarge but wasnt in a poistion to get the micrometer out to check.

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