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I genuinely didn’t know the answer, so I had to go measure it. I suspect saying it’s exactly the same size as the room wouldn’t be all that insightful. It’s 5.2m x 2.85m. Bluebeck shed adds an extra 0.5m into an alcove and the 2 DMU storage sidings sit in the window reveal adding another 0.3m. I’m really happy with the design. I love operating it, and it provides endless possibilities to operate it properly. It’s not often I let one tail chase, but it’s good for running in and invaluable for making the timetable work. My original plan only had through lines between Crewe and Warrington, but then the timetable brought home some reality. Because services like the freightliner are based on shipping, you get 5 or 6 all going in one direction, so you have to make use of the circle. I would also need around 14 DMU sets if I didn’t have the link lines between fiddle yards.

For context, here's a long overdue update to the track plan. I've added the additional 2 DMU sidings in the Holyhead fiddle yard and the EMU siding in the Warrington fiddle yard. I've also annotated the drawing with a little more detail. It's very diagrammatic and not to any kind of scale. It's drawn in Anyrail using Peco finescale components, so obviously different to the model which uses Marcway hand made points with C&L plain line.

A relatively recent realisation is that locomotives waiting to back on to services in the through platform or middle road should probably wait in the White Lane through siding, rather than on the Down Holyhead. Likewise any shunting to set back into the yard should use the through siding as a head shunt. Originally the through siding was an actual siding, usually occupied by a DMU, so it couldn’t be used for such moves. Now that I’ve made it a through line, pertaining to lead to a larger set of DMU sidings and sheds, it can add have an additional purpose. A pair of class 20’s are seen in the gloom waiting to set back on to an MGR set for Point of Ayr colliery.

That speaker definitely sounds the part. I have 2022 factory fitted class 20’s which are pretty good, but not as bassy. The improvements in speaker quality in recent years is really noticeable. My early locos from just 8 years ago sound very tinny by comparison. My current favourite is the Cavalex 56, which is like having the real thing in the room with you. It sounds so heavy that you start to think about the structural integrity of your joinery!

Does it have a meaningful effect when a stay alive isn’t fitted? I try not to mess around with CV values other than loco number and volume unless I really need to.

It’s a good tip. I have fitted a very small stay alive, which will just fit with a sugarcube speaker in the cab. I hadn’t considered isolating the DC function, but it sounds logical. Fortunately I have an NCE Pro cab which does it in the config settings. Lesser mortals will have to subtract 4 from the value of CV29 and set CV50 to 0, assuming the chip’s default is DC active. Sometimes it’s slightly more complicated than just two wires…

With the freight fleet back in action it’s great to run some trains again. Most of the freight movements involve at least a run round or loco swap at Christleton, and many involve some shunting too. A class 56 draws slowly up to a red signal hoping to keep the long rake of HAAs rolling and get a yellow for the middle road. The 56 driver will be disappointed though. The panel will make him wait for booked time as the (well running) 08 needs to spot some vans across the station throat from the brewery.

We probably all have a favourite and a least favourite loco. Rarely does reality align in such a way that your favourite loco is also your best runner! My current favourite model is my 45/0. I’ve always liked the real ones and the Bachmann offering is pretty convincing to my eye. 45022 jarred a little as the Bachmann blue is a bit pale for my liking, but in its new heavy weathering I really like it. Despite having wheels everywhere, they run superbly too. Haulage fans will be delighted to see the usually freight-only, no heat loco waiting in the holding sidings. Will it be Coast or Pennine bound? It’s been a while since we had a view down the station throat. I’ve no idea what makes the sleepers shine like it’s just been raining, but I do like it. A little GPL is really needed on the holding line to show the loco is in and clear. At the other end of the spectrum is my Hornby 08. I want to love this as it’s the only class of loco that I’m actually qualified to drive. But it’s hard. The original pick ups are abysmal and the wheels don’t quite run true. It’s forever stalling and runs too poorly to enjoy. I have tried on several occasions to sort it out and never succeeded. Time for one more go… I decided to go back to basics, remove the chip and run it on DC. This has firstly enabled me to improve the pick ups. I had replaced the Hornby ones some time ago, but the new ones weren’t making consistent contact. With that resolved, I looked at the lumpy running. When I first got it I thought it might be a poor runner due to inaccurate quartering, so I got a full replacement wheelset. It seems inconceivable that two sets might be wrong… but it looks like a distinct possibility. Fortunately I kept the originals and I have managed to get 3 good axles to fit. There is certainly one axle (either front or middle) in each set that is slightly out. The Hornby wheels are nearly impossible to adjust, so if they’re wrong they need changing. With the loco running on DC, improved pick ups, and quartered wheels, the running is transformed. Time then to reinsert a chip… and the running is stuttering and lumpy! Fortunately I have plenty of spare 8 pin chips, so I tried another one and finally the running seems to be about right. I’m not sure what can be wrong with the chip, but something’s not right. Sadly this means I probably need a new sound chip, so I’ll run the 08 for a while on mute, and see if it’s really fixed before stumping up for a new noisy chip. Hopefully this is the start of a new chapter for the 08…. which is good, because the trip workings need it!

As ever reality proves a lot more interesting than anything you could make up. It’s one of the reasons I like modelling somewhere that’s based on a real location (ish). Some research and reference to the always excellent 2D53 website has provided details of a number of trip workings from Chester. There’s a bit more leeway with the date range than my usual September 1986, but essentially all fairly accurate. Trip 29 is a class 25 and goes from Chester along the Coast including Rockliffe Hall, Point of Ayr, Mold Jn and Chester Wagon shops. Trip 36 is a class 25 and trips from Chester, to Croes Newydd (Wrexham) and Mold Jn. The working specifically mentions cripples for grading at Mold Jn. Trip 36a replaced 36 in 1984 and was a whopper. A light engine to Arpley, then Chester, Rockliffe Hall, Point of Ayr, Chester, Walton Old Jn, Arpley and light engine back to Chester. Trip 37 works down to Croes Newydd, back through Chester, Connah’s Quay (hurrah!), Mostyn, Holywell Jn, Dentiths sidings (Connah’s Quay by another name), Point of Ayr and back to Chester. Trip 92 is effectively station pilot. Trip D86 is a class 25 allocated to departmental trip and shunt. Trip D54 is a pair of 20’s for civil engineering duty as required. I’ll work all of these into the timetable to fit around the existing speedlink services (the timings of the trip workings align to the speedlink trains already). It looks like a really promising range of services, including the opportunity for some unusual wagons!

Is it 25095 in the photo? That had black window surrounds and the number backwards below the windscreen, but it also had the number the right way around above the bufferbeam. This is a photo from Flickr of it on the Bangor to Bletchley vans (look how dirty the second BG is!). Maybe it only had the bufferbeam number at one end?

What fantastic photos. The trip working is particularly helpful, as I’m just about to add some trips to the working timetable. The wagons look box fresh, so I’m assuming it’s working from Connah’s Quay, not towards it? The ballast workings don’t seem to be well photographed, but they do have a variety of motive power. I also fancy a class 303, but for actual service not dragging about. I’m about to brave up to the 304 front ends, so it will be a while before I have enough fortitude to tackle a 303.

Most of the parcels stock is done too. Large logo 47 455 waits time with the Euston to Holyhead vans. This is one of the few places you can take a photograph without highlighting how much work is required on the platforms!

A Rudd has the same issue as my MTA’s… they weren’t built until 1989. I built a Parkside kit of some ancient ballast wagon only to find out it was from the 90’s too.

45022 is a favourite Peak of mine, although I thought it had been withdrawn in 1985. My platform 5 shows it still in service in January 87 and I’ve managed to track down a couple of photos of it from 86. It was in a really shocking state by then! It lost its nameplates early in the 80’s, but I decided a little bit of rule 1 wouldn’t hurt. The freightliner flats are pleasing if tedious to weather, not least as I wanted them all to be able to run unloaded. I decided the best thing for the containers was to give then a quick but relatively heavy weather to tone down the toy like brightness of their colours. Many of the boxes on the Holyhead route seem to have been in a similar condition to peak 22 in the mid eighties. And with that, the freight fleet is ready…

The fleet of dirty freight trains and locos is steadily growing… all kadee fitted at the ends. From left to right: 31 on the nuclear flask train 25 on most of the Speedlink set (I have various wagons that can be swapped in and out) 20’s on tanks 47/0 on a ballast shark - the rest of the ballast wagons will hook up to the shark for now… 85 on steel 56 on HAAs Finally on the right is the last ones to do… 45/0 and freightliner flats. The wagons themselves should be straightforward, but I’m undecided on what to do about the containers. Most are the wrong colours for my period, and re-liverying them all seems like a big job at the moment. I may just spray them red or white and give them a bit of a weather… most boxes seem to be fairly plain in 86.