Heaton Lodge Junction

[AY Mod]

Just now, Denbridge said:

An apology is called for.

 

You can't always have what you want just because you ask for it. I thought your post, following others, was particularly mean-spirited and didn't need to be said.

 

No apology and if you want to keep niggling I'll just remove access.

[AY Mod]

3 minutes ago, Simond said:

yes but it’s a thin line between churlish moaning and useful feedback.  
 

atb

Simon (a different one)

As

 

 

I feel his subsequent post is illuminating in terms of character, the initial comment certainly wasn't 'useful feedback'. I just get fed up with whinging about anything and everything on here.

[47606odin]

It is a shame, but then again they are in a basement and I have no idea what the quality of connectivity is. 
they know they have a problem, and hopefully they can find a solution to improve it a bit for tomorrow 

[AY Mod]

2 minutes ago, 47606odin said:

It is a shame, but then again they are in a basement and I have no idea what the quality of connectivity is. 
they know they have a problem, and hopefully they can find a solution to improve it a bit for tomorrow 

 

That's far more understanding and supportive! Thank you.

[woodenhead]

I reckon this layout could be a contender for a live webcam on Railcam

[muddys-blues]

It’s a shame that Simon’s excellent layout thread pages, are now being clogged up by discussions about the transmission from the MIOG live event !! 
 

Stay safe

Craig 

Edited October 24, 2020 by muddys-blues
To add the word excellent

[Gallows Close]

What we are watching is something as railway modellers we have all done. This is the first - very first - time we run our railway as we imagined it in our mind’s eye. Yes it is exciting, and yes it is a learning curve. This is wonderful to watch, and what a layout to watch it happen on. Of course the scale is epic, and the glitches are there to see and improve upon, but we can all share and savour this moment. First proper running session. Brilliant. 
 

I love it. Well done Simon!

 

Best wishes, Chris. 

[HeatonLodge40]

Ah yes, 

Well can I say with absolutely no disrespect to my friends at MIOG I was simply providing a venue for them to host their virtual event. 

 

My own live streaming later this year will be tested to destruction before a single frame is let loose believe me.

I won’t be using the same equipment to boot.

That said it was good experience for me watching, and they are a great well meaning bunch of modellers who were doing this for the second time.

 

Anyway...

 

Ben Jones at Heljan was brave enough to leave me his one and only Class 56 sample which I’m now testing to absolute destruction.  
Today (after he went home) it has run none stop with a fully loaded MGR train with 50 (yep 50) HAA’s.

 

The Grid has run non stop for three hours through complicated pointwork, up 1:80 gradients and roared through the 35ft long dive under tunnels until finally being shut down at 8.10pm this evening.
Now of course I’m biased being sponsored by Heljan but what a beast! 
I’ve always had a thing for Grids so if you share this passion I’m planning a ‘Grid’ day once more samples from Heljan arrive. 
This day will consist of nothing but live footage of Grids hauling huge trains.

Assuming the power supply in the basement isn’t tripped, if you like ‘56’s you’ll be in for a treat.

 

In the meantime here’s some quick snaps..

 

 

[HeatonLodge40]

In the first video try and see how long it takes for the 56 to hit the gantry signals which automatically change to red..

In the meantime here’s another..

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Just as a matter of interest, all the MGR's seem to have shiny wheel faces on both wheels that can be seen, are the non disc braked wheels not yet weathered?

 

Mike.

[37114]

I have to say that class 56 does look the business,  the cab detail in particular is a few notches above their class 37 sat in bits on the bench in front of me. Great effort by Heljan there.

Edited October 25, 2020 by 37114
Spelling

[HeatonLodge40]

21 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Just as a matter of interest, all the MGR's seem to have shiny wheel faces on both wheels that can be seen, are the non disc braked wheels not yet weathered?

 

Mike.

Hi Mike, 

 

yes well spotted. 
Haven’t got around to it yet but it’s on the cards. Thats speed weathering for you 

[blackpete]

On 24/10/2020 at 15:46, woodenhead said:

I reckon this layout could be a contender for a live webcam on Railcam

And get a cam at the real location as well. It will confuse the heck out of some people 

[Giles]

I sincerely doubt that anything in model railway terms as extraordinary as this will ever be achieved again.

[HeatonLodge40]

2 hours ago, Giles said:

I sincerely doubt that anything in model railway terms as extraordinary as this will ever be achieved again.

Thanks Giles coming from you that is most appreciated 

 

[brian daniels]

Glad the 56 is performing as one would want just don't break, it I want it back to weather! 

 

Shame I did not have a chip in 47179 as was a HM/KY loco hence my weathering of it

[Enterprisingwestern]

6 hours ago, Giles said:

I sincerely doubt that anything in model railway terms as extraordinary as this will ever be achieved again.

 

This is not to denigrate the superb HLJ or it's builder, but that's been said before in the past a few times!

I think it's a natural progression that "better" (using the term in it's most literal sense) layouts will come along, especially as the hobby develops, whilst do-able, would HLJ have existed without, for example, the RTR stock of Heljan happening along, probably, but with somewhat more effort and commitment.

 

Mike.

 

Mike

[Giles]

1 hour ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

This is not to denigrate the superb HLJ or it's builder, but that's been said before in the past a few times!

I think it's a natural progression that "better" (using the term in it's most literal sense) layouts will come along, especially as the hobby develops, whilst do-able, would HLJ have existed without, for example, the RTR stock of Heljan happening along, probably, but with somewhat more effort and commitment.

 

Mike.

 

Mike

 

Of course I'm talking about the layout as a whole......  

 

I very much hope you're right, Mike - I'm rather struggling to conceive of it though!

[w124bob]

Here is an interior pic of 56060 taken at Drakelow C station around July 1980, what you can't see but nearly always present are the Sun and weekly notices jammed behind the desk and the mashing can on the stove in front of the 2nd man(me, a spotty 18 year old). This maybe 064 because I only recall taking my camera once to Draklelow, see next picture.

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by w124bob

[HeatonLodge40]

Those last pics of the 56 have inspired me.! 
I shall have to add some newspapers and crew to the 56 before it goes back to Brian. 
In fact digressing somewhat, the MIOG event at the weekend meant HLJ was used for the very first time, as its meant to be. i.e with all 28 fiddle yard roads being used constantly.

It revealed some small issues with faulty droppers etc which were easy fixed. 
Since then I’ve got no modelling done as I’m running trains all day. I knew this would happen..

 

New video on the 56 is being put together at the moment..

[w124bob]

It's not "running trains", it's extensive testing. Sadly I lost a lot of photos some years ago, some were taken whilst standing at 554 signal looking back towards Mirfield. The train was probably empties returning to Stanlow and as I didn't transfer to Victoria until '86 it would have around '89 or '90.  

[d winpenny]

I thoroughly enjoyed the live event and that 56 is an absolute monster really looking forward to getting mine will be having at least 2

 

david

[HeatonLodge40]

If you’ve 10 mins spare bring your sandwiches for some trainspotting.

 

Here’s a demo tape while I get to grips with videos..

 

This one is entitled ‘Coal is King’..and features Heljan’s brand new 56 hauling loaded HAA’s, a kit built Romanian 56 gets to grips with empties in the other direction, a ‘Peak’ with an unfitted freight and a little class 101 DMU heading west

 

 

[AndrewT]

Fabulous - thank you! I'm looking forward to more. Just one thing.... Memory is a strange thing, and is easily clouded by the passage of time. Can someone correct me if I'm wrong (which I probably am...), but I seemed to recall that the full coal loads always seemed to flow West, toward the Lancashire and beyond power stations, whilst the empties flowed back East for refilling in the Yorkshire coal field. Perhaps the Eastbound full loads had come from such places as Bold Colliery (St.Helens) and Agecroft (near Pendlebury), which were still open until mid 1980's. 

It would be great for someone with better memory than me could enlighten please?

 

[w124bob]

There plenty of pictures of MGR traffic on Flickr in the Calder Valley, all seem to show loads west bound. I also never witnessed any loads running via the LNW route (doesn't mean it never happened)as the climb out of Huddesfield would have been arduous,but spectacular, even for a 56 up to Marsden . I did once work an empty back towards HM via Huddesfield it was unusual for a Vic driver to get on MGR traffic in the late 80's, I also recall it was 47 hauled making it rare for that era. I have also never seen pictures of MGR workings out of Bold or Agecroft again that doesn't mean it didn't happen.