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Les1952
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20190518_104607.jpg.5eae5cb4f051c8fda45e8ff5f0b95f6e.jpg

 

Croft Cricket Club on Saturday with the original flag.  the stars celebrate the 28 runs scored in the club's first ever match...…  (or something)  Apologies for thumb in shot - I hadn't spotted it until just now.  It might get cropped out.  On the other hand it might not.

 

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I gather there was a "bus on a bridge" thing going on RMWeb some time ago.  The United bus to Darlington is just over the bridge arriving at the bus stop.  Despite being at a Museum of Transport nobody spotted that the bus was wrong - United never had and Bristol LWL buses, the long wide coach-looking thingies at Scarborough were rebuilt L5Gs.  United had the narrower LL5G and LL6B.  

 

I have a Dornaplas Bristol LS5G under construction to replace it- currently I'm doing the seats out in Tilling group tartan, which isn't easy to paint :)

 

Pic of Sunday's flag to follow.

 

Les

 

 

Edited by Les1952
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1208997294_secondflag.jpg.eca2a3e0713ca1f64a7b1974341ff395.jpg

 

As threatened, the pic of the Cricket Club's flag.  I'm not entirely happy with it as being two colours it hangs less well than the single-colour predecessor.  I'll have to think a little more about it.

 

Les

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 Sleaford show this weekend.  There with NO PLACE - runner up for Best in Show.

 

I bought some more dustbins and a replacement Dornaplas Bristol LS5G kit - the second attempt at this.  I messed up the first one by misreading the rather hazy exploded diagram and assembling the floor direct onto the chassis. Today I started the second one and got this bit right.

 

I've already painted the seat fronts of the old one in Tilling tartan so I'll use these and make up the number from the new kit.  It MIGHT be ready for Andy York's visit, otherwise the Bristol LWL will be photographed "just past being a bus on a bridge..."

 

Les

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  • 1 month later...

Just a quick update while Hawthorn Dene is set up and Croft Spa is standing on end in the workshop corner collecting spiders...

 

Andy Y has sent me the links to the pictures he took for BRM.  As expected they are brilliant.  I'll be studying them next time the layout is erected in the workshop to spot little bits that need improving - I've found a couple already.

 

He also told me which issue it will feature in. 

 

Watch the magazine content threads under the BRM topic and you will find out in due course.

 

Les

 

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  • 1 month later...

Croft Spa performed well at Loughborough last weekend, and ran very smoothly at Warners' Studio on Monday.  Pics and Vid to follow.

 

We now have a firm booking to attend Doncaster in 2021 - NO PLACE is there in 2020 and even I can't operate two layouts at once.

 

Les

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Two pics from Loughborough rescued from my phone.

 

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layout set up in Hall One with martin and Eric at the controls.

 

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Bittern on the Northbound Tees Tyne Pullman, with headboard.

 

Vid still waiting to be shovelled onto YouTube...

 

Les

 

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I've now seen the video on Youtube of the Loughborough show.  I don't know who was operating when it was shot - there is a shot of me talking to Neil on Sherwood Models stand- but a stationary Pullman and a reversing fish train are hardly a good advert.

 

This link is the sequence I shot - or one of them..

 

 

Hope it looks better.

 

les

 

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  • 5 months later...

Layout is all packed up for Lincoln show at Newark Showground and ready to load tomorrow just as soon as Mr Simon arrives from London.

 

The good thing about living only just over a mile from the show is that we may just be able to dodge the worst of the persistent rain that is supposed to start about the time Mr Simon gets off the train and finish at chucking out time at the showground....

 

Pics to follow over the weekend with a bit of luck.

 

Operating team is me, Mr Simon and Joe Hunt both days, with Mark Shipman on Saturday and Rodger Snell on Sunday.  All have operated the layout before so I may be able to train up a couple more if club members appear and show willing....

 

Les

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  • 1 month later...

There is only so much shed tidying one can do....

 

Or at least there is a limit before one wants to get on with something a little more productive.

 

So while waiting for things to happen I've upgraded the running-in oval and made a photo plank along one side so I can get a decent image of each of the locos, plus anything that is to go onto eBay while selling OO is more difficult - most of that won't go into the pillarbox at the end of the street and has to wait for the next food shop -  the post office is next to the supermarket.

 

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The photo plank - it is a lash-up of leftovers, and yes- I think I did put the cloud paper on upside down....  It doesn't show in the posed pics so it doesn't really matter.

 

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Croft Spa's 92052 which has been running in after I let the lubrication dry out.  I'll probably renumber this one but keep it clean as a loco running-in after a visit to Darlington works.  Time to look one up in the "Book of the 9Fs".

 

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One of the locos for the new layout when running in 2015+ period.  Seems odd that these days an electric loco can now pick up a train somewhere East of Bratislava and take it right through to Rotterdam, four countries and four different systems of electrification.  It is only politics stopping them running to Stratford as the class is certified for the Alpine base tunnels.

 

Plenty more to photograph.  My new baseboards are elsewhere and in lockdown, so there is much more tidying and photography to do.  If the weather improves (to cloudy and warm) I can even repaint the railway shed- I bought the paint the day before the quarantine started.  

 

Keep well, folks

Les

 

Edited by Les1952
removed a reundant half bracket
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  • 4 months later...
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Hi Les,

Just spent an enjoyable half hour reading through the thread, hope to see you at Doncaster next February! Fingers crossed.  Can I ask where your NE Totem came from? I assume its a replica?

 

Rich

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Hello.

 

Very pleasing to find someone who thought all of this was enjoyable.

 

There is a guy who does the rounds of the shows who makes the totems in whichever regional colour you want.  I first found him at the Great Central show and bought a totem for Hawthorn Dene despite it not having a station just to establish its North Eastern credentials.  I'm not sure if he does Doncaster.

 

Croft Spa now also has firm invitations for 2021 to Franham's show in October and Spalding in november, replacing Hawthorn Dene in both instance.

 

All the very best

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  • 5 months later...

Little to report for a year of absence- the layout has been on end while all around it Hawthorn Dene has departed for a new home and Bregenbach has been built in the main area of the shed (sounds grand but it means the bit where I can put a layout up and still get round it....)

 

On the trains front two additions to the roster- another A4 from Dapol's "Bye-Bye Club" sale and this-

 

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The Crab that Mr Simon upgraded and fitted with a GEM tender has now been away to LP rails at Leicester and is DCC fitted.  It seemed a shame not to use it after my last reason for analogue locos (Rise Park) also departed into private hands elsewhere.

 

Also into the mix as a result of Rise Park going are Mr Simon's empty iron ore train- maybe a southbound working from Consett to the Midlands, though I'm still trying to find a prototype working, and some of the late Trevor Webster's famous/infamous fifty Peco 5-plank wagon kits.  I'm upgrading some of the empties with numbers and folded tarpaulins to make a return empties working for the limestone train.  The fulls will eventually go on eBay.

 

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Again posed on Bregenbach, two of them almost ready to go into the Croft Spa stock box.

 

Will Croft Spa get an outing this year?  Farnham and Spalding are still standing at the time of writing.  There will be an outing next spring at Cotgrave once I've twisted the arm of my successor as show manager...

 

Les

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...

The layout has been set up on its trestles ready for Farnham show in 16 days time.

 

Quite a few large spiders evicted and a lot of cobwebs cleared out BUT everything works- and worked first time of asking.  It does help that the electrics are shared with the other two layouts...

 

Trains are being assembled and run, and all stock marked with track, position in train, and an arrow pointing forwards- at least the passenger stock.  I'll simplify it for the goods stock.

 

Both Deltics, four A4s, two A1s, one each A2 and A3 and both Ivatt 2MTs serviced so far and all run their assigned trains without a hint of a derailment.  Mr Simon is bringing his 4-car class 108 so that will mean one other train fewer to sort.  I've ditched the oil train as too problematical and will run the limestone empties as a replacement, probably a J39 or WD but maybe the crab.  The Sonic 56xx will make an occasional Northbound light engine appearance.  

 

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Picture mostly to remind me what it looks like....

 

Newsflash.  Our new show manager mark wants it for South Notts Show next April.

 

Les

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  • 2 weeks later...

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Last train tested on Monday and into the box ready.  The J39 is spare engine for most things.  The J25 alternates with the other J25 or the J26 on the Richmond and Catterick Camp coal train - hence the brake van next to the tender as it has to reverse when it gets to Catterick Bridge.

 

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Tony has been round this morning and the car is now loaded to go off to Aldershot for Farnham MRC's show this weekend.

 

Les

 

 

 

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Hello everyone,

 

Here are two of the more unusual workings seen through Croft Spa over the weekend:

 

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A short steel train, the load obviously couldn’t have waited to go on the next train going that way…

 

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Clayton let out on the mainline south of Darlington, would it get there? Would it return?

 

Cheers

Simon

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  • 1 month later...

The latest train to arrive on Croft Spa.  It will appear occasionally.  As the Hunslets only trundle along at 15mph they will either hold up Northbound proceedings for a while while the operator gets his head in order, or set back into the siding to allow a faster train to pass before continuing their delivery run to NCB Springwell Bank Foot, turning off onto the Leamside line at Ferryhill.

 

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The layout is now set up again for stock cleaning and testing before Doncaster in February.

 

All the very best

Les

 

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Testing days 1 and 2

 

Twelve of the line's A4s lined up for photography.  Missing are 60018 packed up to go for repair, 4498 and 2509 in the showcase.

 

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Note that all of those that should have non-corridoor tenders do, even to the point of  60005 which came from TMC with a corridoor tender getting a tender top swap then returned to TMC to get the replacement tender weathered to match the loco.....

 

Nearest the camera (on up line) front to back 60005, 60022, 60010 and 60019. 

 

Middle row 60033, 60006, 60029 and 60034

 

in siding 60021, 60023, 60004 and 60030.

 

One or two of these are running very slowly.  Time for a procession of locos to follow 60018 to DCC Supplies for a service and in a few cases new traction tyres.  After a longish storage I think the lubricant inside some has become more like cheese than grease.

 

Still, there are enough fast ones to run the layout at Doncaster.  A3s next.

 

Les

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Still servicing and testing locos.  The Pacifics were done first as they work the highest mileage.

 

This line-up is the A3s, all but the three LNER liveried ones.  I'm trying to get the speeds on the Pacifics set so that 70 speed steps on the cab is about 70mph.  Croft Spa measures out at about a quarter of a mile from bridge to bridge, so 14 seconds to get from one to the other is a fraction under 70mph (15 seconds equal 60mph)

 

The A3s have proved easier in this respect than the Peppercorns, about half of which have Bachmann chips while the Dapols are a mixture of Imperiums and Zimos with the odd Lenz or Gaugemaster thrown into the mix depending on availability when I needed a chip.

 

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First the A3s.  Flying Fox nearest the camera.  Missing are the three LNER liveried ones that don't go to shows.

 

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Then the Peppercorns, all of them.  Nearest the camera is VELOCITY with AULD REEKIE and SUGAR PALM beside, and BRONZINO behind VELOCITY on the same track.  The other A1s are KENILWORTH, MEG MERRILEES, HAL O'THE WYND and GREAT CENTRAL but I'm not sure which is which. 

 

I've also made a start on point rodding.  As the original signal box is on the up platform (despite the colour light signals which on the prototype are conveniently on the other side of the bridges at each end) I need to put in actuating rodding for the points.  I'm not sure if the ground signals would have been by wires or electric motors.  Information is lacking.

 

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Up until just recently I've not been able to find a picture showing where the point rodding ran - then three turn up at once - just like buses apparently, but living in a village with an hourly service worked by a single bus I wouldn't know.....

 

The point rodding from the signal box ran along the side of the up platform and crossed the main line at the position of the point.  Useful as the geometry of my version of the down platform would have made it difficult.  First diggings are to run the rodding through to the catch point.  Slightly speculative as I haven't any evidence the catch point existed but I'd be very surprised if it didn't.

 

More pics when I've done more

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Point rodding installation continues...

 

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The position at the end of yesterday.  The rodding for the siding point is as complete as it is going to be.  Angle cranks are in position beneath the turn and two rods run away as far as the catch point rodding.  Stopped awaiting some angle cranks, which are the slowest thing to do..  Some thought needed for the far side of the point where the bare brown patch is the card cover over the top of the REAL point rodding coming through the embankment from the lever (and dormant motor) behind the backscene.

 

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First view of progress to the end of today.  The angle cranks have been cut and are in position where the rodding to the catch point meets the two rods from the siding point. Four rods continue off to the left.

 

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The same from another angle.  The two holes are the pots to put the ground signals into after the track is cleaned.  I still don't know whether they would be electrically worked or have wires running to them - or even if they should really be colour lights.  No pics to help, yet.

 

The angle cranks are 1mm pieces cut from a strip of right-angle Evergreen (attrition rate about 50% when cutting).  the delay is that every time one is cut off the Evergreen the white end needs painting ready for the next cut.  The rodding is 0.75mm X 0.75mm Evergreen strip cut to length, and the stools are made of the same. It loses some paint on installation so will need touching up.

 

Across the baseboard join to the left the stools are going in ready for four rods side-by-side towards the platform.  There will need to be a step change just before they get there for them to be stacked vertically under the platform edge.  

 

I've also now found photos that show the route of the lineside telegraph poles - not logical which explains the number of photographs that don't show any.

 

Les

 

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I had a chat this morning with the club's resident (actual railway) signal engineer.

 

He pointed out that while I was planning to take the rodding across the front of the ballast bin opposite the lineside hut covering it with a walkway the prototype would have run behind the bin.  He also pointed out it was OK to stack the rodding vertically in confined spaces, so a rethink has had to take place after I'd glued the stools in place for the next rodding length.

 

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The pic shows the diverted rodding round the back of the ballast bin, or at least the first two lengths.  The second pair are still in the paint shop.

 

He did say that 0.75mm Evergreen was a bit thick and 0.5mm brass rodding would have been better (scale 3 ins rather than 4.5 ins), but agreed that painting such would be an issue.  Picking his brains further the ground signals can remain manual as at present, and they would be controlled by wire from the signal box.  The wires would follow the same side as the rodding and would pass under the main line in a tube.  The troughs for the point rodding are correct.  He also reminded me (though it is already on my "to do" list that there would be planking over the vulnerable bits of the points and where people needed to walk.  Planking over the points is visible in one of the pics I have of the prototype.

 

Meanwhile a pre-rodding pic to finish with...

 

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Flying Fox hurries a Northbound freight.  Taken at Farnham show last year.

 

Les

 

Edited by Les1952
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I have been thinking about that ballast bin and I've gone back to the picture showing the prototype to check.  

 

1.  I've definitely got the bin in the right place.

2.  there are no point rods passing it or signal wires going past it in the photograph.

 

So, the picture was taken after the North carriage dock siding was removed.  The bin could have been placed after the siding was removed, in fact this seems very likely.  I don't like the rodding stacked vertically to go round the back of the bin. It feels wrong.

 

Therefore- the solution is to assume the bin was somewhere else.  Accordingly I've relocated it to the opposite side of the line by the pw hut (which is a more logical place).  It is wrong as is the hut, but more believable.  Thje hut is only there as I ran the siding on the wrong alignment having misread a photo of the dock in the first place.  However it looks plausible so it stays, and the incorrectly long siding has its uses.

 

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The pic shows the relocated bin, which needs bedding in, and the first of three straight rods going past the site.  Unfortunately I have no more of the ballast I used in the cess (borrowed from someone and returned without remembering the source), so I've patched with the pink ballast I used on Bregenbach.  A few drops of mucky thinners once it has dried properly will tone it down.  I have the right shade of grey ballast to bed in the bin.

 

The rodding is thinner- I found some 0.64mm Evergreen rodding.  I'm not sure the fact it is circular section rather than square will be noticed.  This works out as 3.7" diameter rather than the 4.5" section of the previous stuff. I've found some flat strips of Evergreen that I can cut to length and sit sideways on the top as part of the stools.   I've also decided that the catch point would have a single rod to work it rather than the pair for the point on the main line- there are different opinions as to whether that would have had one rod or two. That will make the rodding run less obtrusive.  I'll finish this board then replace the run on the other board.  Meanwhile back to painting Evergreen....

 

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Meanwhile another pre-rodding pic with the Richmond branch coal train passing a Northbound goods beside the now-moved bin.

 

Les

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More rodding....

 

It takes a silly amount of time to paint these rods, largely as I can't really do both ends of a strip at once.  That means to get them mostly painted takes four passes, allowing at least an hour between goes.  Even so the stuff still comes off when laying- does acrylic paint dissolve in superglue fumes/

 

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Progress to end of today- the three rods going along the station board are complete (one) and almost complete (the other two need a short piece at the station end).  These then need the stools cutting to the right width and an overlay on the top of each one, and a final painting.  Then the ballast painting and the short posts for the signal wires, though not necessarily in that order.

 

On the other board the oversized rods have now been lifted - the stools remained intact-  and the two long rods to the main line point laid in, leaving a 6 inch or so length of single rod to the catch point to do.  Plus the extras as above.

 

That leaves the point rodding for the down line point on the crossover (the up line point hides behind the platform).  Then appropriate boards to protect the rods from people and general tidying up.

 

I've also now re-done the front of the down platform.  The photos I had to start with showed what looked like boarding along the front.  Applying this and painting it white always felt wrong and made the platform edge look remarkably overscale.  I've now found another better quality picture showing this facing to be brick, so brick it has become.  A little touching up still to do, with a little weathering of the white lines along the platform edges on both platforms, but the improvement is marked even at this point.

 

254683385_newface.jpg.4aeabbc614ffc935a3b9d49f29d260ae.jpg

 

In the mean time while paint has been drying on the work bench and glue is dry on the layout I've run a few trains to give track time to less-used locos and to try to get CV settings on Bachmann-chipped locos adjusted to give them a reasonable mid-speed. (ie 70 speed steps for an express loco being about 70mph scale speed). 

 

1458110550_Halontest.jpg.eec4d7792510ea7765e16eae7d3d947d.jpg

 

Hal O'The Wynd runs through on a Northbound express.

 

Lastly- a "What If?"   Suppose Billy Butlin had succeeded in buying Silver Link.  He may have had the double chimney replaced with a single one but I suspect any other alterations would have just been paint.  Now what if it did some main line running before being plinthed at Skegness?

 

1718424327_BillysSpecial.jpg.21b36cae3a86499e1334c08154dc1774.jpg

 

Billy's engine heads North on a special (Dapol Club limited edition- running in to keep it good before returning to the showcase)

 

Les

 

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