Abbotswood and Norton Junctions

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters 7,547]

You could always lay the scenic side in EM because it looks better, and OO in the staging yards to save time....

 

[Phil Bullock 13,926]

Great plan! Change bogies at the frontier....

[ikcdab 809]

3 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

16.5mm, the same as the Peco.

:-)

Serious hat on now, 1.5” to 2” is what I recall from peering round the back at exhibition layouts.

Paul.

Maybe, but much closer through turnouts. SMP OO is currently £3.90 per yard length but rail is £1.10 per length,  so £2.20 per yard of track.  Bearing in mind the need to buy copperclad strip and the time, it might  be more cost effective to just buy SMP ready to lay. 

Ian

[Clive Mortimore 34,048]

Hi Phil

 

Spacing of track in fiddle yards?

 

Typical Peco spacing is 2 inches (the say 50mm), that is OK for layouts where there is not much changing of stock during a show.

 

If there is going to be stock changing on a frequent basis then it needs to be wider. Suggested width being a coach, plus widest thumb of your normal team and a small gap the thumb or fingers can move into after placing a new item of stock without knocking the stock off the adjacent track.

 

[Phil Bullock 13,926]

30 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Phil

 

Spacing of track in fiddle yards?

 

Typical Peco spacing is 2 inches (the say 50mm), that is OK for layouts where there is not much changing of stock during a show.

 

If there is going to be stock changing on a frequent basis then it needs to be wider. Suggested width being a coach, plus widest thumb of your normal team and a small gap the thumb or fingers can move into after placing a new item of stock without knocking the stock off the adjacent track.

 

Excellent point Clive! Aim is to have more closely spaced roads for trains that don’t need changing ... block trains and some class 1s ....and more widely spaced for those requiring shuffling

[Dagworth 4,637]

36 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Phil

 

Spacing of track in fiddle yards?

 

Typical Peco spacing is 2 inches (the say 50mm), that is OK for layouts where there is not much changing of stock during a show.

 

If there is going to be stock changing on a frequent basis then it needs to be wider. Suggested width being a coach, plus widest thumb of your normal team and a small gap the thumb or fingers can move into after placing a new item of stock without knocking the stock off the adjacent track.

 

86s eh? When are you stringing the fizzy knitting up Phil?

 

Andi

[Phil Bullock 13,926]

21 minutes ago, Dagworth said:

86s eh? When are you stringing the fizzy knitting up Phil?

 

Andi

 

We are allowed an AL4 Andi - without knitting!

 

What are the chances?

[Phil Bullock 13,926]

Those who know me will understand my excitement at seeing these 66/67 notes from Mike Thomas - many thanks for sharing them Mike!

 

Can I add a few notes regarding those early diesel classes.

My first sighting of a Class 14 was on sat 14th november 1965 at Abbotswood.It worked a Chepstow-Abbotswood ballast hoppers & returned LE to Gloucester.Loco was D9521.

The next one seen was D9527 on sat.March 5th 1966.Lydney-Worcester ballast hoppers so at least this one made it to Worcester.After that they were fairly regular on either ballast trains or local freights from Worcester-Gloucester.Last one noted was D9502 on sat july 16th 1966.

The D63xx class were kept fairly busy from 1968 to April 1971.I have numerous sightings of them during this period on ballast & concrete sleeper trains mainly.

My earliest sighting is 14 jan 1968 6316 on P.Way train at A/Wood.

6318 was at Ashchurch on may 4th 68 on the clear up after the freight train collision.

On sat 12th april 1969 85A worcester Open Day 6321/6324/6329 & 6342 were present.

Sun 6th july 1969;6320/6348/6352 on Gloucester Shed.Also present were 9514/9518.

As far as I can see my last working of a 63xx was sat 17th April 1971 when 6354 worked a 8B51 ballast to Worcester.

[Enterprisingwestern 13,864]

3 hours ago, ikcdab said:

Maybe, but much closer through turnouts. SMP OO is currently £3.90 per yard length but rail is £1.10 per length,  so £2.20 per yard of track.  Bearing in mind the need to buy copperclad strip and the time, it might  be more cost effective to just buy SMP ready to lay. 

Ian

 

Fully agree, but even at your costings though, that's quite a saving considering how much track the fiddleyard will swallow up, and once you get going with the soldering iron it's just as fast to construct track with, say, 2" sleeper spacing, especially if you just lay long lengths of copper clad across the baseboard. Fiddleyard trackwork doesn't have to be cosmetically perfect, and spring points at the exits save another not inconsiderable amount of money, which whilst you've got the soldering iron out are a simple job.

 

Mike.

(I didn't even mention that whilst you're constructing track with a soldering iron you might as well build it in EM!)

[Liam 1,774]

4 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

 

We are allowed an AL4 Andi - without knitting!

 

What are the chances?

Well if Abbotswood was to suddenly change to the present day era then you could have a class 86 in tow, as although this is five years ago these records show four class 86s stored at Long Marston. 
 

http://www.86259lesross.com/survive.htm

[Phil Bullock 13,926]

27 minutes ago, SVRlad said:

Well if Abbotswood was to suddenly change to the present day era then you could have a class 86 in tow, as although this is five years ago these records show four class 86s stored at Long Marston. 
 

http://www.86259lesross.com/survive.htm

Yes and there have been a lot more there than that in previous years.... a lot of interesting stuff has been there too including Members of Class 16 17 and 74 .... a one way journey for them.

[MJI 3,076]

Seen the 89 at Shrub Hill as well

[Phil Bullock 13,926]

Yup that'll be Open Day.... but a bit outside our time range

 

Class 14s on trips - including ballast - From Gloucester, and 22s on train loads of sleepers from Quedgley to Newlands are more within limits....

Edited November 15, 2020 by Phil Bullock

[MJI 3,076]

7 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

Yup that'll be Open Day.... but a bit outside our time range

 

Class 14s on trips - including ballast - From Gloucester, and 22s on train loads of sleepers from Quedgley to Newlands are more within limits....

 

 

My partially completed garage layout I am going to modifiy to be Lickey Route, been in there 20 years with hardly anything done, probably one of the closed stations pretending to have avoided shutting, can't quite bring myself to go full pretend.

 

Haven't got the room for Gloucester!

 

Thats said I will be doing a shrunk version of Newland, already have 1 loco, 1 crane, and a pile of Cambrian departmentals.

 

But for now I am having a side project of a Cornish branch with 22, 45xx, B set and cattle wagons.

 

I do have plenty of blue era Bristol Birmingham & Cardiff Birmingham stuff

[Phil Bullock 13,926]

28 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

 

My partially completed garage layout I am going to modifiy to be Lickey Route, been in there 20 years with hardly anything done, probably one of the closed stations pretending to have avoided shutting, can't quite bring myself to go full pretend.

 

Haven't got the room for Gloucester!

 

Thats said I will be doing a shrunk version of Newland, already have 1 loco, 1 crane, and a pile of Cambrian departmentals.

 

But for now I am having a side project of a Cornish branch with 22, 45xx, B set and cattle wagons.

 

I do have plenty of blue era Bristol Birmingham & Cardiff Birmingham stuff

Cracking! PWM for you then? Ours will have to trundle through in a relaying train.....

[MJI 3,076]

4 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Cracking! PWM for you then? Ours will have to trundle through in a relaying train.....

The chassis keeps jamming a little may see if Mike can have a look.

 

Mine is in just overhauled blue.