Parsons Vale Carriage sidings - 00 BR Blue layout now Sold

[aforsyth]

Hey Rob - thanks for pointing me to this thread. Yes, it will be nice to follow from the beginning this time, love the pics.

 

Out of interest, in the picture of the 47/4 at Malago Vale in your first post (https://www.flickr.c...-nMr8zJ-yfnau4/), is that an open wagon in the release road to the right of the 47's train, and any idea what it would be doing there? I'm hoping we can get hold of a dummy HST power car for another 'off-the-wall' scenario with an 08, and would a small crane or other maintenance stock of the period also be justifiable for occasional excursions to the yard, without going overboard?

 

Oh yes - I didn't catch why the name 'Parson's Vale'? That's going to get asked. 

 

I'm actually seeing the potential the more you post, although Peafore is a tough act to follow.

 

Edit: fixed pic link

Edited October 29, 2017 by aforsyth

[37114]

Hey Rob - thanks for pointing me to this thread. Yes, it will be nice to follow from the beginning this time, love the pics.

 

Out of interest, in the picture of the 47/4 at Malago Vale in your first post (https://www.flickr.c...-nMr8zJ-yfnau4/), is that an open wagon in the release road to the right of the 47's train, and any idea what it would be doing there? I'm hoping we can get hold of a dummy HST power car for another 'off-the-wall' scenario with an 08, and would a small crane or other maintenance stock of the period also be justifiable for occasional excursions to the yard, without going overboard?

 

Oh yes - I didn't catch why the name 'Parson's Vale'? That's going to get asked.

 

I'm actually seeing the potential the more you post, although Peafore is a tough act to follow.

 

Edit: fixed pic link

Hi Alan,

 

Apologies I missed your post. I think the open wagon is the one Rivercider referred to in his post for transport of brake blocks, I wouldn't fancy changing a set at MV though, there was no covered space at all.

 

The name is a merger of Malago Vale and Parsons Street which was the station by the Carriage sidings.

 

Just need the points to arrive (will be any day) and I can mark the board up properly as I went to B&Q and got the timber yesterday.

 

The HST is one idea, I do fancy doing the APT POP train which is prototypical for appearing at Malago Vale, and I have been following the thread elsewhere.

[37114]

Hi Rob,

I am liking the look of this one. will be following from now on.

 

Cheers Peter.

Thanks Peter.

[Signaller69]

Hi Rob, another follow from me, liking your concept, not often we see layouts focussing on Carriage Sidings.

 

Cheers,

Martyn.

[37114]

Hi Rob, another follow from me, liking your concept, not often we see layouts focussing on Carriage Sidings.

 

Cheers,

Martyn.

Thanks Martyn, they do appear to be an overlooked prototype probably due to the space they take up.

[EnglishElectricFan]

Will be following with interest........How much space do you have?

Regards

Simon

[Geoff Endacott]

Is it going to have an apostrophe and, if so, where?

 

Geoff Endacott

[37114]

Will be following with interest........How much space do you have?

 

Thanks, the board is 5ft x 18inches, dictated by my desire to stick to one scenic board and 5ft is the maximum I can comfortably get in the car.

Regards

Simon

[37114]

Is it going to have an apostrophe and, if so, where?

 

Good point, just checked and despite my life long referring to the area as Parsons Street, it is Parson singular. Will probably adjust the layout name to Parson Vale to match.

Geoff Endacott

[aforsyth]

TBH I like the sound of Parsons Vale (plural), wherever the apostrophe is!

But your decision, Rob.

 

Could you justify the appearance of TPO stock?

[SouthernBlue80s]

 

Is it going to have an apostrophe and, if so, where?

 

Good point, just checked and despite my life long referring to the area as Parsons Street, it is Parson singular. Will probably adjust the layout name to Parson Vale to match.

Geoff Endacott

 

 

I always refered to it as Parsons Street, as well.

[Mulgabill]

Probably got something to do with us Bristolians talking it as one word. Kind of ParsonStreet, so you can't tell where the 1st word finishes and the 2nd starts.

And whilst theres a lot of S the last T kind of disappears.

[HillsideDepot]

I found this wonderful shot of Malago Vale, while looking for pictures of Old Oak!

It's probably the best shot I've ever seen of the place.

[aforsyth]

I found this wonderful shot of Malago Vale, while looking for pictures of Old Oak!

 

It's probably the best shot I've ever seen of the place.

 

That's a lovely shot, you can really picture the look of PV, between the two bridges. It's also a great period (late 80s)!

 

Can anyone identify the load on the wagon to the left?

[Mulgabill]

Looks like one of the skip wagons to me.

[aforsyth]

Looks like one of the skip wagons to me.

 

You're probably right, Tony - here's a closer view I googled:

https://geeceesfotts.smugmug.com/Trains/CLASS-33/i-pswMcVz/A

 

... And I found an answer about mail traffic:

https://geeceesfotts.smugmug.com/Trains/CLASS-33/i-QTzHhD2

 

Rob - are you going to be modelling the telegraph wires across the lines, shown in that last photo?

Just wondering about the operational hazards there...

[37114]

I found this wonderful shot of Malago Vale, while looking for pictures of Old Oak!

 

It's probably the best shot I've ever seen of the place.

 

Totally Agree Adrian, massive thanks for posting the link, that photo is really helpful. It confirms a couple of thing I had picked up in photos:

- The presence and location of the water tank which subject to space will be modelled in front of the footbridge.

- The width between the carriages is closer than I thought which will help with some of the track layout.

 

You're probably right, Tony - here's a closer view I googled:

https://geeceesfotts.smugmug.com/Trains/CLASS-33/i-pswMcVz/A

 

... And I found an answer about mail traffic:

https://geeceesfotts.smugmug.com/Trains/CLASS-33/i-QTzHhD2

 

Rob - are you going to be modelling the telegraph wires across the lines, shown in that last photo?

Just wondering about the operational hazards there...

Thanks for these links Alan, again really helpful, especially the  picture with the muck wagon in which has given me some ideas about squeezing in the dead end siding now I have gained a few inches on the layout width. Loads of debris etc on the ground as well so will include that in the mix as well.

 

A couple of telegraph poles will appear, I would like to include the wires but will probably change the routing so they don't get in the way, especially with the 3 links still being used on the stock.

 

I am away from home at the moment so no pics but on the actual layout itself some progress has been made with details including the ETH control boxes seen in the middle of the overhead shot by the footbridge. I have also looked around the and the backs of the Dapol c085 semi detached houses are remarkable similar to those on the embankment so I have purchased one and will be cutting it down to make it a low relief version before some major detailing.

[HillsideDepot]

The first of the two shots Alan found has got my old grey cells going. On the very edge of the frame is the semi-circle "thing" which you often find at fuel unloading points. I can't find any reference to it in the books I've checked this morning, nor on-line, but I have a vague memory that a Maybach engine found further use there as a generator. 

 

In the absence of any reference material, one could certainly make the connection, date wise, between the need to provide a shore supply to ETH stock and the availability of engines from withdrawn hydraulics, even if only as a back-up power supply. 

 

The reference may be in the first edition of Rail Centres Bristol, which I'd have borrowed from Chippenham library decades ago, but it's not in the second edition which is now on my shelf. 

 

Whatever the use of the fuel, that photo does suggest that tank cars were unloaded at Malago. 

[Mulgabill]

The first of the two shots Alan found has got my old grey cells going. On the very edge of the frame is the semi-circle "thing" which you often find at fuel unloading points. I can't find any reference to it in the books I've checked this morning, nor on-line, but I have a vague memory that a Maybach engine found further use there as a generator. 

 

In the absence of any reference material, one could certainly make the connection, date wise, between the need to provide a shore supply to ETH stock and the availability of engines from withdrawn hydraulics, even if only as a back-up power supply. 

 

The reference may be in the first edition of Rail Centres Bristol, which I'd have borrowed from Chippenham library decades ago, but it's not in the second edition which is now on my shelf. 

 

Whatever the use of the fuel, that photo does suggest that tank cars were unloaded at Malago. 

The 1st edition refers to "A shoe plug is provided for electric heating, while steam heating comes from either a boiler house containing a 'Western' class boiler, or a portable boiler.

 

Also of interest on the same page it lists the allocation in 1980 as 5 sets Mk1s for NE/SW, 8 Portsmouth/Weymouth sets and 1 maintenance spare. also refers to Sleeping cars being "made up" and TPO and newspaper trains cleaned and stabled.

[HillsideDepot]

Thanks Tony - my memory was rather "off" then, but not completely wrong.

[37114]

Buoyed by the additional reference photos and the arrival of the points today, I managed to draw out the track plan more accurately. I also experimented with adding a dead end siding accessed from the fiddle yard which will be home to the muck truck as well as potentially stabling the open wagon for the brake blocks or fuel tanker. I was initially concerned that the additional siding might make the layout a bit cramped but I think it works better so will stay:

 

 

 The new Peco points are a great bit of work and really show up the double slip which will get some serious work to blend in plus the mess room will be located in front of it to help hide it.

 

 

At the other end I have marked out the road bridge. The real bridge is 3 lanes and part of a large one way system, the plan is the one on the layout will be a similar size and will be modelled as closely as I can

 

 

Next job will be to cut out the section marked "cut" as the track will be on an embankment and get on with the baseboard building....

[37114]

I managed to grab a few hours this afternoon to do some work on the layout and now having mapped out the track plan a bit more finally, I felt confident that I could cut some wood.

 

As per my earlier post, the track will be modelled on the side of a gentle hill as per the real Malago Vale; to create this I had identified an area of the board to be cut away to form the back gardens of houses at the lower level. While the board is not a true open frame construction, it is my first layout where I haven't started with a completely flat baseboard top so a bit of a new experience. It is also my first baseboard not to be perfectly rectangular as I have cut the fiddle yard end at an angle so the tracks will exit the mainboard at a right angle to the edge due to the curve of the track:

 

I intend to use some solid foam which will form the embankment between the two levels (as well as at the back of the tracks) which will be covered in plaster bandage. A frame was then made to form the lower level support, while the upper level was then mounted on another frame to provide the height difference, care being taken to avoid the point motor mountings. I have used 6mm ply for the track bed on the basis that this proved perfectly durable in the fiddle yard on Peafore Yard and is considerably lighter than some of the thicker ply or chipboard. All of the wood in the below picture (apologies for the blurry picture) will be hidden when finished as the layout will be boxed on all 4 sides. 

 

With the timber cluttering up the garage and my good lady still engrossed in her book I cracked on with the legs and wheels. All of my exhibition layouts have had wheels to speed up the setting up and exit from exhibition halls and transit time to the car. Peafore Yard was a single trip to the car and so I was determined to make PVCS the same and so followed broadly the same approach. I considered mounting the legs via hinges on the board but came back to separate legs on the basis that it worked for P4Y so why fix something that wasn't broken. In a slight deviation from P4Y I have secured the wheels to the board for 2 reasons;

 

1) The legs on P4Y had to be fitted exactly the right way round and were clunky to fit adding time to the take down and set up time. It also meant I couldn't pack the car quite how I wanted to.

2) The rear wheels on PVCS mean it can be moved in a more upright position on 2 wheels which will be helpful getting it in and out of the garage.

 

Final job was to fit the diagonal stays between the boards and the legs which are essential. The legs will stow on top of the board when finished with the fiddle yard on top of that.

 

 

So far so good, next area of focus is the embankment behind and in front of the track bed as well as a mock up of the road bridge which needs to go in soon. Hopefully I will get some track down before Xmas..

[37114]

As it has got a bit too cold in the garage and feeling a little under the weather, I plumbed for working on the layout in the warm and tonight got the track down. I used code 75 insulated rail joiners to join the points to the adjoining track and diamond crossing, the gaps in the sleepers will be filled with spare sleepers later.

 

I cut down the diamond crossing by 4 sleepers on each end to try and minimise the visual impact of the narrower sleeper spacing. For the insulating gaps in the sidings cuts were made in the rail to avoid the use of insulating joiners, the gap will be disguised by cosmetic C&L rail joiners. 

 

 

I had one drama in that the feed wire to one of the frogs on a new point came off and was an absolute pain to resolder, partly due to the small size of the frog.I got there in the end and all in all much quicker than if I had built the track from scratch if a little less rewarding. 

 

With the track down I wanted to recheck the siding lengths with the stock:

 

I have run out of wire and am yet to work out the control panel solution, so that will be it for a few weeks. I am keen to have the control panel integral with the main board to simplify the wiring and also so I can use the main board as an inglenook shunting puzzle at home.

[aforsyth]

Well done Rob - good progress. Yeah, I was going to suggest an Inglenook session, and it looks like you can fit a shunter (or even '25?) and 3 wagons in that longer spur?

 

The code 75 & BH points are looking a treat. The photos seem to show the slip heavily stained with oil, which I suppose could help to disguise the contrast in sleepers?

 

It will be good to compare the running on the new track with your hand-built track on P4Y, which was always a pleasure to operate at slow speed, TBH. 

[aforsyth]

An interesting excerpt from a book I found online; "The GWR Bristol to Taunton Line", by Colin G. Maggs:

 

"Malago Vale Colliery Sidings opened 15th August 1879, and when the colliery closed, were used by a brickworks, but were out of use by July 1918. On the opposite side of the line, Malago Vale Carriage Sidings came into use on 10th April 1932, closed in 1988 and the track was lifted in 1991. When necessary, and only in clear weather, an empty train could be propelled over the Down Relief line from the sidings to Parson Street Junction signal box. The guard, or shunter, was required to ride in the leading vehicle and keep a sharp look-out and be prepared to hand signal to the driver. The train had to carry the proper head lamp and was not to exceed 10 mph, or 4 mph through facing points and crossovers."

 

Not that we can necessarily simulate this move without a further fiddleyard towards Parson Street (assuming it was still possible after the resignalling?), but I thought it interesting nonetheless.

Edited November 14, 2017 by aforsyth