Parsons Vale Carriage sidings - 00 BR Blue layout now Sold

[37114]

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. 

 

Thanks Alan, I think a 25 and 2 wagons should fit. I am hoping that the reverse curve when propelling from the headshunt into the 3rd siding doesn't cause problems with buffer locking although as most moves will be with an 08 this should be minimised. Looking at pictures the ballast was very fine and reasonably contaminated, (probably with a good load of Ash thrown in) so will definitely be using N gauge ballast which will help disguise the slip. 

[Mulgabill]

Further to the mention a while back, of possible "western" engine for train heating.

 

I was reminded in a conversation with my Brother when he visited Helstonish at the weekend. Bristol did for a while

have a Class 15 ETH unit, for a while.

 

My recollection was that it stood around Bath Road for quite a while, although after some effort I have only found 1 reference

to it in my notebooks. That was at St Phillips Marsh on 28 May 84.

 

Unless my memory plays tricks I think it was briefly used at Malago Vale, and seemingly SPM, but mostly it was parked at BR

 

Seem to also recall a brief (2 or 3 week) unsucessful visit to BR by an ETHEL (ex Cl25).

 

Could offer another interesting sight on Parson Vale.

 

 

[37114]

Further to the mention a while back, of possible "western" engine for train heating.

 

I was reminded in a conversation with my Brother when he visited Helstonish at the weekend. Bristol did for a while

have a Class 15 ETH unit, for a while.

 

My recollection was that it stood around Bath Road for quite a while, although after some effort I have only found 1 reference

to it in my notebooks. That was at St Phillips Marsh on 28 May 84.

 

Unless my memory plays tricks I think it was briefly used at Malago Vale, and seemingly SPM, but mostly it was parked at BR

 

Seem to also recall a brief (2 or 3 week) unsucessful visit to BR by an ETHEL (ex Cl25).

 

Could offer another interesting sight on Parson Vale.

Hi Tony, 

 

I wasn't aware Bristol had a class 15 as I understood that they were mostly used on the Eatern Region? Bristol did have the class 28 ETH unit which is now preserved however:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/12a_kingmoor_klickr/6468826775/in/photolist-aRCqQ8-ouFtbP-S3b6cM-dAyrwh-91HRFq-W3qvsG-aDDBTx-v42bUf-bxQbEx-ryq873-odjAPb-9J95RY-njJ68Y-rtyEsD-pR1vZq-nw9qxD-nqmt2z-Ui9Rmr-cEfhuN-9HsoZw-pHUkVh-ohLqc3-snXDKX-DeSR8-s669R6-9rm4dc-bmiFD1-788yX3-sacL6x-s9TPh7-66zxUW-BVUQg5-dveKaS-kELzdR-WNBGhk-pEgTD7-mCLG7o-W6TRia-kEP9Cw-9nyRqq-Rn5MC7-kyGgeh-e6JvbJ-g37vGz-5LEaLB-jihguK-kyasoU-hNM2cb-bmePWf-u96Hr1

 

Thanks

Edited November 15, 2017 by 37114

[Signaller69]

Ex class 15 ADB968000 snapped in the background at Bristol Bath Road from a passing ADEX 1985 if my notes are correct (Part of my own photo - excuse the poor quality). As far as I know it could not move under its own power hence why it was in this number series, (I believe for steam heating coaching stock). Note all 4 headcode discs open and the BR double arrows on the cab side (blurred unfortunately). It was still listed in my 1986 Ian Allen.

 

Very much liking your layout build!

 

Martyn.

[Vanders]

The Co-Bo, ex-D5705 TDB968006, was rescued from Bristol Bath Road. It's funny where some of these rare pilot scheme locos ended up.

[Mulgabill]

Looks like you could fill PV with train heating units!

 

I did come across reference to the Class 15 being in Bristol particularly for heating sleeping cars.

 

All the best

TONY

 

[andy stroud]

I seem to recall that one of the prototype HST power cars was at Bath Road until sometime in the mid 80s.

[FPH 603]

I seem to recall that one of the prototype HST power cars was at Bath Road until sometime in the mid 80s.

This may provoke a new project on Parsons Vale carriages sidings: The Prototype HST.

[37114]

This may provoke a new project on Parsons Vale carriages sidings: The Prototype HST.

I don't think Alan would have an issue with that as he has a thing for HST's, I am not a massive fan of them! Always up for a good project and Rapido have postponed their one.

 

Ex class 15 ADB968000 snapped in the background at Bristol Bath Road from a passing ADEX 1985 if my notes are correct (Part of my own photo - excuse the poor quality). As far as I know it could not move under its own power hence why it was in this number series, (I believe for steam heating coaching stock). Note all 4 headcode discs open and the BR double arrows on the cab side (blurred unfortunately). It was still listed in my 1986 Ian Allen.

IMG_20171115_072423_1.jpg

 

Very much liking your layout build!

 

Martyn.

 

Thanks Martyn, I  found this link including a photo taken presumably on the same day when I was having a mega browse on the phone last night (stuck for 6 hours on the M42 after the tragic accident):http://www.d8233.org.uk/gallery_others.htm. I can't find pics of the class 15 in Bristol before the mid 80's so a bit out of period but an easy one to model as Heljan have produced a model of the heating unit

 

Looks like you could fill PV with train heating units!

 

I did come across reference to the Class 15 being in Bristol particularly for heating sleeping cars.

 

All the best

TONY

It could definitely be filled with some odd ball stock by the sound of it Tony. The POP train holds the biggest challenge and in period as well:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/142767848@N08/30702727390/in/photolist-NM6vbN-GNnJw7

[37114]

The Co-Bo, ex-D5705 TDB968006, was rescued from Bristol Bath Road. It's funny where some of these rare pilot scheme locos ended up.

Indeed it probably owes it survival to that. Thank goodness the scrotes that tried to set it on fire at BR failed to do any more damage to it.

[37114]

A bit of progress of late, firstly with the road bridge. I have made this out of 6mm ply and spent some time reviewing pictures of the bridge which has a distinctive hump to it. To replicate this a single piece of ply was used, curved over the abutment walls then screwed down at either side of the board.

 

Incedentally I have vivid memories of being stuck on this bridge as a 5 year old back in 1983 when the Sunbeam 90 my mother was driving broke down with fuel evaporation on a very hot day, another idea for a little cameo, especially as the aforementioned car survives today so I have no excuse to get the details right...

 

With the basic bridge shaped, I started to build up the various embankments with some insulation found in the shed, a handy product as it is lightweight and reasonably strong.

 

 

That was last night, tonight it has plaster bandage added. The back of the gardens at the front of the layout will be at 3 slightly different levels, each one being raised with some spare 6mm ply.

 

 

The bridge abutments are Wills kits, which I have put in place to help shape the embankment. The real bridge is a bit of a hybrid, with brick abutments and then parapets made of concrete and brick, the parapets will be scratchbuilt

 

 

More work is required on the back of the layout, where the embankment dips from bridge level to track level and then up again to bridge level at the fiddle yard end. On the top of the embankment are houses which back onto Temple street. Pictures and google streetview show the gardens slope quite steeply from the road to the track with many of the houses having steep steps and basements. This will require further work on the Airfix semi that I have bought (3 more are on order) and have chopped down to be low relief

 

 

So far so good..

 

[Signaller69]

Good progress there Rob, the lowered front edge and rising rear with house backs will set it off nicely. Did you have any issues connecting the slip in with the bullhead track?

[37114]

Good progress there Rob, the lowered front edge and rising rear with house backs will set it off nicely. Did you have any issues connecting the slip in with the bullhead track?

Thanks Martyn. Re the slip, it wasn't too bad, I had chopped 4 sleepers worth of length off each end of the slip to minimise the amount of "wrong" sleeper track which probably made it a little more tricky, but then did as Peco suggested and used standard code 75 rail joiners (insulated in this case) to join the 2 types together. In many respect it was easier than using the bull head rail joiners as I did elsewhere which, although a lovely piece of work, are tiny and a tight fit.

[37114]

A little bit more progress tonight, the insulation is in on the back embankment and I have made the extended base from some photo mounting board for the Dapol semi's. As per my earlier post, the real houses were built on a steeply sloping hill towards the railway line, with a number having basements. The one house I have built will be at the road bridge end as one back door will be at ground level, the other is a scale 3ft in the air:

 

 

 

So I could get on with finishing up the last bits of Mod roc I had in stock, I cut the bases for all the other houses. A trip to the Gas Cupboard (my local model shop) is planned for the weekend to restock and finish of the embankments.

 

The real houses have a very course pebble dash, something I have never modelled before. I am going to experiment with some very fine Hamster sand/dust to see if it is a suitable scale.

 

[37114]

One of the things I have been mulling over of late is some replacement of the locos I have available to use on PVCS. Potentially the 2 class 03's which were essential for Peafore Yard aren't really required as they were confined primarily to Temple Meads to Avon Street, while the class 24 is also not really appropriate.

 

Potential replacements are:

 

Class 31/4

As a rule I don't like 2 locos the same and love a bit of a challenge so an obvious candidate is 31401, with it's missing radiator grilles and it's front end with only 2 steps:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/86055018@N03/22539915852/

 

Class 33 

No potential candidate indentified

 

Class 50

To save a repaint I would like to model one of the ones with the arrows under the cabside, 50031 is prime candidate due to it's ropey condition:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nodding_pig/9920446063/in/photolist-g7CSZv

[Signaller69]

I have used sieved beach sand for pebble dashing a cottage over PVA and sprayed with a white primer car aerosol, which turned out quite well, the secret seems to be in avoiding lumps and uneven surfaces.

[Geoff Endacott]

At this rate the layout is going to be ready to take the place of Peafore Yard at Calne in January.

 

Geoff Endacott

[37114]

I have used sieved beach sand for pebble dashing a cottage over PVA and sprayed with a white primer car aerosol, which turned out quite well, the secret seems to be in avoiding lumps and uneven surfaces.

 

I was thinking along the same lines and had the same concerns around the lumps in the PVA, I was hoping to get a natural coloured dark sand as the real houses were a darker brown colour but weren't painted so have a subtle blend of colours. I have some building sand in the shed which is a closer colour match than the Hamster sand so may experiment with that.

 

At this rate the layout is going to be ready to take the place of Peafore Yard at Calne in January.

 

Geoff Endacott

 

I wish...The progress will slow shortly, I need to divert back onto the Land Rover but more pertinently a number of the potential buildings for the layout have been confiscated my good lady and kids to be given to me on the 25th December.

[37114]

Having had an enjoyable spending spree in the Gas Cupboard first thing, I did a bit more work on the layout today, first off at the footbridge end. As in reality the ground steepens near the footbridge and there was a low stone wall that started near the bridge. The stone is offcuts were left over from Peafore Yard although for some reason I never finished painting them, with final variations in stone colour to follow:

 

 

One of the things that has had me scratching my head since the initial sketching of the layout started was what to do with the control panel. I was really keen to keep the control panel on the main board as the electrics are slightly more involved than with Peafore Yard so I didn't want to have a huge wiring loom between the fiddle yard and main layout. The problem with this approach was where to locate the panel itself as there was limited space on the fiddle yard edge of the layout. The picture Hillside Depot linked to on Post 39 shows a number of buildings near the footbridge which gave me the idea of locating the control panel as the front of the layout and hiding it inside a building. This requires a bit of work to the baseboard top to ensure I had sufficient space for the whole panel:

 

All of the mod roc is now covered in plaster, if the weather is good tomorrow I will take the layout outside and sand it up to remove the rough edges.

 

[37114]

My main focus on the layout of late has been the rather monsterous foot bridge which spans the fiddle yard end of the layout and thus is 18inches long . In reality the real bridge spanned the main, relief lines as well as the carriage sidings so my model is considerably shorter. 

 

The main part of the model is a mix of Wills vari girder (2.25 packs!) supplemented with various plastic sections to strengthen it.  As in reality, the girder was joined in sections of the 4, the join being hidden behind diagonal supports (more on these later)The deck will be added later after spraying:

 

 

The bridge is supported by various X frame girders, luckily there is a great photo of one of the supports in the Bristol Rail website (http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/File:Malago_Vale_Carriage_Sidings9.jpg) so these have been scratchbuilt from various plastic sections.

 

The photo below shows the bridge prior to adding the diagonal strips which keep the main girders in the upright position

 

To paint the bridge by hand would be many hours work so it has been sprayed in Halfords grey primer. This will be weathered in due course.

 

Edited December 6, 2017 by 37114

[Geoff Endacott]

So it will be ready for the Calne Show then.

 

Geoff Endacott

[37114]

So it will be ready for the Calne Show then.

 

Geoff Endacott

yes, the one in 2020! There is still loads to do and I am not rushing it, also the garage is a sawdust free zone so all the woodwork for the fiddle yard won't happen until January at the earliest. 

[37114]

Not a lot to report or though I have been doing a little bit of modelling of late.

 

On the 23rd November I posted about 3 locos I was planning to model, so far I am 50% there as I have 1.5 of the locos required. The 1 is a Hornby class 50, the 0.5 is a Lima class 31, I am just awaiting a broken Hornby 31 to turn up at a reasonable price on ebay to donate the workings.

 

One other bit of planning I have been doing is on the road bridge to work out how to mark out the road and blend it in to the backscene. To support a couple of large vehicles are required which are in build and are locally appropriate:

 

 

At the back is a Leyland Atlantean reg HHF15 which was a local celebrity, being owned by Bedminster coaches from 1976 to 1997 and now preserved in it's native merseyside. Plan is to have it back in one piece in the next week or so.

 

At the front will be a Seddon Atkinson lorry from local container haulier George Taylor whose yard was about 200 yards from Parson Street station. I built the model in the picture when I worked for them over 20 years ago but never got round to making a trailer and container. The model is a bit new being a 401 model, rather than the earlier 400 and also is a day cab rather than a sleeper so I may swap the bus and lorry around. Here is what I am planning to build as a trailer/container combination (despite appearances the lighting in the garage makes the model appear brighter than the pic:

 

 

 

[FPH 603]

Good to see something happening with this layout again! I'm liking the truck you've got there.

[37114]

I have made some recent progress with the layout albeit at a snails pace due to other commitments. A start has been made on the wiring with the switches installed in the control panel. The layout will be wired for cab control so that 2 trains can be moved at once although this does add in it's own complications it will make exhibiting at shows easier when there are 2 of us as well as certain shunting moves will be more straightforward.

 

I have also added the dropper wires for most of the layout but have run out of wire so have ground to a halt there.

 

Further work has been done on the scenery, I have sanded the original layer of polyfilla and then added a second layer, particularly to the gardens at the front of the layout as the change of gradient was rather pronounce and left the gardens with an unnaturally flat surface. The cliche bus on the bridge is finished now as well.