AFK (Altonian Complementary Railways)

[ianathompson]

The cricket season has begun and some N gauge activity has also taken place.

There are a few photos however on he updated website at https://myafk.net/operating-session-5

 

5-127 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.126 With its rods whirring the articulated makes its way up the Vulpafaŭkangulo alongside the quick flowing Aepto. This is the first opportunity to get this train out from under Urteno's feet. Hopefully it will be of more use at Ithilarak in helping to sort things out there.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

The website has been updated and is available at https://myafk.net/operating-session-5

 

There are no photos because Flickr is currently having difficulty loading.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

Following a respite the session has been resumed.

The full set of photos can be found at https://myafk.net/operating-session-5

 

5-164 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.164 With the railcar having arrived the special wastes no time in getting onto the move once the signal, in the background, drops to clear.

 

5-168 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.167 The delayed RFK-FDV freight is let out onto the Vulpafaŭkangulo in preference to the von Ryan. It is now running around half an hour late but will have little trouble in coping with this lightweight load.

 

5-180 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.179 The von Ryan jogs alongside the Aepto in the lower part of the gorge. There would be little to see as, being well away from civilisation, the whole area would be in pitch blackness. The train made it first appearance in photo 5.62 and has been 'on the road' as such for over twelve hours, although five of these were spent sitting in a siding at Ospicio watching the world go by. The loco, you might remember, was originally sent out as the Urteno banker so it is usually double manned anyway. The loco currently acting as banker was seen in photo 5.33 and is the one that those crews transferred to. The loco on this train would also have needed a double crew, with a lot of time spent on the cushions, although the real thing seemed to accept this with equanimity. As has been hinted earlier these practices will have to be reviewed before the next session.

 

5-184 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.183. The new train, ostensibly running in conjunction with the paper mill traffic, pulls into Lacono at 20.40, thereby delaying the adjacent railcar in platform 3. The train has been on the road for 10 hours but has failed to get past Ithilarak, a mere 18 kilometres distant.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

The operating session finished some time ago but problems with the website platform prevented publication.

These have now been resolved (I hope!) and the last batch of pictures is available at https://myafk.net/operating-session-5

 

Incidentally I noticed that I had not included the location map on at least the last two posts. This has now been rectified..

Does any-one use this? It takes a long time to set up and unless I receive some requests for it to remain it will not be there on the next occasion!

 

5-187 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.186 In this photo of an obscure corner of the layout the 2-10-2T backs down into the quarry road at Ospicio to pick up two vans jettisoned from an earlier train. This move is not carried out very often and the pony truck derailed on the siding points which were found to be out of adjustment. There is obviously a lot of work still to be done here, including inserting missing sleepers, but it is intended that the wall at the left will eventually become part of a loading bank.

 

5-189 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.190 The congestion at Urteno has required that the wagons are written onto three shunt lists. At around two dozen wagons this would be nothing out of the ordinary for the prototype but it amounts to significant congestion on a cramped model railway. The value of these lists was pointed out in the last session. Rather than dealing with an unwieldy handful of consignment notes the destinations are simply written onto the sheet. The trajnaĉefo is, in general terms, simply interested in where the wagons are going rather than what is in them. The one urgent load, of livestock, is highlighted by the asterisks.

 

 

5-192 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.193 The last train of the day makes its way over the snow covered interfluve between Altonian and Calviero provinces. The eagle eyed will note that a slug of lead has appeared in the body of the locomotive testifying to the difficulties of working trains over the AFK. In fact closer inspection suggested that progress was being halted by the pilots attached to the bogies which were catching the sides of the cutting. These have been trimmed but the jury is out as to whether the weight will remain.

 

5-200 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.200 The down railcar is still on the single line, having reached Abateĵo de Narrasson. There is an IBS (intermediate block signal) at Sojonno so it is not in the section directly in advance of the freight, which could have left Boursson by now had it received authority. I suppose that the spire of the Abbey represents a scenic faux pas as it reaches above the sky but it would have looked just as unrealistic had it been shortened. The exit into the backscene will one day be hidden by a station building. The brethren are Cistercians and their agricultural machine shop is in the foreground. It houses a combine undergoing repair which is an obvious attempt to distract the eye from the hole.

 

As Capt Oates apparently said to Scott, "I'm going outside and may be some time."

The N gauge layouts need work and I have begun to rebuild the garden line.

 

Three or four items need attention on the AFK and that does not include stock building or scenic developments.

It may be some time before the AFK returns to these pages!

 

Ian T

Edited July 11, 2019 by ianathompson
factual error

[mervyn]

Great to read about your layout Ian ,the operation and delays etc are very realistic , and the photos are great thanks for sharing them ! looking forward to the next operating day.

[hexagon789]

On 10/07/2019 at 11:57, ianathompson said:

The operating session finished some time ago but problems with the website platform prevented publication.

These have now been resolved (I hope!) and the last batch of pictures is available at https://myafk.net/operating-session-5

 

Incidentally I noticed that I had not included the location map on at least the last two posts. This has now been rectified..

Does any-one use this? It takes a long time to set up and unless I receive some requests for it to remain it will not be there on the next occasion!

 

5-187 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.186 In this photo of an obscure corner of the layout the 2-10-2T backs down into the quarry road at Ospicio to pick up two vans jettisoned from an earlier train. This move is not carried out very often and the pony truck derailed on the siding points which were found to be out of adjustment. There is obviously a lot of work still to be done here, including inserting missing sleepers, but it is intended that the wall at the left will eventually become part of a loading bank.

 

5-189 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.190 The congestion at Urteno has required that the wagons are written onto three shunt lists. At around two dozen wagons this would be nothing out of the ordinary for the prototype but it amounts to significant congestion on a cramped model railway. The value of these lists was pointed out in the last session. Rather than dealing with an unwieldy handful of consignment notes the destinations are simply written onto the sheet. The trajnaĉefo is, in general terms, simply interested in where the wagons are going rather than what is in them. The one urgent load, of livestock, is highlighted by the asterisks.

 

 

5-192 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.193 The last train of the day makes its way over the snow covered interfluve between Altonian and Calviero provinces. The eagle eyed will note that a slug of lead has appeared in the body of the locomotive testifying to the difficulties of working trains over the AFK. In fact closer inspection suggested that progress was being halted by the pilots attached to the bogies which were catching the sides of the cutting. These have been trimmed but the jury is out as to whether the weight will remain.

 

5-200 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

5.200 The down railcar is still on the single line, having reached Abateĵo de Narrasson. There is an IBS (intermediate block signal) at Sojonno so it is not in the section directly in advance of the freight, which could have left Boursson by now had it received authority. I suppose that the spire of the Abbey represents a scenic faux pas as it reaches above the sky but it would have looked just as unrealistic had it been shortened. The exit into the backscene will one day be hidden by a station building. The brethren are Cistercians and their agricultural machine shop is in the foreground. It houses a combine undergoing repair which is an obvious attempt to distract the eye from the hole.

 

As Capt Oates apparently said to Scott, "I'm going outside and may be some time."

The N gauge layouts need work and I have begun to rebuild the garden line.

 

Three or four items need attention on the AFK and that does not include stock building or scenic developments.

It may be some time before the AFK returns to these pages!

 

Ian T

 

It's nice to see the operations being as realistic as ever! I like the way everything gets shuffled about a bit to accommodate all that late running.

 

Thank goodness you don't have delay attribution payments on the AFK!

 

Look forward to the next installment, B.

Edited July 20, 2019 by hexagon789

[ianathompson]

The new operating session is now up and running.

Here are just a few of the photos that can be seen on the AFK website.

 

6-06 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

6, The re-crewed cement train is now on the go and crosses Akvalando viaduct which spans the Carramasco Gorge. This train runs every other day on this path in the early morning. The backscene is one of the few improvements from the last time out. Ghealdaban village is prominent perched upon its rock outcrop, The hardboard at the right will eventually become a rock face, although I am quite keen to avoid a similar treatment at the other side of the gorge. Whether this it will be possible to achieve this whilst retaining scenic credibility is open to review at the moment.

 

6-13 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

13. At just after 04.45 Fenditavalat receives its wake up call from the asthmatic diesel shunter which will frequent its streets for the remainder of the day. A van of cheese is being pulled from the dairy, which has roughly been sketched in using plastic sheet. The scene is a little more complete but it had been intended to pave the square between sessions. Some of the preliminary work to protect the point rods can be seen.

 

Hopefully the session will develop quite quickly, although it is possible that some construction work may be done in session.

The Rugby World Cup is also slowing progress.

 

Ian T

 

[Northroader]

Not this weekend!!!

 

edit. Scotland got their game after all, worth stopping modelling to watch that game. Tremendous!

Edited October 13, 2019 by Northroader

[ianathompson]

Just managed to catch it after bingeing on continental Renaissance church music at Eucharist.

Although the stuff is well known to the choir and in our repertoire it is still a thief of time as is, come to that, watching Conference North football.

It is a wonder that anything gets done!

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

The latest batch of photos can be found here.

 

The session is proving to be contrast to previous sessions in that everything is running smoothly "today".

 

How long that will last is open to debate!

 

6-19 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

19. The Fenditavalat goods usually passes straight through Boursson without stopping, thereby gaining 25 minutes on its booked time. Today it stops to transfer Sojonno bound traffic onto the down KTT goods. Sojonno's siding faces up trains and cannot be shunted by them. Wagons for Sojonno have to be marshalled at the front of the down train because of the steep gradient which means that they need to be on the rear of the up train. Here "the creature", complete with its own brake and that of the up train, is in the process of making the transfer. This procedure ensures that the load (sugar in this instance) reaches Sojonno in the morning rather than the late afternoon as would otherwise be the case.

 

6-30 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

31. Now that the wagons have gone we can get a clearer view of the quayside, to which the road vehicles have returned. The fish boxes and trays, and the lobster pots, were bought in industrial quantities, so much so, that one surprised trader at York exhibition years ago gave me a couple of free bike kits as well. That's where the one on top of the Lacono pilot came from! The boats are resin kits from a supplier reviewed in Railway Modeller during the nineties. I have no idea, at this remove, who it was but I bought a good number at the time in anticipation of needing them for a scene like this. The Vespa tricycle screams continental in contrast to the Land Rover and Ford parked on the quayside. The Russian bus model, redecorated to AFK colours, although currently displaying a Cyrillic destination, balances things. There is also, bought a great expense, an ice cream cart for the summer months. This came from a French supplier and is correctly configured for a left hand drive. The smoking kiln, in the background, indicates that fish are being kippered. The space behind the bus will be occupied by the Steam Boat, named for the Lossiemouth establishment where, I am assured by the cognoscenti, that you get thrown out for not fighting. There were on or two like that in Batley!

 

6-47 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

49. The down goods is on the move having crossed the schools' railcar. Here it is passing the fixed distant for Cadsuiane-Fanhuidol around the curve in the background. The control for the point giving access to the station siding sticks through the fascia.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

A rainy Saturday afternoon sees all local football cancelled so unusually I will post this weeks photos at this point.

They are available here with a small selection shown below.

 

6-58 - Copy by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

60. Back in the little world (rather than the real one) the diesel shunts two empties into the wood yard siding which puts time into the down goods. This siding (deliberately) dips away at an alarming angle from the mainline and the loco's rear pony truck is almost level with the top of the nearest end of the open. Given the limited sightlines from the loco's elevated cab and the steep precipice beyond the bufferstop I imagine that this will be an adrenaline fuelled moment for the driver. Not for nothing is there a substantial bufferstop here rather than the AFK's standard casual baulk across the tracks if you are lucky!

 

6-61 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

63. Its counterpart, working into the Orbon basin leaves a snowshed in the forests above Caladonno. I must get around to covering the cheapo trees with snow. One was done as an experiment and I liked the effect. Like everything it is making the time! The snow shed also needs some icicles adding as well as some snow on top.

 

6-75 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

77. Its up counterpart crossed it at Breĉo de Glissent. The train is loaded to the maximum 160 tons rating and plenty of loads had to be left behind. The loco struggled to pull the train up the hill from Relforka and was not helped by the heavy (Corgi) excavator on the front well wagon. In reality No 101 would most likely have been overwhelmed by such a load but, as it was the first AFK model ever built, it still holds down this duty out of sentiment.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

After a little delay the latest photos of the session have been posted.

 

There are around thirty of them.

 

6-76 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

 78. The up local goods usually has an easy time of it at Glissent as a lot of the shunting is done by the railcar (photo 50) or by the down goods. The crew normally detach a cut of wagons, drop them into the siding, pick up a pre-sorted set of departing wagons and leave, but not today! The first two wagons in this shot were ready but the loco had to drop off the excavator and then work round to the glassworks to deliver a load of cullett (broken glass for re-melting) and pick up a van of bottles. This is the van at the left of the photo which is a CFS van. It has been deliberately loaded to go to Karamspur brewery as that is closer to the CFS than Glissent and part of its return journey can be charged to the consignee. In all probability it will pick up a load of beer going to the CFS or Fenditavalat over the next day or so and will thereby have paid for its journey home.

 

6-81 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

83. Control's complaints to Head Office about the mayhem caused by the new paper factory's requirements have resulted in an experimental timetable change. A new train is now scheduled to leave Fenditavalat at around 09.30 with the objective of collecting the increased timber and coal traffic associated with the mill. The hitherto rarely seen vertical greens over horizontal greens aspect on the departure signal (obscured by the electrification mast unfortunately) will probably become more common in the future. It is also likely that the troublesome mallet will be allocated to this turn as well as it appears that it might be less taxing than the long distance goods. The (still unfinished) 0-8-0 has got the job today.

 

6-86 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

88. The Jakarutu train leaves the rack beside the high tarn. The Tegmentadelamondo is an area of the Altingablecaŭtoj as its name would suggest. (Roof of the World and High Reaches respectively.) It is subjected to the same snowstorms as the mainline but I chose to model the area in high summer. In the winter  these uplands would be in deep snow and the tarn would be as hard as rock. No shepherd with any brains would be anywhere near this remote spot. How does the railway remain open? The line is built on a slightly raised causeway so that the winds whipping across the plateau scour it of snow.

 

Ian T

[Barry O]

you do add a lot of problems for the syaff of the Railway. 

Baz

[ianathompson]

To be fair this, so far, has been a relatively easy day!

I knew from the load generating process that there would be problems on the lower half of the line because the track layouts, like all models, are too cramped to accommodate sufficient vehicles.

 

The timings of the new train are tentative but so far no serious problems have arisen. 

If the passenger train crew had followed their guidelines they would have been back in the shed earlier with a lot less fuss.

 

The other problems come from simulating heavy snowfall in a mountainous area.

I assume that operating staff in such areas have to battle the same problems as the AFK does.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

The latest batch of photos are available here.

Only a few of the photos are shown below.

 

6-107 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

109. The first railcar shuttle of the day from Lacono arrives at Varden around midday. This is another area of the timetable that might be looked at in future to evaluate whether there is space for an earlier run. For now any-one wishing to ski earlier must alight at Urteno and use the tramway system. Before this session the railcar whiled away a pleasant forty five minutes before departing for Urteno and Lacono. The new mill train has changed this procedure.

 

6-125 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

127. It is some time since I set up the farm girls loading milk into the afternoon mixto's milk van. I really ought to do this more often as it demonstrates one of the reasons for the train's existence. At this time of the year the cattle are wintering in the lowlands so it is the valley stations that forward milk. Both the tractors are identical models but the far one has been subjected to extensive alterations. The 'crew' on the nearest one have been made from reworked Preiser models. On a practical note; the scene as portrayed would be rather unlikely given the proximity of the exposed signalling wires but this is just another example of turning a blind eye.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

The latest batch of photos are available here.

 

6-130 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

132. The AFK's "click-clocks" have occasionally been illustrated. Lacono's stands, unsurprisingly, in the station clock tower where it is easy to reach but out of the way. It was made years ago, as was the photo. The homemade face was printed from the computer and deliberately uses continental convention in that the 4 is printed as IV, as opposed to the IIII usually used on British clocks for some reason. The hands are connected to cog wheels which engage with springy wire to keep them steady. The minute hand moves in three minute increments which obviously needs twenty notches in the styrene cog wheel. The whole contraption slots, here, into the bricks of the tower which were intended for large scale war dioramas. There should be a spire on top of this example but that is still awaiting  development. Urteno and Fenditavalat have fixed examples like this and there are two portable items for use at the smaller stations.

 

6-134 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

136. The train loco has detached, in the meantime, and is pulling forward with the horse box and extra coach. This requires the barriers to be kept down throughout the movement sequence, causing chaos on the Karushnastrato which is a main thoroughfare of the city. It used to be necessary to carry out a similar procedure for ecs moves at one of the boxes I worked. You were constantly fielding questions about its necessity from any local residents that you knew!

 

6-142 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

143. The goods loco's driver has to be on the ball because the railcar follows him onto the shed as quickly as possible. Signal ee is already off and the railcar is leaving. In fact the front trailer has to run past the signal (SPAD alert!) to clear platform 2 and the train slightly pulls the ambulance along the platform to clear the crossings on leaving. On a properly arranged track layout these dodges would not be needed but I am happy to live with the compromises. (In my experience drivers did not care about activating SPAD devices if they had been 'called past'. We had to instruct them to use their key to disable the SPAD mechanism if they were passing the signal at danger, as if. Do not ask know I know that the SPAD audible warning and flashing lights only last for around 10 seconds!)

 

6-154 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

153. One drawback with this move is that it potentially allows the loco to mow down late comers for the passenger train! In this posed picture the loco is being held by the station staff short of the barrow crossing. I worked boxes next to two of the most dangerously rated barrow crossings in East Anglia so I have an insight into this problem! (As I recall, one of them rated in the top ten for the whole national system.) It is easy, for those modellers that have not worked on the real thing, to overlook such difficulties. I try always to look after my kinetically challenged passengers' safety as though they were real. The plastic passengers are not quite so abusive as their real life counterparts, however, in my humble experience. The fellow with the baton has also undergone surgery to present a more credible stance than the usual arm held high pose.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

another twenty or so photos are available here.

 

6-155 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

156. A rare photo of the hidden lower deck junction behind the workbench shows the branch goods train running towards Eromarbordo whilst the KTT goods waits in the background for it to clear. This tightly timed crossing is required as the train running times have been adjusted. The junction is a block post known as Lajver and I have occasionally half heartedly considered putting some scenery here. This is an unlikely option because there is too much to do elsewhere and it would also be difficult to achieve as the toe of the loop at Glissent abuts the points for the branch. The more normal procedure for this "crossing" would be to run the branch train into Eromarbordo and then run the goods out of Relforka. In fact to obtain this photo the goods train was run too far up the hill and would have caused a collision had it not been pushed back by hand. Despite this area being out of sight of the Glissent operating position there is usually no difficulty with derailments for locos clearing Glissent's loop as they run round trains as it is possible to hear where they are. There is also a fortuitous crack in the woodwork through which they can be seen, in the unlikely event of the bench being cleared.

 

6-161 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

162. The mixto's loco has bucked through a number of small drifts on the way up the hill. The crew are not surprised to see that the distant is on at Ospicio, although they are glad to have made the "Star". As expected they will be piloted down the north side by the plough which is standing on the main thereby preventing the distant from being cleared.

 

6-163 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

164. Control's thoughts are elsewhere, dealing in particular with the problems of snowfall across the High Reaches. Although the mixto will be piloted by the plough from Ospicio it will still accrue delays. Not the least of these problems will be the occupation of Caladonno loop by the schools' train which will prevent the detachment of the plough, forcing it to go through to Fenditavalat. It would normally detach from the train and run into the loop. It will now have to come off the train outside the shed to allow the train to fit into the loop. The mixto's steam loco will need to go to the shed for servicing, despite the late arrival, which will all take time. The mixto is, of course, on a quick turnaround and would more than likely delay the connecting FT train at Relforka if the loco went to Rivaborda for servicing. As a result Fenditavalat shed earlier received a telephone call ordering them to turn out whatever they had spare as the motive power for the down mixto and the railcar pilot. The lumbering I-B-B-I appears, although it is passenger rated, as that is all that is now available. It has coupled onto the vans to save time and the CFS train has been pushed down the loop to make room for the shunter to quickly remove the vans which will come off the up train.

 

6-173 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

173. Preparations have already begun for the evening rush hour trains at Lacono Cittavecchia, despite it being over 90 minutes before their departure times. The I-B-I diesel has backed down onto the horsebox and the strengthening carriage dropped by the mixto earlier this afternoon (photo 136) and will place them onto the rear of its train visible in the left hand side of the trainshed. It is easier to tack the vehicles onto this train rather than try to return them on the down mixto service as that is only timed to stand for a few minutes whilst detaching wagons. It is scheduled  to set down only and not to pick up loads. As I said, many moons ago, the mixto designation implies a train authorised to convey goods vehicles but not timed to generally shunt at intermediate stations. There was insufficient time to take the horse box to the 'horse landing' and the animal was unloaded, at a quiet time, directly onto the platform and taken out via the gate adjacent to the dock. In the far distance the fireless stands beneath the signal box having brought another cut of wagons round from the mill. The 0-6-2T pilot has run forward onto these and is now cleared to leave platform 2 (the two horizontal yellows).

 

Ian T

[Barry O]

Having looked through all of the photos this layout and its operation just gets more fascinating.

 

Baz

[Ian Morgan]

Yes, it is all about the story telling, and this little world has a charm all of its own.

 

[ianathompson]

Thanks for your comments.

I don't come on this part of the site too often so I had not seen them, otherwise I would have replied earlier!

It has been a while since I last posted due to distractions.

The most recent photos are available here.

 

6-180 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

180. Over the years more and more traffic flows have been added to the layout. This was not a problem until recently as there were always stock shortages but these have gradually been remedied. The result is the situation seen in this and the following photograph. By early afternoon the yard at Lacono is congested. The train to the right is the RFK-FDV goods, the centre road is occupied by the local goods and the near road contains wagons dropped by the long distance goods. As a result I am considering expanding the layout, although space is tight as it is. The mocked up extensions have been put into place to assess their workability. It is hoped to squeeze two or possibly three sidings into the triangle at the left and to place another loop at the front of the existing track. The two kit boxes are masquerading as a surrogate wagon which will not be damaged if it is accidentally knocked off!

 

6-193 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

193. The counterpart schools' train across the lower half of the system makes its stop at Roheanna, one of the little used conditional halts. I hope that the kids have torches because there are no lights anywhere nearby!

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

The operating session finished some time ago but I have been rather remiss in keeping up to date about developments.

Almost fifty photos are available here.

A small selection is appended.

 

6-201 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

199. The down goods was sent out from Urteno before the railcar, seen in photo 191, had arrived at Lacono. The signalling system allows this as there is an IBS at Ghealdaban. Having arrived at Lacono the train will be thoroughly shunted. The majority of its NG vehicles are empty and will go to the goods shed for overnight loading, although one has been converted to a hopper and will go forward to one of the agricultural villages in the morning. The near road contains the outgoing traffic, which is all in SG vehicles. The tanker brought in china clay for use in the paper making process and behind it two vans contain consolidated loads from the city's various smaller industries that have been brought in to the goods shed during the day. These will be taken to a transhipment point on the FT.

 

6-213 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

211. Despite now being twenty minutes behind time and needing to stop at Sojonno the KTT goods is authorised to run. The only alternative would have been to hold the train for fifty or sixty minutes at Boursson to allow the mixto to overtake it. Although there are still problems throughout the valley section of the network this is the best solution to prevent everything from gumming up.

 

6-217 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

215. The punctual running of the mainline trains puts pressure on the AFK to ensure that they do not need to be held to provide connections with the mixto. This is booked to arrive at Relforka at 20.41 with the connections going forward at 20.57. The mixto will not arrive until 20.54 today but it is unlikely that Nerv (FT's control in the province) will be ringing up to complain about that, given the eccentric timekeeping of the Strelsau expresses from Ruritania. Somewhat amazingly the train from Beruna has crossed the Dorsadelavestejo (The Back of the Wardrobe) Mountains on time for once. Matters are not helped, however, by seeing the yellow light of the  "take siding" indication piercing the gloom from the four aspect semaphore that is Glissent's enirasignalo.

 

6-238 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

237. It is after midnight by the time that the cement train crosses the Karushnastrato to lay over at Lacono. I would have said that this will be the last time that the road will be blocked "today" but by now it is already "tomorrow"! As the system's traffic has expanded and the railway has moved towards 24 hour working, the cut off point for the sessions has become blurred, although the arrival of this train generally signals the end of the session.

 

Given the operational shortcomings that have become more apparent in recent times at Urteno and Lacono it is likely to be some time before the line re-opens. It is more than likely that rectifying the problems at Lacono will require that the layout is partially dismantled to provide a cure. Other railway interests will also take precedence in the call for modelling time so the layout could face a protracted shutdown.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

The operating session finished some time ago but I have been rather remiss in keeping up to date about developments.

Almost fifty photos are available here.

A small selection is appended.

 

6-201 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

199. The down goods was sent out from Urteno before the railcar, seen in photo 191, had arrived at Lacono. The signalling system allows this as there is an IBS at Ghealdaban. Having arrived at Lacono the train will be thoroughly shunted. The majority of its NG vehicles are empty and will go to the goods shed for overnight loading, although one has been converted to a hopper and will go forward to one of the agricultural villages in the morning. The near road contains the outgoing traffic, which is all in SG vehicles. The tanker brought in china clay for use in the paper making process and behind it two vans contain consolidated loads from the city's various smaller industries that have been brought in to the goods shed during the day. These will be taken to a transhipment point on the FT.

 

6-213 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

211. Despite now being twenty minutes behind time and needing to stop at Sojonno the KTT goods is authorised to run. The only alternative would have been to hold the train for fifty or sixty minutes at Boursson to allow the mixto to overtake it. Although there are still problems throughout the valley section of the network this is the best solution to prevent everything from gumming up.

 

6-217 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

215. The punctual running of the mainline trains puts pressure on the AFK to ensure that they do not need to be held to provide connections with the mixto. This is booked to arrive at Relforka at 20.41 with the connections going forward at 20.57. The mixto will not arrive until 20.54 today but it is unlikely that Nerv (FT's control in the province) will be ringing up to complain about that, given the eccentric timekeeping of the Strelsau expresses from Ruritania. Somewhat amazingly the train from Beruna has crossed the Dorsadelavestejo (The Back of the Wardrobe) Mountains on time for once. Matters are not helped, however, by seeing the yellow light of the  "take siding" indication piercing the gloom from the four aspect semaphore that is Glissent's enirasignalo.

 

6-238 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

237. It is after midnight by the time that the cement train crosses the Karushnastrato to lay over at Lacono. I would have said that this will be the last time that the road will be blocked "today" but by now it is already "tomorrow"! As the system's traffic has expanded and the railway has moved towards 24 hour working, the cut off point for the sessions has become blurred, although the arrival of this train generally signals the end of the session.

 

Given the operational shortcomings that have become more apparent in recent times at Urteno and Lacono it is likely to be some time before the line re-opens. It is more than likely that rectifying the problems at Lacono will require that the layout is partially dismantled to provide a cure. Other railway interests will also take precedence in the call for modelling time so the layout could face a protracted shutdown.

 

Ian T

[Barry O]

Hope that the changes can be made in a shorter timeframe. Does it mean that major track rebuilding is required? Are there any alternatives to the proposed solution??

Baz

[ianathompson]

The plans involve adding one siding at Urteno and two sidings and some loops at Lacono.

 

The Urteno work could be done reasonably quickly, once the track and copper clad sleepers have been obtained.

Preliminary analysis suggests that the work at Lacono will need five or six new points and one crossing depending upon what is done.

This will, however, require repositioning some of the existing switch panels which may entail some rewiring. 

I anticipate that some of the boards will have to be removed from the layout and, if this is the case, it would be as well to finish the colour light scheme.

This will all take time of course and supplies will have to be bought in after Christmas.

 

The only alternative to these alterations would be to continue as before.

Unfortunately, as traffic has been added to the operating scheme congestionhas increased so that the Lacono yard is overwhelmed.

The only solution would be to lose some traffic.

 

Hope that this is of help.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

TRACK ALTERATIONS AT LACONO CITTAVECHIA

 

INTERIM REPORT 1

 

Overview

 

Initial progress on this project has been slow due to other calls upon my time. Some of these have been model railway connected and some have not. The interregnum has allowed the opportunity for some reflection rather than just setting to as a reflex response. The proposed changes are shown on the plan below.

 

ops decant 020 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

From a track layout point of view five new points and a crossing will be required to expand the layout. These will all be handbuilt as is the rest of the pointwork.. Quite naturally as much of the layout as possible has been left unaltered. The rationale behind the changes is outlined below but the underlying problem is that the layout has become overwhelmed by the traffic now offered. In addition a new siding will also be added at Urteno.

 

Track alterations.

 

lacbuilt by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

The existing layout is shown above for comparison with the intended layout. The diagram is a more accurate depiction of the layout than the sketch above. The observant will note that the old three way point on the south side of the station, the line leading to Relforka, was replaced some time ago by two conventional points.

 

On the north (right hand) side of the new layout the old goods loop and end loading sidings have been turned into running loops and the goods shed has been moved to a brand new loop which will incorporate a wagon turntable. This will allow a flat wagon to be swung round to unload against an angled platform face as was common in French NG practice. The goods shed will be a minimum structure containing little more than a front wall as the extension of the baseboard into the aisle (towards the bottom of the diagram) will be kept as narrow as possible. Stock will be protected by a clear plastic sheet. The goods loop will hold eight wagons whereas the old one only held six. On the other hand the now repurposed siding held an additional four wagons.

 

The old goods siding will be extended as a loop intended to hold eight wagons acting whilst acting as an additional storage area for the station. Wagons destined for unloading can be left here and shunted into the goods shed loop when the wagons there have been dealt with. Loaded wagons can similarly be left on the loop in the short term. The adjacent loop, previously occupied by the goods shed, will obviously hold six wagons as it did previously but it is anticipated that it will become a headshunt, reversing the orientation of the yard which was previously worked from the south (left) end. As anyone who has followed the operation sessions will be aware this practice has caused numerous problems over the years as there is a conflict with through mainline traffic. Although the headshunt will be short it will allow direct access to the two new sidings at the south end of the layout. These will hold eight and six wagons and the current, semi moribund, bulk unloading point siding can hold four clear of the current loop which accommodates seven wagons. This holding role will be much reduced if the sidings function as marshalling roads but it will still be available for short periods as trains stand after arrival or awaiting departure.

 

One other option under consideration is the piercing of the backscene in the Goat Pen. The Goat Pen, you might recall, is the road leading to the offscene industrial area into which the railway is set. (It obviously obtained its name in a more bucolic era.) This is shown as B for the Bevoliax carpet factory on the as built diagram. The Bevoliax factory has been transferred to Urteno with the installation of the Verdamolln paper mill. Whereas previously the siding saw relatively little use, even after the Spolatto agricultural machinery factory was placed there, it now sees much more. The difficulty and increasing frequency of placing the fireless loco and complicated SG wagon formations on transporters onto the siding is exacerbated by the proximity of the trolleybus wiring. A decision has been taken to evaluate possibility of placing a cassette onto the area behind Ghealdaban halt on the turn back curve. This are has fortunately not yet received scenic treatment.

 

Logistics

 

The construction of the six points and crossings and the laying of the new sidings will be the relatively easy aspect of this project. Something like seventeen point controls will need extending across the new baseboard and some, but by no means all, of the point microswitches will need resiting. Six existing control panels will also need bringing forward from their old positions which may or may not include rewiring. Given the disruption that this will cause it seems to be as good a time as any to finish the colour light signalling system which was begun years ago. Nine signals of varying complexity are needed to complete this installation. The level crossing over the Karushnastrato also needs completion. It was originally intended that this would be a working lifting barrier but this will now be considerably complicated by the sub baseboard fittings and may be installed as a static item only.

 

The layout was designed to come apart, although the southern end is fixed. The prospects are that the layout will have to be partially dismantled to undertake the work as outlined. It could be some time therefore before the layout resumes operations.

 

Ian T