Wentworth Junction

[Michael Edge]

14 hours ago, Barry O said:

Have you tried a long Testrol though it?

 

Baz

A (short - we don't have any full length ones) Trestrol has been running through in the down direction at least - and an LMS 12 wheel diner in the up direction. The cab steps on the S1 just rubbed lightly on the top of the side girder running back to the junction, I'll have to check if they are slightly too wide. I don't want to move the bridge girder since it was ballasted yesterday.

I did a clearance (weight!) test yesterday.

Not a test that BR could have done but at the moment there are two DJH Garratts on the layout and the one on the up line has the cylinders in the kit's normal stuck out position (I built the one on the down line with modified cylinders). They don't miss by much but nothing touches, the actual track on the bridge was of course a lot straighter than here (but still curved).

Nearly 360 tons here - but two 90T EM1s would have been a bigger load (per foot run) than the one Garratt since both could be wholly on the bridge at the same time. This bridge looks as if it was rebuilt at electrification, unlike two underbridges near Aldam Junction which look to be original GC - this may be the reason.

[Michael Edge]

Next job on this bridge is to build the walls at the sides of the road.

The stonework is just Slater's, it's near enough for this job and a lot quicker than carving stones individually. The centre of each wall is three pieces of Plastikard laminated together with the thickest in the middle, this includes the hefty concrete pad on which the girders rest. Embossed stone added on both sides, the outside won't be seen but the way to build walls which won't warp is to do the same on each side to equalise stresses. Plain plastikard on each end which is carved with stone courses. The concrete pad  is thickened on the inside but this won't bend the rest of it.

Two pieces of plastikard taped to the drawing, these will form the pavements under the bridge, and the walls stuck to these.

Wedged under the girders to check the fit, this isn't too easy with road and railway crossing at an angle and the road dipping down quite sharply under the bridge. It seems to fit OK though.

Next job will be to build up the wing walls and buttresses.

[Penrhos1920]

1 hour ago, Michael Edge said:

Embossed stone added on both sides, the outside won't be seen but the way to build walls which won't warp is to do the same on each side to equalise stresses.

 

 

Would putting similar thickness plain plasticard on the back not work?

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Penrhos1920 said:

 

Would putting similar thickness plain plasticard on the back not work?

In my experience it does but I've never needed to do a large(ish) unsupported piece like those walls.

 

It helps to use a less aggressive solvent like Limonene or similar rather than butanone, too.

Edited November 20, 2020 by St Enodoc

[Michael Edge]

12 hours ago, Penrhos1920 said:

 

Would putting similar thickness plain plasticard on the back not work?

No idea but this principle is simple and it works, I use butanone as the solvent.

[Michael Edge]

Some more done now, starting with the buttresses.

The walls are vertical, this is just distortion from the phone camera lens. The sloping buttresses are rather difficult to work out, they slope back up to the bridge girders but are at an angle to follow the line of the railway, I fitted the tapered sides first and filled the gap in the angle with PVA glue (over several days), then a slab of thicker plastikard  faced with stone. This leaves a gap all along  the outside corner which will be filled with a suitable strip, carved back later. The stone courses have to be matched round the corner as well. The walls and pavements are now mounted on a sheet of plastikard which will form part of the road surface eventually.

Using the phone's front facing lens to check the view from the other side, the bridge girder doesn't quite sit down on the concrete pad here but I think there may be additional pads in the shadows under here (can't see from road level). The gap left on the buttress corner is clearly visible in this view. The tops have been left long to check where they fit in relation to the ends of the girders, these will be cut off and replaced with a vertical stone wall in front of the girder ends.

The overscale depth of the girders isn't really apparent and the plywood baseboard is completely hidden.

 

[Michael Edge]

The whole bridge now checked for fit on the layout.

From the inside of the layout, looking up Moorend Lane towards Silkstone Common,

From the outside, needs packing up more here to get the girders on to the concrete pads. It's not easy to see how it fits here without dismantling the layout.

From outside the shed - no more jokes about the window bars please.

I'll paint and weather it all next, then take the board out to fit it in place.

[Michael Edge]

Next scenic job is Silkstone No2 tunnel, this forms the end of the layout, it's on quite a sharp curve and only 74yds long but easily enough for the layout.

Printed out from my drawing and held roughly in alignment with an EM1 approaching on the up line.

This is the photo I used to trace the stonework in Turbocad, taken in 2012. The tunnels are now fenced off but on our first visit we could walk through both of them - No1 tunnel is further on towards West Silkstone junction.

I will need to put some sort of OLE in this tunnel, I won't be able to get at it later. There should be room for an approach ramp on the up end (I'm not going to wire up the fiddle yard!) but any electric locos on the down side will have run with pans down for now.

[Barry O]

Thanks for your presentation on Wentworth Junction last night to your fellow Leeds MRS CIO members (and a welcome visitors) Mike. 

 

Work seems to be going at a pace on the layout.

 

Baz

Edited March 5, 2021 by Barry O

[Michael Edge]

Some video now uploaded to YouTube, this is the colliery trip working, in the first clip the O4 has drawn the loaded train out on to the up main. The second shows the train, with a Brush 2 on the front heading off in the down (up the hill) direction to Barnsley Junction with an EM1 waiting at the up home signal with an up train of steel empties.

Both the O4 and the Brush are running on the same controller, the banker is coupled on. Although this wasn't the practice here all the bankers have to have couplings on the front end for this move and I don't want them dropping off as they go into the tunnel - this was actually the steepest section but it levels out on the layout to avoid having even more height into the fiddle yard.

 

 

[Sandhole]

1 hour ago, Michael Edge said:

Some video now uploaded to YouTube, this is the colliery trip working, in the first clip the O4 has drawn the loaded train out on to the up main. The second shows the train, with a Brush 2 on the front heading off in the down (up the hill) direction to Barnsley Junction with an EM1 waiting at the up home signal with an up train of steel empties.

Both the O4 and the Brush are running on the same controller, the banker is coupled on. Although this wasn't the practice here all the bankers have to have couplings on the front end for this move and I don't want them dropping off as they go into the tunnel - this was actually the steepest section but it levels out on the layout to avoid having even more height into the fiddle yard.

 

 

I love this Mike.
Will you have the Garrett doing this duty?
Chris.

[Michael Edge]

At the moment there are four or five O4s, the S1, EB1 and the Garratt sharing the banking duties. At any one time some are held in the fiddle yard waiting to return or sitting at the Junction waiting for the next job, steam locos have to go up to the pit for coal occasionally and some will be hooked on to the back of trains arriving from Wath. The Stanlow-Gunness class A tanks usually has one of the bankers attached in front. This was to avoid pinning down the brakes on the tanks, the extra loco hooks off at the junction and rejoins the bankers - once the EM1s took over this was unnecessary in view of their regenerative braking. All electric working saw the end of banking locos out stationed at WJ, all trains banked from Wombwell sidings but a loco still had to be sent out to meet the colliery trip working.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Always a great moment when you can play trains test rolling stock and trackwork.

 

Mike.

[Michael Edge]

Some more video, none of this is edited, just as it comes off the camera. Panning round and zooming isn't as good as it might be, just done by spinning the camera round by hand.

 

With the colliery trip out of the way 26044 can bring the steel empties down. No sound fitted in this by the way but the two Mashima motors with flywheels produce a quite authentic noise in this resin bodied loco - the rocking and rolling of the EM1 is authentic as well but the characteristic up and down movement is missing. This is about the same length as a 30 wagon coal train which is mostly what will be operated. The pins (temporary) seen here show the positions of signals and uncoupling magnets.

 

Following the steel train 69999 makes its way back down to the junction, seen here crossing Moorend Lane at Silkstone Common. This Garratt (we have another one available as well) is powered by two DS10 motors and Romford gears, it doesn't sound nearly as authentic as the electric loco.....

 

[Sandhole]

2 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

Some more video, none of this is edited, just as it comes off the camera. Panning round and zooming isn't as good as it might be, just done by spinning the camera round by hand.

 

With the colliery trip out of the way 26044 can bring the steel empties down. No sound fitted in this by the way but the two Mashima motors with flywheels produce a quite authentic noise in this resin bodied loco - the rocking and rolling of the EM1 is authentic as well but the characteristic up and down movement is missing. This is about the same length as a 30 wagon coal train which is mostly what will be operated. The pins (temporary) seen here show the positions of signals and uncoupling magnets.

 

Following the steel train 69999 makes its way back down to the junction, seen here crossing Moorend Lane at Silkstone Common. This Garratt (we have another one available as well) is powered by two DS10 motors and Romford gears, it doesn't sound nearly as authentic as the electric loco.....

 

No scenery?
Don't need it, it's forming pictures in my mind. I'm even putting in the overhead.
This is bloody superb now, it will be AWESOME when it's done.
The Garrett sounds a bit like mine. Mine is powered, as per the kit, by a huge Mashima can mounted vertically. It wore out one motor.
This is rapidly becoming a favourite place of mine.
Best Wishes,
Chris.

[Michael Edge]

The other 69999 has the DJH arrangement with just the hind unit powered but I built this one and I always power both ends of Garratts.

[Sandhole]

1 hour ago, Michael Edge said:

The other 69999 has the DJH arrangement with just the hind unit powered but I built this one and I always power both ends of Garratts.

AH, I see. That makes perfect sense.
I have a K's LMS Garrett build by my dear Friend Brian Wiltshire. It started off with one DS10.
That didn't last long, it has two in it. It has hauled stuff on various of my trainsets for over 25 years.

[Sandhole]

I will never knock the DS10. 
In the right place and in multiple, it is a marvellous power unit. Problem is, it got put in locos that it really shouldn't have been.
I think 'Horses for courses' comes to mind.
However, don't get me started on Anchoridge D13s.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Sandhole

[Michael Edge]

I'm surprised one DS10 could even shift the K's Garratt at all - last one of those I built had two MW05 motors.

The videos seem popular, I'll do some more in the next few days.

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

the rocking and rolling of the EM1 is authentic

The brake van's following suit!

[Michael Edge]

With this layout and Herculaneum Dock mainly set in the early 1950s we should have a lot more ex PO coal wagons. I've made a start on rectifying this now.

These are from POWsides (printed Slater's kits), I'm starting with some local Yorkshire collieries but anything could turn up anywhere by this time after all the wagons had been pooled during the war.

The lettering is "distressed" with a GF brush, some replacement planks painted on with Tamiya buff, black patches for BR numbers, bottom doors and tare weight - the whole lot heavily weathered. Just waiting for couplings now and they will go into use on the layout. Plenty more to choose from in their vast range  of wagon kits.

[Barry O]

And some more PO wagons for Wentworth/Herculaneum

 

Barnsley Main

 

 

Monckton

 

 

All Powsides/Slaters. Still await the Dearne one I ordered before Mike ordered his...

Baz

 

 

 

 

[Michael Edge]

Great, keep them coming, could do with another 30 wagon train.

[Barry O]

I have 6 ex PO wagons ready, and  a few more planked opens in preparation.

 

Baz

[Barry O]

a few more added... there is another one off the edge of the photo. I await the Dearne wagon and I have ordered a few more.

 

 

Baz