Byford - Trainspotting in The 50s

[richard.h]

Directors Coach.

A while ago I detailed the interior of a Directors Coach but was disappointed to find that once the coach was re-assembled the inside was virtually invisible.

 

 

To try and improve this I thought it would be worth fitting a coach lighting bar inside.

 

 

There isn't one available to fit this particular model so some surgery was required and I took the opportunity to fit the bulky battery in the inner compartment out of sight.

 

 

I think that this has improved the model quite a lot but it isn't something that I would consider doing on normal coaching stock as the expense would be considerable. Although the batteries should last a long time as the unit is movement sensitive and turns off after 4 minutes if no movement is detected.

 

[richard.h]

Looking for more representative buildings to put on the layout I thought I would try some of the little kits by Petite Properties.

 

So these were built with extra detailing and different roofs.

 

 

I wanted to try a render finish and in a book I have by David Wright he suggests using pepper so the walls were painted a light stone colour then a PVA wash and finally sprinkled with pepper.

 

 

The Bakery window was filled with produce shaped from sticky pads.

 

The kit came with outbuildings which I could not use in their intended position so, instead they were placed at the ends of my Victorian Cottage Rows to represent the outside toilets that the buildings would have had originally but now converted to storage sheds.

 

 

I was pleased with the results, they are nice little kits to work on so I will try some more later.

 

 

[richard.h]

Here is the little J15.

 

Struggling with its train of loaded Dogfish Wagons.

 

Heading out to help with track repairs.

[richard.h]

I have been experimenting with couplings recently and one of the types I wanted to try are the magnetic type "Hunts Elite" so I bought a selection to play with.

 

 

The main reason for trying them is that at the moment most of my coaches are Bachmann and I use their vacuum pipe connectors to get realistic close coupling, the drawback with this is they are difficult to separate  if I want to re-arrange the coaches into different rakes.

After some trials I found that the intermediate size coupling was an almost perfect match for the Bachmann and worked well.

 

So I know have what I wanted, close coupling and flexibility and as they are cheaper than my other option "Kadees" the plan now is to put magnetic couplings in the rakes and Kadees on the ends

[richard.h]

I have been experimenting recently with using banking engines on the layout so here is a short video showing my progress.

 

 

[richard.h]

Here's Kingfisher resplendent in its new blue livery.

 

So no sign of weathering as we see it make its way out of Town.

 

 

And into the Country.

 

[richard.h]

A recently completed short video showing some Locos at work on the East Coast Mainline.

 

 

[richard.h]

Here is Sparrow Hawk waiting to depart, this was a picture that I couldn't take before as all the controls for the engine shed would have been visible, by adding a dummy wharehouse wall I have disguised them and it also stops my shirt sleeves catching and breaking the platform lamps, quite a few lights have ended up in the bin that way, progress!

 

 

 

I think an A4 looks good from almost any angle so here are a couple of photos to prove it.

 

 

[richard.h]

Sun Castle Hornby A2/3

After being suitably weathered Sun Castle was ready for work and here is a video of it preparing for duty.

 

 

 

[richard.h]

Here's the latest loco to arrive  the D11/1 Somme straight out of the box.

 

 

A lovely model but totally unsuited for working at Byford so it had to go through the Weathering Works.

 

 

Some may dislike the treatment but a lovely shiny loco would stand out like a sore thumb on the layout as they all get some weathering to give them a workday appearance.

 

[richard.h]

Finally managed to get away on holiday so not much work done recently, but here is a trip around the layout to show where we are at the moment.

 

 

[richard.h]

Living in Spain it has been quite difficult to get parcels delivered here since Brexit.

There are different companies and different ways of doing it but all of them require more paperwork and charges than before.

 

If you use Royal Mail low value items are delivered with just a small local tax from the Post Office.

Higher value items are held at the main sorting office in Madrid pending processing.

 

I had one such in February which they kept for six weeks and then sent back because, it had been in their office for too long, even though they had all the correct documents.

 

Now it seems they have changed the rules again, I have another package in Madrid and have five days to provide all the paperwork correctly filled in, if not they can destroy the parcel.

 

So that's the EU at its best, I have double checked with a translator that everything has been filled in correctly so now its time to keep my fingers crossed and hope that they are going to play fair.

Edited September 29, 2021 by richard.h
grammer

[richard.h]

Spanish Import

Well my parcel arrived this morning after I managed to get the paperwork and payment sorted out but it was a scary moment when I realised that the only other option besides delivery was to destroy it rather than return it.

 

The next difficulty is the cost, the item was 141.00 pounds to buy and importation was 70.00euros made up of Spanish VAT and import duties so I am going to have to more selective on what I order in the future at those rates.

 

Still never mind it's a funny world we live in post Brexit and Covid with lots of new problems for everyone so in the words of a Mr Churchill I will just have to K.B.O.

[richard.h]

Here's a video of my recent weathering of a Fowler Tank  Engine using a slightly different method from normal.

 

 

[Edward]

very nice result.  Thanks for your informative video: the loco I think, really looks the part and blends in realistically with rest of the rolling stock.

[richard.h]

I've never been able to post a track plan of the layout because there never was one, it was all worked section by section to an overall idea I had and gradually evolved.

Anyway here is a video which does show the layout in full and then concentrates on some of the details.

 

 

 

[richard.h]

Fresh from it's trip through the works The Welsh Guardsman prepares to leave the shed.

 

 

And after turning.

 

 

 

Makes it's way out to take over The Thames-Clyde Express.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by richard.h
double photo

[richard.h]

Concentrating on the freight side of Railway Operations we first take a look a 9F as it makes its way through Oxenholme.

 

 

It's hauling a train of  (new to me) 21ton mineral wagons.

 

[richard.h]

As the 9F clears the Station we next see it crossing Felldale Viaduct.

 

 

It was only after taking the photos I realised that the lamps hadn't been fitted, they are now, honest.

 

 

 

[richard.h]

• The wagons shown in the previous photos are a rake of the recently released  21ton mineral wagons.

• With over twenty wagons to weather I needed to use simple ways to do this that wouldn't take too much time.

  The following video shows the methods used.

 

 

 

[richard.h]

The next Loco through is a WD with a long train of loaded coal wagons.

 

 

And, here it's held at the signal awaiting the arrival of a Banking Engine.

 

 

[richard.h]

Before starting the climb the WD needs banking assistance with such a long train of coal wagons.

 

And now a BR Standard Class 4 arrive to help.

 

[richard.h]

And here is the ultimate Heavy Goods Loco, a Garratt making it's way towards the Station.

 

 

 

And as it passes through we get another shot of it.

 

 

It is not hauling it's usual load of coal trucks this time but is acting as relief engine on a long goods train.

 

 

[richard.h]

Just to finish off the section on Heavy Freight Locos here is a short video showing some of them at work.

 

 

[Edward]

Beautifully rendered operation, great sense of place and time. I especially liked seeing the driver going slower and slower hoping the "bobby" will pull off the signal before he gets there!