Wolverhampton West Park - A run down city terminus

[turtlebah]

Drawings for the West Park infrastructure are now complete, which took way longer than anticipated 

 

 

A BR Standard Class 7 waits for a clear road to proceed to Crewe via Stafford with the West Park portion of a service bound for the North West.  The 56xx is on station pilot duty today and waits patiently in the centre road for an incoming Shrewsbury service and the subsequent stock moves.

 

[Calidore]

Drawings look great! I find those kind of plans endlessly interesting to pore over, whether for real buildings or for models. The Brit does look the business there too, I hadn’t realised it before but I think what gives this such a nice ‘main line’ feel is the wide track spacing. Looks fab.

 

Adam

[turtlebah]

10 hours ago, Calidore said:

Drawings look great! I find those kind of plans endlessly interesting to pore over, whether for real buildings or for models. The Brit does look the business there too, I hadn’t realised it before but I think what gives this such a nice ‘main line’ feel is the wide track spacing. Looks fab.

 

Adam

 

Hi Adam,

 

In hindsight, the drawings were the easy bit.  I've now got to build the bloomin things (and to match the drawings - eeek)! 

 

I just love the Class 7 locomotives!  Not very pretty, but they definitely look the business.  Unfortunately my Class 7 has by now been relegated to secondary passenger workings.

[turtlebah]

Unfortunately before I can progress with buildings there is a bit of remedial work to do...

 

The cross over at the end of Platform 3 really needs ripping up and replacing, but i don't have the heart to do that at this stage of the West Park's development.  The two points that comprise the crossover were the first i ever hand built and my point making skills certainly improved as the layout progressed.  I figure that tightening the guide rails (see below that one has already been removed) should help some of the locomotives stop riding the crossover fork, which is happening a fair bit now (more so with Hornby than Bachmann or Heljan locomotives).

 

I suspect the real problem is a bit of wonky gauging between the two points so when i do eventually replace the whole crossover i would do two things differently to help combat this...Firstly, build the points in situ and not directly on to the C&L paper template, and secondly, build the whole crossover as one section of track rather than two separate points.

 

It actually worked fine when originally laid, but a combination of a hot train room and slight changes to the track positioning whilst ballasting and the replacement of one of the crossings has meant that the derailments are starting to increase in frequency.  Time to nip it in the bud (sort of).

 

 

In addition, one of my other points has a dead spot where a bit of solder connecting the outer rail and point blade has clearly come loose.  Fixing this one is going to be a little fiddly.

 

As only my second ever layout attempt and my first with hand build finescale track it's all a learning experience (1 step forward 3 steps back)! 

Edited April 27, 2020 by turtlebah

[danstercivicman]

14 hours ago, turtlebah said:

Drawings for the West Park infrastructure are now complete, which took way longer than anticipated 

 

 

A BR Standard Class 7 waits for a clear road to proceed to Crewe via Stafford with the West Park portion of a service bound for the North West.  The 56xx is on station pilot duty today and waits patiently in the centre road for an incoming Shrewsbury service and the subsequent stock moves.

 

 

Stunning weathering  

[saxokid]

Some very nice work throughout ...

[turtlebah]

7 hours ago, saxokid said:

Some very nice work throughout ...

 

Thanks Saxokid.  Itching to get on with the next phase, but putting off the remedial work 

 

Enjoyed catching up on your flask depot this morning - it's come on a lot since i last check in 

[turtlebah]

The order for the laser cut building and infrastructure shells has been placed with York Modelmaking!  Very excited to see the end results in a few weeks time.

 

I had a spare hour this afternoon and so managed to get stuck into some of the remedial work on the crossover.

 

 

I replaced the guide rails giving tighter clearance, which seems to have helped send almost all engines across the points without riding the crossover.

 

I also resoldered the switch blades on the point at the station throat end to give a bit of extra clearance as a few locos were riding up here too.

 

All fine now apart from my Hornby Black 5 that still can’t navigate the crossover.   However, I can’t see an operational need that would ever result in the Black 5 needing to crossover and even if I made perfect point work I’m sure it would still find a way to jump the points.  Pretty convinced the gauging is a little loose on my model.

 

Hope everyone managed to get some modelling in this weekend 

[turtlebah]

A new arrival on shed today.  6439 needs a bit of extra weathering and some details fitting.  I probably need to have a little play with the chuff rates and random sounds as well (they're a bit too random and loud at the moment).

 

Unfortunately this is a rare outing on a passenger service, as primarily she'll be station pilot going forwards.  Been desperate to get one of the panniers up and running to fulfil this duty.

 

Apologies for the solder in the foreground 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by turtlebah

[bgman]

We love Panniers ! 

Well most do I think, nice addition.

 

G

[chuffinghell]

4 minutes ago, bgman said:

We love Panniers ! 

Well most do I think, nice addition.

 

G

You can never have too many Panniers

[turtlebah]

10 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

You can never have too many Panniers

 

That's good to know because I've got another on the workbench awaiting overhaul 

Edited May 7, 2020 by turtlebah

[Lacathedrale]

Looks really really lovely - with the mockups of the bridge and throat it looks even better!

[RichardV]

Interesting to read about a fictitious station inserted into the town in which I grew up. It looks like the layout's coming together well. I hope you get more time to work on it soon.

[turtlebah]

Work's pretty busy this week so there's no real time for modelling, but hopefully the laser cut shells for the station, road bridges, retaining walls and warehouses should be arriving next week so there will be plenty to crack on with (providing work is a little less busy).

 

After nearly completing all remedial works and getting the track working the next major project will be mocking up the signal box.  The example in the background of this picture (Truro Bachmann special edition for Kernow) is far too mainline west country for a tight terminus set in Birmingham.  Hopefully I'll post some pictures later this week.

 

Llanfair Grange takes on water before heading off for turning after bringing in a local stopper from Shrewsburys.  A class 101 arrives in the background on a local service from Stafford.

 

 

I've also started building more cassettes and hope to get the rest of the fiddle yard wired up this weekend.  It'll be nice to show trains leaving platforms other than P1 & P2! 

 

[turtlebah]

On 07/05/2020 at 15:02, Lacathedrale said:

Looks really really lovely - with the mockups of the bridge and throat it looks even better!

 

Thanks Lacathedrale.  Hoping to get some more permanent fixtures in place soon and then it’ll be easier to picture the final details and how it all comes together.

 

Enjoyed catching up on your Holborn Viaduct today - a man after my own heart modelling an urban terminus!  Secretly i wished that i had the foresight to build West Park atop of railway arches.   Looking forward seeing that one progress...

[turtlebah]

On 10/05/2020 at 16:03, RichardV said:

Interesting to read about a fictitious station inserted into the town in which I grew up. It looks like the layout's coming together well. I hope you get more time to work on it soon.

 

Thanks, RIchard.  I do hope i get some more time soon too - juggling a 6 month old and a job doesn’t always lend itself to modelling free time.

 

As a resident of the area, if you have any insight on historical railway workings please do share!

Edited May 12, 2020 by turtlebah

[RichardV]

21 hours ago, turtlebah said:

 

Thanks, RIchard.  I do hope i get some more time soon too - juggling a 6 month old and a job doesn’t always lend itself to modelling free time.

 

As a resident of the area, if you have any insight on historical railway workings please do share!

 

Sounds hectic.

 

i'm afraid I'm too young to have first hand knowledge of operations in the era in which West Park is set, but over the years I've come across useful information in books and so on, particularly British Railway Pictorial: Black Country by Paul Collins, and part two of Bob Pixton's two part study of the OW&W (which covers Worcester to Wolverhampton).

 

In about the last decade or so of steam in the area, local services on ex GW lines (including Wolverhampton - Dudley - Stourbridge) were generally formed of three coach sets of GW design non corridor stock (which I've seen referred to as an E set) formed C-BS-S (marshalled with the first class section of the C and brake compartment of the BS adjacent). The Warwickshire Railways website has a several photos of these, mainly on Birmingham Moor Street to Stratford services. Here are a few:

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1502.htm

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1519.htm

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1505.htm

As shown in the third photo, strengthening vehicles were added when necessary (though the Mk 1 BCK in that photo seems a very odd choice), and I've seen photos of two E sets coupled (though that would be too long for West Park ). These were replaced on some routes from 1957 by three car Derby Suburban DMUs (later class 116).

 

A couple of particular workings that may interest you spring to mind. In 1964 there was a semi fast to Chester that began at Wolverhampton Low Level at 1655; it left from a bay platform, was formed of three coaches, and was hauled by a 4-6-0. It seems an ideal working to begin at West Park instead. Here are a couple of photos on its last day of operation:

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1356627

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/337126

In the Bob Pixton book I mentioned above, there are two photos from the early 60s of the 1655 Stourbridge Junction to Worcester which show a Palethorpe's 6 wheel sausage van marshalled behind the loco. The van would have come from the Palethorpe's factory in Dudley. Therefore, if you fancy adding an interesting vehicle, you could have a Palethorpe's van arrive from Dudley, maybe as part of a passenger train, then either shunt it to a siding or send it on (possibly to Bridgnorth?) attached to another passenger train.

 

Apologies if you already know all this: I just thought it might provide food for thought in case you don't.

[turtlebah]

20 hours ago, RichardV said:

 

Sounds hectic.

 

i'm afraid I'm too young to have first hand knowledge of operations in the era in which West Park is set, but over the years I've come across useful information in books and so on, particularly British Railway Pictorial: Black Country by Paul Collins, and part two of Bob Pixton's two part study of the OW&W (which covers Worcester to Wolverhampton).

 

In about the last decade or so of steam in the area, local services on ex GW lines (including Wolverhampton - Dudley - Stourbridge) were generally formed of three coach sets of GW design non corridor stock (which I've seen referred to as an E set) formed C-BS-S (marshalled with the first class section of the C and brake compartment of the BS adjacent). The Warwickshire Railways website has a several photos of these, mainly on Birmingham Moor Street to Stratford services. Here are a few:

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1502.htm

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1519.htm

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1505.htm

As shown in the third photo, strengthening vehicles were added when necessary (though the Mk 1 BCK in that photo seems a very odd choice), and I've seen photos of two E sets coupled (though that would be too long for West Park ). These were replaced on some routes from 1957 by three car Derby Suburban DMUs (later class 116).

 

A couple of particular workings that may interest you spring to mind. In 1964 there was a semi fast to Chester that began at Wolverhampton Low Level at 1655; it left from a bay platform, was formed of three coaches, and was hauled by a 4-6-0. It seems an ideal working to begin at West Park instead. Here are a couple of photos on its last day of operation:

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1356627

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/337126

In the Bob Pixton book I mentioned above, there are two photos from the early 60s of the 1655 Stourbridge Junction to Worcester which show a Palethorpe's 6 wheel sausage van marshalled behind the loco. The van would have come from the Palethorpe's factory in Dudley. Therefore, if you fancy adding an interesting vehicle, you could have a Palethorpe's van arrive from Dudley, maybe as part of a passenger train, then either shunt it to a siding or send it on (possibly to Bridgnorth?) attached to another passenger train.

 

Apologies if you already know all this: I just thought it might provide food for thought in case you don't.

 

Richard, what a wealth of useful information - thank you so much.  I will certainly be adding the semi-fast to Chester on to the timetable going forwards (maybe even a service to Woodside too).  

I've also just order several new books thanks to your post 

 

Looking forward to the Dapol large prairies, which will hopefully be released soon, to recreate the Snow Hill services and hoping to devise a suitable timetable at some point to help with running sessions.

[turtlebah]

The model room is a total tip at the moment and needs a good sort out.  The whole process of moving the layout a few feet off the back wall so i could get to the fiddle yard behind and start work on wiring up the lines into platforms 1 and 2 has created whole world of mess.  I did find some missing files and screwdrivers under a pile of plasticard offcuts though.  The whole thing needs a bloody good sort out starting this evening after the little one has gone down (luckily she’s sleeping like a trooper now!).

 

Really not sure what the most reliable way to wire up cassettes is...For my first attempt i tried wedging a copper connector under a screw as You slot the cassette into place, but the connection can be a bit dodgy.  I’m thinking of going for crocodile clips on to wired up nails for my next attempt.  Unfortunately i only have about 15mm at most between cassettes given how tight the lines are in the station throat.

 

 

I did finally get my old Hornby 28xx decodered and sound chipped courtesy of John at YouChoos.  She’ll hopefully make it out for a spin on the layout this evening.  Along with the 9F, it’s highly unlikely that either would have ever been in charge of a small warehouse frieght into a secondary urban terminus, but i just love heavy freight locos.

 

Hopefully one day I’ll have a layout space that means I’m able to run prototypical freight trains.

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by turtlebah

[bgman]

Sometimes a sort out / tip can be a bonus in finding some things you thought had been lost !

 

Having sold about 90% of my 4mm stock ( now running O Gauge ) I couldn't part with my two 28xx's, one of which was an ok runner until I fitted a Zimo sound decoder then it ran superbly. I was lucky enough to have space in my old gaff to run a full goods behind the 28xx's which is something I had always wanted to do.

 

I hope you're pleased with the conversion and enjoy it !

 

Looking forward to more in the thread.

 

G

[turtlebah]

After much messing about over the weekend i finally came up with a working solution to the fiddle yard!!!

 

In the end I decided to create a support bar going across the running lines with pin connectors that the cassettes can clip into, rather than relying on the track and track clips to create a power connection.  It’s so much more robust than the running line i previously had wired up to platform 3, which only used screw contacts to complete an electrical circuit.  It is also much less fiddly.

 

 

The video below is a bit different for once in that it just shows some the work completed this afternoon rather than any real West Park workings.  I’ve only worked up two cassettes so far, but they can now be used on any of the lines into platforms 1, 2 and 3.  We now have a fully operational layout!  Very much looking forward to a proper running session when time permits.

 

I’ve got 3 additional cassettes ready to build (two of which can hold a loco and three coaches where previously any three coach trains couldn’t run fully out of shot under the road bridge).  I have got a couple of four coach + 1 loco cassettes, which unfortunately do not fit on the layout, but i thought would be useful at exhibitions.

 

The track needs a bloody good clean after the work’s been completed and before any future running sessions.  I’ve heard that giving the track a run over with graphite after cleaning can really help running quality!?  I will have to give it a try...

 

 

 

The 28xx also made a cheeky appearance, but I’ve got a fair bit of work to do before it’s fully ready for service.  Fitting the speaker involved hacking half the tender innards out so there’s a bit of remedial work required after which real coal and weathering can commence.

Edited May 18, 2020 by turtlebah

[turtlebah]

On 16/05/2020 at 21:38, bgman said:

Sometimes a sort out / tip can be a bonus in finding some things you thought had been lost !

 

Having sold about 90% of my 4mm stock ( now running O Gauge ) I couldn't part with my two 28xx's, one of which was an ok runner until I fitted a Zimo sound decoder then it ran superbly. I was lucky enough to have space in my old gaff to run a full goods behind the 28xx's which is something I had always wanted to do.

 

I hope you're pleased with the conversion and enjoy it !

 

Looking forward to more in the thread.

 

G

 

Yes G, definitely a bonus.  I’d been looking for one of those files for weeks .

 

I too almost exclusively fit Zimo decoders - the running is super smooth and I’m dead chuffed with the conversion.  However, it will look a little out of place trundling into West Park with 5 or 6 box vans in tow.  Modellers license and all that though.

 

Well done on moving over to the dark side (7mm)!  One day, once my modelling skills are considerably less brash, i might have a dabble.  Although there’s a couple of bigger 4mm projects I’d like to have a crack at before then.

[turtlebah]

@RichardV look what arrived in the post this morning courtesy of your recommendation! 

 

It's a fantastic book and full of inspiration for short formation secondary services around the Wolverhampton and Birmingham area.

 

For example, there's a Castle on a 3 coach stopper service from Worcester to Wolverhampton, a Jubilee on a Worcester to Stourbridge stopper, and many Hall's on Birmingham to Hereford and Worcester services (all 4 coaches).  There's even a patriot in charge of a 3 coach plus sausage van stopper from Stourbridge to Worcester.  All of which could be translated into a Wolverhampton West Park timetable.  I'd never even thought of owning a Patriot!

 

One thing for sure is that i definitely need a couple of large prairies, once they are released by Dapol (and money permits ), to deal with the local services.  They seemed to get everywhere!

 

 

 

[turtlebah]

Knocked up a few more cassettes last night.  I’ve probably got enough for a good running session now.  I’ve also run out of pin connectors before I can make up the remaining cassettes.

 

In addition I had to fit some plates for the cassettes to slip under (visible on the middle road below) as some were a slightly different height, which a few locos struggled with overcoming.  I knew those extra copper sleepers from C&L would come in handy! 

 

 

Unfortunately I’ve realised that the tie bar on the crossover I’ve previously referenced is going to have to be replaced.  The point motor keeps getting stuck won’t throw because it’s all a bit tight.  It’ll be a fiddly job, but one that is totally necessary.

Edited May 19, 2020 by turtlebah