Gresley Junction

[great northern]

8 minutes ago, 31A said:

 

Hi Andy,

 

Didn't realise you were planning on doing lots!  You've got a lot more coaches than I have.  I tend to pick them up one at a time when I'm doing a coach.  Perhaps you could copy the design, making the end plates from black Plastikard or even card?  Point being, I have found the design works very well whilst also looking realistic.

 

I agree, which is why I have cut mine back to that length.

[thegreenhowards]

59 minutes ago, 31A said:

 

Hi Andy,

 

Didn't realise you were planning on doing lots!  You've got a lot more coaches than I have.  I tend to pick them up one at a time when I'm doing a coach.  Perhaps you could copy the design, making the end plates from black Plastikard or even card?  Point being, I have found the design works very well whilst also looking realistic.

 

I have over 100 Bachmann and Hornby Mark 1s. It was doing all that lot which needed the more cost effective solution (75% done now). For a one off on a kit built coach the extra money is not an issue. 
 

It’s only come up now because of trying to fit Hunt couplings and how they interact with the corridor connectors.

Edited January 7, 2021 by thegreenhowards

[thegreenhowards]

This evening I feature the 1719 Royston -KX which was a standard corridor 6 set with three non corridor seconds added at Hitchin. The CWN suggests that this is the only working of the day for this set. Empty from Cambridge to Royston, work to KX and then empty to Holloway. It’s no wonder the railways lost money with utilisation like that! This evening it’s headed by class 24, D5054, here approaching Gresley Jn.

 

 

 

and at rest in platform 5.

 

Here’s the video, which is the only way you’ll be able to see that I actually added the strengthening on the rear if

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

Another New England- Ferme Park Class F goods today headed By O2, 63954.

 

This is another combo of some assorted goods wagons up front and a tail of half my loaded coal train. Another view of the O2 - they’re so graceful for a heavy goods loco.

 

Here’s an aerial view of the train.

 

 

And a view of the train departing.

 

 

Finally the video showing the train approaching the outskirts of Gresley Jn.

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

This evening I feature the 1752 KX-Cambridge/ Peterborough. This is the train which was double headed as far as Hitchin in the early fifties with the two locos taking the respective portions forward from Hitchin. Later in the ‘50s the 1739 was double headed instead (as we saw last week) with a single B1, 61138 today, on this service. Here is is emerging from Canal tunnel.

 

 

And now at rest in platform 2.

 

This was an eleven coach train, with a standard Cambridge outer suburban 6 set on the front and a standard Peterborough 5 set behind. This proved quite a struggle for my unweighted Hornby B1 so the get away in the video is not very smooth. I think I will have a revert to double heading this train in future or pack my B1 with lead.

 

 

[Clive Mortimore]

32 minutes ago, thegreenhowards said:

This evening I feature the 1752 KX-Cambridge/ Peterborough. This is the train which was double headed as far as Hitchin in the early fifties with the two locos taking the respective portions forward from Hitchin. Later in the ‘50s the 1739 was double headed instead (as we saw last week) with a single B1, 61138 today, on this service. Here is is emerging from Canal tunnel.

 

 

And now at rest in platform 2.

 

This was an eleven coach train, with a standard Cambridge outer suburban 6 set on the front and a standard Peterborough 5 set behind. This proved quite a struggle for my unweighted Hornby B1 so the get away in the video is not very smooth. I think I will have a revert to double heading this train in future or pack my B1 with lead.

 

 

It needs a Baby Deltic on the front.

[jwealleans]

6 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

It needs a Baby Deltic on the front.

 

Last thing it needs is more dead weight if the B1's already struggling.

[thegreenhowards]

14 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

It needs a Baby Deltic on the front.

 

8 hours ago, jwealleans said:

 

Last thing it needs is more dead weight if the B1's already struggling.

Nice idea Clive, that would certainly sort the problem!

 

Jonathan, the Heljan Baby Deltic is not very prototypical in that it’s reliable and pulls well! 

 

Sadly for Clive’s idea, this train changed format completely in 1959 just before the diesels arrived, so it would be hard to justify.

[stewartingram]

I've seen many comments from former railcrew that the Baby Deltics were far more reliable than the normal enthusiast thinks. Just think British Leyland and Baby Deltic in the same breath - I know from a lifetime experience that BL is nowhere near as bad as the media pretends!

 

Stewart

[thegreenhowards]

23 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

I've seen many comments from former railcrew that the Baby Deltics were far more reliable than the normal enthusiast thinks. Just think British Leyland and Baby Deltic in the same breath - I know from a lifetime experience that BL is nowhere near as bad as the media pretends!

 

Stewart

Stewart,

 

I'm sure that's true of the period after they were rebuilt (i.e. when they came back with centre headcode panels). I think they were mainly withdrawn eventually because they were non standard rather than very unreliable.

 

However for the period I am depicting (up to '62) in their unrebuilt state, I think they were pretty unreliable. Isn't that why they were all laid up for a while and then rebuilt? Do you think otherwise?

 

Andy

[stewartingram]

I mostly experienced them at Cambridge, I went to the County High School on Hills Road, and saw them daily on the CBE & other KGX trains. I don't honestly  have any knowledge of delays or failures, we saw the trains at regular times in our breaks and lunchtimes without fail.

[thegreenhowards]

It’s 1835 at Gresley Jn which means we’re in the middle of the evening peak so there will be a lot of suburban trains over the next few moves. If you don’t like quad arts and Mk 1 non corridor stock then look away now.

 

This is the return of the Broad St to Welwyn Garden City which we saw a few moves back. So N2, 69498 again with the quad art set. I’m concentrating on the North of the station as the quad arts don’t often make it past Gresley Jn.

 

 

 

 

And the video.

 

 

Andy

[thegreenhowards]

More suburban workings today. @Clive Mortimore and @stewartingram were singing the praises of a baby Deltics so they’ll be pleased to see ex works D5900 on the 1745 Broad St to Gresley Jn today. Here it is approaching platform 4.

 

and now at rest.

 

 

The video shows the approach. I rather ‘over zoomed’ so it’s a bit grainy I’m afraid.

 

[thegreenhowards]

Another suburban train this evening, the 1758 KX-Welwyn Garden City. This service was formed of a quad art strengthened with a non corridor second. It should really be quad art set 85, the only one which retained First Class, but that must be in works today! It is headed tonight by N2, 69574, here seen approaching platform 2.

 

And now at rest at the platform.

 

The N2 is scratch built I think. It is made from very heavy duty brass. I picked it up for next to nothing at a show in 2018 and replaced the course scale wheels and old motor and repainted it. It represents one of the later, Hawthorn Leslie built batch unlike the Hornby ones. 

Edited January 13, 2021 by thegreenhowards

[thegreenhowards]

Today we see the arrival of the 1842 branch service from Ivatt pushed by C12, 67374.

 

 

 

Now at rest in platform 6.

 

 

This is the last service of the day for this set, so the C12 shunts the coaches into a siding as shown in the video. I’ve now squeezed a sound chip into the C12 so I hope you enjoy it. The uninitiated amongst you who don’t like sound will just have to turn the volume down!

 

Finally having left its coaches in the siding, 67374 heads to the coaling plant to top up for tomorrow’s services.

 

Edited January 14, 2021 by thegreenhowards

[thegreenhowards]

A break from suburban trains today with yet another New England- Ferme Park Class F. I believe that some of these paths were used for loaded coal trains, so that’s what we’ve got. Today it’s headed by a new engine, WD2-8-0 90246, a New England regular.

This is my recently purchased and repaired Bachmann 90015 renumbered (as 90015 didn’t make it to New England until the late crest era).

 

Frustratingly this WD couldn’t manage my full coal rake which the other WDs and my 9F and O2s manage OK. So I had to knock 8 wagons off the back - still a respectable load, but I think this one will be dedicated to lighter duties in future. I’ve worked out how to make my phone do focus lock. So this one is focussed on the middle of the train. It means more of it is in focus but the front of the loco is slightly soft. Which do people prefer?

 

 

Here’s a video to show the full train.

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

A bit of glamour today with the passage of the up White Rose from Leeds/ Bradford. It’s headed today by Doncaster A1, 60119, Patrick Stirling,

 

 

Here is a view of the whole 12 coach train on the viaduct.

 

 

I’m pleased to report that this train is fully fitted with Hunt magnetic couplings and worked very well. Since I last reported on this, I’ve received some intermediate and standard (i.e. long) couplings. I’ve fitted these to the problems coaches - mainly the ones using old style Bachmann Thompson donor bodies and the long ones work perfectly. The intermediate seem tight but seem to work as well. Once these have been fitted, putting these rakes together is very easy - a big improvement on tension locks. It’s working out quite expensive though - I’ve spent over £100 on it so far. It works out at just over £1 per coach which I suppose it very reasonable; I’ve just got too many coaches!

 

This train has a couple of Thompson catering cars which are worth a closer look. They’re Comet (RSP) and SPM (RF) sides on Bachmann donors.

 

There is also a prototype Mark 1 which was a regular in the White Rose for a few years in the late ‘50s/ early ‘60s. It’s a 7 compartment SK built by Doncaster. I used a Replica FO bodyshell (the Hornby one wasn’t available at the time) which had the correct window and door spacing. The only main mod was the the toilet window on the corridor side. 

 

 

Here’s the video.

 

Andy

Edited January 16, 2021 by thegreenhowards
Adding video

[jwealleans]

Andy, is the marshalling of the RF/RSP deliberate?   I thought that where possible they were placed such that kitchen and pantry were adjacent, which makes sense on several levels.

[thegreenhowards]

Jonathan,

 

Yes it was deliberate....but probably wrong! I dithered long and hard over it. The reason they’re like they are is that they have ‘King’s Cross- Leeds’ roof boards on this side and ‘The Norseman’ roof boards on the other side. The CWN showed the RF leading with the RSP behind. So I had three choices:

1. Put them in the right order with the kitchen and pantry separated (as a one) but the correct roof boards;

2. Put them in the wrong order (RSP leading) with the kitchen and pantry together  and the correct roof boards; or

3. Turn them round, so that they are in the right order with the pantry and kitchen together but with the wrong coach roof boards.

 

I suspected that what I did was wrong but wasn’t 100% sure, so I thought I’d stick it on like that and see if anyone commented. I figured that it would be Gilbert, Andrew (Headstock) or you who pulled me up if I was wrong. Often the CWN states ‘Kitchen North end’ or similar but it didn’t in this case which made me think that I may not be wrong.

 

Looking at the photos the roof boards are almost illegible, so I would have probably got away with option 3. But I would have known! 
 

Thanks for bringing it up. Now I need to find another way of modelling this train - I may need detachable roof boards!

 

Andy

[St Enodoc]

24 minutes ago, thegreenhowards said:

Jonathan,

 

Yes it was deliberate....but probably wrong! I dithered long and hard over it. The reason they’re like they are is that they have ‘King’s Cross- Leeds’ roof boards on this side and ‘The Norseman’ roof boards on the other side. The CWN showed the RF leading with the RSP behind. So I had three choices:

1. Put them in the right order with the kitchen and pantry separated (as a one) but the correct roof boards;

2. Put them in the wrong order (RSP leading) with the kitchen and pantry together  and the correct roof boards; or

3. Turn them round, so that they are in the right order with the pantry and kitchen together but with the wrong coach roof boards.

 

I suspected that what I did was wrong but wasn’t 100% sure, so I thought I’d stick it on like that and see if anyone commented. I figured that it would be Gilbert, Andrew (Headstock) or you who pulled me up if I was wrong. Often the CWN states ‘Kitchen North end’ or similar but it didn’t in this case which made me think that I may not be wrong.

 

Looking at the photos the roof boards are almost illegible, so I would have probably got away with option 3. But I would have known! 
 

Thanks for bringing it up. Now I need to find another way of modelling this train - I may need detachable roof boards!

 

Andy

4. Build another pair.

 

Just saying.

[thegreenhowards]

4 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

4. Build another pair.

 

Just saying.

I did think of that! Seriously a blood and custard pair would be nice. I could use them on a 1956 all Thompson version of the Norseman and keep the maroon ones for Leeds trains. But they’re well down to do list and I was thinking that Hunt couplings would let me cut back on some of my coaching fleet by making it all more adaptable.

 

Andy

 

 

[St Enodoc]

13 minutes ago, thegreenhowards said:

I did think of that! Seriously a blood and custard pair would be nice. I could use them on a 1956 all Thompson version of the Norseman and keep the maroon ones for Leeds trains. But they’re well down to do list and I was thinking that Hunt couplings would let me cut back on some of my coaching fleet by making it all more adaptable.

 

Andy

 

 

Magnetic couplings...

 

How about magnetic destination boards? A bit of fridge magnet material stuck inside the roof and tinplate boards (or the other way round) might be strong enough. Worth a try?

[thegreenhowards]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Magnetic couplings...

 

How about magnetic destination boards? A bit of fridge magnet material stuck inside the roof and tinplate boards (or the other way round) might be strong enough. Worth a try?

It would be a huge fag for all my Mark 1s, but could well be worth trying on the catering cores. I’ll see what I can do. Anyone got any tips?

[jwealleans]

What are the roof boards made of?  If they're rigid enough to be taken off and then reapplied, I'd try a small amount of tacky wax.

[Tony Teague]

What about DCC controlled electronic roof boards - could provide for multiple destinations & trains!