Lower Thames Yard

[Tallpaul69]

1 hour ago, 5BarVT said:

After posting I remembered those terraces, and there may have been a wide way between the main lines along there so back to the train being on the Up Relief.  (It’s 40 years since I travelled that line very frequently.)

Paul.

Thanks Nick and Paul,

I looked this morning at the 2.5in OS. Partly because I wanted to support my east of Maidenhead theory to allow more fish vans at Maidenhead, I hadn't looked west of Maidenhead station!

I thought I was onto something when I found "Railway Cottages" to the west of Taplow station, but on closer inspection I realized that they were too far from the lines, at an angle to the lines and too short for the terrace as I saw it in the photo!

There are a couple of other candidates to the east of Taplow, but I think your theories are the best.

 

Looking at the 25inch OS in the GWJ No36 of Autumn 2000 on Maidenhead, there is a SP opposite the end of the terrace of houses, so the train could be held at that, although the photo of the West Box up Home signal in the above article would suggest the other signal was a distant.  But maybe it was practice to stop at a distance against you rather than to slow, if you could see that the home was also down?

 

I might dig out my HST Cab video and see what that shows, but knowing my luck there will be a break in the sequence or a train going the other way at the crucial time.

 

So looks like if I want more fish vans that I will have to "adjust" the composition of my train under Rule 1!

 

Cheers

Paul

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon to all on RMWeb,

For a change, here in Bedfordshire it is sunny with little wind, so we have spent the morning on spring cleaning the raised vegetable beds ready for the courgette plants from last years left over seed that are currently threatening to take over the greenhouse!

 

I am just deciding what this week's modelling saga on this thread will be after boring everyone last week with the saga of the 0720 Reading to Slough Fish train? 

I might go for the 2010 Maidenhead to Reading Parcels, which is made up of parcels vans that went up the High Wycombe Branch on the 0540 Reading to Princes Risborough parcels after it reversed at Maidenhead, then return singly down the branch on the afternoon passenger trains.

Hopefully then by the end of the week I should have finished a few jobs on that set of stock and the Fish train set of stock  so I can put up pics of both next weekend!

 

So, I had better get on with things!

 

Stay safe, well and happy modelling,

Best regards

Paul  

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon one and all,

This week I am starting with the vehicles of the 2010 Maidenhead to Reading Parcels as detailed in the 1961 Carriage Working book, as well as details of the vans that I intend to use to portray this working.

 

The basic working comprised 4 vans:-

 

a) The first van is a GUV. This starts its day according to the carriage Working Book from Paddington on the 0533 parcels to Oxford. There is a problem with this as the van is to be detached at Maidenhead to join the 0540 Reading to Princes Risborough Parcels to get to High Wycombe. The problem is that the 0533 is timed by the WTT to pass Maidenhead at 0620, which is the time the 0540 Parcels is due to leave Maidenhead from the branch platform!

So in my model world the van leaves Paddington on the 0430 Paddington to Westbury News due to stop at Maidenhead on the relief line from 0515 to 0520.

The Carriage Working Book says this van should be a GUV or similar type end door vehicle. (I assume this is to cater for loading at an end dock at High Wycombe?)

The van returns to Maidenhead from High Wycombe attached to the 1850 High Wycombe to Maidenhead Passenger.   

The ultimate destination of this GUV is Crewe. It leaves Reading on the 2030 Greenford to Parcels which shunts in Reading from 2019 to 2115.

I have yet to work out how this van gets back from Crewe to Paddington. I guess there were two of them on a two day cycle?

I will use a Lima or a Lima/Hornby GUV to model this.

 

b) The next van is a "van"  which started its day at Paddington  attached to the 1138 Paddington to Didcot parcels which dropped it at Maidenhead when it stopped from 1207 to 1212. It was then put in the East Siding until being picked up around 1400 by a class 121, and deposited in the branch platform while the 121 took a trip to Bourne end at 1412 before leaving with the van for Aylesbury at 1506. The van returned on the 1825 Aylesbury to Maidenhead. Once back at Reading, it reached Didcot on the 2030 Greenford to Birkenhead Parcels. I have yet to sort out how the van got back from Didcot to Paddington, or whether it started its day early at Didcot?

I might use a Dapol Fruit D or a Bachmann BR CCT to model this.

 

c) Then there is a Brake Van which started its day at Reading on the 0540 Reading Parcels , joining the Van (b) above at Aylesbury, and stayed coupled to it for the rest of the day until they both got to Reading in the evening.

I have yet to decide whether to use a Hornby Hawksworth, or a Bachmann, BG to model this.

 

d) Finally there was a van (probably a Syphon G), which had started its day at Chippenham full of milk in churns destined for Aylesbury, before joining the 0540 Reading Parcels, but  was emptied more quickly at Aylesbury so returned empty to Maidenhead on the 1642 Aylesbury to Maidenhead Passenger. This van then started its journey back to Chippenham from Reading on the 2230 Paddington to Penzance Parcels which stopped in Reading from 1133 to 12 Midnight.

I will use either a Lima or an Airfix Syphon G to model this. 

 

As you can see from the above, these four vehicles had quite different and involved daily or two daily cycles.  However, this does, I think, illustrate that we should be careful about running simple out and back trips for our Parcels vans?

 

Best regards

Paul

Edited May 5, 2020 by Tallpaul69
I found a mistake in section (c)

[Tallpaul69]

Following on from yesterday's post I decided this morning to pull together the set of vans that I would use for the 2010 Maidenhead to Reading Parcels in Lower Thames Yard, (or in the smaller Lower Thames Goods Shed currently under construction it will be the 2010 Maidenhead to Southall Parcels).

 

This may sound an easy 5 minute job, but my model parcel vans are not all in one place! Some have been unloaded from their large transit boxes used in our house move, others are in fruit boxes from being stored in the garage I rented over out move period, and others are loose in drawers in a cabinet that stores unboxed stock!

So while doing this I reviewed my parcels stock and got it all together in one place, divided into categories, to make it easier to allocate stock eventually to the other parcels trains on Lower Thames Yard.

 

I should also explain that Lower Thames Goods Shed will have only this one set of vans which cover the am down Southall to Princes Risborough (will be 0540 Reading to Princes Risborough on Lower Thames Yard), attachments to up branch afternoon passengers, and  the 2010 Parcels. Otherwise there will just be a couple of Fish vans and a couple of loose Parcels vans attached to various trains!

So will post more on these vans and the work I need to do on them later in the week!

Cheers

Paul

Edited May 6, 2020 by Tallpaul69
Pressed wrong button!!

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon to you All,

 

Just three quick notes for today:-

Firstly, a correction to my discussion two days ago about the 2010 Maidenhead to Reading Parcels.

I said that van from this for Crewe was attached to the 2030 Greenford to (Birkenhead, omitted in original posting!) Parcels at Reading. This is correct, But I got its timings at Reading wrong, I should have said 2219 to 2315, not two hours earlier which would have been before it left Greenford!

Also, when in the above posting and in yesterday's posting I talked about the vans for the 0540 and 2010 parcels trains I had said that the van that ended up at Crewe started from Paddington on an early morning parcels. This will not quite work for Lower Thames Goods Shed as there is no room for a long distance parcels train.

However, I have since realised that by 1962 this van reached maidenhead behind a class 128 parcels diesel. This is very doable on Lower Thames Goods shed, apart from the fact that the only 128 I have is currently in blue, and has a lima chassis that needs an overhaul and converting to DCC!

So initially I may use my Lima/Hornby AEC Car 34, which is DCC Sound fitted. 

The Class 128 left Paddington at 0430 and returned from Maidenhead at 0525.

 

Finally, I have succeeded in doing a long outstanding repair!

I have an Airfix tank wagon in United Molasses livery, which a number of years ago shed the support wires from one side. Now I knew I had the wagon, wher I was not quite sure, but I knew the wire was separated from it.

A few weeks ago I came across the wire in a box of bits, and put it safely on a shelf with some models in our display cases, awating the location of the wagon, which I found this morning!

So now wagon and wire are reunited, which is good because I want to use this lwb tanker with its swb United Molasses companion as a shipment from the Manchester area to Mars in Slough, passing on Lower Thames Goods Shed down the High Wycombe Branch.

 

I have no idea if this is at all factual, but I like the wagons as a change from oil tanks, so will apply rule 1.

 

Once Lower Thames Yard is operational I might transfer them to a freight on the relief lines rather than the branch! 

 

Meanwhile, I hope everyone is staying safe, well, and moving forward with their models?

Best regards

Paul 

[Tallpaul69]

Hope you are all having a good Holiday Weekend?

 

As a result of yesterday's VE anniversary, little modelling got done, the day being taken up with Zooming and Wats Apping between our family groups, plus neighbourhood  happenings (all under social distancing)!

 

Looks like Lockdown is more or less staying the same, for the next three weeks, although I suspect a walk to our local Garden Centre will be programmed in, but no coffee and cake in the café, just have to take our own!

 

So I will be putting my best foot forward to get Lower Thames Goods Shed up and running. Have been playing with track for the scenic side and the fiddle yard, hope by Monday to get the two halves joined together.

I have fixed up temporary extensions to the main board, which I will adjust if necessary as I play with the track, then attach permanently once I am happy with the track plan. Also this  morning, I solved the problem of locating the controls:-

While the board was just a test track the controls, which was just my NCE PowerCab and its Power Panel, sat on the surface and both the mains cable and the track connections ran over the board. 

 

For a layout, even a temporary one, I wanted to clear the area they occupied for a bit of scenic development as the goods yard. I was stumped as I didn't want to do any more woodwork (not one of my strong points!) than was already going to be necessary to permanently extend the size of the board.

 

I had the idea of making use of the middle drawer in the desk that the main board sits on.

So what I have done is made up two short boards that I had to hand of the right length, strengthened with crossmembers, that sit against the drawer sides that sit across the open second drawer. the boards resting between the back of the front panel of the second drawer and the outside of the front panel of the top drawer. This I am calling the "shelf".

The controls will sit on this "shelf", and just a track feed will run over the front edge of the scenic area. A second track feed will run round the side of the desk and over the back edge of the layout to a connection somewhere in the fiddle yard. 

If I get as far as electrifying the fiddle yard points then I will find or make up a box to hold the switches and sit on the "shelf" beside the controller connection box.

 

I must take a photo of the "shelf" to include in a later post as my explanation above is probably not very clear?  

Later today I intend to set up for photographs, the possible consists for the 2010 Parcels, the Morning Fish train, and if I have time, the afternoon goods that I have discussed in this thread.

 

So hopefully I will have several photos to show you over the next few days.

 

Stay safe, enjoy your modelling,

Best regards

Paul

 

 

 

  

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon Everyone from a windy, wet, and chilly South Bedfordshire,

Today, as promised I have a few photos for you:-
The first, is of the Shelf arrangement to hold the controls for the small temporary Lower Thames Goods Shed Layout that I described to you in yesterday's posting. The layout board above has yet to gain a framework as I have not finalized the exact size of the layout:-

 

Next we have a distant rear view of the departing morning Fish and Parcels Train:-

 

Finally a couple of views of the 2010 Parcels Train:-

 

None of the trains have Loco or rear van lamps fitted.

I will show individual vehicles in detail during the week.

 

Stay safe, take care,

Best regards

Paul 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Tallpaul69
I missed some detail

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Today, I am going to give you some details of the Fish train which I showed in the second photo in yesterday's posting. In real life this train ran from Oxford or Reading to Slough as a Fish and Parcels Class 3. On my smaller "Goods Shed" layout it will run from the right (Slough), drop two fish vans and return in the direction it came from. Eventually on the larger "Yard" layout it will run prototypically along the up relief from the left (Reading) , drop two fish vans, and proceed on the Up relief to the right (to Slough).

 

So I have three pictures of parts of the train:-

 

The first photo shows the loco which is a standard Bachmann Pannier tank, and the first wagon a Parkside LNER Fish Van.

You may notice that I have swapped the first and second fish vans since taking the long shot of the whole train. This was because I thought the two white(!) vans looked better separated than together!

The Pannier is straight out of the box except for having a DCC chip fitted. It currently has the as supplied tension locks front and back but these will be replaced by Kadees. The loco may get a light weathering, and needs lamps for this Class 3 Train on the front.

The van which was painted and weathered by my friend Malcolm, currently has no couplings, but will get a Kadee on the front and a slim tension lock on the back as it will be semi permanently coupled to the next fish van.

The next photo shows two fish vans. The first one is a standard Bachmann weathered fish van, of similar design to the white(!) van in the previous photo, and will get a slim tension lock coupling on the front and a Kadee on the back.

The second fish van is similar two the one in photo 1 except it has the interior doors of the refrigerated version of the van. It will get a Kadee on the front and a slim tension lock on the rear as it will be semi permanently coupled to the BY in the third photo.

The third photo shows a Southern Region BY Guards Van and an ex LMS Parcels vanfit.

I chose the Southern BY as I wanted a short Passenger Rated Guards Van for this train. This follows prototype in that the only photo I have of this train in real life includes a Southern BG in the consist. While I do have a model of this, I thing the shorter BY sits better in this train of short vans than the longer bogie B in the real photo.  The BY is a standard out of the box Hornby model which I think looks ok without weathering, although this might happen in the future. The BY will retain its slim tension locks at both ends.

The last van in the train is an ex LMS vanfit labeled for ICI Fertilizer. This is a standard Bachmann weathered model with a slim tension lock on the front and a Kadee on the rear.

 

Best regards

Paul

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon fellow RMWeb watchers,

 

I had intended today to show you photos of and describe my stock for the 2010 Maidenhead to Reading Parcels, but I decided that I was not happy with the photos, probably because household things occupied more of the morning than I hyad anticipated, so I was hurrying over taking the pictures!

I will try again tomorrow when time will be easier. 

 

So, I will just give an update on a few of my recent modelling bits an pieces.

I have been getting together the stock for the third train that I intend to tell you about which is the 1042 Taplow to Thomas & Green's paper mill pick up goods.  This got back to Maidenhead at 1432, where it swapprd its loco for that which had been shunting at Maidenhead since 0930. The train conveyed empty vans to be loaded with boxed writing paper, tarpaulined opens loaded with imported grass, china clay, and a variety of other consumables and spares for the mill. 

More on this train later in the week!

 

Along the way a few minor stock repairs have been completed.

 

This morning the latest Bachmann Times arrived, tempting me with a BG converted to laboratory 23 for my 1990s version of Lower Thames Yard. However the updates on upcoming releases also reminded me that while my modelling spend has been less than planned over the last 3 months, there is a lot of preorders likely to arrive over the next couple of months. So I need to investigate the real railway's use of Lab 23 to see if it is vital for my layout, or just nice to have!

 

I hope all your modelling is making progress?

Best regards

Paul

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, Tallpaul69 said:

imported grass

Esparto grass was once imported through Watchet on the Minehead branch.

[Tallpaul69]

14 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Esparto grass was once imported through Watchet on the Minehead branch.

According to Paul Karau and Chris Turner's The Marlow Branch, the Esparto grass for Thomas and Green's was imported through Brentford Docks and sometimes amounted to 20-25 sheeted wagons!

Even on Lower Thames Yard, I won't have room to replicate that!

So on the initial outing of the Thomas and Green's train on Lower Thames Goods Shed, the grass shipment will be represented by the two (!) sheeted 5 plank wagons I currently have!

 

An interesting shipment inwards to Bourne End Yard in the 1950s was, again, according to Karau and Turner, metal radiators from Sweden in ferry wagons. Now I do have a few HO ferry wagons (not the Hornby 1960s ones!), which are in a awaiting disposal box. I might look them out and use them for variety on the afternoon "Loudwater Goods".

 

Hope all is good in Sydney?

Best regards

Paul

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon to you All,

Welcome to a sunny but chilly afternoon in South Bedfordshire, 

Today, I have recovered from yesterdays photographic hiccups, so can provide pics and text on the 2010 Parcels Train.

This train in real life ran from Maidenhead, where it gathered four vans that had come the High Wycombe Branch in ones and twos on the afternoon passenger trains, to Reading.

This I can model on Lower Thames Yard which has the Relief lines , but not on Lower Thames Goods Shed which only has the branch. So for the moment this train will leave eastwards for Slough, rather than westwards for Reading! The movement of the vans singly means they must have Kadees at both ends.

In real life it is probable that this train, like so many in the area was hauled by a 2-6-2 tank. However, on my layouts , to give variety it is hauled by a 56xx 0-6-2, as can be seen in my first photo. Like all my locos at present this lacks lamps. It could do with a bit of weathering and needs Kadees on both ends.

In contrast this is accompanied by a Dapol Fruit D in fairly filthy condition!

The next photo shows a weathered Lima CCT. This van should be a GUV, but in order to shorten the train for the "Goods Shed" layout I have used a CCT. The CCT does share with the GUV the end doors which the Carriage Working Book says this van should have, presumably for use in conjunction with an end dock somewhere? Once "Yard" is up and running I will change this for a GUV, but I don't yet have one weathered.

Next to the CCT is a Lima Syphon G. This travelled six days a week, from Chippenham to Aylesbury with milk in churns, so is returning empty on the 2010 Parcels. The bogies are lightly weathered, but may be swapped for more accurate ones which will be fully weathered. The body may well get a light weathering at the same time.

The last Photo is of a Hawksworth BG which travelled  from Reading to Aylesbury and back daily. This , apart from gaining Kadees, will remain in original finish. I tis such a fine model, I don't think I want to weather it! (Sorry for the uphill view!!)

One difficulty I have with this train is that I don't have a photo of it or its opposite number the early morning parcels to Princes Risborough from Reading (O540). I suspect this is because these trains ran at times photographers were absent form the railway!

 

Later in the week I will photo the morning Thomas and Green's paper mill train.

 

Take care, and stay safe,

Best regards

paul

[Tallpaul69]

Hi All,

No modelling tales or Photos today, as I had a number of household/garden jobs to get through.

So this afternoon have been doing some research, trying to solve my own problem of not having any pics of the 2010 Maidenhead to Reading Parcels or the inbound 0540 Reading to Princes Risborough Parcels.

 

No luck yet, so any thoughts from readers would be appreciated.

The vans moved on in the morning to Aylesbury, and then returned in ones and twos on the afternoon Aylesbury /High Wycombe to Maidenhead or Slough passenger trains, so any views of parcels vans on these movements or at these locations would be useful?

 

Many thanks

Best regards

Paul

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon one and all,

 

As I am still sorting out the models for my consist of the morning Thomas and Green's Paper Mill pick up, so I thought I would ease us from the past Parcels Train postings to the subject of Freight trains on the High Wycombe Branch by giving a quick run down of the freight trains in 1960/2.

 

On the face of it the Freight WTT for the branch looks simple, four trains in each direction. But when you start to look at the detail you realise that there are only two straight forward out and back trips and even these have their unusual features:-

 

So starting with our morning Thomas and Green's trip, this was, I think a very variable train. It could be lengthy if including 25 off 5 plank opens from Brentford Dock loaded with imported grass, but these seem to have been infrequent, or just a few empty vans for loading the mills writing paper output. in between it could include China Clay, machine parts, lubricants, and possibly consignments for Bourne End or Marlow, of which possibly the most interesting might be timber for the timber mill at Marlow. But to me the most interesting aspect of this train was the way that getting back to Maidenhead, just after 14.30, with less than 10 minutes to run to its finish at Taplow, it spent 8 minutes changing its loco for the one that had been shunting at Maidenhead since 0930 that morning!

 

The other out and back pick up, known locally as the Loudwater Goods (although it ran to High Wycombe!), also involved a loco change, and also some toing and froing between Loudwater and Wooburn Green for shunting!

The loco change occurred at High Wycombe, where the train loco was swapped with the High Wycombe Shunter, which on Mondays arrived LE from Slough around 0400, and on other days spent 24 hours at High Wycombe, arriving on one day's Loudwater Goods, and returning to Slough on the next day's Loudwater Goods!

The Loco had already had a crew change at Bourne End as it had started the day LE from Slough around 0500, to shunt at Taplow, 

 

Next we come to the first outward bound freight which ran from Slough to Hinksey yard via High Wycombe and Thame. This was an all day trip, and crews were I think swapped with the next train we will look at, a Hinksey to Taplow, at Princes Risborough.

The Hinksey to Slough freight left at 0930, reached Princes Risborough via Thame around 1200, left there around 1330 getting to Slough around 1630.

 

Finally there were two further trains one in each direction, which had little in common apart from their evening running.

 

The outbound train left Slough at 2030 for Oxley Yard, via High Wycombe and Banbury, by far the longest run for a High Wycombe branch train. I am still investigating its return trip:- A possibility is the 0930 Oxley Yard to Moreton Cutting Yard which arrived via Oxford and Didcot at 1615. I have now to find a train from Moreton Yard to Slough.

 

The final train is the Aylesbury to Paddington via the High Wycombe Branch. This appears to be the return trip for an Old Oak Loco that left Paddington in the early morning for Aylesbury via the GW&GC line, and spent the day shunting at Aylesbury!

So we see from the above, that 8 trains require 8 Locos, which is not what we usually expect from Branch Freight trains!

 

There will be more on each of these trains and their consists in future.

 

Stay safe,

Best regards

Paul 

 

[Tallpaul69]

Apologies All,

I had just written but not posted, a post for today, when my Laptop decided to throw a wobbly and lock up!

Think it is ok now, but having once lost all the content of my post, I am loath to risk the same again!

 

So, I will put off this posting until tomorrow, when I will pick up the implications for my model of my comment yesterday about needing 8 locos for the 8 freight trains on the High Wycombe Branch.

 

Take care, stay safe,

Best regards

Paul

 

[Tallpaul69]

Good afternoon to you all,

 

It is funny how off the cuff comments can bring you trouble!

 

At the end of Friday’s posting, I commented that the 8 freight trains along the High Wycombe branch required 8 locos to run them, and that this was unusual for a branch line.

Thinking about this later, I realised that while in modelling terms 8 locos was quite a lot for the freight service on a small layout such as Lower Thames Goods Shed, far worse in terms of space would be 8 consists for these services. This could require a total of 70 wagons.

 

So the solution I am working with, at present, is to have a number of sets of wagons, with each wagon in the set permanently connected to the next, and normal couplings (in my case Kadees) just on thy outer ends of each set.

Four of the trains would have two sets plus a toad, the other four, the two return locals, would have just one plus a toad.

The first version I have planned has 6 off 5 wagon sets, a total of 30 wagons:-

 

Thus the morning Slough to Hinksey freight could have sets 1 and 2, and the morning pick up to Thomas & Green’s set 3.

The morning Hinksey to Slough, which doesn’t get to Slough until 16.30 would have sets 4 and 5.

Before that the returning Thomas & Green’s would have set 1, and the outbound Taplow to High Wycombe set 6, the latter returning with set 2.

This leaves the evening Slough to Oxley with sets 5 and 1, and the evening Aylesbury to Paddington with sets 3 and 6.

 

So this plan reduces the wagon requirement from 70 wagons to 30, but with the compromises that more than the usual number of wagons would make the return trip in a day, and a few would be seen 3 times!

I think this is manageable provided none of the wagons doing 3 trips  are of an unusual design or an outstanding livery!

 

It might be sensible that any open wagons doing several trips are fitted with removable loads.

 

Another improvement could be to allow for shunting of the Goods Shed area by having one set being individual wagons, which would change during a visit to the goods shed.

 

I will be thinking round this over the next few days, and update you accordingly.

 

Take care, stay safe,

Happy modelling,

Paul

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon fellow modellers,

Having thought through the wagon plan I posted yesterday, the revised version I have come up with has 8 off 5 wagon sets, a total of 40 wagons:-

        

In this version the morning Slough to Hinksey freight still has sets 1 and 2, and the morning pick up to Thomas & Green’s set 3.

The morning Hinksey to Slough, which doesn’t get to Slough until 16.30 would now have sets 4 and 2.

Before that the returning Thomas & Green’s would have set 7, and the outbound Taplow to High Wycombe set 5, the latter returning with set 2.

This leaves the evening Slough to Oxley with sets 4 and 6, and the evening Aylesbury to Paddington with sets 5 and 1.

 

Set 8 would start in the fiddle yard and in the morning run a clockwise trip to the Goods Shed Yard where it swaps with set 5 left there the previous evening, and then later it swaps again with set 5 on the evening Aylesbury to Slough.

 

So under this scheme, both the outward and the return Thomas and Green trips have sets that are not used again. This is a more accurate depiction of this freight which tended to have its own peculiar consists to service the paper mill’s needs.

 

Sets 5 and 8 will have individually Kadees on each wagon so that they can be shunted in the Goods Shed Yard, and etra wagons sitting in that yard introduced into the consists to give some variety.

 

While this version uses more wagons, the only problem that gives me is that it would probably make sense to try to include an extra siding in the fiddle yard to accommodate two more wagon sets.

 

Sometime in the next couple of days I will finalise and photo set three for the outbound Thomas and Green’s pick up, followed later by photos of the other wagon sets.

 

Hope you are all well,

Best regards

Paul    

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon one and all,

Typical British weather, one day it freezes your xxxxx off, the next you are sweating pounds off! I just want something in between, and staying constant for a week or so!  

If I were a bit younger, I'd think about going and joining the RMWeb folk in Oz?

 

Daily rant over, back to the modelling:-

Have decided two things:-

1) Easy way for now to get set 8 of the wagons in to Goods Shed Yard from the Slough direction is to attach them to the Shunter arriving from Slough at 0930.

 

2) Easy way to ensure space for extra siding for wagon sets is to make the layout an inch or so deeper, which I can do now as nothing has been cut, drilled or fixed that prevents me so doing and there is space in the railway room without having to move other things out of the way.

If only all modelling problems were so easily fixed?

 

So, if you are in the UK, enjoy the sunshine, while it lasts (no comments from the Spanish or Oz contingents, thank you!!)

Stay safe,

Best regards

Paul 

 

[Tallpaul69]

Hi All,

Just a quick post today to correct an error in my Monday's post, by which set 2 made 3 runs and set 6 only one!

 

I should have said:-

In this version the morning Slough to Hinksey freight still has sets 1 and 2, and the morning pick up to Thomas & Green’s set 3.

But the morning Hinksey to Slough, which doesn’t get to Slough until 16.30 would now have sets 4 and 6.

Before that the returning Thomas & Green’s would have set 7, and the outbound Taplow to High Wycombe set 5, the latter returning with set 1.

This leaves the evening Slough to Oxley with sets 4 and 6, and the evening Aylesbury to Paddington with sets 5 and 2.

 

This now gives each set apart from set 3 and set 7 an out and a return trip, but it does mean that two trains, one in and one out,  both have sets 4 and 6.

 

Can anyone see a way round this without having more sets?

 

Best regards

Paul 

[Tallpaul69]

Everyone warm enough?

Should not grumble though, we need this weather to  cheer us up.

 

Started today on a high, found a weathered (or should I say dirtied?) Dapol blue spot Insulated fish van that I had mislaid. I really wanted it to include in my shots of the morning Fish Train last week, but ended up showing just the shorter Lower Thames Gods Shed layout version.

 

So while I was ahead, I thought I would have a go at adding the extra siding into the Goods Shed Layout fiddle yard for set 8.

This didn't go so well as while widening the layout by one inch allowed an extra track, the siding came out too short for comfort. So I have now added an extra loop to the outside of the fiddle yard, which works from a storage length point of view but can only be accessed at the right hand end from the down relief line. (The left hand end is not a problem because all tracks come together in the branch single line!)

 

I think I shall have to rejig the points at the right hand end of the fiddle yard so that the new loop and the old up loop can both be accessed from/to the up and down relief lines. When I have figured this out I'll upload a diagram.

 

Keep your cool, stay safe, and stay away from the crowds.

Best regards

Paul

[Tallpaul69]

Here, fellow modellers, as promised, are some shots of my Thomas and Greens Pick up freight.

 

I should say, that there are few couplings at present, although as a fixed set I will probably use narrow tension locks except for Kadees to both ends of the toad and loco, and to the outer end of the front and rear wagons.

 

 

For a change, we will start with a view of the departing train. We can see some detail of the Toad, a factory weathered Bachmann model, as yet without a tail lamp. In front of that is an open C, a Ratio kit, which is lightly weathered and loaded with red pipes for use on repairs to the Mill steam pipework. In front of this is another ratio item, this time a china clay wagon bringing in clay for whitening the paper. The hood is a tarpaulin type used before the introduction of the modern blue hoods.  This wagon and hood are also weathered.

 

The next two wagons in the train are better seen in the second photo. These vans are empty stock to be filled with boxes of the mills writing paper. The eagle eyed amongst you will realise that the first van is a Mogo. By the early 60s, the carriage of individual vehicles had diminished greatly, factory output being moved on open bogie car carriers, so many mogos were used as general freight vans.

 

 

The last photo brings us to the head of the train and shows the loco, a standard Bachmann 57xx except for being renumbered. It has yet to be lightly weathered and have lamps fitted. Behind the loco is a tarpaulin covered 5 plank open. This could be carrying any one of a number of items used by the mill. Perhaps lubricant, perhaps boxes of valves for use with the pipes in the open c? The wagon has the more usual flat tarpaulin cover and it and the wagon are medium weathered. The tarpaulin is also missing ropes etc to retain it to the wagon.

 

 

You may recall me saying that this set of wagons is set 3 in my running system and is only used for this outward train to the paper mill.

The return trip uses set 7 which will have more vans, and any opens will have their tarpaulins folded up in one corner, once I have a satisfactory way to portray folded tarpaulins!

 

I hope you find the above photos of interest?

 

Please feel free to comment, or point out anything you think wrong with the models.

 

Best regards

Paul       

[St Enodoc]

13 hours ago, Tallpaul69 said:

Here, fellow modellers, as promised, are some shots of my Thomas and Greens Pick up freight.

 

I should say, that there are few couplings at present, although as a fixed set I will probably use narrow tension locks except for Kadees to both ends of the toad and loco, and to the outer end of the front and rear wagons.

 

 

For a change, we will start with a view of the departing train. We can see some detail of the Toad, a factory weathered Bachmann model, as yet without a tail lamp. In front of that is an open C, a Ratio kit, which is lightly weathered and loaded with red pipes for use on repairs to the Mill steam pipework. In front of this is another ratio item, this time a china clay wagon bringing in clay for whitening the paper. The hood is a tarpaulin type used before the introduction of the modern blue hoods.  This wagon and hood are also weathered.

 

The next two wagons in the train are better seen in the second photo. These vans are empty stock to be filled with boxes of the mills writing paper. The eagle eyed amongst you will realise that the first van is a Mogo. By the early 60s, the carriage of individual vehicles had diminished greatly, factory output being moved on open bogie car carriers, so many mogos were used as general freight vans.

 

 

The last photo brings us to the head of the train and shows the loco, a standard Bachmann 57xx except for being renumbered. It has yet to be lightly weathered and have lamps fitted. Behind the loco is a tarpaulin covered 5 plank open. This could be carrying any one of a number of items used by the mill. Perhaps lubricant, perhaps boxes of valves for use with the pipes in the open c? The wagon has the more usual flat tarpaulin cover and it and the wagon are medium weathered. The tarpaulin is also missing ropes etc to retain it to the wagon.

 

 

You may recall me saying that this set of wagons is set 3 in my running system and is only used for this outward train to the paper mill.

The return trip uses set 7 which will have more vans, and any opens will have their tarpaulins folded up in one corner, once I have a satisfactory way to portray folded tarpaulins!

 

I hope you find the above photos of interest?

 

Please feel free to comment, or point out anything you think wrong with the models.

 

Best regards

Paul       

Sheets, Paul, not tarpaulins!

 

Not sure about the clay wagon. Before the Clay Hood modifications these didn't have a raised bar for the sheets, which were just laid over the load. They were also used mainly for traffic to the docks, where the clay was tipped out of the end doors. An ordinary open with a sheet bar might be an alternative.

[Tallpaul69]

10 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Sheets, Paul, not tarpaulins!

 

Not sure about the clay wagon. Before the Clay Hood modifications these didn't have a raised bar for the sheets, which were just laid over the load. They were also used mainly for traffic to the docks, where the clay was tipped out of the end doors. An ordinary open with a sheet bar might be an alternative.

Ok, sheets it is!

Regarding the way the sheets were used prior to the Clay Hoods, I agree that in many instances standard opens with sheet rails were used on the inland routes where end tipping was not needed, otherwise if Clays were used they just had sheets placed flat over the load.

For the moment, I cannot lay my hands (typical!) on a published view that supports this wagon as portrayed.

If I find a suitable open before I find the reference, I will do a swap, as the sheet over the bar differentiates this wagon from the one at the front of my consist.

 

Cheers

Paul

 

!

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon All,

 

I have been busy sorting out the consists for the 8 sets of wagons for the Goods Yard Layout.

 

Nos 3 and 7, are sorted in yesterday's post, and this below was my first try at the remaining 6 sets:-

 

Set 1 16T minerals empty

Set 2  fitted vans

Set 4  fitted 5 plank open (empty) + 2 meat vans (white) + 2 fitted vans

Set 5  2 cattle wagons + esso tanker + 2 unfitted vans

Set 6 16T minerals full of Coal

Set 8  fitted van + 2 presflows + empty tube

 

However, this together with the previously allocated sets to the trains does not give satisfactory flows of the full and empty coal wagons.

If we change set 1 for set 4 in the Slough Oxley, and set 6 for set 5 in the Aylesbury to Paddington, the full  coals flow anticlockwise, and the empty coals clockwise!

This would also mean the change of sets in the Goods Shed Yard on the Aylesbury to Paddington becomes set 2 for set 8.

It will also be necessary to change set 6 in the Slough-Oxley, for set 7 so that now set 7 runs both ways but set 5 only runs outward on the Loudwater Goods.

 

I think all these changes work, but if anyone can see a fault in my plans, please let me know.

 

Best regards

Paul

[Tallpaul69]

Good Afternoon fellow modellers,

Thinking about the information I had posted over the last few days I decided that things might have got a bit confusing.

So today I am posting the allocation of the wagon sets to each train together with details of what the sets contain:-

 

Thus the morning Slough to Hinksey freight has set 1 (which comprises empty coal wagons mainly 16t Steel minerals) and set 2, which comprises only fitted vans.

The morning pick up to Thomas & Green’s has set 3, which is dedicated to this train and has a mixture of sheeted opens and empty vans.

The morning Hinksey to Slough, which doesn’t get to Slough until 16.30 has set 4 which contains a empty fitted 5 plank + white meat vans and fruit fitted vans, and set 6 which contains full coal wagon.

Before that the returning Thomas & Green’s has set 7 whose contents are similar to set 3, and the outbound Taplow to High Wycombe has set 5, containing 2 cattle vans, an Esso tanker, and 2 unfitted vans. This train returns with set 1. (contents as above)

This leaves the evening Slough to Oxley with sets 4 and 7, and the evening Aylesbury to Paddington with sets 6 and 2.

 

Set 8 containing a fitted van, two presflows, and an empty pipe wagon, would start in the fiddle yard and in the morning run a clockwise trip to the Goods Shed Yard attached to the 0930 morning Pilot from Slough (which in reality ran as a LE). There it swaps with set 6 left there the previous evening, and the pilot does a quick (fictional) trip to Taplow returning LE, then later it swaps again with set 6 on the evening Aylesbury to Slough.

So under this scheme, the outward Thomas and Green trips has a set that is not used again. This is a more accurate depiction of this freight which tended to have its own peculiar consists to service the paper mill’s needs.

 

The sets will have Kadees at each end of the set except Sets 8 which will have individually Kadees on each wagon so that they can be shunted in the Goods Shed Yard, as will the extra wagons sitting in that yard which can be introduced into the consists of set 8 to give some variety.

 

I hope this makes the consists of the Branch line freights a little clearer?

The operation of the Toads will be interesting as only the Thomas & Green's and the Loudwater Goods will have the same toad each way! So a total of 6 toads will be required.

 

Hope everyone is happy in their modelling?

Stay safe,

Regards

Paul