Erringden Colliery

[locotracteur351]

Well, like many I am working from home at the moment. Having sorted out the room that is to be my office there has been an empty space that just happened to be the right size for two baseboards buried in the attic... I got them out and before I knew it I was laying the bits of O gauge track I have collected over the past couple of years and I dug out my stock. I’ve never had an o gauge layout or even run any of my stock that I’ve been building for the last few years but I couldn’t be more happy! A simple track plan, but I like the atmosphere already. 
 

In the overall photo, the 15” Hunslet is sat outside the loco shed and the 05 is pushing two wagons underneath the screens. The yard road entrance will be between the two headshunts and there will be facilities for loading road wagons too. the exit to the fiddle yard is to the bottom of the picture. This will be a small colliery on the brink of closure, run down and overgrown. I can’t wait!

[Ralf]

2 hours ago, locotracteur351 said:

This will be a small colliery on the brink of closure, run down and overgrown. I can’t wait!

 

Sounds just up my street! Looking forward to more updates...

Ralf

 

[doilum]

13 hours ago, locotracteur351 said:

Well, like many I am working from home at the moment. Having sorted out the room that is to be my office there has been an empty space that just happened to be the right size for two baseboards buried in the attic... I got them out and before I knew it I was laying the bits of O gauge track I have collected over the past couple of years and I dug out my stock. I’ve never had an o gauge layout or even run any of my stock that I’ve been building for the last few years but I couldn’t be more happy! A simple track plan, but I like the atmosphere already. 
 

In the overall photo, the 15” Hunslet is sat outside the loco shed and the 05 is pushing two wagons underneath the screens. The yard road entrance will be between the two headshunts and there will be facilities for loading road wagons too. the exit to the fiddle yard is to the bottom of the picture. This will be a small colliery on the brink of closure, run down and overgrown. I can’t wait!

Can't have too many collieries.

[locotracteur351]

Well having never really got beyond ballasting on my previous OO gauge layouts, I’m quite enjoying adding a little bit of interest with small variations in ground level before I start with the ballast. The track up to the loco shed has been cobbled and started to be bedded in, looks like I’ll have to make a start on the shed itself tomorrow!

[locotracteur351]

Well the shed did indeed get started today, I’ve made it up to eaves level and I think I will split it here with a detachable roof as I can hide the join with the gutters and then have the option of detailing the interior when I get as far as detailing! 
 

It has a stone base with a wooden superstructure. The roof (and probably the upper gables) will be corrugated iron I think, I’m very pleased with how it has gone so far.

Edited April 24, 2020 by locotracteur351
Added photos

[locotracteur351]

More progress on the shed this weekend, the shell of the roof is completed and just awaits corrugated iron now. Painting of the exterior will wait until there is a colour scheme for the colliery.

 

The shed is imagined to be original to the colliery, which subsequently became a part of a larger colliery system and is now no longer in use. There will be facilities for filling steam locos with water but in order to refuel the diesels, a wagon has been built that can be taken where required. This still needs detailing but the idea is together now!

 

The headshunts that flank the entrance road have gained simple sleeper wheel blocks to prevent wagons rolling into the walls. The paper is a template for a disused weighbridge that will be inset, from a time when the colliery was busier. Behind the wall that the ex-midland van is parked will be a small embankment with the rear of a small chapel or miners cottages I think, I’ll have to mock the options up and have a think!

 

My thinking is that, like many collieries, once earmarked for closure the miners did all they could to boost production. This means it will be a run-down but busy atmosphere.

[doilum]

LolAn idea for a lockdown mini layout: a colliery that is closed and is in the demolition and salvage phase.  Working on the premise that all reusable equipment and scrap was to be taken to a larger colliery on the internal system for sorting and disposal. There could be some coal traffic as stockpiles were cleared or, alternatively, a washer remains operational after the pit has closed processing the coal from another local mine. 

S134 ( later aka Wheldale) spent part of 1970 on such work at Primrose Hill. The covered wagon was converted from an ordinary coal truck by the colliery fitters. Whether this was to provide a mobile workshop for this task or whether it was a much earlier conversion I have yet to discover. Possible previous used might have been a paddy wagon for the extensive system that included several mines, or perhaps for moving hay ,/ straw for the underground stables. Any information welcome.

[locotracteur351]

Good idea, I wanted to have a couple of older coal wagons filled with scrap or such like, I also like the idea of a mobile workshop. I’m considering scratch building an austerity to break my teeth on o gauge loco construction. 
 

I’ve had an unsuccessful day mocking up the pit head and wagon loading facilities (I hesitate to call the screens as I imagine this small pit feeds into a larger collieries washery). I’m very happy with the small wagon loading building based on the style of the one which now resides at Beamish, but I’m going to re-try a small winding house and head gear.

[doilum]

Locally we had several small mines that lasted into the 1960s, often linked under and overground. Dom Pedro was probably unique in that a weekly wagon of coal was brought to the colliery and the only thing taken away was the manure and shavings from the underground stables. By the time it was cleared in the early 1960s the coal probably came by road and the ponies were long gone.

Good to hear you fancy scratch building an austerity. My first one was a ruler and calculator enlargement of a 4mm drawing in Railway Modeller. It lay half finished for over a decade and when I started a Mercian kit it's dimensions checked out exactly. You might want to check out the Mercian version. There is a basic kit that builds well and is very reasonably priced.

[locotracteur351]

It always surprises me how the coal mining industry seemed to cling on as the seams became exhausted and the politics crushed down. Much of my dads family worked in the collieries between Huddersfield and Wakefield and ended up hopping from one pit to another as they all closed down!

 

I don’t really want to set my layout at a specific time like I have with my 4mm modelling, more a feeling of late fifties to early seventies. Looking at photos of pits on the edges of a large system it’s like time almost stood still at the end.
 

Haha, I have made that mistake before! With scratch building I always get to the detailing and grind to a halt, I do also fancy giving a proper kit a go though so I appreciate the recommendation, thank you. 

[doilum]

12 hours ago, locotracteur351 said:

It always surprises me how the coal mining industry seemed to cling on as the seams became exhausted and the politics crushed down. Much of my dads family worked in the collieries between Huddersfield and Wakefield and ended up hopping from one pit to another as they all closed down!

 

I don’t really want to set my layout at a specific time like I have with my 4mm modelling, more a feeling of late fifties to early seventies. Looking at photos of pits on the edges of a large system it’s like time almost stood still at the end.
 

Haha, I have made that mistake before! With scratch building I always get to the detailing and grind to a halt, I do also fancy giving a proper kit a go though so I appreciate the recommendation, thank you. 

The kits have been upgraded. Price rise due in May.

[locotracteur351]

Well before I get distracted by the temptation of a loco kit just yet, I’ve got to make my layout feel like a colliery! 

 

 I am have no real intentions of exhibiting this (though I wouldn’t say no) and as such I am shunting with 3 link couplings and it is set up to be operated from the front. I needed somewhere to hide the controller and I’ve built myself a fan house with its engine room that hides the controller and the exit to what will be the fiddle yard. This is a very basic structure at the moment and required cladding in brick and all the details adding (the arched roof of the fan itself being quite important). 
 

I plan to have a conveyor (assumed time come from the drift mine off scene) that will cross over the tracks and enter a more modern extension to the left and in front of the current wagon loading building. I like the railway running between and behind buildings that I’m starting to see now. 
 

I have also built the basic structure of the water tower for the locos. The tank itself is made of 4mm scale Wills girder bridge sections that I found in the attic yesterday and I’m very pleased with how it looks so far. The fan house, loading building extension and plinth that the water tower sits on will be brick built to differentiate them as more recent developments than the loco shed, main loading building and retaining walls around the road entrance. 
 

I need to find something to do the masses of bracing to the water tower base so I think I’ll go and have a rummage in the workshop this afternoon....

[locotracteur351]

Success, I found some flat strip to do the bracing on the tower base and gave it a blast of primer, I’m very pleased with how it’s come out!

[locotracteur351]

I’ve been continuing with the layout this week as a distraction from working from home! When out with the dog earlier in the week, inspiration struck when walking along the ‘beach’ at the top of the reservoir we had walked up to. Perfect ballast! The colour isn’t right, but I intend to correct this with painting as I begin to weather the landscape together. 
 

I’ve finally added the muddy track crossing at the far end of the layout, with ruts in the mud from many heavy passing vehicles, this was inspired by a brilliant photo of an austerity on a muddy headshunt with some mgr hoppers that I keep coming across when looking for inspiration. I’m looking forward to painting this up to look muddy!

[locotracteur351]

I made another visit up to the reservoir to collect some more ‘ballast’ and I’ve completed the basic ballasting now, just gaps to fill and the baseboard joint to do when I get round to splitting the boards to put some plastic in between. The excellent etched weigh bridge from Severn Models has been inserted into the road to be bedded in when I complete the road surface, I just need to build a small building for the scales etc next to it.

 

I was getting increasingly frustrated with the toy-like appearance of the Ixion Hudswell Clarke that I couldn’t seem to put my finger on and the poor running 85A Hunslet, but after painting the tyres on the Hudswell Clarke and filling the saddle tank of the Hunslet with lead I am incredibly happy!

 

the Heljan 05 that I have is a very smooth runner but seems to have poor low speed control. It seems like I am constantly adjusting the controller to maintain a constant speed, it’s like steering my Triumph Herald before I replaced the track rod ends! I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do to smooth out the running but I would appreciate any suggestions.

 

Thanks,

Jagger

[doilum]

Looking good but your dissatisfaction with the running qualities of your loco stud needs to be addressed. Years ago I was in awe of those older modellers who could get almost anything to run sweetly. It took until retirement before I took a more scientific approach and got my locomotives to run correctly.

There are many variables but basically they fall into two headings. 

Mechanical. Does the bare chassis run freely? For RTR locos this should not be an issue and can be tested by the use of jump wires from a controller.

Electrical. First step is to either take your locomotives to another layout or invite a friend to bring a known excellent runner and see if the real problem lies in your controller or track. From experience, elderly feedback controllers can bring slow running issues as can matching them to an inappropriate upcycled transformer.

You didn't say what type of controller you have, but if it is an ancient Triang resistance type, perhaps this is your starting point. DCC brings an extra level of issues and it is probably best to ensure that you have perfect analogue performance before going digital.

[locotracteur351]

Badly running locos are probably one of the most frustrating things for me, this is why I have yet to build a proper loco kit! I have also used the Peco set track points to ensure good running and reliability from the start.

 

I was getting frustrated with the Hunslet, I think due to its lack of compensation so it was very sensitive to the uneven track that I have laid (intentionally). Filling it with lead has now completely transformed it and now it runs over the lumpy track right down to a crawl. The Hudswell Clarke runs beautifully over the whole layout even with its comparatively long wheelbase.

 

I use an old gauge master two track controller of unknown origin, and it’s only the Heljan loco that seems to run oddly which suggests it’s the loco not the track or controller. As I mentioned, the track is intentionally lumpy as it is a colliery, and the loco seems to run away down gradients and then bog down going up them. I have an old re-wheeled Hornby Dublo standard tank that behaved the same way on my old 00 gauge layout. The one thing that they have in common is their great weight!

[doilum]

4 hours ago, locotracteur351 said:

Badly running locos are probably one of the most frustrating things for me, this is why I have yet to build a proper loco kit! I have also used the Peco set track points to ensure good running and reliability from the start.

 

I was getting frustrated with the Hunslet, I think due to its lack of compensation so it was very sensitive to the uneven track that I have laid (intentionally). Filling it with lead has now completely transformed it and now it runs over the lumpy track right down to a crawl. The Hudswell Clarke runs beautifully over the whole layout even with its comparatively long wheelbase.

 

I use an old gauge master two track controller of unknown origin, and it’s only the Heljan loco that seems to run oddly which suggests it’s the loco not the track or controller. As I mentioned, the track is intentionally lumpy as it is a colliery, and the loco seems to run away down gradients and then bog down going up them. I have an old re-wheeled Hornby Dublo standard tank that behaved the same way on my old 00 gauge layout. The one thing that they have in common is their great weight!

This is only a personal opinion but I never really liked the gauge master I bought for Houghton Street. After trialling s 35 year old Compspeed I let it go, effectively brand new with a layout I was selling.

Unfortunately I cannot think of a currently available alternative, but no doubt some one will!

The track on Frydale is anything but level ( I got carried away with colliery trackwork), but my 85,A Hunslet runs perfectly without any modifications. It may have had a little ballast added by it's original owner, but it seems to feel about the same weight as my other two kit built ,15" locos, neither of which have additional lead on board.

Edited May 15, 2020 by doilum
Predictive text error

[locotracteur351]

I shall have to do some research and see what I can find, I would like to replace the gaugemaster, as you can see one of the controllers has been removed and the wires cut inside by whoever had it before me, as I mentioned I can’t remember where it came from!

 

I managed to get my 85A Hunslet unbuilt so it was incredibly light with no extra weight, not a problem on flat flexitrack but as I say it really didn’t enjoy my lumpy colliery track.

 

@doilum Do you have a topic on your Frydale layout anywhere? I’d love to see more!

 

Thanks,

Jagger

[doilum]

26 minutes ago, locotracteur351 said:

I shall have to do some research and see what I can find, I would like to replace the gaugemaster, as you can see one of the controllers has been removed and the wires cut inside by whoever had it before me, as I mentioned I can’t remember where it came from!

 

I managed to get my 85A Hunslet unbuilt so it was incredibly light with no extra weight, not a problem on flat flexitrack but as I say it really didn’t enjoy my lumpy colliery track.

 

@doilum Do you have a topic on your Frydale layout anywhere? I’d love to see more!

 

Thanks,

Jagger

I need to borrow a decent camera from younger daughter. It is time!

Not sure where I previously mentioned it but I found a real improvement when I swapped the random upcycled transformer for the pucca TR,6 that came from ECM all those years ago.

I also have an equally ancient Kentrol unit. This was a freeby from a friend. Once a couple of dry joints had been attended to it quickly became a favourite. Recently the feedback effect has become a bit random so it's days maybe numbered.

[locotracteur351]

Doesn’t time fly... I spent the summer restoring my Land Rover and no sooner had I got that on the road; I was given a pipe organ (if you think you haven’t got room for a model railway, you definitely don’t have room for a pipe organ)! Things seem to be settling back down again and although I put the organ in the space that the layout was, the layout fits on top of it. Not the best for working on the layout, but it can easily come down to the kitchen for that. It does at least mean that I can play trains again, I hope to make progress now it is back out from the attic...

[locotracteur351]

Well I seem to have got my wagon building under control finally! Though I now have enough wagons and locos to run different decades, with locos and wagons being swapped as I go along to transition though the years. I keep wanting to extend the layout to add more scenery but I think the best thing for me to do is add a backscene and concentrate on finishing what I’ve got!

 

There’s enough of a layout here to keep my interest and maybe even to exhibit one day, which I would love to do. I’m now going to concentrate on detailing my rolling stock and working on the scenics. 
 

One project that I do want to finish off before that however is building a body for the Agenoria Kerr Stuart ‘Victory’ that I’ve recently acquired. It runs really nicely and although I didn’t buy one from Minerva because I decided it was too big, I couldn’t resist a bargain!

 

[doilum]

On 26/04/2020 at 18:21, doilum said:

LolAn idea for a lockdown mini layout: a colliery that is closed and is in the demolition and salvage phase.  Working on the premise that all reusable equipment and scrap was to be taken to a larger colliery on the internal system for sorting and disposal. There could be some coal traffic as stockpiles were cleared or, alternatively, a washer remains operational after the pit has closed processing the coal from another local mine. 

S134 ( later aka Wheldale) spent part of 1970 on such work at Primrose Hill. The covered wagon was converted from an ordinary coal truck by the colliery fitters. Whether this was to provide a mobile workshop for this task or whether it was a much earlier conversion I have yet to discover. Possible previous used might have been a paddy wagon for the extensive system that included several mines, or perhaps for moving hay ,/ straw for the underground stables. Any information welcome.

Just an update on the van conversion wagon. Browsing through one of Bill Hudson's books I found a very similar wagon that had been converted for carrying pulverised coal. Perhaps it may be linked to trials of Hunslet's mechanical stoker?

[locotracteur351]

On 10/01/2021 at 13:44, doilum said:

Just an update on the van conversion wagon. Browsing through one of Bill Hudson's books I found a very similar wagon that had been converted for carrying pulverised coal. Perhaps it may be linked to trials of Hunslet's mechanical stoker?

I think this is a possible explaination. Having had to manually fire a loco with damp coal sludge, I can testify for its fire retardant properties; definitely something to keep dry! I’ve also found that coal dust is an incredibly abrasive paste once damp, certainly something you’d want to avoid in a mechanical stoker.

[doilum]

24 minutes ago, locotracteur351 said:

I think this is a possible explaination. Having had to manually fire a loco with damp coal sludge, I can testify for its fire retardant properties; definitely something to keep dry! I’ve also found that coal dust is an incredibly abrasive paste once damp, certainly something you’d want to avoid in a mechanical stoker.

I am given to understand that the main reason that the mechanical stokers never really found favour with drivers was the need to use carefully screened and graded coal. This I assume would involve coaling from a specific wagon or bunker as opposed to the usual practice of finding convenient large lumps that burnt steadily without too much attention. Our school boilers had mechanical stokers. The coal was delivered by road in covered hopper lorries and blown into the covered bunkers through a 10 hose.