Burchill Edge Sidings - BR Blue Carriage/NPCCS Sidings, with a nod to Manchester Red Bank & Bristol Malago Vale

[Sandhole]

On 07/12/2020 at 19:22, 9C85 said:

 

"I will probably review the Pullman when I receive it and either put it straight back on eBay or relax/adapt my time frame to have a multi-era layout."

 

I have just received the coach and this is how it looks 'out of the box' on the layout. I have to say I quite like it. If I decide to keep it, and therefore get a few more, I will give them the lightest weathering.

 

I have even invented a  "Trans-Pennine Pullman" service, which is a twice daily run between York and Liverpool (in both directions), via Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester. The train is strengthened at Sheffield with the ECS from Burchill Edge sidings.

 

 

The added bonus is the table lighting, which will portray the train as having just arrived ECS from Burchill station for a quick clean and turnaround. Also, when stabled at night for cleaning. the lights will be on for the cleaners.

 

 

I dropped (and killed) my trusty camera phone yesterday and I am still trying to set up my replacement.

 

I have borrowed my wife's phone for today's photos and accessed RMeb via my desktop PC to upload them. It's the first time I have seen the layout images on anything approaching a large screen. I am pleasantly surprised.

 

 

 

Of course there was a Trans Pennine Pullman.
At first, it was made up of old east coast Pullmans and ex-LNER Gresley's and Thompsons.
LMS Scot hauled usually. When the diesels came in, EE Type 4. The prototype Deltic hauled it as a test and the LMS twins took over in Manchester when there was an engine failure.
Manchester Brewery Sidings shed's motley collection of early diesel's finest hour.
As loadings got smaller , the Mk1 Pullmans arrived and the train became somewhat of a hybrid.
That is what you are depicting here.
JINGS, I'm back in my Back Room. Landed from my flight of fantasy.
You model Red Bank, 9CBS, I model Manchester Oldham Rd. A Manchester might have been.
I run a Pullman train. I acknowledge you have copyright, but this train will be the Trans Pennine Pullman.
RULE ONE RULES.
 

[9C85]

16 minutes ago, Sandhole said:

Of course there was a Trans Pennine Pullman.
At first, it was made up of old east coast Pullmans and ex-LNER Gresley's and Thompsons.
LMS Scot hauled usually. When the diesels came in, EE Type 4. The prototype Deltic hauled it as a test and the LMS twins took over in Manchester when there was an engine failure.
Manchester Brewery Sidings shed's motley collection of early diesel's finest hour.
As loadings got smaller , the Mk1 Pullmans arrived and the train became somewhat of a hybrid.
That is what you are depicting here.
JINGS, I'm back in my Back Room. Landed from my flight of fantasy.
You model Red Bank, 9CBS, I model Manchester Oldham Rd. A Manchester might have been.
I run a Pullman train. I acknowledge you have copyright, but this train will be the Trans Pennine Pullman.
RULE ONE RULES.
 

 

Superb logic!

 

I was so close to naming the layout Brewery Street in honour of my first girlfriend, but opted for Burchill Edge Sidings for reasons mentioned earlier in the thread.

The location is not Manchester per se but it's trying to give the vibe of somewhere with a daily Newspapers ECS to Red Bank and somewhere only the bravest (or in my case most naive) spotter would venture - I did the walk from Cardiff Central down to Canton footbridge quite a few times as a young teenager, and once spent the longest half hour ever on Grangetown station waiting for a train back from Barry or Penarth to central after trying to cop what was on shed at Canton. It's amazing how many scarily lonely places there are within a 2 minute walk of a major city thoroughfare. 

 

But I digress... I was trying to model only the stuff I remember seeing.  I never saw a Pullman until seeing the VSOE stock at Fratton when I was a student in the late eighties. 40s were a rarity in Cardiff  (saw a couple on Crewe/Manchester workings) so I have chosen a Peak as they were more common down Cardiff way. I would love to get sound fitted to all my locos (Only the 47 has sound thus far) and I do like the sound of most diesels except, dare I say it... 20s, 40s... and Deltics 

 

I expect my RMWeb membership will be suspended after that last comment, but it goes back to what I remember growing up with, although having said that, where I grew up you were likely to trip up over a Class 37 on the walk to school, but I have no desire to get one for my layout. Probably because I ran the life out of my Hornby D6830 as a kid. 

 

Enjoy the Trans Pennine Pullman. God Bless Rule 1 

[9C85]

Ready for the weekend...

[Northmoor]

First time I've stumbled on this layout thread.  Great to see someone modelling carriage sidings and not another small loco depot!

 

The layout I have the ambition to build - but not the space without throwing out almost every memento of our children - will be at least partly carriage sidings.  It's a lot easier to put a few locos in and out of boxes for a running session, than 50 carriages........

[9C85]

26 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

First time I've stumbled on this layout thread.  Great to see someone modelling carriage sidings and not another small loco depot!

 

Thanks for the kind words. 

[9C85]

On 28/11/2020 at 14:39, 9C85 said:

Once again I am contemplating adding a bit of variety livery-wise to the layout.  I have never liked the Mk1 Pullman coaches - for some reason I have an irrational dislike of Met-Cam carriage windows 

However, I am coming round to liking the idea of having a Pullman portion of a train detaching at the 'station just up the line ' and stabled in my sidings overnight. 

I have today seen photos of 4 or 5 Mk1 Pullmans, in reverse blue-grey livery, alongside MkII stock forming a service to/from London . The photos  were from 1978 which I believe was their final year of service. This would fit in at the early end of my layout's era.

I could have 4 Pullmans plus a blue-grey BG. I am not sure what is available but I think I could have two parlour cars, a kitchen car and a nightcap bar forming my portion of the train.

Just a thought...

 

 

Typically, the above lot of coaches has just appeared on Ebay, just after I have bought 3 Pullman coaches. 

[9C85]

Quick question.....

 

When did the 50ft Stanier GUVs get phased out?

 

I have just calculated that 5 x Mk1s is about the same length as 8 x 50ft vans. Of course I wouldn't have a train of ALL 50ft vans, but  chuck in a few 57ft GUVs interspersed with a few CCTs and I would have a nice, decent length, grimy 'backwater' parcels train.

[Northmoor]

I've just consulted the railway library as I was sure I'd seen a reference to this in Janes Railway Year*.

 

C&D (Collection & Delivery) was finally ended by BR in 1981, which led to wholesale scrapping of hundreds of parcels vehicles.  The last ex-LMS GUVs went towards the end of '81 as did all the ex-SR PMVs.  A lot of BR CCTs survived a few more years though.

 

*Excellent quick references for what events occurred in what year, etc.  They ran from 1981-1986, then in 1987 when Janes didn't publish one,  the Today's Railways Review of the Year was published to fill the gap.  They are well worth hunting down in secondhand stalls.

[Fat Controller]

56 minutes ago, 9C85 said:

Quick question.....

 

When did the 50ft Stanier GUVs get phased out?

 

I have just calculated that 5 x Mk1s is about the same length as 8 x 50ft vans. Of course I wouldn't have a train of ALL 50ft vans, but  chuck in a few 57ft GUVs interspersed with a few CCTs and I would have a nice, decent length, grimy 'backwater' parcels train.

There were still some around in 1979/80; most had gangways removed.

[9C85]

48 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

I've just consulted the railway library as I was sure I'd seen a reference to this in Janes Railway Year*.

 

C&D (Collection & Delivery) was finally ended by BR in 1981, which led to wholesale scrapping of hundreds of parcels vehicles.  The last ex-LMS GUVs went towards the end of '81 as did all the ex-SR PMVs.  A lot of BR CCTs survived a few more years though.

 

*Excellent quick references for what events occurred in what year, etc.  They ran from 1981-1986, then in 1987 when Janes didn't publish one,  the Today's Railways Review of the Year was published to fill the gap.  They are well worth hunting down in secondhand stalls.

Thanks for that. That fits in nicely with my era and also the rundown feel of the layout.  I will have a look on Ebay. 

[9C85]

I am getting to like the Tamiya Weathering Powders. It's nice that you can just have a go with them on a whim, without too much (if any) preparation. 

My Class 08 shunter was weathered when I bought it second hand. I am not sure if it's factory weathering or not. Anyway, I had an impulse during this morning's shunting session to try and fade it and grime it up a bit more.

Here's the 'before' shot...

 

And here's the 'after'...

 

I am still trying to stick to the 'less is more' mantra,  but I am quite happy with the amount of filth on this loco.

[9C85]

I like how, on my layout, to get the best views I often have to get down to track level and peek under the two girder bridges.  This was taken during this morning's shunting session. 

 

[9C85]

Busy yard this evening...

 

 

[9C85]

I have only recently discovered the F3 'Shunt speed' functionality on my non- sound- fitted Bachmann DCC locos I.e. the 08, 25 and 45.

All these locos were bought second hand, and I don't think any had the function instructions included. 

Basically, F3 acts like a speed limiter and slows the loco down, allowing fine scale adjustment of speed. This is great for me as all my track is sidings with a solid wall at either end.  I get the loco to within about 6 inches of where I want it to stop, hit F3 and then bring the power down to either stop, reverse, or do the 'Kadee Shuffle' over one of the uncoupling magnets.

I have also found that F4, which I believe controls how much inertia is used, can act like an emergency brake. I am not sure it is on or off by default on my locos, but if it looks like I am going to run out of track before the loco stops after cutting power, I tap F4 and the loco comes to an abrupt stop.

I may be teaching grandma to suck eggs with this post, but as mentioned, this was news to me last week. 

Every day is a school day. 

[9C85]

 

[ColinK]

Looking great, you’ve really captured the atmosphere.

[9C85]

On 12/12/2020 at 10:13, 9C85 said:

Quick question.....

 

When did the 50ft Stanier GUVs get phased out?

 

Apologises for my incorrect question,  I should have said 42ft GUVs.

 

I already have a 50ft BG in my Newspapers train, and I have just purchased another couple of Bachmann examples at a really good price on Ebay. 

 

A quick Google led me to another thread on rmweb which informs me that the 42ft vans were almost all gone by the mid 1970s, so perhaps slightly too early for my layout (I have already played the Rule 1 'Joker" with the Trans Pennine Pullman ).

 

I should really get a few more BR 57ft GUVs to complete my NPCCS requirements.

[9C85]

Some new arrivals today...

 

 

I got these two vans, brand new, off Ebay for £25 for the pair.

 

And, a couple more coaches for the Trans Pennine Pullman - another parlour second and a kitchen second.  I should be getting a kitchen first soon, which will replace the Mk1 FK in this consist.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by 9C85

[9C85]

This email from Hattons just arrived...

 

 

[9C85]

On 13/06/2020 at 15:44, 9C85 said:

Really really rough drawing (using a feature I just discovered on my phone) of where the structure could be. I am coming round to a dilapidated signal box, but perhaps I should steer clear of making things too run down , as the layout is supposed to help me relax and cheer up 

 

I have just got a  signal box off Ebay.

 

Question is, do I put it here...

 

Or here...

 

[9C85]

I think I prefer the second option as it gives a bit more 'depth' to the layout... especially this view...

[9C85]

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by 9C85

[9C85]

 

The 08 drops the Pullman stock onto the 47. The 47 will then reverse out onto the arrival/departure road, then depart the sidings for Burchill station and on towards  Sheffield where it will join with a similar train from York and Leeds to head across to Manchester and Liverpool. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Personally, I'd abandon the signal box idea, firstly it's overpowering the layout, and secondly, speaking from a position of no professional knowledge whatsoever, I would think the points would be hand thrown, you don't want point rodding all over the place for shunters to trip over and have it moving under your feet causing problems.

 

Mike.

PS. Envelope in the post!

[9C85]

15 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Personally, I'd abandon the signal box idea, firstly it's overpowering the layout, and secondly, speaking from a position of no professional knowledge whatsoever, I would think the points would be hand thrown, you don't want point rodding all over the place for shunters to trip over and have it moving under your feet causing problems.

 

Mike.

PS. Envelope in the post!

You make a very good point, Mike (no pun intended).

I think a small shunter's cabin/ mess room may be more suitable? I have seen photos of one at the eastern end of Red Bank.

PS I am gearing up to start GUV bashing again, so  I look forward to getting the envelope