Nifkin's Bridge TMD

[97406]

During last year’s lockdown I went on furlough, and during this time I started tinkering with a couple of old model locomotives that had lain in a drawer for many years.

 

The interest grew, having abandoned it beforehand during my later teens when girls, music, nightlife took over for a good few years.

 

Eventually I amassed a couple of drawers full of locomotives and thoughts turned to making a little scene for them to be displayed on and even run, and hence Nifkin’s Bridge TMD was born, using a couple of chests of drawers with the tops removed, and turned into covers, to protect it from dust and the odd giant cat incursion.

 

The main period is mid-eighties, with a smaller number of items covering the green/blue transition. Of course timey-wimey stuff does happen when I just run what I want! Power is DC at the moment, with a view to going digital at some point.

 

I joined RMWeb well after laying all the track, wiring it up, and doing the scenery, but following interest shown in posting the odd picture or two in it’s near-current state, I have taken the plunge and started a thread on here to show to all you good people, and I go into how the various parts were modeled over the coming weeks, months and years. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

 

 

 

[97406]

One of the few shots of the construction. I wish I'd kept more of a record in hindsight!

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by 97406

[Kevin Johnson]

Hi thanks for sharing your TMD layout. It's looks a lovely little layout with some really nice modelling.

[97406]

The growing heritage fleet:

[97406]

4 minutes ago, Wrenn said:

Hi thanks for sharing your TMD layout. It's looks a lovely little layout with some really nice modelling.

Thank you! It's been great fun to do. It could in theory get integrated into a larger layout at some point in the future.

[Multigauge]

It's nice to see some AC electrics and knitting on a layout. Good stuff. 

[97406]

All the lights work too. I’ve used car headlamp yellow on some to give the impression of sodium discharge lamps.

Edited April 6, 2022 by 97406

[97406]

Would-be drone footage

[97406]

A spare catenary dropper - the final versions have a loop soldered onto the upper horizontal member just below the insulators for the catenary (or 'messenger') wire.

 

And the testbed.

 

Using the Peco mast to get the dimensions, I drew a sketch on graph paper, based on a photo of the real thing. I used .75mm nickel silver rod for the main triangle and side assembly, and .5mm brass wire for the registration arm (I think that’s what it’s called) that holds the contact wire. I found this flexed a little too much on some so some got replaced with slightly thicker wire. I used thin masking tape to hold down the components that needed soldering. I made a top piece out of a strip of plasticard, and insulators from 0.3mm brass wire coiled around the .75mm nickel silver wire. Apart from the soldered joints they are glued together with superglue. The thing is to ensure the contact wire is lower than any other parts of the assembly or the pan head will catch it. The contact wires are held in place with a blob of superglue, and this can be heated with a soldering iron if you want to remove a piece of wire for maintenance. The gantries are the Scale Model Scenary ones.

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by 97406

[97406]

A break from the scenery to concentrate on the eponymous 97406 which is a Lima model with newly-grafted Bachmann cabs. Alongside a Bachmann 40 and 45, and ViTrains 47.

Edited January 17, 2023 by 97406

[97406]

Electrics coming off duty

Edited March 31, 2022 by 97406

[97406]

Five Forties off the bucket list.

Edited March 31, 2022 by 97406

[Johnson Street IEMD]

Have you thought about electrifying the shed part ? (by extending the gantries to the left and slightly raising the height of the space above the locos to accomodate OLE ?

 

Kat@johnsonstreetIEMD

Edited June 4, 2021 by DBC90024

[97406]

On 04/06/2021 at 01:20, DBC90024 said:

Have you thought about electrifying the shed part ? (by extending the gantries to the left and slightly raising the height of the space above the locos to accomodate OLE ?

 

Kat@johnsonstreetIEMD

That was the original intention. The shed was modified so it is high enough to accommodate wires, and the gantries reached over the shed lines at one point, but they made photography more difficult due to more posts to get in between the locos and the camera. There was also a concern about 12” to the foot scale hands and cats interfering with the catenary at the front of the layout, so a decision was reached to electrify just the main road in and the rearmost sidings.  Here’s a couple of earlier pics with the original gantries, which were in the process of being revised in the second photo. If it ever gets integrated into a larger layout, then it will be extended to the front, so more wires may appear.

Edited March 31, 2022 by 97406

[sb67]

Just come across your thread 97406, great looking layout. I like the plan and the Catenary it really captures the look and feel of a busy TMD. Look forward to seeing some more pics  

[37114]

Looks a nice layout!

[Johnson Street IEMD]

Them cats ... lol ...

 

I am planning to get some clear perspex panels to cover the front of the layout - and am pondering a lid of sorts - as Rox is just too curious.

 

Kat@johnsonstreetIEMD 

[97406]

6 minutes ago, DBC90024 said:

Them cats ... lol ...

 

I am planning to get some clear perspex panels to cover the front of the layout - and am pondering a lid of sorts - as Rox is just too curious.

 

Kat@johnsonstreetIEMD 

The layout resides in a couple of old chests of drawers and the tops have been fashioned into lids that go over the top, but they're often left off as I nip up and tinker with the thing quite a lot. The cats seem to show little interest, but one of them has jumped onto it when I've been working on or running the layout when he wants some fuss. There is a stick with a bit of wire kept near the layout to distract him. The cat-enary is superglued to the baseboard and is designed to break away rather than bend, so in theory I can just replace any damaged sections. Time will tell!

[97406]

Incidents of giant cats on the loose are on the rise.... https://youtu.be/tb59dEHRt5Q

 

[97406]

One of the reasons for the existance of the layout is to serve as a diorama, so from this angle it appears as a normal running line. This allows me to recreate one of the nostalgic trains from way back when, the Northwich to Tunstead empties. I need some ICI letters for the hoppers as the Oxford PHVs are nearly all sold out.

Edited April 7, 2022 by 97406

[Kevin Johnson]

Great photo of the class 25 and ICI hoppers.

[sb67]

They look very good 97406  I really like the way you can use your layout as a photo plank, if you didn't know better that could be a stretch of mainline! 

[97406]

5 hours ago, sb67 said:

They look very good 97406  I really like the way you can use your layout as a photo plank, if you didn't know better that could be a stretch of mainline! 

Thank you. I’m now up to the point where I am adding the smaller and smaller details, such as relay cabinets, and people, which will come next. I quite fancy doing a depot open day scene with it, lots of stalls and people, plus D200 and Flying Scotsman doing brake van rides. All in a form that can be removed and it then reverts back to a working depot again.

[dmu 156]

Love the ICI hoppers, I have a full 18 wagon rake myself, as a driver at Northern Man-Picc until 3 years ago, I signed parts of their route, Chinley, Northwich as well as Buxton. Always loved driving through the Peak district.

[97406]

4 hours ago, dmu 156 said:

Love the ICI hoppers, I have a full 18 wagon rake myself, as a driver at Northern Man-Picc until 3 years ago, I signed parts of their route, Chinley, Northwich as well as Buxton. Always loved driving through the Peak district.

One of my earliest memories was standing on Navvi Road station with my Mum, getting electric shocks off her because of the 25kV and being scared half to death by the ICI hoppers behind a blue or green 25 or 40. The noise was immense, and those two particular classes are my favourites. I lived near Skelton Junction and often used to hear the squeal of the goods trains as they went round the curve. Quite atmospheric, especially at night.