Jump to content
 

Bradford Interchange (circa 1987-91) in N


jonhinds
 Share

Recommended Posts

Trying to resist the urge to post too many photos until the layout is looking a bit more ‘finished’, but quite pleased with this iPhone shot of a Ped on parcels service. This will eventually be sent to Mercig Studios to be converted into a 31/4.

 

DB1E7CCC-1CD1-4841-9B53-76AFF7FBB0B7.jpeg.069f55c003c57a7886c7bbbb2b1b8410.jpeg

 

  • Like 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, kryten65 said:

Crossley Evans is on the other side of Bradford, 

5240432329_c014a81ba7.jpgBradford by Dan, on Flickr

 

 this one is in Laisterdyke and was sporadic to say the least

 

 

 

 

Oops, sorry. My limited knowledge of the area is a dangerous thing!

I have quite a few books of Railfreight in the 1980s, and Laisterdyke does not seem to feature in any of them,

 

cheers

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

There was an article on modelling Bradford Interchange (which the article called "Bradford Exchange") back in the 1980s in Practical Model Railways (so current practice at the time—pre-Sprinter, with 110s on the Calder Valley services). It did give details of the then-current services including "dated" ones. It was the May 1984 issue.

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

On 28/09/2021 at 11:29, kryten65 said:

That is spot on, I spent 8 years there in early 90's as shunter and station supervisor, 

 

That little shed on the left was where the Royal Mail kept the little tow tractor and the shed in the arch way was ours for storage of various nasties.

 

 

I remember the commotion in York when it was discovered that your 'various nasties' included so much petrol we should have had a petroleum storage licence !  I also remember (a few years later) trekking over there for the SM's team meeting to discover it was being held in The Kashmir. 

 

Looks good so far :-)

Edited by Wheatley
  • Like 1
  • Funny 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

On 28/09/2021 at 17:05, Jonb82 said:

The scrap yard at Laisterdyke was European metal recycling accessed via Mcintyres sidings

 

 

I think Laisterdyke scrapyard still had paths a couple of years ago, but I don't think a scrap train has run for a long time to the sidings.

Link to post
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Ben B said:

 

I think Laisterdyke scrapyard still had paths a couple of years ago, but I don't think a scrap train has run for a long time to the sidings.


I agree! It’s massively overgrown now, in fact in 15 years of driving past it I’ve never seen anything use the sidings haha

Link to post
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Jonb82 said:


I agree! It’s massively overgrown now, in fact in 15 years of driving past it I’ve never seen anything use the sidings haha

 

I wonder if it's tied up with the fact Crossleys doesn't get trains now? I know in BR days both yards could be tripped as part of the same diagram, though I think towards the end CE just had block trains to Cardiff Tidal. It's probably just another case where it's cheaper to use lorries...

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

There was an article on modelling Bradford Interchange (which the article called "Bradford Exchange") back in the 1980s in Practical Model Railways (so current practice at the time—pre-Sprinter, with 110s on the Calder Valley services). It did give details of the then-current services including "dated" ones. It was the May 1984 issue.


Is this the issue?

 

https://www.railmags.org/index.php?id_product=7031&rewrite=pmr-1984-may&controller=product

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
On 29/09/2021 at 21:35, jonhinds said:

Yes, that's the one all right.

 

Just to add that the article is by David Ratcliffe, a regular writer on modern traction subjects.

 

There was a photo feature on Bradford within the last couple of years in BRM, though I assume you may already be aware of it…

Edited by D9020 Nimbus
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

On 01/10/2021 at 17:16, D9020 Nimbus said:

There was a photo feature on Bradford within the last couple of years in BRM, though I assume you may already be aware of it…


Ah, wasn’t aware of that. Many thanks!

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Nothing new to report on the layout, however the 47 has returned from Mercig Studios. I went for the works, including the fine etched handrails and roof fans. 

Admittedly, the cost of cab lights and detailing could’ve bought another 3 or 4 47s, but I couldn’t be happier with the single one I have!
 

7ECA3A37-854C-493D-A2C6-784E6EB46BFC.jpeg.5964f1641b03bd54a7b2a45ddf21f8f6.jpeg77727FC1-1C25-4669-9085-D9454FB22F73.jpeg.e5d43ec0324bced639a603d073ef3239.jpeg

  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

It’s been a fair while since I did anything on the layout, but made a bit of progress this week. First up, the overpass that represents the scenic break. I decided to start with these distinctive-looking supports:

 

74AD1BF9-24DF-464D-9B9B-33F082CD023F.jpeg.e24812631d224adbeb1aaccd28ce7208.jpeg

 

I modeled this section using Foamex board and styrene strip. Unfortunately I went a bit heavy with the CA glue so there are visible blobs on several supports, which I only noticed after priming. Also a few visible gaps in the joints on curved sections. They’ll be painted very dark blue and all but one will sit in shadow, so I can live with it.

 

F0BCF83B-765A-4E6F-9483-FCBB552EB911.jpeg

Edited by jonhinds
  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

Bit more bridge progress. Modelled & primed the upper concrete section. Quickly tacked everything together to test-fit; quite happy so far. Just needs painting, gluing and weathering now.

 

24715EF9-E4C5-4BD6-B650-05542A0A6EDC.jpeg.d899fe56eb282d0f74db0eb87a4b69bf.jpeg

D449F44F-554D-46A5-A2FF-2AD184323463.jpeg.4386f90fcf0495b24855e066e4af0f4a.jpeg

 

Appears that the overpass / bridge was partly rebuilt, possibly when the Exchange was relocated from its old site in the 1970s. Hopefully the remaining section (on the left ) should be straightforward to model:
 

49878844663_21f071bd85_h.jpgOld and new at Bradford. by John Whiteley, on Flickr

  • Like 6
  • Craftsmanship/clever 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, I’ve hit a snag!

 

I want to model the riveted detail on a section of the overpass, but without access to a 3D printer I’m not sure how to do it. Too small to punch in the rivets with a pin, and looks a bit fiddly to do with decals (certainly as I’ve not used them before).

 

I’m stuck for now :sad_mini2:
 

 

 

2FE31CF3-0704-4D9B-8BDE-25B80CA816C3.jpeg

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Time for a bit of a rant (feel free to skip this!)
 

Well, it looks like my rookie attempt at code 40 track laying has come back to bite me, as locos are persistently stalling at various locations around the layout. As the track and wheels are clean, I think the culprit is the poor tolerances in my point construction as that’s where the majority of faults are occurring.

 

Looks like it could be any number of things: poor soldering; scratches on rail heads caused by aggressive sanding (a very early mistake); uneven track height; the oversized gap between the live frog and some adjacent rails. The reality is that I probably should rip things up and start again more carefully, but it’s taken so much to reach this point! In retrospect, I think a small shunting plank might have been a better first layout, or just sticking to code 55.

 

I’m in a bind, as it’s getting to the stage when I’d ideally like to weather and ballast the track, but given the poor running it seems a bit silly. On the other hand, I’m not sure if I could face relaying half the layout again, particularly if it means replacing turnouts.

 

Sigh.

  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Despite the operational woes detailed above, I’m having loads of fun learning the scenic side of railway modelling. This (coarse) attempt at an OFF indicator for train dispatch is my first go around with rivet decals and airbrushing.

 

392FEDB8-3028-4AC1-A706-38464BD11E87.jpeg.1cfecf221d080247d94c7b4a3a87e4c7.jpegFEC4EC57-0B59-46CA-B39B-5E0EFEDA0662.jpeg.92c2682ae17c606fb794f3802fb8708f.jpeg

Edited by jonhinds
Incorrect wording
  • Like 10
  • Craftsmanship/clever 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

I feel your pain, having been in a similar situation.  The best advice I can give is, leave it alone for a couple of days then rip it up and start again.  It sounds brutal, I know, but it's well worth it in the long run.  I looked at what I'd done as a learning curve as I could see where I had gone wrong and I was able to correct the fault.

 

Once you start it wouldn't be as bad as you fear, and actually saves time and stress if you leave it "as is" and try to correct the faults in situ.

 

Good luck!

 

Roja

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, 37Oban said:

Hi,

 

I feel your pain, having been in a similar situation.  The best advice I can give is, leave it alone for a couple of days then rip it up and start again.  It sounds brutal, I know, but it's well worth it in the long run.  I looked at what I'd done as a learning curve as I could see where I had gone wrong and I was able to correct the fault.

 

Once you start it wouldn't be as bad as you fear, and actually saves time and stress if you leave it "as is" and try to correct the faults in situ.

 

Good luck!

 

Roja


Thanks! It’s reassuring that my situation isn’t totally uncommon.

 

I find that running the trains at modest speed over the problem areas is fine; it’s slow running that’s the issue. I can’t face another go at the crossover just yet (it actually took a couple of frustrating months to get it operational), but it will definitely be replaced. I’m reasonably confident I can do a better job with the benefit of 20/20, it’s just getting over the sunk cost fallacy at this point.

 

I’ll probably just putter around with the scenic area for a month or two and return to track building when my confidence is up. I’m looking forward to British Finescale’s new easy build turnouts kits eventually coming to FB rail, but I may have to replace the turnouts long before those arrive.

  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I suspect I’m not that far behind you in the code 40 imperfection realisation! I know my turnouts have improved iteratively purely by looking at them, and whilst they all work with stock pushed through them it’ll be interesting to see how they work under power! 
 

Before you do rip it all up (which may still be the right answer) I’d definitely spend time making sure those issues can’t be resolved. Stalling is generally going to be electrical, which is likely to be easier to resolve than derailing! If you’ve got over large gaps can you solder in a tiny piece of rail etc? Again it may be a case of rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic, but may be worth a go.
 

For rail head scratches I just use finer and finer grades of sandpaper; there comes a point it’s basically just polishing. 

  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, njee20 said:

I suspect I’m not that far behind you in the code 40 imperfection realisation! I know my turnouts have improved iteratively purely by looking at them, and whilst they all work with stock pushed through them it’ll be interesting to see how they work under power! 
 

Before you do rip it all up (which may still be the right answer) I’d definitely spend time making sure those issues can’t be resolved. Stalling is generally going to be electrical, which is likely to be easier to resolve than derailing! If you’ve got over large gaps can you solder in a tiny piece of rail etc? Again it may be a case of rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic, but may be worth a go.
 

For rail head scratches I just use finer and finer grades of sandpaper; there comes a point it’s basically just polishing. 

 

From the looks of things you shouldn’t have too much trouble with yours. TBH my first crossover is a bit of a dog‘s dinner in all respects.


I think it might be possible to rectify the issues, it’s just there’s so many things that might be causing them! Some are somewhat easy to rectify, others (wonky track alignment) might be a bit tougher now everything is glued in. The tolerances are pretty unforgiving at this scale.

 

I’m considering joining a local club and perhaps asking an experienced member to have a look, since your point stands about things being possibly more fixable than they first appear.

 

Annoyingly, it wouldn’t be as much of an issue if the turnouts were located at sections where stock is likely to run at a scale 30mph+, but they’re all near stopping points.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...