jonhinds Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 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. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 14 minutes ago, kryten65 said: Crossley Evans is on the other side of Bradford, Bradford 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 More sharing options...
Jonb82 Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 The scrap yard at Laisterdyke was European metal recycling accessed via Mcintyres sidings looking forward to seeing this develop. Just drove in and out of Interchange 30mins ago 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold D9020 Nimbus Posted September 29, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 29, 2021 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. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheatley Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 (edited) 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 September 29, 2021 by Wheatley 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben B Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 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 More sharing options...
Jonb82 Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 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 More sharing options...
Ben B Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 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... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted September 29, 2021 Author Share Posted September 29, 2021 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 More sharing options...
RMweb Gold D9020 Nimbus Posted October 1, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 1, 2021 (edited) On 29/09/2021 at 21:35, jonhinds said: Is this the issue? https://www.railmags.org/index.php?id_product=7031&rewrite=pmr-1984-may&controller=product 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 October 1, 2021 by D9020 Nimbus 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted October 3, 2021 Author Share Posted October 3, 2021 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 More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted November 21, 2021 Author Share Posted November 21, 2021 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! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ColinK Posted November 21, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 21, 2021 Very nice. I prefer quality over quantity. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) 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: 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. Edited March 9, 2022 by jonhinds 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted March 9, 2022 Author Share Posted March 9, 2022 (edited) Also more or less finished detailing one corner of the layout, including a little platform barrow. Edited March 9, 2022 by jonhinds 7 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted March 11, 2022 Author Share Posted March 11, 2022 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. 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: Old and new at Bradford. by John Whiteley, on Flickr 6 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 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 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted March 14, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 14, 2022 I wonder if the parts could be etched? Maybe post an inquiry on the Any Question Answered thread in the 2mm section? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted March 14, 2022 Author Share Posted March 14, 2022 18 minutes ago, Flying Pig said: I wonder if the parts could be etched? Maybe post an inquiry on the Any Question Answered thread in the 2mm section? Thanks, that’s a great idea! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 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. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 (edited) 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. Edited April 12, 2022 by jonhinds Incorrect wording 10 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37Oban Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 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 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 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. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium njee20 Posted April 12, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 12, 2022 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. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhinds Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 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 More sharing options...
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