Peterborough North

[great northern]

Trying to keep things simple..........I believe you have a handy tradesperson that has done cabinet work for you IIRC? How about you ask him if he could design some sliding drawers as one has in a kitchen but wider and deeper in two dimensions? They could be fitted under the F Yard, however many deep (say three for height comfort?).  They would be able to contain (say) 4 cassettes of length to accommodate 3 or 4 coaches. This way they could be lifted up and out of the drawer(s) if they were stored lengthways and parallel to the tracks and placed on the FY access/loading 'dock' without a lot of waving around. OK this might be a bit more expensive than a bish, bash, bosh, but we are talking about a long term piece of equipment.

I reckon you could accommodate at least 3 or 4 of these drawer sets containing 4 cassettes. With just one drawer in each 'Tower' you would have have anything from 12 to 16 Cassettes and that = min  48 & max 64 coaches for a set of 4 coach Cassettes, less for 3 coach Cassettes. That could be 4 x 12 Coach trains min or 5  x 12 Coach trains and 4 spare coaches! 

If you had 3 or 4 sets of drawer 'Towers', each containing 3 or 4 drawers, then that would be a lot more Cassetes would it not, in fact it could be (say) 16 Drawers and if each contained 4 Cassettes I make that 64 Cassettes. That's one hell of a lot of coaches! Could be as many as 256 if my maths works.

OK now my brain cell hurts so I need a rest.

Phil

Your brain cells hurt. Mine are in melt down.   Yet more food for thought there, and it chimes with what I've been thinking- more made to spec storage. I was concentrating more on loose stock, but I agree the same could be done for cassettes. Possible problems would however be the amount of stuff already sitting under the baseboards, including "engine sheds". I've also put a couple of cheap and nasty drawer units under there, but they could be sacrificed and replaced by something specifically designed for what is needed. Do you fancy bringing your aching brain over again so that we can discuss everything on site?

[Mallard60022]

Your brain cells hurt. Mine are in melt down.   Yet more food for thought there, and it chimes with what I've been thinking- more made to spec storage. I was concentrating more on loose stock, but I agree the same could be done for cassettes. Possible problems would however be the amount of stuff already sitting under the baseboards, including "engine sheds". I've also put a couple of cheap and nasty drawer units under there, but they could be sacrificed and replaced by something specifically designed for what is needed. Do you fancy bringing your aching brain over again so that we can discuss everything on site?

 

I reckon we could 'rearrange' various sets of stuff under the layout and get the loco sheds all sorted too. If you could put up with removing various things like stock boxes, that could then be 'stored' elsewhere, then we could see what room we have. I am being a total hypocrite here as the underside of my layout is just a heap of disorganised rubbish but I do not yet need Cassettes!

Duck

[figworthy]

AS I don't have the back of an envelope to hand I had a thought along the lines drawn below - it's very rough but came from the concept of the old sweet servers they used to have in patisseries de France  where there are a number of trays in a big circular device that are hung on gymbals so as to always stay level - I'm sure his Duckness could cut out a couple of plywood circles and arrange a rod between them to act as a rotating pin so you could bring a train into service just by spinning the wheel of ( appropriate names to be supplied)

 

Wiring shouldn't be too complex especially on Devilishly Complex Control

 

Sorry its half baked, but you should get the idea...

 

Screenshot 2018-11-30 at 08.43.26.png

 

I can't remember that name of it, but there is a thread on here somewhere where someone has built something that looks very much like that, I think in 7mm.

 

Adrian

[great northern]

I have bought a new notebook, and a pen, and lists are being made. Rather worryingly, the first solid ideas that went in there would result in some things going back to the way they were seven years ago.

 

Silver Link carries on at the regulation 20mph, but shortly the driver can open up again.

[St Enodoc]

Trying to keep things simple..........I believe you have a handy tradesperson that has done cabinet work for you IIRC? How about you ask him if he could design some sliding drawers as one has in a kitchen but wider and deeper in two dimensions? They could be fitted under the F Yard, however many deep (say three for height comfort?).  They would be able to contain (say) 4 cassettes of length to accommodate 3 or 4 coaches. This way they could be lifted up and out of the drawer(s) if they were stored lengthways and parallel to the tracks and placed on the FY access/loading 'dock' without a lot of waving around. OK this might be a bit more expensive than a bish, bash, bosh, but we are talking about a long term piece of equipment.

I reckon you could accommodate at least 3 or 4 of these drawer sets containing 4 cassettes. With just one drawer in each 'Tower' you would have have anything from 12 to 16 Cassettes and that = min  48 & max 64 coaches for a set of 4 coach Cassettes, less for 3 coach Cassettes. That could be 4 x 12 Coach trains min or 5  x 12 Coach trains and 4 spare coaches! 

If you had 3 or 4 sets of drawer 'Towers', each containing 3 or 4 drawers, then that would be a lot more Cassetes would it not, in fact it could be (say) 16 Drawers and if each contained 4 Cassettes I make that 64 Cassettes. That's one hell of a lot of coaches! Could be as many as 256 if my maths works.

OK now my brain cell hurts so I need a rest.

Phil

Sounds a bit like a drawing office plan chest. It might be possible to pick up a second-hand one somewhere.

[great northern]

Sounds a bit like a drawing office plan chest. It might be possible to pick up a second-hand one somewhere.

What a great suggestion. I've had a quick look on E Bay, and there are loads on there. I shall investigate further when time allows.

[great northern]

I may have a cracked coccyx. So says my osteopath, and he should know. Its the legacy of my fall on the golf course a while back, and will take some weeks to heal. Up with it I shall have to put.

 

Photos. I'm still messing about with shots in the area of the tranship shed.

I'm not convinced. I can't do too much in this area anyway, as it is now the only work surface I have in the room. We shall have a proper picture as well, which features Dominion of Canada arriving with the 7.35 Nottingham - KX.

[FarrMan]

Gilbert

 

Sorry to hear about your cracked coccyx. Can be uncomfortable sitting down. I had something similar a few years ago, and a cushion with a hole in the middle was quite helpful. There is quite arrange available quite cheaply, and they really do make a difference.

 

Re cassette storage, if you just use front of each plan chest drawer for one depth of cassette, could the space behind still be used for storage, etc.? It may need several drawers removed to get access to, but should be OK if there are not bars between the drawers on the cabinet. Perhaps the location in the fiddle yard for running onto the layout could be adjusted so that the whole drawer (deep enough front to back for just one cassette) could be slid into place, locking it so that the stock could be run straight onto or off the layout, through suitable orifices cut into each end.

 

Great photos and comments. Please keep them coming.

 

Lloyd, from Farr

[Mallard60022]

Sounds a bit like a drawing office plan chest. It might be possible to pick up a second-hand one somewhere.

 

Great idea and as long as they are deep (vertical plane) enough for Cassettes then they could be 'modified' by a cabinet maker. IIRC, having cleaned an office in recent history where they still existed, they would be wide enough for 4 coaches, certainly three quite easily.

Phil

[Mallard60022]

Gilbert

 

Sorry to hear about your cracked coccyx. Can be uncomfortable sitting down. I had something similar a few years ago, and a cushion with a hole in the middle was quite helpful. There is quite arrange available quite cheaply, and they really do make a difference.

 

Re cassette storage, if you just use front of each plan chest drawer for one depth of cassette, could the space behind still be used for storage, etc.? It may need several drawers removed to get access to, but should be OK if there are not bars between the drawers on the cabinet. Perhaps the location in the fiddle yard for running onto the layout could be adjusted so that the whole drawer (deep enough front to back for just one cassette) could be slid into place, locking it so that the stock could be run straight onto or off the layout, through suitable orifices cut into each end.

 

Great photos and comments. Please keep them coming.

 

Lloyd, from Farr

 

My wife suggests that the hole in the middle jobs are not quite right for spine problems. You have special ones with a cut out at the back for Coccyx Problems and I think that's what you meant. I use one here at 36E and they are good.

Phil

[great northern]

My wife suggests that the hole in the middle jobs are not quite right for spine problems. You have special ones with a cut out at the back for Coccyx Problems and I think that's what you meant. I use one here at 36E and they are good.

Phil

Thanks Phil, I have ordered one, as it is quite uncomfortable at present.

[great northern]

There was this WD in the fiddle yard, and it looked quite nice.

[great northern]

Back to proper pictures. We have an A4 in the gloom.

It is a very common one though. A different story on the Down, as Doncaster shed have hung on to ex works Haymarket A3 Grand Parade, and sent it up to London last night. Top Shed are returning it this morning on a relief to the 8.00 Down Leeds.

 

[great northern]

If there is one thing of which we can be sure, it is that every camera in sight would be pointed at a gleaming ex works Haymarket Pacific. And they were....

There's one heavy crop that worked. Fish tank maintenance now, followed by measurements in the railway room.

[chaz]

If there is one thing of which we can be sure, it is that every camera in sight would be pointed at a gleaming ex works Haymarket Pacific. And they were....

4 90 and 10.JPG

5 90 2.JPG

There's one heavy crop that worked. Fish tank maintenance now, followed by measurements in the railway room.

 

 

WOW! Those are the sorts of photo that make following this topic so worthwhile. As I contemplate them I can hear the blower of a double-chimneyed Pacific as it sat at a platform and then the soft exhaust as it glided, apparently effortlessly, away. I have a distinct memory of "Isinglass" on a stopper at WGC. The board came off and a minute or two later it got under way, snaking over the crossover to the down fast without a trace of slip or indeed any exhaust smoke or steam (height of summer). Impressive. 

 

Despite the fact that I saw it regularly "Isinglass" was a favourite of mine, an old friend. I never saw No. 90 - the closest I got was 91 - "Captain Cuttle".

My father, who did his train-spotting before Hitler's war, had a different set of regulars.

 

Chaz

[great northern]

A bit of lateral thinking today, and a realisation that I would really prefer to keep disruption to a minimum. I can see a way forward, but it would require a lot of clerical work and sitting in front of this PC.

 

Another experimental shot appears below. My own view is that the radius of the curve is too sharp, and the overhang of the front of the loco unacceptable.

That's a shame really, as it would otherwise be quite a nice view.

 

After the A4 had cleared, a tender first J6 came down from Westwood yard with a very short rake of parcels vans.

More and more bits were deemed too difficult to process, so this finished up as a severe crop.

[chaz]

I must agree with you about the overhang of the A4 on the sharp curve - it also seems to exacerbate the inaccurate gauge of the track (although I doubt if you could get a P4 Pacific round a curve that sharp at all). I would write that angle off as a no-no - worth a try though...

 

Chaz

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Try it with a short wheelbase loco, such as the J6 ( just another way to get another pic of the J6) or another inside cylindered loco.

 

manna 

[dunnyrail]

What a great suggestion. I've had a quick look on E Bay, and there are loads on there. I shall investigate further when time allows.

Andy Rush had an old Planning Chest that was to be used for his Cassetts in his 20 foot River. Think that it may not be ideal for your Long Trains, but perhaps you can manage to keep most of the Big Trains in your Fiddle Roads and use Cassetts for the smaller Trains? This would mean less dodgy fiddling around with soking great long cassetts.

JonD Assistant to the Ruschfuhrer of the former Ruschbahn.

[great northern]

G'Day Folks

 

Try it with a short wheelbase loco, such as the J6 ( just another way to get another pic of the J6) or another inside cylindered loco.

 

manna 

Good idea. Thanks, I'll do that.

[great northern]

Andy Rush had an old Planning Chest that was to be used for his Cassetts in his 20 foot River. Think that it may not be ideal for your Long Trains, but perhaps you can manage to keep most of the Big Trains in your Fiddle Roads and use Cassetts for the smaller Trains? This would mean less dodgy fiddling around with soking great long cassetts.

JonD Assistant to the Ruschfuhrer of the former Ruschbahn.

 I owe a great deal to Andy, not least the idea of using cassettes in the first place. He advised me to make them no longer than 4ft, which I've done. The problem is that the big trains are very rarely run, while the shorter ones are, so I'm thinking that putting together three cassettes about once very two months will be easier than loading one cassette much more regularly. Planning is still at an early stage though, and will also involve how to store or load all the goods formations Andy worked out for me.

 

There are two people who are sadly missed, so far as I'm concerned. Andy is one, and Dave Shakespeare the other.

[great northern]

Whoopeee! My cushion has arrived. Couldn't resist that. Credit to Amazon, as it was only ordered on Saturday evening. It looks to be just what is needed, and my coccyx seems to agree.

 

The J6 we saw last night is now propelling the vans into number one bay, where they will stay for some time.

 

Next arrival is the 5.50 slow from KX, a motley collection of vehicles which could vary from four to eleven or twelve behind the tender. It seems to have been used to get just about anything northbound, from locked buffet cars for Grimsby to horseboxes to various destinations, and strange wagons from somewhere called the Western Region.

 

In the week of the HMRS survey, Ladas was used three days out of five, so here it is.

 

60067 shouldn't have a double chimney till April 59, so Tim will be dealing with that in due course, and improving the weathering.

[davidw]

Whoopeee! My cushion has arrived. Couldn't resist that. Credit to Amazon, as it was only ordered on Saturday evening. It looks to be just what is needed, and my coccyx seems to agree.

 

The J6 we saw last night is now propelling the vans into number one bay, where they will stay for some time.

8 4260 2.JPG

 

Next arrival is the 5.50 slow from KX, a motley collection of vehicles which could vary from four to eleven or twelve behind the tender. It seems to have been used to get just about anything northbound, from locked buffet cars for Grimsby to horseboxes to various destinations, and strange wagons from somewhere called the Western Region.

 

In the week of the HMRS survey, Ladas was used three days out of five, so here it is.

1 67 1.JPG

 

60067 shouldn't have a double chimney till April 59, so Tim will be dealing with that in due course, and improving the weathering.

If the double chimney comes off clean can I have first dibs?

[juke]

Is the six wheeler a M.A.R.C.s one?

 

Syd

[Mallard60022]

If the double chimney comes off clean can I have first dibs?

 

If it does not I have a couple of cast A3 chimneys that you are welcome to have for nowt but postage. They are not bad and I've had them for over 40 years and will never use them. 

Phil