Peterborough North

[great northern]

No doubt many of you have been wondering why our man was told to keep lurking in the shrubbery.

1046am, and time for the Elizabethan to make its stately progress through PN, though limited of course to 20mph, like everything else.

And then we have a shiny Haymarket A4 and a B17. What more could one ask?

[Liam]

Not today anyway. About 9c and a biting North Easterly.

That's odd. In Yorkshire it was near 16 and at my railway about 15.

[Liam]

Gilbert, I don't suppose you've got A3 60093 'Coronach'? In the family archives I seem to recall there's a photo of my father in a pram with my grandfather (station master at Fountainhall, on the Waverley route) waving her off towards Edinburgh.

[great northern]

60093 was hardly ever seen down South Liam, only about once every two years when it was at Doncaster for a general overhaul. It was last there in 1957, and didn't get there again until Nov 1958. There is no guarantee that it got to Peterborough then either, so, rare as hen's teeth, and I can't justify it.

[great northern]

We have to have a side on photo of a Haymarket engine, don't we?

And then it is back to the mundane. The Ivatt 4 which brought in a local from South Lynn now waits to head home with a service for Yarmouth Beach. It won't go any further than home though, as all Yarmouth trains changed engines there.

Please also note the better positioned lamps on the rear of the C12, a very minor triumph om my part. I had a full eye test yesterday, and discovered that in addition to the damage caused by my recent mini stroke behind the right eye, my left one, which had a cataract removed three years back, has decided to adjust itself a little, though I don't remember it asking permission to do so. Anyway, I shall quite shortly have a new pair, and all should be restored to something like normal. Oh, the joys of being elderly.

[richard.h]

Glad to hear that your eye sight problem is being sorted, those rear lamps are certainly spot-on.

I wanted to mention Cassettes, I followed your example about eighteen months ago and started building cassette holders, since my maximum train length is eight coaches two four foot ones will make up a complete train.

As I have gradually built my cassette stock they have become more invaluable as you soon realise the possibilities of stock control and train formations that can be achieved.

I also left space on the feed spur to the cassettes for a Peco Loco Lift obviously to connect locos on if needed but as an added bonus I now find that the Lift left in position re-rails anything that might have accidentally been dislodged.

 

The problem I now have is that I built a trolley on heavy duty castors with a capacity for 60 cassettes but already with only 30 cassettes in it is starting to distort, (it was made in MDF with strengthening brackets).

Obviously I can build a new one to a different spec but I was trying to find details of your system first, but with 600 pages to go through its proving difficult, if you could point me in the right direction and also let me know if you had any teething troubles with your system I would be grateful.

[great northern]

Glad to hear that your eye sight problem is being sorted, those rear lamps are certainly spot-on.

I wanted to mention Cassettes, I followed your example about eighteen months ago and started building cassette holders, since my maximum train length is eight coaches two four foot ones will make up a complete train.

As I have gradually built my cassette stock they have become more invaluable as you soon realise the possibilities of stock control and train formations that can be achieved.

I also left space on the feed spur to the cassettes for a Peco Loco Lift obviously to connect locos on if needed but as an added bonus I now find that the Lift left in position re-rails anything that might have accidentally been dislodged.

 

The problem I now have is that I built a trolley on heavy duty castors with a capacity for 60 cassettes but already with only 30 cassettes in it is starting to distort, (it was made in MDF with strengthening brackets).

Obviously I can build a new one to a different spec but I was trying to find details of your system first, but with 600 pages to go through its proving difficult, if you could point me in the right direction and also let me know if you had any teething troubles with your system I would be grateful.

I had my cassette box built by a professional joiner, and it is certainly well engineered. It will hold 50 cassettes, most of which are full now, and shows no sign of distorting or falling apart. it is a bit late now, but tomorrow I'll take some measurements for you. It is built from MDF, pretty heavy width.

[great northern]

A couple of attempts at doing something a bit different tonight, which involved just focusing on locos sitting waiting to do something. First was the C12.

A nicely crowded scene, I think. Then we move to the South end bays, where we find the other pilot, and a loco waiting to take a train forward.

As I said, something different. I leave it to you to decide whether it works.

 

[Liam]

Gilbert, just out of curiosity where do you get the information for your train formations from?

[great northern]

Gilbert, just out of curiosity where do you get the information for your train formations from?

Official records, Liam.

[great northern]

It turns out to be a black and white morning. First is the view of the N5 and B17 from the other side.

and then we have the arrival of the Birmingham -Ely. I have to admit that when the roster showed a tank engine for this duty I wondered a bit. Then the penny dropped. Perhaps the crew might prefer a nearly new standard 4MT, but if the choice was this relatively modern class 4 engine, or a Compound on its last legs, I don't think there would be much doubt which they would want, particularly if it was a nasty day. Or would a more open cab have been welcome on a hot summer day? Anyway, it is a Stanier tank duty this morning.

[Liam]

Official records, Liam.

From British Railways? A while ago I downloaded a WTT of its very early days between 1949 and 1952 for the Old Worse and Worse, and produced some fascinating results! But it didn't give details of the formations.

[jwealleans]

I believe Gilbert has written much of this up in BRM (slightly embarrassed to confess that i didn't read the issues concerned as I don't take the magazine).  There is also a very good Yahoo group run by Robert Carroll which makes Carriage Working documents available for just this kind of research.

 

There is also a chap who publishes WTTs, Special Notices and other official documents - Google for WTTReprints.

 

Coverage is patchy, though - if anyone knows, for example, where there might be a CWN for the East Suffolk in the early 1950s, I'd love to hear from them.

[trw1089]

Those last two B&Ws are brilliant Gilbert, really like first one especially.

 

Liam, as I am discovering, working out timetables, formations, loco workings and the like is a gigantic jigsaw puzzle that takes time to figure out, and just when you think you have, another bit of info pops up and sends you down another path. After working on this for the last few years, I probably only know around 20-30% of what I need to run accurate trains on my layout, but I enjoy the research as much as running the trains.

 

As Jonathan has mentioned, there are several useful sources of primary info, especially Robert Carroll's wonderful Yahoo group and the WTT site also mentioned (thanks for that JW!). I can especially recommend the latter, having recently purchased a couple of excellent reprints.

 

Have a go at digging up some info, you'll be glad you did.

 

Cheers

Tony

[New Haven Neil]

I like the first one a lot too, just swap the N5 in for the C12 and we're there!

 

Nicely avoided the 'beast' sticking out of the chimney too.....

[great northern]

Glad to hear that your eye sight problem is being sorted, those rear lamps are certainly spot-on.

I wanted to mention Cassettes, I followed your example about eighteen months ago and started building cassette holders, since my maximum train length is eight coaches two four foot ones will make up a complete train.

As I have gradually built my cassette stock they have become more invaluable as you soon realise the possibilities of stock control and train formations that can be achieved.

I also left space on the feed spur to the cassettes for a Peco Loco Lift obviously to connect locos on if needed but as an added bonus I now find that the Lift left in position re-rails anything that might have accidentally been dislodged.

 

The problem I now have is that I built a trolley on heavy duty castors with a capacity for 60 cassettes but already with only 30 cassettes in it is starting to distort, (it was made in MDF with strengthening brackets).

Obviously I can build a new one to a different spec but I was trying to find details of your system first, but with 600 pages to go through its proving difficult, if you could point me in the right direction and also let me know if you had any teething troubles with your system I would be grateful.

Hi. Update as promised. My cassette box is built of 18mm MDF, so is strong rigid and heavy! It has given me no problems at all, so the cost of having a professional do it has been worthwhile.

[chaz]

B17 and N5 rear.JPG

As I said, something different. I leave it to you to decide whether it works.

 

Well, for me it works reasonably well but the higher than realistic viewpoint is still a bugbear. The photographer must be as tall as the ex-GER tender. Sorry to keep harping on as I suspect it's the result of the centreline of your camera lens relative to its base. I doubt if sawing off the bottom would be a sensible solution. 

 

Chaz

[richard.h]

Hi. Update as promised. My cassette box is built of 18mm MDF, so is strong rigid and heavy! It has given me no problems at all, so the cost of having a professional do it has been worthwhile.

Hi, Thanks for the information. I used 10mm on mine so with a bit of reinforcing, possibly a second layer of 10mm on the base where it is suffering most I should be able to stabilize it.

[great northern]

Well, for me it works reasonably well but the higher than realistic viewpoint is still a bugbear. The photographer must be as tall as the ex-GER tender. Sorry to keep harping on as I suspect it's the result of the centreline of your camera lens relative to its base. I doubt if sawing off the bottom would be a sensible solution. 

 

Chaz

The camera was sitting on the platform for the second one Chaz. I doubt it would be possible to get much lower than my camaera allows. The centre of the lens is about 24cm above the base, and there can't be many that are smaller than that.

[great northern]

I got my first pair of new prescription specs today. What a difference, and what a relief. This is the distance pair though, the varifocals are much more complex lenses, so I have to wait another week for those. Very reassuring to find that, with assistance, I can still see perfectly well.

 

Featured train is the 9.40am Down Newcastle, a Grantham duty as far as its home shed for Victor Wild.

A3 and B17, another nice combination. I'm going to ask for a bit of indulgence next, as I'd spent time photoshopping this before I saw that the 4MT's front bogie is off track, and it is otherwise a nice photo. So, please try to ignore it.

I think my habit of pushing things around by hand to get them exactly where I want them has a lot to do with these fallings off.

[Liam]

It occurred to me today; before the age of British Railways owning every wagon, the routes and workings of private owner wagons must have been fascinating. I mean, no owner of any wagon constructor/factory owner/owner of any business with their own railway wagons could predict where there wagons were, when you take into account marshalling and rate of loading/unloading at goods depots.

[great northern]

I believe Gilbert has written much of this up in BRM (slightly embarrassed to confess that i didn't read the issues concerned as I don't take the magazine).  There is also a very good Yahoo group run by Robert Carroll which makes Carriage Working documents available for just this kind of research.

 

There is also a chap who publishes WTTs, Special Notices and other official documents - Google for WTTReprints.

 

Coverage is patchy, though - if anyone knows, for example, where there might be a CWN for the East Suffolk in the early 1950s, I'd love to hear from them.

Or the E.Lincs line in the late 50s, Jonathan. Yahoo won't now acknowledge I exist, so I can't get into Robert's group, and thus had forgotten about it.

[great northern]

Gayton Hall now sets off on its undemanding short journey to Ely. Most locos were not overworked in those days.

I was surprised how much relatively clear detail could be seen through the overall roof on this shot, and the goods on the Down slow helps the composition too. Unfortunately the signal on the left had a black background, and proved almost impossible to deal with.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

Not a lot of coal in the tender of Gayton Hall, will it make it to Ely ??????

 

manna

 

PS. I take it, the crew have gone to make a quick cuppa.

[CUTLER2579]

G'Day Gents

 

Not a lot of coal in the tender of Gayton Hall, will it make it to Ely ??????

 

manna

 

PS. I take it, the crew have gone to make a quick cuppa.

 

The semi - fasts on the Great Central used to run from Nottingham to Marylebone and back on one tender of coal as there were no facilities south of Nottingham to replenish the tender. Water was of course was a different matter. So Peterborough to Ely was no trouble.