Peterborough North

[45568]

Re the V2's the tweaked Bachmann model isn't bad. Where did you get the Chimney and dome from?

Not wishing to hijack the thread GN,(great stuff by the way!!), but I sourced replacement brass V2 chimneys from Branchlines some time ago.

Cheers, PC

[S.A.C Martin]

I must have a good B1 never had a problem with it

 

Mick I've four B1's and each run beautifully. But a comparison will be interesting.

 

All the B1s I have ever owned were utter, utter pigs. So a cheaper retooled Bachmann one is welcome, as is a new tooled up Hornby one to some extent. Still sitting on the fence, will have to see how funds are at the time of respective releases.

[davidw]

Not wishing to hijack the thread GN,(great stuff by the way!!), but I sourced replacement brass V2 chimneys from Branchlines some time ago.

Cheers, PC

 

Thanks - and domes from Alexander models

[davidw]

Scope for launching a new internet business David?

 

Compare the Bongo.com? :D

 

Don't know if I'll be able to drum up enough business...

[great northern]

Terrific progress yesterday. One of those rare days when everything goes as planned. As a result, the whole of the scenic side is now wired, and accessory decoders installed. :D

 

Now all we have to do is pin down the last bit of fiddle yard permanently, add another few hundred droppers, and then install 27 point motors.Unfortunately some of those are going to be absolute pigs to do, as they are in very difficult places, but never mind, as we will start with some easy ones so that we have a complete circuit. Then I'll at last be able to see some trains go round.

[Horsetan]

Scope for launching a new internet business David?

 

Compare the Bongo.com? :D

 

Should that not be "Um Bongo" instead?

[gresley]

Terrific progress yesterday. One of those rare days when everything goes as planned. As a result, the whole of the scenic side is now wired, and accessory decoders installed. :D

 

Now all we have to do is pin down the last bit of fiddle yard permanently, add another few hundred droppers, and then install 27 point motors.Unfortunately some of those are going to be absolute pigs to do, as they are in very difficult places, but never mind, as we will start with some easy ones so that we have a complete circuit. Then I'll at last be able to see some trains go round.

 

AAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh ! Oooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Just practicing for the OFF.

 

Stuart

[HerbertHopkins]

Terrific progress yesterday. One of those rare days when everything goes as planned. As a result, the whole of the scenic side is now wired, and accessory decoders installed. :D

 

 

Glad to see that things are going well. It's very gratifying when you have one of those rare days where everything goes right, makes up for the times when, it seems, everything is against you!

[tetleys]

Gilbert.

 

Found it at last.

 

Dave S.

[Arpleymodeller]

When this layout is finished I think its definately one for the model railway magazines B)

Superb coaching stock fleet,

Regards

Lewis

[coachmann]

Just when everything looked like it was wheeltappers stuff, I only just come across this thread while looking for some modelling to read. It's so refreshing to see a layout that has coaches to suit instead of being dominated by Mk.I's., and what a layout. Shame on me, I baulked at liddle 'ol Diggle and here you building Peterborough! Looking smashing. Your sceninc section trackwork looks great.

[great northern]

Just when everything looked like it was wheeltappers stuff, I only just come across this thread while looking for some modelling to read. It's so refreshing to see a layout that has coaches to suit instead of being dominated by Mk.I's., and what a layout. Shame on me, I baulked at liddle 'ol Diggle and here you building Peterborough! Looking smashing. Your sceninc section trackwork looks great.

 

Thanks Larry - I've always had grandiose ideas when it comes to layouts, and now at last I have the space to put one into practice. It's going really well so far, so I'm well pleased. As to the coaching stock, now I know what the official formations were I really do feel I should try to get it right, and anyway as you say it breaks up the monotony of wall to wall Mk1's. There's a few of yours in there I'm pleased to say, and Ian Willets Mike Radford and others have supplied some lovely stuff as well. I just wish I could turn out something comparable myself, but it would take twenty times as long as you do, and be about a twentieth as good.

[great northern]

Oh well, things can't always run so smoothly I had tacked down the last bit of fiddle yard. and all seemed to be OK. Unfortunately when I asked Tom Wright to check what I had done he pointed out that I had not quite set the first exit points from the custom built track correctly. I was only about half a degree out, but it created a cumulative error, so by the time we get round to the all important turnouts further on things don't quite do what they should. So, we either put up with a slight kink in the very first bit of entry/exit to the yard, or we think again....

 

I'm pretty sure what happened. I knew subconsciously that it was going to be a close run thing as to whether I could get in 18 roads without going below 3 ft radius,and I just manoeuvred things a bit so it would fit. Bad move, and it paid to get a second opinion.

 

So, what next? Well, I don't want the risk of constant derailments every time something comes in or out of storage, so I think again. Maybe I'll have to accept a slightly tighter radius, so I'll print out some curves using Templot and see what I can do. Then I'll have to lay and wire the track to that radius and see if my Thompson pacifics will go round it. I've said it before, why couldn't the b***** man have put his cylinders in the right place? I will report on progress ( I hope) later. And the moral is. don't tighten that curve so you can get in that little bit extra......

[gresley]

Oh well, things can't always run so smoothly I had tacked down the last bit of fiddle yard. and all seemed to be OK. Unfortunately when I asked Tom Wright to check what I had done he pointed out that I had not quite set the first exit points from the custom built track correctly. I was only about half a degree out, but it created a cumulative error, so by the time we get round to the all important turnouts further on things don't quite do what they should. So, we either put up with a slight kink in the very first bit of entry/exit to the yard, or we think again....

 

I'm pretty sure what happened. I knew subconsciously that it was going to be a close run thing as to whether I could get in 18 roads without going below 3 ft radius,and I just manoeuvred things a bit so it would fit. Bad move, and it paid to get a second opinion.

 

So, what next? Well, I don't want the risk of constant derailments every time something comes in or out of storage, so I think again. Maybe I'll have to accept a slightly tighter radius, so I'll print out some curves using Templot and see what I can do. Then I'll have to lay and wire the track to that radius and see if my Thompson pacifics will go round it. I've said it before, why couldn't the b***** man have put his cylinders in the right place? I will report on progress ( I hope) later. And the moral is. don't tighten that curve so you can get in that little bit extra......

 

Gilbert,

 

What was that about a quart and a pint pot ???????

 

Stuart

[great northern]

I've lost count of the number of times I've laid this end of the fiddle yard, but I'm hoping this time I've got it right. There has been too much muddled thinking involved, particularly in pursuing the holy grail of 36 inch minimum radius. Why I became fixated with this I'm not at all sure, but it really was a bit ridiculous, for more than one reason. Let's start with the most obvious one. At the other end of the fiddle yard there are two approach curves of 33/34 inch radius. That end is all very firmly down now, and I won't contemplate taking it up again unless absolutely necessary, which means only if things fall off regularly when I start running over it. So, why try to insist on 36 inch at the other end? And it's only storage area anyway, so appearance isn't of primary importance, and the difference between 36 and 34 will make little or no difference to running quality.

 

Next bit of muddled thinking is about that nice alcove into which I could get two more dead end sidings. We must try to fill every bit of available space, mustn't we? Why do I never learn? To be able to access those sidings from the up side of the station they have to come off the main entrance to the fiddle yard, as there isn't room for a crossover to get them onto the down side. The necessary turnouts then push everything further out, and the geometry gets difficult, unless you cheat, which I did albeit inadvertantly on my last attempt. So, I now ask myself whether those two sidings are really needed. Why didn't I do that weeks ago? Well, they aren't. The trains that I had planned to put there can easily be accomodated in kick back sidings which will run of storage road 1, which will be empty at all times to allow for continuous running when I feel like doing so. That means there's really no problem.

 

Freed from these self imposed constraints, here's what my latest efforts look like.

 

Now, I look at these and think how much better and more logical they look than the previous efforts, which can be found on earlier pages. Not only that, it is quite obvious that better and more reliable running will be achieved with this formation. And all this is achieved at the cost of approach curves 2 inches tighter. It's the art of compromise again, but it would have been much better,not to mention less frustrating and time consuming if I'd thought it through properly in the first place. So, unless Tom Wright turns up tomorrow and sucks his teeth and looks to the heavens, I think I've cracked it.

 

There is a final irony. Those of you who have ploughed through all of this will recall my desire to run a proper sequence of trains, based on the 1958 WTT, and that locos will be rostered to prototypical diagrams. That means an awful lot of loco changing folks, which I'd intending doing by storing locos on shelves under baseboard and transferring them too and fro by use of Peco loco lifts. Well, if you look at that empty corner, you will see that I can still accomodate a number of dead end sidings there. They only come off the down main, and can't be directly accessed from the Up, but what I can do is to just put lines of locos in there, arranged in the order in which they will be required. If I do that before commencing a running session, it'll save a lot of messing about. Then the loco just comes forward to the Down main, and reverses onto it's train. Simples! Pity I didn't think of a similar arrangement at the other end........

[great northern]

The first good news is that Tom approved my latest attempt, so Sunday was spent getting it all put down permanently. Tom turns out to be very much like his father - if he sees an empty piece of baseboard he just has to fill it. His ideas are very good though, and will result in far more locos being permanently on the layout, rather than sitting on shelves beneath the boards. My back will certainly appreciate that. Anyway, here are a few shots to illustrate where we are now.

 

This is the bit which originally was just going to provide one straight bit of track to allow locos to be railed by means of Peco loco lifts. It will still perform that function, but also now acts as the entrance to a number of spurs. These will all be purely for loco storage. The idea is that I look at my operating sequence before the session starts, and fill these spurs with locos in the order in which they are due to be used. Then they just come forward and reverse onto the train they are rostered to.

 

Next one will become clearer as more photos are added. Basically there was quite a gap between the two approach curves to the Up and Down yards. Tom suggested that we could run two turnouts from Road 10, which is the Down through road, thus giving me yet more loco spurs. It can be done using Peco 5ft radius points, so I reckon it is well worth while, and will give no problems with reliability of running.

Here's the final state of the entry to the Up side of the yard. For some reason it didn't quite go back down as it was when I tacked it, but the entry curves are now all of considerable radius, so again reliable running should be ensured.

Next are the kick back sidings at this end. Again they come off a through road, so don't create any problems when I need to use them. The train you can see is the one that was originally going to be in one of those two alcove sidings. I reckon it is probably better placed now, and certainly it will be easy to get it too and from both the Up and Down side platforms, which is good, because this rake will see a lot of use.

 

This one just gives more detail of the proposed access to the middle loco spurs. It hasn't been laid yet, as we have to lift one three way point to complete the wiring, so it will be finalised when that has been done.

This is a close up of tthe rough position of those spurs. I reckon I'll get ten or more locos in there, so well worth while, given that I have all the track and points, and loads of Tortoises going spare at present.

This is the (nearly) final layout of the Down side, and shows that I have still in the end been able to use that alcove!

 

Fairly lousy photo of a rake of Thompson suburban stock. I'm not a great fan of his locos, if only because they are so hard to get round curves, but these I really do like.

Here's a shot of the Artic twin set in its new storage siding. These are Gresley steel stock, and were used well into the '50's on Peterborough- Kings Cross locals, as well as the East Lincs line. Originally they had a custom built short composite in the middle, but post war many of the sets had a Mk1 composite substituted. Doesn't look quite right, does it?

Finally for now, a close up of part of this rake. Really handsome coaches IMO.

[davidw]

Really like your stock GN.

 

Nice to see the layout's getting there!

[Kris]

That's an impressive looking fiddle yard there and some interesting stock.

[great northern]

More progress on Sunday - in fact the last spike on the main line was driven home, so as soon as we get the droppers and a few strategically placed point motors wired it will at last be possible to run a train round the whole layout. It looks like some of the buildings are not far off being ready, as are the signals, so things could be progressing very rapidly quite soon.

 

I now have another dilemma. I can get all of the trains I want into the roads I want them to be in, and at the lengths I want them to be. However, there is then no space to store locos on trains. I'd rather like to do that, so now I have to decide whether to reduce every rake by one coach so that I can do it. It will need a lot of thought( and leave quite a lot of surplus stock).

 

I won't post any more photos of the completed fiddle yard, as it looks remarkably like the last lot, but here's a shot of a line up on the Up side just waiting for the off.

[davidw]

An amazing collection. That A3 Victor Wild again?

[great northern]

An amazing collection. That A3 Victor Wild again?

Yep - too idle to change it for something else.

[great northern]

Oh, all right, just for David W - a different A3.

 

 

 

A close up, including the ladder I had to ascend to find it. I didn't notice one of the lamps had fallen off until after I took the photo.

 

While I was up there I also retrieved one of my favourite locos.

 

 

This one was the last of the class, and fortunately for me worked out her final days from Peterborough Spital Bridge shed. Is that a handsome engine or what?

[gordon s]

Beautiful stuff Gilbert, can't wait to see it for real maybe later in the year.....

 

Your rapid rate of progress is putting us all to shame....

[davidw]

Oh, all right, just for David W - a different A3.

 

[

 

This one was the last of the class, and fortunately for me worked out her final days from Peterborough Spital Bridge shed. Is that a handsome engine or what?

 

that doesn't look like and A3 !

 

seriously No. 46 is in my collection too. Every picture I've seen of her has shown a it filthy. The Claud looks good too!

you must be inching to see things run. I've been without a layout for almost two years, and I'm not making the progress that your making on a replacement!

[gresley]

Gilbert,

 

What other goodies have you got "up there" ?

 

Stuart