Lancaster Green Ayre - The Barn Owls have returned.

[jamie92208]

Well after another 2 days work the layout is crated up once more and the church is clear for the weekend. Thursday morning Keith and Tony from Shipley turned up with the cassette system for the trip freights.  This is to go inside the east end of the fiddle yard and will feed a variety of short trip freights to the coal yard, goods yard, loco shed and the castle branch.  All will start from the east end and return there without going round the main line loop so a short branch to the cassettes has been made.

It's designed to crate up with one of the fiddle yard board and all the casettes bolt inside it, together with the short piece of tack that joins it to board D3.

 

While that was being installed I started work on the complex of buildings that go behind the loco shed.

This area has been much condensed and some strange shaped buildings result.

Here they are taking shape.

Meanwhile Paul was continuing to work on Skerton bridge and this was the end result.

We have now decided to fill it with hard foam then trim the roadway to size as it spreads over 3 boards.

In the afternoon John Patrick and Tony Bond arrived so that Tony could measure up some pieces on Greyhound Bridge.  John brought the Goods shed with him and we sorted out where it will go.  We then spent quite a bit of time discussing how to make the lean too extension that fits between the rear of the goods shed and the castle branch.  This is a rather strange banana shaped affair that even had a catenary pole through it's roof.   In the evening i went back up and got to work with the plywwod and glue and this was the end result.

Today Keith came back to put some finishing touches to the cassettes and Paul did some more work on Skerton bridge.  I spent time putting wood surrounds around the bases of the various new buildings to locate them.  In the afternoon i discovered some dark greeny/grey mounting board and decided to have a go at making the roofs for the new buildings.

The ones near the shed had hipped roofs and now look like this.

The goods shed was a different proposition as the roof is rather complex.  I put an extra gable in and then tried it and realised it was a bit too tall so chopped an inch of ply off all the way round.  It then looked a lot better and I started work with the card. 

All in all i was very pleased with the result.  I now need to clad it in planking and finish the roof off.

The Dave tanner and Ollie turned up to help take it all down and by 11pm the church was a church again.  

overall a very good three days work.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

Well after the last couple of weeks of major construction it was finally back to the brass work tonight.  My conscience was clear as most of the work for the Wakefield Show is now done and the guide is 95% typeset.   I've been putting off assembling Gantry 20 for a while as I started to try some months ago and got nowhere.  Anyway I set my stall out tonight and sorted out the parts I need.  First I had to loom at the artwork to remind me what all the bits were for and set to work.

 

3 hours later I got half o one of the support towers finished. 

This is what I'm trying to make

 

The first side now looks like this.

 

Hopefully now I've sorted out a method I'll be able to get the other three halves finished in time to bring to Warley at the end of next week. 

 

 

Jamie

 

[Jon Fitness]

Looks like a mightily complex structure Jamie! I can feel the burn on my fingertips from here....!!

Got my Warley ticket in the post today so I'll see you there.

Jon F.

[jamie92208]

Well, when I could drag myself away from watching the webcam of the Big Boy move (It;s not moved yet) I got some more soldering done to put together the other side of the tower that i started last night.  The initial work went quicker as I made a little jig out of balsa and got the two L girders held nice and parallel so that I could then solder various bits to them.   In the end the result was two pieces that will go together to make the tower.

These will now need to be carefully threaded together and then soldered.

 

This may not make sense.   I then discovered that I'd etched the square L girder that goes in the centre of the column, too small so will now have to make one out of a piece of spare L girder and bend it to shape after filing V notches at the four corners.  A quick check with the drawing shows that it need to be a scale 18" by 12".

 

More fun tomorrow hopefully.

 

Jamie

 

[jamie92208]

Last night I managed to get the first tower together, after having to partially dismantle it.  However the results were worthwhile, even if I was still soldering at midnight.

I even managed to find a way to get the angles on the upper and lower surfaces of the cross girder and when they were on I was surprised how strong and rigid the structure has become.   Today I got a little bit of work done and started the second tower which is also seen.

 

I checked on the CAD drawing the whole gantry is over 21" across and as such couldn't be etched as one piece as the sheets are only 18" wide.   That's why I decided to make it in three pieces then solder them all together.   I'm going to mount each tower on a  base with a bolt through it so that the whole thing can be securely bolted down onto the baseboard.  If all goes well I should have the whole thing assembled and held in its proper place by Blue Tac at Warley.   There are still quite a few bits to add to the tower to finish it off but I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out.

 

Jamie

Edited November 15, 2013 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Well the car is unloaded and it's now time to prepare for Wakefield show this weekend.  However Dave and I had a great time at Warley.  It seemed as if half the population of Lancaster came to see us and natter about their memories of green Ayre and the electrics.   Anyway by Saturday evening I'd got Gantries 19 and 20 to the state where they could be planted with Blu tac and this is the result as well as showing of the fabulous backscenes painted by John Patrick.

I forgot my camera so the photos aren't so good but we were both very pleased with the result.   I even got a registration arm and insulator pot soldered on to one of the single track gantries.

Dave sorted out a ,ot of problems with the station footbridge and I got a lot of work done on the Ladies Walk footbridge that will be the scenic break at the east end.  A great weekend and good people to talk to.

 

Well less than 52 weeks to the layout's first full outing as a work in progress at Warley next year, better get on with it.

 

Jamie

 

 

[roundhouse]

Look forward to seeing the layout at Warley and presumably Wakefield next year.

 

Ian

[jamie92208]

Look forward to seeing the layout at Warley and presumably Wakefield next year.

 

Ian

It's going to Warley as "A work in Progress" next year.  Hopefully trains will be running and most of the buildings and all the backscenes will be in place but we won't have finished the scenery \nd detail and will have a reduced team  to run it.  It's scheduled to make it's proper debut at Wakefield in 2015. Then it's due to be out on the curcuit.

 

Jamie

[paulr1949]

I've been following your thread for a while now, had a look at Warley, but wasn't able to chat as you all seemed very busy ;-)

 

Looking forward to seeing it in operating mode sometime, although it may well not be at Warley next year.

[jamie92208]

I've been following your thread for a while now, had a look at Warley, but wasn't able to chat as you all seemed very busy ;-)

 

Looking forward to seeing it in operating mode sometime, although it may well not be at Warley next year.

Sorry to hear that you couldn't get to speak to us.  It did get very busy at times.  However we have already got several provisional invites so it will be seen on the circuit.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Thanks to Dave Tanner my oppo for the weekend (Supersonic of this parish) for the following two photos.

996 posed under one of the standard single line gantries.  I did manage to get the insulator pot and registration arm fitted on one of them which did look rather nice.

I do however like this one.  It's starting to look quite atmospheric under the canopies.

Jamie

[trustytrev]

Thanks to Dave Tanner my oppo for the weekend (Supersonic of this parish) for the following two photos.

IMG_0314.jpg

996 posed under one of the standard single line gantries.  I did manage to get the insulator pot and registration arm fitted on one of them which did look rather nice.

I do however like this one.  It's starting to look quite atmospheric under the canopies.

IMG_0318.jpg

Jamie

Hello,

      Looking farward to seeing the signal that was under the riverside platform canopy.It is a sight that is unforgetable as a four or five year old many years ago.

trustytrev.

[jamie92208]

Hello,

      Looking farward to seeing the signal that was under the riverside platform canopy.It is a sight that is unforgetable as a four or five year old many years ago.

trustytrev.

Hi Trev,  Unfortunately I'll have to dissapoint you.  That triple underhung bracket was only installed after the 1933 resignalling.   The layout is set in 1923'ish when the emu's had to go out to Ladies Walk to reverse twice in every cycle.   In 1933 they combined the 2 signalboxes and converted the single slip to a double slip and provided accesss to the Castle Branch and down main from both platforms.    I've got a good photo of that signal and just have to check which collection it's from before I try and post it.

 

Jamie

Edited November 28, 2013 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Trev

 

I've found the image it's copyright the late Dennis Wise collection but I have permission to show it.

I've lightened it a bit in the image editor.  The three arms reading from left to right on the photo are:-

a)  Shunt signal for movements to the Loco Shed and Goods yard.

b)  UM to Castle Branch

c)   UM to DM for Morecambe and Heysham.

 

Hope you like it.

 

Jamie

 

PS I'm glad you asked because the photo shows the support structure for the gas lamps very clearly and looking at it has helped me work out how to hang the gas lamps and light them.

Edited November 28, 2013 by jamie92208

[supersonic]

I am rested, refreshed and ready for our show now.  Next weekend I am off to Norwich with my other partner in crime. Mike Eastman, as we go to collect parts for our Vampire T22.  I am very pleased with the way Lancaster is coming on; looking forward to getting some movement going though, seems a long time since trains ran. Attached some more pics from Warley.

Edited November 28, 2013 by supersonic

[Jon Fitness]

Hi Jamie,

Nice signal!

Interesting to see that pre-group signal arms were still being fitted when U/Q's were available by then. I know that the LMS used both Crewe and Derby products to make "standard" new brackets before the tubular stuff came along but wasn't sure how soon they stopped using the older arms/fittings.

Cheers

JF

PS..the bracket's coming along well now!

[jamie92208]

Hi Jamie,

Nice signal!

Interesting to see that pre-group signal arms were still being fitted when U/Q's were available by then. I know that the LMS used both Crewe and Derby products to make "standard" new brackets before the tubular stuff came along but wasn't sure how soon they stopped using the older arms/fittings.

Cheers

JF

PS..the bracket's coming along well now!

From research for Long Preston L/Q's were stilla round into the early 50's.  Replacement seems to have been haphazard.  The other possibility is that U/Q'd would have made sighting difficult in that location.

 

Glad the brackets coming along.  Good to see you briefly on Saturday.

 

Jamie

[The Stationmaster]

From research for Long Preston L/Q's were stilla round into the early 50's.  Replacement seems to have been haphazard.  The other possibility is that U/Q'd would have made sighting difficult in that location.

 

 

Jamie

ex LNWR and Midland LQ signals were around aplenty right into the early 1960s with some surviving even longer into that decade.  Wooden arms on Midland signals were not quite so common (most had corrugated metal arms) but examples could still be found.  Presumably the signals survived simply by virtue of not needing replacement for any reason although many acquired UQ arms on the original posts (and some transferred to WR territory acquired new LQ arms and fittings fresh from Reading ).

[jamie92208]

ex LNWR and Midland LQ signals were around aplenty right into the early 1960s with some surviving even longer into that decade.  Wooden arms on Midland signals were not quite so common (most had corrugated metal arms) but examples could still be found.  Presumably the signals survived simply by virtue of not needing replacement for any reason although many acquired UQ arms on the original posts (and some transferred to WR territory acquired new LQ arms and fittings fresh from Reading ).

Again from photos the other factor appears to have been the replacement of a lot of Midland signals that were set out for Right hand drive locos often on the 'wrong' side of the line on bends.  When the new signals were put in they all had Upper Quadrant arms.   On Long Preston we had the Down Starter and Up Home on the same post, facing in opposite directions on the outside of a left hand bend when running on the up line.

 

Jamie

Edited November 28, 2013 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Ended up at A & E this morning thinking that I'd snapped my achilles tendon.  It appears to be a bad case of tendonitis but I am now housebound unable to walk without crutches.  Still it's an ill wind that blows no good.  With the layout due at Warley, as a work in progress, in 2014 I need to get on with the  two 3 car EMU's.  These consist of a 60'  motor car sandwiched by two 45' driving trailers.  They will be using standard Slater coach bogies with spoked wheels instead of disc wheels.   Slaters made up 4 packs of bogie kits witht he correct wheels fopr me but these bogies are very fiddly to construct.  I have been putting the job off for a long time.  First things first, after assembling part of the Ladies Walk footbridge at Warley I realised that the reinforcements that join the panels together needed a slight redisign along with some parts for Greyhound Bridge.  So the first job was to do the drawings for those parts and make up a 9" by 6" etch.  This has been emailed to grainge and Hodder.  Then this afternoon I started to batch build the bogies.  Before tea I managed to get into my modelling room using one crutch without slipping on any of the rubbish on the floor.  A quick bit of moving stuff around and I was able to get on with the bogies.  I managed to get all the basic frame etches cut out and folded before tea.  This evening I got the soldering iron fired up and got all the end castings cut off and fettled and then got the first three of 9 bogie frames assembled.  Quite a good use of time.  I'll try and post some photos in due course.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Even though I had to go back to A & E today, at least I got seen by a Dr this time who gave me the right tablets and things are on the mend.  However it hasn't all been sitting about resting.  I got back to the modelling bench and the end result is eight bogie frames.  I've got all of them to half way through Fig 3 in the instructions.

 

This was the end result before modellers clumsiness set in and I lost a piece of etch below the workbench.  Time to pack up for the night but things are coming on.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Another day with my feet up but there is progress and I did earn some brownie points from SWMBO by doing the ironing sitting on her perching stool.   Anyway after such domestic chores modelling has continued.   The pdf for the next etch was approved and then this afternoon the bogie work continued.  All 8 got to the end of Fig 3 with their bolsters and some other parts fitted.   Then this evening I started soldering on some of the 96 small castings, 12 per bogie, 4 of 1 kind of spring hanger, 4 of another, then 2 L and 2R handed supports for the brake hangers near the bolster.  I managed to get 3 of the frames complete before boredom set in but they are progressing and I've realised that batch building is the way to go as easy ways to get things done seem to emerge quite quickly thus speeding the task up.

Here's all 8 frames as of tonight along with the footbridge side that I managed to finish at Warley

These are the three with all the small castings on.

 

The design is rather fiddly but they do look the part when done, at least that's what I keep telling myself.

 

Jamie

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2013 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Things have progressed well and I'm now back driving and walking without crutches but tonight some modelling continued.  In a 2 hour soldering session I got all 8 bogies up to Fig 6 on the instruction sheet and made a start on Fig 7.  All 96 little castings done now another 64 which are the bigie step holdersw, 4 per side of each frame.  Also I've started plotting the exact posotions of the overhead masts so that I can input them to the CAD drawing and start planning the OHLE.   All in all a good modelling day.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Yesterday things were just about back to normal (keep taking the tablets) so I spent parts of the day adding the 8 step supports to each bogie frame then started on the etched brake rigging supports but only got 5 out of 32 done before I dropped one and called a halt.  I've now changed to a 15 watt iron for the small bits so that previous castings don't start falling off.  Using Phosphoric acid (15%) as flux everything goes on quite well and saves a lot of faffing about with low temperature solder.  

 

Then it was down to the club for some tracklaying.   We've been working on the scenic break at the east end which is nearly into the fiddle yard.  the footbridge, seen above, is one that ws actually some quarter of a mile further along the line at the east end of Ladies Walk sidings.  An extra siding was laid in 1916 to accommodate a new shell filling factory set up on the old Gillow's funiture factory.    After some discussion we decided to put a new point in that leads to the edge of the board just under the footbridge.  This will be used for putting stock onto the layout at shows, particularly corridor bogie coaches which can be very difficult to couple.  

 

I'd done the necessary Templot work and last night put some new cork trackbed down, then cut out a section of the down main to accommodate the new point.   The template was then glued down before I discovered that I hadn't got any point timbers so work ground to a halt for the night.    As the siding was put in for wartime traffic I will be able to tell any rivet counters that say it's not in the right place that I can't answer them as it's an official secret. The timbers have been ordered from C & L so this afternoon it will be back to the bogies.

 

Jamie

Edited December 14, 2013 by jamie92208

[edward66]

Hi Jamie,

I think you've got a bit of Lancaster history wrong [or I'm wrong!]

The shell filling factory was previously Lancaster carriage and wagon works, one of their coaches from 1865 still survives on the Talyllyn Railway. I am not sure if L.C.W.W. owned the whole block, it is probably getting on for a quarter mile long, it became Standfast Dyers and Printers and is still going. Waring and Gillows factory was across Parliament Street from Green Ayre and just a little bit west, my Uncle served his time as a cabinet maker there. During WWII they made parts for the wooden Mosquito fighter/bomber. The factory closed around 1960-63 and became the embryonic Lancaster University in 1964 until the present site south of Lancaster was developed.

There was, and indeed still is a private house close by the southern end of the footbridge you are using as your scenic break.

 

I am following your project with interest, can't wait to see the finished article!

 

Edward