GRANBY JUNCTION - Shunting Siphons for the Up Parcels with a Manor!

[john dew]

On 27/05/2020 at 13:19, brianusa said:

 

Well John, if t'were me, I'd have come up with some tale of finding it on some obscure siding behind the engine shed, or similar.  Too good to ignore!

    Brian.

You have to stop this Brian.....you will have me wavering!

 

[john dew]

17 hours ago, richard.h said:

Hi John

 Superb work on the Mill you have an artists eye for painting and posing your figures into beautiful little cameos.

 

If I could make a couple of points based on my own research

The hoist end usually had a stop on to prevent the pulley block overrunning, depends on type.

 

Safety chains were fitted across most doorways above ground level, these could be unhooked for larger loads.

 

 

Hope you don't mind but I was an apprentice in't Mill in my younger days

Hi Richard

 

Glad you like the scene and many thanks for the helpful comments.

 

Safety chains make a lot of sense and now in the deepest recess of my memory I seem to recollect seeing them on Warehouses on Liverpool Dock Road.

 

I need to make some changes by adding a load spreader to prevent the crate from being crushed so I will add a Safety chain as well....thank you for the suggestion
 

I wonder if you could expand on the pulley block stop.....as I suspect is now obvious....I am somewhat mechanically challenged

 

Best wishes

 

John

 

[Neal Ball]

Morning John, 

I like the reasoning behind the locos purchase.... maybe my idea of a 94xx for Henley needs examining..... 

 

After all 61xx would have been prevalent a lot more than a rule 1 94xx lol

 

Have a good day

[richard.h]

Hi John

 

 I wouldn't claim to be an expert on winding gear but if it was the type which had pulley wheels which ran in the H section girder then it would have some sort of end plate to prevent it running off the open end of the beam.

 They used this type in the Textile Industry as items such as bales of wool were quite large and needed to be pushed clear of the building when being hoisted.

 

It may not apply for you as you are modelling a different area and era.

 

Regards

 

Richard

[trw1089]

Great to see the Mickey Mouse, John, and also good to see the Super D still behaving itself.   That last B&W shot is fantastic!

 

Cheers

Tony

[john dew]

Time for something different:




 I guess you are all thinking..........


"Goodness..........he has finally finished the Hotel he started in January!"


Well.....not quite. The hotel remains a facade.....roofless, no sides and no back. However if you looked closely at the photo you may have noticed that there is a cross close to the bus


It started life as a kit of laser cut wood components from Ancorton Models which are easily assembled into this:





And now converted to granite with two bronze statues of WWI soldiers "resting on their arms reversed"
 





Quite pleased with the granite effect. Base coat of mid grey then three or four coats of different shades sparingly applied using really cheap acrylics....the ones that dry shiny.....bad for clothing but perfect for this. Finally, to create highlights, white paint just tinted with grey... stippled very lightly with a dry brush.




Less happy with the figure painting although the lighting has created unwanted highlights. The figures have been painted with Vallejo Bronze and then washed in assorted tints. I wanted to replicate a memorial where the original bronze has, over time, become coated with verdigris and grime. Being picky, and I am about stuff like this, it not quite right.......but hopefully I can get away with it from 3'

 

 
The figures are, of course, from the Modelu range of WWI soldiers.......I do wish they would do the same for WWII

The detail is both exquisite and accurate.....correct pattern steel helmet crisply defined on back pack.....sword type bayonet in scabbard and perhaps the best ....the detailed short magazine Lee Enfield right down to the sling






Three feet away in the centre of  St Asaph's Square:

 

 

 

Quite apart from mill girls sunbathing on a nearby roof, the passengers' clothing suggests a spring/summer scene........so why the wreaths?

I think they are normally removed about 30 days after Armistice day and in any event there would be far more for a town the size of Granby. The smaller number might suggest a regimental celebration.

The Royal Welch Fusiliers depot is (well, will be eventually) in Granby Castle...........their anniversary day is naturally March 1st ...St Davids day... that might work. Alternatively they were awarded a number of Battle Honours from the Gallipoli Campaign......Anzac Day is April 25. I can probably weave a legend around that.




Back to the future........this scene is not yet complete.

St Asaph's Square is a busy traffic interchange and although the memorial can serve as a roundabout for now, in 1948, a policeman would have been on point duty.

Its another scene from my childhood in Great Crosby that I have always wanted to incorporate into Granby. My memory is that the "Bobby"  had white elbow length gloves or covers and stood on a small raised plinth.  Another essential task I can spend hours researching!

 

Hope you enjoyed this trip down the by ways of my memory and imagination

Best wishes from Vancouver

John

Edited August 25, 2022 by john dew
Correct Anzac date/ 24/8 Photos

[rovex]

Looks good. I was wondering how you were getting on with the hotel.

[john dew]

Just now, rovex said:

Looks good. I was wondering how you were getting on with the hotel.

Thank you! 
 

I am leaving the hotel until a little later.....its a perfect summer job at a table on the deck under a sun umbrella with a glass of rose nearby.

 

Just need to finish my Heath Robinson irrigation system then I will have more time for modelling.

 

Best wishes

 

John

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, john dew said:

Anzac Day is April 23

April 25.

[john dew]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

April 25.

 

Not in North Wales!  ..........no I cannot tell a lie........its either a typo (since corrected) or Wikipedia got edited after I did my due diligence. 

 

Thanks for telling me John I would not have wished to annoy my other Australian followers ( I dont think there are any Kiwis)

 

Cheers

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, john dew said:

 

Not in North Wales!  ..........no I cannot tell a lie........its either a typo (since corrected) or Wikipedia got edited after I did my due diligence. 

 

Thanks for telling me John I would not have wished to annoy my other Australian followers ( I dont think there are any Kiwis)

 

Cheers

Well John, I suppose in North Wales and Old South Wales (let alone New South Wales) they wouldn't celebrate St George's Day on the 23rd either!

[Neal Ball]

The memorial looks very good John.

 

The idea of taking parts of the railway outside and working on sounds very appealing. But if I did it with a glass of something in hand I would never get it done :-)

 

Is the lockdown starting to be relaxed a bit in Vancouver now?

 

Stay safe, Neal.

[vulcanbomber]

This is how I did verdigris using Games Workshop  pot of Citadel Technical NIHILAKH OXIDE for £2:50 which is for doing verdigris on copper.

I gave the cap a coat of Tamiya XF-6 Copper first and then applied two coats on the new paint, very pleased with the result

[john dew]

10 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

The memorial looks very good John.

 

The idea of taking parts of the railway outside and working on sounds very appealing. But if I did it with a glass of something in hand I would never get it done :-)

 

Is the lockdown starting to be relaxed a bit in Vancouver now?

 

Stay safe, Neal.

Thanks Neal

 

I did say with a glass nearby ....rather than in hand! I allow myself just a sip as a reward for completing a load of window cutouts.

 

It is getting more relaxed here......we have days without new cases or covid related deaths being reported. We still have to practice social distancing and exercise care in extending our bubble but the schools are back with about 40% attendance.

 

How about you guys.....can you travel beyond a certain distance now?

 

Best wishes

 

John

[john dew]

7 hours ago, vulcanbomber said:

This is how I did verdigris using Games Workshop  pot of Citadel Technical NIHILAKH OXIDE for £2:50 which is for doing verdigris on copper.

I gave the cap a coat of Tamiya XF-6 Copper first and then applied two coats on the new paint, very pleased with the result

Thanks Richard......I like that effect.....a really useful tip for next time.....unless I have another go and try and wash all the paint off.

 

Best wishes

 

john

[M.I.B]

Just thinking of memorials the other day in the light of some heinous crimes, and I thought back to this item.

 

Would it not be a deep bronze colour over most of it, with a little verdigris in the dark nooks.  Perhaps a little dod of pigeon poop somewhere?

 

Roofs were made of copper sheet which goes green very quickly, bronze just gets a darker brown/bronze colour.  And anything that the public can touch (like the nose on the Wall Street Bull) is a bright shiney colour.

 

Just a thought. 

 

And if Granby ever timewarps to the 1980s, don't forget a traffic cone for his head during Granby Polytechnic Rag Week.

 

 

We Will Remember Them

[john dew]

As you may have guessed, I try and post about Granby each week. Sadly, despite being in the Train Room most days last week, I dont have a lot to show you..

I spent most of the week perfecting (.... well trying to perfect!) the LMS 4 car routine with two tanks and my new acquisition the Ivatt 2-6-0 Class 2 MT  that I wrote about recently. When it works its brilliant but with three locos and two turntables all in action at the same time there are lots of opportunities for foul ups. Having got most of the Kadee problems sorted,one of the elderly split chassis tanks started playing up (plastic axles?). Locos have to be totally predictable for these routines to work so I will have to strip the loco right down or alternatively substitute another loco...........eventually there will be a video I promise.

With the news that the much delayed Hornby large prairies were finally due to arrive in June I ordered engraved plates for the two I have on on pre-order. Kiss of death of course ......still no news of the GWR livery. The plates, on the other hand, arrived in record time. Great service from Fox.
 
In addition to the Prairie plates I ordered a replacement set for one of my Halls. Over the last few years when renumbering/renaming locos I always go for a loco that was shedded in the North West in 1947.......ideally Croes Newyd or Chester. Bachmann's 4936 Kinlet Hall was shedded in Penzance in 1947 so I renamed it 6941 Fillongley Hall which was at Chester shed in '47.

Not a great choice.....I later found out that the later numbered Halls had a number of improvements including a tunnel for fire irons  which the Kinlet does not have. Its not really a big deal and certainly not that obvious but it just niggled away and irritated me. So when one of the new 6941 plates fell off and disappeared into infinity, I seized my opportunity and KInlet has now become 4976 Warfield Hall also at Chester in '47 . Please dont ask why I didnt choose this the first time......and yes I would only have had to change one digit on the buffer beam. 
.
In other news I understand that some might argue there is another of my Chester based Halls that should be renamed:

 

 

Nobody has got too excited in Vancouver so I think I will leave it for now.



Best wishes

[Neal Ball]

Nice to read the update @john dew.

 

I hear the Colston Hall in Bristol is currently closed for a refurb and when it opens it will be renamed. Maybe they will chose one of your Chester Halls !

 

Have a good weekend.

[St Enodoc]

48 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

Nice to read the update @john dew.

 

I hear the Colston Hall in Bristol is currently closed for a refurb and when it opens it will be renamed. Maybe they will chose one of your Chester Halls !

 

Have a good weekend.

How about Sodham Hall?

[banburysaint]

Lovely inspirational modelling as ever. As for the Hall perhaps That's Hall or my favourite Toad Hall..... 

 

 

[Neal Ball]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

How about Sodham Hall?

 

Excellent :-)

[FoxUnpopuli]

Byghurr Hall?

[The Johnster]

On 13/06/2020 at 17:02, john dew said:

 

Not a great choice.....I later found out that the later numbered Halls had a number of improvements including a tunnel for fire irons  which the Kinlet does not have.

 

I think you may be confused with regard to ‘later numbered Halls’; do you mean the Hawksworth ‘Modified Hall’ class, those locos numbered higher than 6959 which were still being built in 1947.  These had plate frames which extended beyond the drop in the running plate beneath the smokebox, plate framed bogies, and, as you say, a fire iron tunnel.  6941 was to the earlier Collett design, but given that you’d mislaid a nameplate it probably doesn’t matter now...

[john dew]

Hi Johnster

 

I always read your posts with interest...you are a mine of information.

 

I wasnt confusing Fillongley Hall with Hawkworths Modified Halls.......I read somewhere that the “Wartime” Halls produced immediately prior to the Modified Halls had some visual changes and in particular had fire iron tunnels in the tenders (I realise tenders were not attached to locos for life)......and it kind of niggled away....but as I said I wouldnt have bothered if the plate hadnt disappeared. 
 

Not too long a wait now for your 94xx
 

Best wishes

 

John

[john dew]

I suspect this post will not appeal to all but, hopefully,  may serve as a helpful warning to some.

Last week was a bit of a disaster!

While re-connecting a loose wire on my test track panel I managed to create a short circuit which closed down the layout completely and took 3 full days to sort out.

The test track is mounted below the main layout. Its a 10' long piece of straight track divided into three blocks which I use for loco testing and RR&Co profiling. One of the blocks can also be switched to become a Lenz DCC programming track
 

 

With the test track not being used on a daily basis I attempted to save money by "sharing"  the three detected blocks with three blocks on the main layout.

The panel below enables me to switch between either track and test or test and programme. It also contains the occupancy detectors for 8 blocks....3 of which ( 761, 765 and 767) are the "shared blocks"
 

 

 

 

This is a retro shot.......the original panel had a lot less labels and the wiring was more than a little haphazard .......hindsight is such a wonderful talent.

I managed to create the short by mistakenly attempting to connect a DCC wire to the 16 v AC turnout circuit..........not recommended!
Normally when I do something stupid like this the remedy is simple. Disconnect the offending wires, turn the power off and on again and all is well. Not on this occasion......the system remained down and there was no obvious source of the fault. For a moment I thought I had blown the Lenz Control Unit.

Fortunately that was protected by PSX circuit breakers, one of the best investments I have ever made ...

 

The DCC output from the Lenz control unit is divided into 4 separate sections each protected by a PSX 
 

 

In theory a short on one leg should not close down the other three however I am afraid over 13 years of modifications and repairs there has been a certain amount of inter marriage between the 4 legs!

I assumed the fault lay with the switch panel and stripped that down tagging and labeling each connection......

 

Very time consuming and to no avail......no faults

Finally as a last resort I disconnected all the PSX except #3. Having established that the -ve Black circuit was ok I cut the +ve Red circuit down stream of the panel I had been working on. I then proved the fault did not lie there by connecting the cut portion to the +ve output of #3 PSX. I continued this cut and test procedure upstream until, after the third cut, the newly cut section of bus shorted when connected to the PSX output

I then cut and individually tested each dropper connected to the suspect section of bus. After each dropper was tested it had to be soldered and taped.

Eventually I found the faulty dropper......it was connected to an ADSFX  (a DCC Concepts point throwing/frog switching device) some distance from the panel. The device is of course connected to both the DCC Bus and the 16v AC bus. I guess my initial error blew some internal safety component. Once blown the DCC input shorted. 

 

Once I found the source of the problem I immediately remembered that  I know from past experience that these devices (although very useful) are not as robust as Lenz components. I normally always have the power switched off when working with them.  

All that remained was to remove and bin the ADSFX (I temporarily have two non functioning turnouts) rejoin the segments of  #3 bus, re- connect the other three PSX and re-assemble the panel!

 

 

My wife observed that the whole incident aged me 10 years. A slight exaggeration perhaps......it is after all just a train set..... but it was undoubtedly a singularly depressing 3 days.

However all is well that ends well.......everything is now back up and running........ the lights on the 4 PSX are winking happily at me and I can continue with my latest project.

I hope to add to my loco fleet and resurrect a long discarded Dapol 14xx by replacing the dreaded traction tyre driving wheels from another even longer abandoned 14xx





More next week

Regards from Vancouver

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by john dew
reposition photo