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Upbech St Mary, Upbech Drove and Pott Row a journey through 00 and then into EM and 009.


mullie
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Barry Walls. who built Wallsea Main, used grape pips as I recall.

 

I always suspected that they were rather small for the real thing.

You do not want one of them falling onto your car bonnet if you are behind a loaded lorry in the campaign!

All the lorries round here are supposed to use some method of restraining the load, to the best of my knowledge (yeah right).

 

The ready made loads look the part, having been up close and personal with the stuff.

I can almost feel my fingers drying out and cracking up as I look at them.

Where's the Snowfire?!

 

Ian T

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7 hours ago, ianathompson said:

Barry Walls. who built Wallsea Main, used grape pips as I recall.

 

I always suspected that they were rather small for the real thing.

 

 

Well done, you have guessed the person I was thinking of!  Perhaps grape pips would be nearer to 4mm scale sugar beets, then?

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As far as I know sugar beet traffic is not often modelled, it ties down a layout geographically as it is not grown in all areas. It was a major source of railway traffic in the 50s and I think it was the photos of Ian Allen in his numerous books, including those on the Stoke Ferry Branch, that sparked my interest. It kept stations open that would have otherwise shut because of the amount of beet traffic produced, Snape being an example.

 

Must stop taking this view but it does work rather well, makes the layout look far bigger than it actually is. In the immediate foreground you can just see that the water front is finally being developed, more photos soon.

 

755379567_wagonloadretro.jpg.6754d48a7fdcae634a27a817a39a6799.jpg

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I have always included sugar beet traffic on my  layout, which as you might know is narrow gauge and operationally orientated.

I made the loads years ago by heaping pearl barley onto plastic bases.

 

A recent operating session featured sugar beet working as one of the main themes and I took a few photos of these trains.

At the risk of hi-jacking your thread I include a photo.

 

37594797395_9358155bb5_c.jpg3-60 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

Two massive bogie wagons of beet are pulled out of the siding at Boursson. They are standard gauge wagons travelling on transporter wagons. They will be handed off to the mainline network at the junction.

The loco, a hulking brute if ever there was one, was a standard gauge Bo-Bo which has been converted to a narrow gauge Co-Co.

(This was based on similar conversions carried out in East Germany.)

 

Hope that this is of interest and, in shameless plug, more photos can be found at 

 

https://myafk.net/operating-session-3

 

Ian T

Edited by ianathompson
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1 hour ago, ianathompson said:

I have always included sugar beet traffic on my  layout, which as you might know is narrow gauge and operationally orientated.

I made the loads years ago by heaping pearl barley onto plastic bases.

 

A recent operating session featured sugar beet working as one of the main themes and I took a few photos of these trains.

At the risk of hi-jacking your thread I include a photo.

 

37594797395_9358155bb5_c.jpg3-60 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

Two massive bogie wagons of beet are pulled out of the siding at Boursson. They are standard gauge wagons travelling on transporter wagons. They will be handed off to the mainline network at the junction.

The loco, a hulking brute if ever there was one, was a standard gauge Bo-Bo which has been converted to a narrow gauge Co-Co.

(This was based on similar conversions carried out in East Germany.)

 

Hope that this is of interest and, in shameless plug, more photos can be found at 

 

https://myafk.net/operating-session-3

 

Ian T

Please hijack away, very nice to see. What scale is it, looks like O, what is the track gauge?

 

Martyn

 

 

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1 hour ago, ianathompson said:

I have always included sugar beet traffic on my  layout, which as you might know is narrow gauge and operationally orientated.

I made the loads years ago by heaping pearl barley onto plastic bases.

 

A recent operating session featured sugar beet working as one of the main themes and I took a few photos of these trains.

At the risk of hi-jacking your thread I include a photo.

 

37594797395_9358155bb5_c.jpg3-60 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

Two massive bogie wagons of beet are pulled out of the siding at Boursson. They are standard gauge wagons travelling on transporter wagons. They will be handed off to the mainline network at the junction.

The loco, a hulking brute if ever there was one, was a standard gauge Bo-Bo which has been converted to a narrow gauge Co-Co.

(This was based on similar conversions carried out in East Germany.)

 

Hope that this is of interest and, in shameless plug, more photos can be found at 

 

https://myafk.net/operating-session-3

 

Ian T

Just had a brief look at your site, what a fascinating line you are building and your approach is quite refreshing. I will have a more detailed look later. Thanks for posting. And yes, I now know what gauge you are working too, should have read the right page!

 

Martyn

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A week of consolidation really. The water frontage is now largely completed using acrylic varnish for the water.

 

IMG_20190602_140810822.jpg.7d184c2304a29d8aa1491d644c5f1ca0.jpg

 

A new fiddle yard has been started, the current one is just too small but will be retained once replaced as I know it will have its uses. The new one is being built with an eye on future projects, the length was set by the need to accommodate a Claud and two coaches, the biggest the layout will need to handle.

 

IMG_20190602_140700060.jpg.3945f90559893bbca0b3f166ebc0e8ad.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

An interloper on the quay

 

1922098469_08onthequay.jpg.e626a3bbd0bc52eaf456e94b70a3e864.jpg

Until a suitable layout is built the loco will be run on on this layout. Gibson wheels and cranks with Hornby rods, PDH steps. The steps are very delicate, not sure I would do it again on the Bachmann shunter still to be completed. A piece of cab glazing has disappeared I will need to source some new, probably Lazer glaze. The loco still carries its original number, when a suitable layout is built it will be renumbered accordingly.

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Decision has been taken to extend the fiddle yard so a tender loco can work two wagons and a long wheel base brake van. An extra bit has been glued and screwed onto the end. Like all my woodwork, it is bodged but should work and has been made out of recycled wood from other projects or recovered from bits of furniture. I rarely buy screws as again I reuse screws saved from dismantled furniture.

 

IMG_20190616_145156924.jpg.e40dc4e74a3565b192068295af3e4250.jpg

 

Cassettes will be made using thin MDF base with ply sides, they don't need to be over engineered ( I hope) as trains will be short. The cassette bases still need a little bit of trimming. The fiddle yard seen in an earlier post will be used for a new project.

 

IMG_20190616_145219388.jpg.291ad9f6cc2085128e718773e22a28f2.jpg

 

Being completely rigid the J72 chassis is sensitive to any unevenness in the track so an opportunity has been taken to deal with any bits that have settled. The water tower and crane have been removed for safe keeping. This means I can make sure the entrance to the fiddle yard runs smoothly.

 

IMG_20190616_154902646.jpg.beae0c1ccd0381564e13a1d85fe0ff59.jpg

 

IMG_20190616_154855752.jpg.0529f11a8e60105dde490b6a87817c49.jpg

Edited by mullie
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Mullie,

 

As discussed elsewhere, I really like what you're doing here. As I mentioned I am also looking at modelling sugar beet traffic and am considering options for representing it as a load in 7mm scale. 

 

On 31/05/2019 at 09:00, mullie said:

Must stop taking this view but it does work rather well...

 

I think that shot is incredibly atmospheric. You have captured the flat, big open skies landscape of the fens perfectly. It belies the small size of the layout and is testament to your fantastic modelling skills. 

 

Oh and there is nothing wrong with a bit of woodwork bodging! If it does the job then that is the only thing that matters. 

 

Keep up the good work!

David 

 

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New fiddle yard is now in operation. The extra few inches mean a goods train can now consist of two wagons and a brake van even if it is a tender loco on the train. Some new longer cassettes have been made and a third will be added this week so the passenger service can run as a mixed train though I will need to get a third brake van, I do have a Dapol LMS brake and detailing parts so I think that will have to be a summer project though the J39 chassis is crying out to be built now Markits wheels are available for it again. I will confuse my family by having wheels and axles as part of my birthday present coming up soon.

 

IMG_20190622_195137446.jpg.fb29182a1f94488d5d3e9510469f41e4.jpg

 

IMG_20190622_191819183.jpg.f5fb7dc8bb62bb75dce436688501c238.jpg

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Top stuff Martyn. 

 

I clearly have an issue with brake vans  as I seem to have disproportionate number in comparison to other wagons..........and I have plans for more............oh dear...

 

My name is Rob and I like brake vans...

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Three different types of cassette for the fiddle yard. One on the left is an open type where stock can be lifted on and off, one in the middle is an original shortie to be used for fenland traffic, the one on the right is longer so can be used for traffic to the junction. Soldering isn't my neatest but not being public it doesn't really matter. Cassettes are quite lightweight, 3mm mdf which because of the short trains seem to be holding up well.

 

IMG_20190624_200303779.jpg.3235961581293ae1a01764844b8ef640.jpg

 

Sequence basically works like this at the moment:

 

Passenger train arrives behind the tram, drops off the van and picks up another wagon for the return journey. The train loco is released by the other tram sat in the loco siding. Once released the train loco goes in the  loco siding.

 

Loco, often a J15 propels a pair of empty beet wagons into the station, drops them off and picks up the full ones previously brought to the station.

 

Tram departs with the empty beet wagons to off site sidings for loading, at some point in the future the loaded wagons will return.. The tram might also take vans and loaded coal wagons off site at certain points. Open wagons usually depart  loaded to the fens and return empty as all loads are removable. This may change as the layout develops. At the moment the tram will propel wagons back to the station.

 

Another goods train perhaps behind an 08 or J72 arrives propelling two wagons and brake van, wagons are shunted and dropped off.

 

The above takes around an hour to complete, the beet and goods trains from the junction always arrive propelling wagons 'Snape' style. Trains behind the trams are pulled in by one tram with the other releasing it for servicing. Hope the above makes sense?

 

Hope to start on the J39 chassis later this week. The layout needs five locos believe it or not to operate the various types of traffic. At the moment this consists of two J70s, a J72, J15 and an out of period 08 which actually belongs on whatever form Rickett Street eventually takes.

 

 

 

 

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The layout uses mainly short wheelbase tank locos so clean wheels as well as track are vital. I still use graphite to keep the track clean and it seems to be working. I wanted an easier way to clean wheels so recently bought a Gaugemeaster track cleaner though not sure how it would work with EM gauge locos. It was mounted on some 00 gauge copper clad track long enough to add a second cleaner if it works with the end opened out to EM so it can be plugged into the layout. 

 

First experiments seem to have worked well, not sure it will be necessary to open out the gauge.

 

IMG_20190628_200934617_HDR.jpg.ec1450f78a9fe26368d3e9f70b67bb6e.jpg

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Morning Martyn. 

 

As you know, my layouts rely both on small locos and basic (very!) electrickery. I'm quite taken with the Gaugemaster thingy.At present,  I use a Triang-Hornby wheel cleaning brush which my late Dad bought for us when I was still in single figures. 

 

It seems to work fine but anything that improves running has to be a good thing. 

 

Rob. 

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A well stocked fiddle yard or in other words about as much stock as the layout can cope with. There are a few loose wagons for further fenland traffic and a cassette without sides.

 

IMG_20190630_150527539.jpg.a84c52305a944191a0b541d0687f484c.jpg

 

An interloper in the loco siding on a running in turn.

 

367755835_08atrest.jpg.16c83e1e696a954136f0e56920bf46e1.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Though I haven't posted recently I have been busy but men in white coats could have come to take me away if they had seen what I was doing. Upbech has always been a test piece and the introduction of a rigid kit built chassis showed that my track laying needed to be to a higher standard as any lumps and bumps can be ridden by proprietary conversions but not so well by a kit built chassis as they can rock on any imperfections and stall. Therefore, I bit the bullet pulled up the track, removed buildings, sanded down the baseboards so they are flat where track needs to go and glued down the templot plan again. Some track seemed to have settled on the cork underlay so track is being laid straight onto the base board this time. This is what it looked like:

 

IMG_20190717_211705725.jpg.427a07ff87f5f8318e19ecaa76dd13c5.jpg

 

Because I use staples with my S&W couplings it seems that Kadee magnets will work with them meaning I may be able to run a small 1960s fleet of Kadee equipped diesels on the layout as well.Holes have been cut out for the under track magnets though I decided to try something slightly different. The instructions suggest they can be hinged so a piece of mounting board was put across the hole and the magnets epoxied to a small hinge and installed under the layout. These shots gives an idea of the installation. Will be interesting to see how or even if it works.

 

IMG_20190721_192943777_HDR.jpg.9a4022eb60865313f7d4e099970c7403.jpg

 

IMG_20190721_194420885_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg.69cddf67ac1a81a306dd9da3ab8a3f68.jpg

 

IMG_20190725_214452047.jpg.4e9ba32c2348b25e451593e60fc56eb4.jpg

Track laying has now begun again with wire droppers being put in as required. The curved line at the front is being relaid to get a smoother curve and the loco depot has acquired a small ash pit in the style of Upwell.The fiddle yard entrance will also be relaid and this is the progress today:

 

IMG_20190726_090952204.jpg.25af0b7049d06cb20aa0a2513ffc87a3.jpg

 

More progress soon, I think the layout will be running again relatively soon. The J39 will also be making progress over the summer as I now have all the wheels as well as a soldered up chassis and gearbox.

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Crikey Martyn. 

 

Top marks for having the courage of your convictions. 

 

Rob. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

After a weeks 'sun lounger modelling' in Sorrento track laying has recommenced tonight. Fiddle yard line remains to be added. The new version of the layout will be subtly different in its scenic treatment and I hope to have trains running again within a week or so.

 

IMG_20190806_221229570.jpg.8002cc5e115cfbe61537bd84c188db95.jpg

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