Thornton Gate Blackpool Tramway Sidings In DCC N!

[Balloon_726]

October Update...

Well I keep seeing the countdown Facebook posts from the Warley club counting down the days until the NEC....(think Its something like 48 days now???).
Now I would guess for most of you (who are going) you'll be thinking "ohh i'm looking forward to that!". Now me on the other hand, well i'm thinking "AHHHH!. NOT READY, PANIC!!!".

Currently I keep looking at Thornton Gate and as its my layout I know were the faults are, the things that are not good or right.. I've been working on it for so long now I feel i've lost all perspective... Anyhow before I go completely nuts with plot totally lost.....

 

Some progress....

 

It's finished! The last missing building, a half relief house the other side of the street from the current house. Unfortunately the plot was still empty when the magazine shoot was done recently ... hmm never mind. With the last house and fencing in, technically Thornton Gate is now finished! But is a layout ever finished? As mentioned I have lost the plot 

 

Above: And here it is.... obscured by a tree.. hmm The new building the last missing link.

 

The remaining photos show the tidied up yard area and a visit from Brush car 636 on a test run.

Above: Brush Car 636 enters Thornton Gate Yard.

 

Above: The P'way compound and rail loading platform.

 

Above: And finally 636 seen stabled on the rail loading siding amongst the road plant compound equipment.

 

 

[Balloon_726]

The Road to Warley... November 2014 Update...

 

Well its that time again! Yes November time ! Which can only mean its time for the Warley NEC exhibition! 

 

Warley is a show ive been going to as a visitor for years now, however 2014 will be slightly different as we're going as exhibitors with Thronton Gate!

 

Naturally we at Team TG have been very excited about this as its been on the cards for the last to years now, and will mark the closure of our 2014 exhibition season.

 

Above: The star of the year, Balloon 701 in 'Warley club' ad livery on test ahead being packed up ready to be taken over to Birmingham 

 

 

In order to make sure we're ready for Warley the layout has required a large mount of work an repairs, this time mostly cleaning as seen here.

 

For this show and any future events, we've raised the heigh of the layout, with the perchance of some new trestles, this has ment the main curtain fabric has had to be replaced  and along with the rest of our fabric backings and dust sheets, fire treated to meet with the strict NEC safety regulations.

 

So it don't just look like Anna does all the work! Here is myself with a temporary workbench area wiring back up Jubilee 762.

 

Yes 762 (right) has been reinstated once more, this car has been the 'runt' of the fleet for some time normally giving up parts such as chassises and decoders for other trams, however or this show I decided to re chassis it once again as we really do need every working car we can get our hands on! 

 

One of main reasons for 762 being on and off most years is that its not that accurate being just a repaint of 761's body shell cast, however earlier this year Sam built a more accurate body shell for a true 762 prototype (See left) using a 761 body shell as a base and then cutting new doors and reprofiling the roof. It is therefore my intention to make a new resin cast of this new shell next year and have a more accurate 762 running by mid 2015.

 

Some of the cars ive been working on (left) 762 as just talked about, (centre) Baloon 726, which had failed during the summer, but is now fixed and (right) Balloon 701 which has had its snowplough attached again as happens for winter shows!

 

Above: An overview of the cleaning table we're all rolling stock, and some more! was being cleaned and tested ahead of being packed, the next time these cars will run will be to the crowds at the NEC!

 

Above: Packed up and with a week in hand! I think a record for us! If your coming over to Warley this year (2014) we're stand B72 do say Hi!

Before I rap this update up, just to say to coincide with Warley, Thornton Gate has made its debut appearance in the Railway Modeller Magazine (December 2014 edition, page 999) Have to say very pleased with the way this has turned out, and for us getting in a national magazine has been on the list for some time!

 

Anyhow that is all for now, the next update will be post Warley.... 

Edited November 17, 2014 by Balloon_726

[Balloon_726]

Warley 2014 show report.
 

Overall a very efficient set up and two day operation, brake down was also achieved in under an hour. So I must say a huge thanks to Anna, Sam and my father Simon who joined us again for this show, for there work and the hours put it getting the layout ready and up to speed, ahead of out final show of a busy 2014 season.

Yes can you even believe we've now done 3 years of public exhibitions with Thornton Gate and im now planning our 4th season for 2015.

 

Anyway back to the show and the story of stand B72 AKA Thornton Gate Tramway

 

Above: The view of us set up in hall 5 by the catering which was quite a good spot to be in, allowing us to attack a steady flow of people throughout the long two day show.

 

Above: Lighting is always a problem, as my father a veteran of NEC trade show knew all to well, so in many way i'm pleased we did the lighting and presentation updates when we did. On that note it was very nice to have dad back on the team, he'd not done a show with us since Ludlow 2012! And is seen here operating alongside Anna.

 

Above: New for Warley was a second brush car in the form of 622 in its very distinctive tiger stripe livery. This was the latest work of my brother Sam using one of my brush car shells, what was impressive was the fact he'd hand painted all the stripes on the roof and had scratch build new pantograph towers replacing the need for the card printed ones. having seen these I asked him to build a spare for my own brush car 636 with both cars finished with just hours to spare before the opening to the public. 

This is something I try to avoid as 622 had not been tested and although it did do some running hours was not reliable and needed work mainly in ride height and weight issues. Also the new towers fitted to both brush cars were a bit high leading to the pantographs hitting the tops of the entrance holes in the back scene, again an issue due to not testing but an easy fix for the new season.

 

Above: A wider overview of the layout in full service. Although all 14 tram cars were available for service in the end yellow centenary class no.624 wasn't run at all during the weekend, due to the poor quality of the model and like its sister car 'KitKat' livery no. 641 suffer from poor reliability. 641 did however run for most of the two days being something of a favourite with the public, although was stood down once or twice for cleaning due to the long running hours. Most other cars ran well, fatdoor balloon 719 had chassis gauging issues (again) as the body had slipped down, this was fixed in time for all 3 fatdoors to be put into service. 713 (my fat door balloon) proved one of the most reliable and was on service both days all day putting in around 12 hours of running!

Above: I cant do the Warley post and not talk about Balloon 701 sporting its custom livery since April and doing the rounds in magazines and online media, well this was its moment and the tram spent most of the two days on show stabled with its p'way trailers on the centre road or shunting around the yard area. Its normal stable mate sister 708 was pressed into normal service for most of the day and covering for other cars whilst they had there wheels cleaned. Even 701 ditched its trailers and went on service duty near the end of day two, its seasonal snow plough attached as I normally do for the final winter shows, snow or no snow!

Above: Over all i've been quite happy with the latter performance of our ever expanding fleet, tram car failures were at an all time low, and moral is high amongst the team at the moment, we're just really tired still! What really makes a show for us is meeting the people who come and visit, read this blog or have seen us in magazines etc. For me its so nice to talk to people, tell the amazing and still unfolding story of this project and to still be able to plan for the near future, whist still working on new ideas and bringing new developments to exhibition.

 

Above: I'll bring this post and this year to a close with a view of 701 making its final departure as "Warley Tram' in the final minutes of the show on sunday evening, drawing to a close a real mile stone season which has seen two big ambitions of mine realised. 1) to get into a national magazine and 2) to exhibit at the NEC, which with the help of my team we have achieved and all in the space of just 3 years!  

We're all having a beak now as you might expect , a few jobs to be done such as the Christmas card and the removal of the ad transfers from 701 which now must return to its plain yellow ahead of next years outings, and ofcorse the general maintains of the fleet again ready for the 4th season.

So thanks very much for reading and for those of you that came and saw us this year, watch this space we'll be back soon! :-)

Edited December 9, 2014 by Balloon_726

[stewartingram]

I saw the layout at Warley, for the 1st time and was impressed. As one who sent you a load of photos of the site early on, I was going to stop and have a chat, but the crowds and you being busy, rather put paid to that I'm afraid!, Nevertheless, as someone who thinks of Blackpool as his 2nd home, WELL DONE.

 

Stewart

[Balloon_726]

I saw the layout at Warley, for the 1st time and was impressed. As one who sent you a load of photos of the site early on, I was going to stop and have a chat, but the crowds and you being busy, rather put paid to that I'm afraid!, Nevertheless, as someone who thinks of Blackpool as his 2nd home, WELL DONE.

 

Stewart

 

Ah Stewart! you should have just butted in! I would have dropped everything (other then the tramcars!) to chat to you :-/

Oh well, thanks for coming to visit! Still really grateful for the photos you gave me, those have been so useful!

Next time please just say Hi!  

[Balloon_726]

Is it to late for a Christmas card?

Been working on this years card taken over 2 days to set up, even had to build N gauge skiers! ... Yeah don't ask!

Unlike previous years were I end up having to clean 'snow' off the layout well into March!

This year I built a set for the photo shoot, so this ant Thornton Gate but with the banking at the rear it kind of looks about right.

 

Anyway may I wish you all a very merry Christmas from all of us at Team Thornton Gate!

 

Also check out our new web site www.thorntongate.tramtronix.co.uk , which i'll be building new and more interactive content for over 2015 in my quest to build more online support for the layout!

 

Above: Blackpool Ballon Class tram No.708 fitted with front snowplough clears the line on-route to Fleetwood. Note the skier hitching a tow on the rear of the tram!

Edited December 24, 2014 by Balloon_726

[Balloon_726]

New Year Awakening...

 

Well its still winter but as spring is now only around the corner I'm finding time and planning the year ahead for the layout.

 

Admittedly I've had over two months away from it but I really did need the break as at that time the enjoyment had dropped. And as i've learned if you really don't enjoy what your doing you have to walk away for awhile.

 

However Im very pleased to say Im back and feeling enthusiastic about the project once more, having now more or less sorted out this years exhibition season (2015). Were having a smaller season this year but I have to admit i'm really looking forward to some on the exhibitions! Details will be posted shortly...

 

So what do I intend to do this year? 

 

Well...

 

No tramcar has ran since the late November 2014, the layout will need to be cleaned and checked over for transit damage... etc 

 

The fleet will need the normal light maintenance, cleaning, oiling etc..

 

Some stand out issues are: 

 

Balloon 701 needs some attention its had its Warley transfers stripped but now needs some patch yellow painting as well as the normal clean.

Brush 622 which was new for the NEC needs work... it ran poorly and the motor struggled

Brush 636 and 622 also need their trolly towers looking at again as both are a bit to high and so out of gauge with the overhead, a simple fix.

 

And our Centenaries will no doubt be under review again, 641 being ever popular with the visiting public, however troublesome and incorrectly numbered 624 (Should be 642!) may end its service life altogether as there is a plan to rebuild our Centenaries using the existing PCC chassises.

 

As for new builds, well I want to get my long over due Pantograph car finished!!

A proper 762 Jubilee is on the cards for this year

as is maybe an extra brush car and even a open top balloon in the form of 706! 

 

Im also planning some cosmetic updates to the layout its self, with some new items and better replacements of old.

 

So thats kind of the plan, how much I get done is another matter but the will is there..... somewhere!

Also check out Thornton Gates Web site at : www.thorntongate.tramtronix.co.uk

I will be adding stuff to it over the year!

Edited February 11, 2015 by Balloon_726

[Balloon_726]

The first preseason testing of 2015

 

The other week as planned the first tramcars took to the rails of Thornton Gate once more!

 

Above: After cleaning most of the track, our resident Farish class 04 was the first to take to the rails, on an initial test of all the electrical connections and rail joints etc. As its not chipped it don't normally get much of a chance to run, so it made a nice change. Still really impressed how well the Farish 04 runs and this was a second hand one as well!

 

Above: First tram of the year. Balloon 701, the resident engineering works car, made a successful test run on the inner circuit. The tramcar itself looking a bit tatty at the moment after having its Warley ads stripped. So after this test it was taken over to my work bench to join a few other fleet members in need of some attention. 

 

Above: A nice overall shot of the station area with 701, overall the layout its self faired well, no real transit damage as such, really just areas then need a little tidying up etc.

 

Anyway on to the work bench were 701 joined 713 for some much needed attention, the latter had done both days all day at the NEC, but for some reason its lead weights had become loose inside making it to risky to run as if the lead hit the DCC chip or motor it would have shorted out the tram. Hence 713 with a front cowling removed is seen awaiting attention,  701 was receiving attention to its body work, manly using wet and try to smooth down areas and a spot of filler in some gaps. Some of the window linings had to be removed and after patch painting fresh sets will be reapplied.

 

On the Balloon front 708 was also on the bench for attention, it last being used for the Christmas card shoot. However on closer inspection a number of issues were discovered. Mainly an area had bulged on a lower corner of the car, this was an issue left over from when the body shell was first cast back in 2012. As one of the first clear shells, 708 had an air pocket in its lower bodywork, rather then scrap the shell it was filled with plastic strip and filler. However as this is an area that the chassis grips onto it has been under pressure and finally snapped and hence bulged outwards.

 

Now seeing as we have many better casted balloons available (the moulds were updated two years ago) and a number of other new builds in the pipe line for 2015 a decision was made to mothball and hence retire 708 from exhibition service.

 

So still sporting its 'Virgin' nose badge from Stockport 2013, 708 has been rechassied back onto an unchipped Bachmann Brill trolly unit and given a trolly pole replacing its Kato pantograph. Its chipped Tomix chassis and pantograph being reserved for a future build. 708 is now living with my girlfriend on a small box file layout thats she's building at home. However as the car still runs, it can still make appearance back at exhibition should the need arise.

 

Above: Moving on, bush car 636 got into a spot of bother then its power tangled in the overhead and was completely ripped off the car! Entering service last yeah both Brush cars had new towers built from scratch by my brother, however as time was tight ahead of Warley we didn't get time to test them and at show it was found they were both to high, so after this happen on test over the weekend, I decided to fix the issue once and for all!

 

As this line up sort of shows, 636 (infront) has had its however modified and lowered, this was done by taking a sanding disc to the top of the body shell tower stump and removing about a mil, then cutting down some of the top framework of the pantograph tower itself. 

 

Behind fellow brush car no 622 sports a out of gauge and higher tower as yet to be modified and behind both Balloon 713 illustrates the correct height for the pantograph.

 

Above: all done (almost) the two Brush cars on bench with modified body and tower profiles, Both now requiring some patch painting and refixing of towers, in addition 622 (left) also need requires some chassis attention as it made a loud metallic clanging noise during its time running, and I'm yet to get around to investigating why!

 

So there we have it, most of my time spent just maintaining the current fleet at the moment, however I hope to start building new tramcars real soon.

Edited February 21, 2015 by Balloon_726

[firstgreatwestern]

Love it

[Balloon_726]

Well have I been away from here for awhile! How time flies!

 

Happy to report all is well. I've replaced the car (again) so Thornton Gate was created up and went for a test fit... Success it fits! 
We've having a quite season this year as other things and project (Not model or rail related) have taken over. However if your into retro computers or programming then you might have seen me around doing a lot of the computer exhibitions and shows!

Anyway as it stands Thornton Gate will be out and about at:

 

Leyland:  August 8th & 9th 2015

http://www.leylandmrc.com/index.php?p=1_36_Exhibition-2015

 

And a welcome return to the Fylde coast at:

Fleetwood: Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th September 2015
http://www.blackpoolandnorthfyldemrc.co.uk/exSept.html

And that is as it stands for 2015.....
Personally I've been quite relieved for the 'rest' if you can call it that! Give us time to take stock and think about what we're doing or more to the point what i'm doing!

Anyhow once I've stuck BBC Micro computers (Remember those?) back together might manage to clear my work bench and do some tramming! Will post some updates soon!
 

Edited June 12, 2015 by Balloon_726

[Balloon_726]

So back out on exhibition in 1 months time! First outing for Thornton Gate in 2015!

After a long time away from doing anything model related, today I sat down and started prepping for the new season.

Just two shows this year, which I really don't mind but do want to build a season for 2016...


Above: 701 Thornton gates resident ballon class works tram and last years 'Warley Tram' has had a patch paint back into plain yellow again, will add some missing windows linings door ect later.

 

Above: Brush car 636 is in more pieces then I seem to remember ??? so been sticking that back together plus touching paintwork back up

... and ...

 

Im thinking about building a second Brush car as i have all to bits, chassis, pantograph ect again proving just how reliant I am on Japanese products to make this all work!

 

Also been looking into using some Micro Machines toy cars and vans which I near perfect for N gauge, These were off an old old layout from some years ago as as you cant buy them anymore I was keen to find these again. Thinking of making some casts off them so I can easily duplicate if needs be. Im thinking these might be useful for modding into different vehicles.

The layout its self is still crated up at the moment, so i'll need to set it back up for the never ending cleaning and sticking back together that is always required pre season .... oh the joys!

Nice to be back.. but really did need the break!

 

[Balloon_726]

Well its the night before the Leyland show. So am about to spend most of tomorrow on the M6 going north.. hmm

As its quite late this will be a brief update on whats been happening.

 

We're hoping to run a full fleet service over the weekend minus Balloon 708 which as mentioned before has had to be retired due to cosmetic and structural issues, plus with myself being so busy, I've really not had a chance to build a replacement as yet...

 

Above: The theme for this event will be for us to run our single deckers in full service across both days. The Brush cars have been in bits since last running in November 2014 and have been worked on, repaired and in some some cases enhanced (note the new yellow plastic bumpers on 622)!

 

Above: The two brush cars have had some extended running over the last few days and are now settling in well, be it with a number of tweaks and modifications since last year.

 

Above: The other half of the single decker fleet is made up of the two Centenary Cars, these trams have been dogged with problems since day one (as were the real ones!) Anyway the every popular 'KitKat' tram No. 641 had has some external repair from transit damage as well as being resuscitated back into life! The Bachmann PCC chassis really cant cope under exhibition conditions.


Above: Sister Centenary N0. 624 is running better as it was not used much during the end of last year. Both cars need a lot of work or even scrapping and starting again! And we really need a better chassis for the class at the very least! But for now expecting breakdowns over the weekend :-(

 

Finally Balloon 701 is back! well almost. Now sporting plain yellow once more, and again being used as the layout works car or stand in should a failure arise!


So all in all we're ready, Thornton Gate has had a lot of work done to it, new little features and repair of others. Come and see us at:

 

August 8th / 9th 2015 from 10am

Leyland Civic Centre ( Council Offices) 

West Paddock 

Leyland 

PR25 1DH

[reevesthecat]

Hi Tom

Enjoyed chatting to you and seeing the layout on Saturday. Was wondering which tram type you could model next if you were looking to do another. A boat car would be out as nowhere to hide the mechanism but a twin car or an OMO would be good to see. Food for thought maybe!

Cheers

Mark

[Balloon_726]

Thornton Gate end of season review 2015

Leyland & Fleetwood model railway exhibitions.

 

 

Its been awhile since I last updated this thread, a mixture of other commitments and getting ready for a very short but solid 2015 exhibition season.
 

Leyland MRC exhibition August 8th & 9th 2015 

 

Our first outing in August saw us setting up in the council offices in Leyland for what was a very good and well planned exhibition.

 

 

 

Above 2X: The quite before the storm.. well maybe! Exhibition setup and ready to go!

 

 

 

Above: It was our normal 'A fleet' tram cars that started day one. 701 back on P'way duties or stabled in the yard and both Brush cars back out and working after preseason repair.

 

 

Above: The queue for the front... Behind the scenes always seems to be a point of fascination to the public, and as seen a number of the outer loop 'up line' cars waiting to run round to the front.

 

Above: On day two we decided to switch things around a little, so Balloons 726 and 710 were swapped for purple fat door twins, balloons 711 and 719. These joined all white fatdoor 713 and were the final cars used in the last hour of the Leyland exhibition, seen here posing for photos on the centre line.

All in all a good show no major problems, no tram car failures although, Jubilee 762 and Centenary 642 were again not used and stayed in the stock box the entire time.
According to the exhibition management numbers were down on last year which seems a shame considering how good the event was!

 

Moving on....

 

Now we did at end of August attend at the 'vicars garden party' again as a solo side show, as this was very much like last year it really didn't seem worth posting much here, other then to say it was a good opportunity to make a few running repairs, such as the roof of the station house building which along with the chimney had come loose during transit!

PART 2  Fleetwood will follow shortly..... 

 

 

 

[Balloon_726]

Fleetwood Model Railway Exhibition 2015

 

Okay thanks for waiting for this Part 2 update... I had a retro computer show (My other hobby) the weekend just gone with 2 BBC Micro computers out at exhibition, (incase anyone is interested...) hence the delay in getting this written up!

 

Fleetwood marked the 2nd and final show of our 2015 season. We've really enjoyed the warm reception of the North West and people! And despite being build and based in the west midlands, it really felt the layout was home on the Fylde coast. Little did we know our season would end in a bit of a bang ... or should that be crash!

 

Arriving Friday evening, setup was a little chaotic, as it was a new venue this year some slight space issues had arisen, poor exhibition manager was a little stressed. being something of a veteran now, we did our best to help solve the issue and did have to move around the hall a bit, which is part and parcel of exhibiting...

 

Above: Anyway set up and ready to go!

 

Above: The show opened a little on the quite side on both days leading to the decision is stable some of the tram cars on the centre loop on static display until the crowds had gathered justifying a more intense service. This takes the strain off the trams and gives the operators a bit of a rest. Its normally reserved for the end of a day not the start!

 

Above: On Fleetwood duty... Fatdoor 713 which for the first time was not joined by sisters 711 and 719 as both cars had failed somehow between the end for Leyland show and start of this one??? This meant 713 along with normal balloons 710 and 726 had to do a full two days as the fatdoors are normally set to the same CV decoder address, hence one car comes off and another with the same DCC number goes on.. 713 is fast becoming a favourite of mine, maybe because of its heavy rebuild from a standard shell or the fact its younger then some of the others and hence has done less running hours... 

 

Above: Moving on to everyones favourite! Centenary no.641 'having a break' in Thornton Gate yard. The reason for this was to keep the loop clear for 701 and its p'way trailers then were running at this time and also due to the continued up and down reliably of this tram, it was best to keep in on show 'The kids just love it!' but out of the way. Sister 624 (642) was yet again not used and stayed in the stock box as did Jubilee 762.

 

Above: After 641 had left the yard and resumed service and with things getting quite again, I decided to have a bit of fun and chance my luck by shunting 701 and its train down the far line of the yard. Like the real Thornton Gate, the rear line was not that reliable and rarely used. However to my amazement with out stalling our derailing it made it clean over the rear point and rolled down the far line, after being stabled for a bit 701 even managed to drag its self off the sidings once more.

 

Above: So its the final hour on day 2, with things winding down, I've gone for a last look around when im called back by a guilty looking Anna... why?

 

Above: The late staying visitors to the exhibition were in for a treat as disaster struck Thornton Gate!! 713 now on Blackpool bound return workings, (driven by Anna) some how took out one of the catenary poles brining down the overhead and blocking the down line!

 

Above: So with less then 15 minutes to go, the down line was blocked, rolling stocked back up and we were down to single line running on the up line, minus part of the overhead! Now in reality the whole system would have shut down, but we managed to keep something moving whist we waited for a quite moment to untangle the mess and start packing up!

I think that'll go down in the history of notable accidents!

So we're done for another year! Im pleased to announce 2016 is shaping up nicely and even 2017 is in the works! As ever we have a lot of work to do, starting with repairs! However even in the last few days work has started on new updates, from rolling stock though to operations, ready to bring something new for next year.

As ever I will keep you all informed what we get up to this winter!

 

 

[Balloon_726]

Hi Tom

Enjoyed chatting to you and seeing the layout on Saturday. Was wondering which tram type you could model next if you were looking to do another. A boat car would be out as nowhere to hide the mechanism but a twin car or an OMO would be good to see. Food for thought maybe!

Cheers

Mark

 

Mark, nice chatting to you as well! We always have something on the work bench! A boat is not as out as you might think... An N gauge OMO dose exist as a one of scratch build done by someone else on another forum, I have a prototype kit done by ELTS for the EE single deck rail coach that used my Balloon car as its base. The EE single decks were used for the conversion to OMO's, so thats not out the question either.   

[Balloon_726]

Hello and....

 

 

Yes its another year done once again! Decided to go with a more frosty winter scene with Balloon 701 out with its snowplough once more.

 

So 3 months disappear and no update, well.... I have been busy with other projects I have had to but all modelling to one side, the situation not improving much in the run up to Christmas.

 

However despite this new projects and upgrades are underway and we're hoping to get a lot done in January. 

 

First up yet another new Balloon car this time in the form of 723.

 

Above: This is one of my photos of the real 723 taken in late September at Blackpool's Rigby Road Bus and Tram depot whist we were exhibiting in nearby Fleetwood.

 

Above: Never one to be happy with anything I do, despite the warm and positive feedback i've received over the years, I'm never one to get complacent, Hence I want a better Balloon class model! So to try and better capture the modernised look and feel of 723, one of my raw resin balloon shells was totally stripped and gutted of all window frames and detail. The shell was then resanded with the roof profile dramatically reduced, with filler used to help reenforce the resin in ares were it was getting a bit thin!

Above: where we are now, 723 (Sitting on a Bachmann Brill trolly chassis for now) has had new window frames cut from sheet plastic, these have then been sanded paper thin, also of note are some new upgrade parts including proper centre side doors with depth and detail! Instead of just being a recessed panel with a transfer overlay.

Also a brand new casted diamond centre head code box. The unit alone took over 12 hours to sculpt out of clay before making a mould for resin casting, however it looks much better and more in line with the prototype, so hopefully all the other balloons in my fleet will have these new parts fitted during 2016.

Still a lot of work to do on 723 but should be ready come exhibition outings next year and beyond!

 

And finally another project for 2016... You'll never guess what these might morph into.....!

Anyway thats it for 2015, So wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from all of us here at Team Thornton Gate!

 

[Balloon_726]

Spring time! Nearly with all the snow around!

We've been busy though February and into March getting Thornton Gate ready for its one and only (As it stands) exhibition booking for 2016, which is the Scout Rail event being held next Saturday 12th March 2016 at Settle Primary School, Settle.

As another welcome trip back north!

 

Since our last exhibition last year we've had a few things to fix, the art of 'sticking it back together' is something both Anna and myself are getting quite good at!

 

The layouts outer boards had taken a far knock during transit so were in need of some TLC. Hence I sanded the affected areas down and then patch painted.

 

The results looking much better. It is imported to do jobs like this to keep the layout looking clean, and presentable and that includes the out side frame not just the contents of the baseboards! 

Now if you read a post or two back you might remember we had a accident at the end of last year, were my partner Anna managed to crash a Balloon class tram into one of the overhead catenary poles, snapping the pole and bringing down a section of the overhead... 

Well priority number one for her was to fix it! As the pole had snapped at the base, it was first thought we'd have to build a totally new pole, however using a section of plastic dowl, glued inside the hollow pole, Anna was able to re-glue the pole back into position, which should buy us a bit more time before a total replacement would be due.

 

Above: Bush car no 636 dose the honers and tests the gauge clearance of the repaired pole and reinstalled overhead.

 

Above: With ploughs still fitted Balloon 701 was also used to test the electrics and point work, out of season we tend not to do any real running on the layout, this mainly to preserve running hours of the fleet for exhibitions as well as reducing ware and tear. 

 

However after the layout has been out of use for a number of months, we normally do a full stock service and test running session, just to pick up any issue as well as it give the whole layout a clean and tidy up.

This also includes testing areas of track not normally used that much as the the very far siding of Thornton Gate yard, which 701 successfully managed to do a spot of shunting with the p'way sleeper wagon seen here stabled at the very end deep in the yard.

So were back and ready to go, the layout has now been packed up ready for this coming weekend, we hope to see you maybe?
I'm also looking for future exhibitions, so if you have an event and would like us to consider bringing Thornton Gate, please feel free to send me a private message and i'll get back to you :-)

[Balloon_726]

Hello all, this is just a very quick update!

 

Sorry it been a bit of a while... I am still alive, I've been very busy with everything else going on in life!

 

Just to say thanks very much for the contacts and messages of concern about the quietness of this thread during 2016.

I can assure you all is fine with Anna, myself and Thornton Gate!

 

I am yet to post about the Settle show we did at the start of the year, which has been our only outing this year, I will get around to posting that!

And I have a dozen new ideas and mini projects still to do. But sometimes your just not in the mood, which has been the case for this year. 

 

Still... Onwards and upwards 

 

Tom :-)

[Balloon_726]

Remember that show report from March last year (2016).... No? Well thats because i've only just gotten around to writing it! 

 

So sorry about that!

 

 

Settle was the only outing for Thornton Gate during 2016, this was manly due to us needing a bit of a break from the project and myself unfortunately having a few health issues...

 

But still...

 

 

Above: The show as held in March at the local Primary School in Settle which is a really lovely town. This being the first time Anna and myself had visited. After setup we spent the lighter evening on the platform of Settle station hoping to see something interesting using the famous Settle to Carlisle route, as it happend all we did see were Ex BR 1989 build Northern Rail Class 158 DMU's (We get the same type of trains at home).... never mind!   

To the show!

 

Above: Another school, another sports hall! This one was not to bad, the show had a mix of local layouts and a slot car racing track display by the local scout group which gave a nice local mix. Thornton Gate was the guest layout invited by the organiser and we were all to happy to participate!

 

 

Above: So by now are normal setup and ready for the one day event, the layout of cource had been service and clean prior to attending but never hurts to do a re-clean before operations start for the day.

Jubilee Car 762 and a flying Balloon no 713 opened operations

 

And later joined by the single deckers no 624 (incorrectly numbered yellow centenary class) and Metro coastlines Brush car 636, seen in the station area with pink metro coastlines Balloon car no 710.


Above: As always acting works car Balloon Class no. 701 stayed stable with its trailer wagons in the yard for most of the day, and as its winter still (well early spring) sports its snow plough once again.


Were would we be with out Tram Car failures? KitKat Centenary no 741 and 'Tiger' livery  Brush car no. 622 letting the side down again! As of Jan 2017 both are still awaiting attention, but like all the other times stock has let go during a show they'll be back!

Yes so overall i nice weekend away, Thornton Gate was we'll received and after almost a years rest we're looking forward to the upcoming 2017 exhibition season, where we have some big changes and upgrades to do!

Details will be posted in the coming month or so, we'll be at some really cool venues this year, many being one off special shows! I always love exhibiting in the wired and odd places!

More to and will follow....!

[Black Sheep]

Where will TG be this year? 

At some point I'll be asked by our exhibition manager to find N gauge layouts for a show in the autumn at Colne, would you be interested?

[Balloon_726]

Where will TG be this year? 

 

At some point I'll be asked by our exhibition manager to find N gauge layouts for a show in the autumn at Colne, would you be interested?

Hi

 

We're at The Seven Valley Railway Open weekend April 8th / 9th https://www.facebook.com/events/1196748540398378/

 

Then Totally Models Blackpool Transport June 24th / 25th https://www.facebook.com/events/1467831189916497/

 

I'll PM you about exhibitions, Many thanks 

Edited March 1, 2017 by Balloon_726

[Balloon_726]

 

Its time for another update.... and.....

 

We're doing a spot of house keeping as in some much needed repairs and upgrades to the very fabric of the layout.

 

 

First up, Anna has been replacing the side panels, as I felt the originals were now to large and heavy, and i really wanted to bring the overall height and top banner down a bit.

 

 

The end result, Both these new end boards which are simple pine frames skinned with hardboard will be painted matt black both sides to give a more minimal and less distracting appearance.

 

The end 'shelf' panels are also going to be replace and so taking a hammer to the layout, the current set have been knocked out, ready for new smarter ones to be installed.

 

The back scene has also had some attention, mainly were the two boards meet, as this area had an awful gap between the boards and had become shabby and knocked about, hence the need to cut back both boards and recut new sections. These new sections have / will be doubled up for strength and when finished should give a nice neat join line.... well thats the plan!

 

Scenically, I've not done to much at the moment, but have removed most of the vans from the yard area and sanded down the roadway which was always a bit bumpy, the plan will be to give this a new reskim of plaster and general tidy up.

 

We're also hoping to say goodbye to the current 1970's transit vans with more modern replacements.

 

So there we are for the moment, March 2017 is going to be a busy month while we get these updates in place. I'm hoping to do some more scenic work such as static grassing and replacing of fencing etc but we'll see how time goes.

We are next due out at the Severn Valley Railway open weekend on April 8th and 9th 2017, we'll be in the Engine House Museum at Highley, Shropshire. 

Edited March 3, 2017 by Balloon_726

[Balloon_726]

Repairs done, Layout glued back together! .... Thornton Gate did its first public outing of 2017!


 

The Severn Valley Railways April Open House Weekend was the first event of 2017 for us...

 

 

.. With the rather splendid back scene of a Midland diagram WD 8F locomotive undercover inside the museum at Highly.

 

 

Above: As mentioned in my last post, The layout has had some 'life extending' improvements for 2017 including new lower side panels and baseboard repairs. So now looking very smart!

 

 

Behind the scenes, the fiddle yard got some attention + repaint, as did the new backscene areas. The speakers that provide the sound effects for the layout have been rewired and moved to the top of the boards, so the volume can be turned down a bit!

Cosmetically, we're halfway though the updates for this year. The new yard road plaster work had improved the look of the yard a lot in my opinion. As seen here p'way 701 seen stabled on the yard as per normal.


Above: Balloon 726 at Thronton Gate station.

Operationally, we've had to do a bit of patch job to get things working as some cars had failed since running over a year ago, mainly with DCC decoders that might have burnt out after Settle last year.

Brush car no. 622 (blown DCC chip) and "kitkat' Centenary tram 641 (split gear) were in need of repair as we wanted them for the show. As mentioned 641 a real pain to keep running is such a crowd pleaser, but had now gone though its second chassis!

In the end it was easier to do a strait chassis swap with two lesser used cars so Jubilee 762 gave up its chassis to Brush 622 and Centenary 624 (642) give its Bachmann PPC unit to 641 rendering both 762 and 624 as spare parts body shells only.


And with that sorted it we were ready for two days of intensive running!


Jubilee 761 and Brush car 636 on north bound Fleetwood service



Above: All was going well on day one then ... Jubilee 761 which was one of the first cars I ever built and the most reliable of the fleet broke down....for the first time ever at a show! Unable to fix it on the day the car was dumped on the centre road for the remainder of the day.


Above: As things quieted down by about 4PM other cars joined 761 on centre line to be stabled until the end of the day, here Balloons 710 and 'Fat door' 713 are seen being no longer required for the remaining hour or so.

Day 2....

 

So onto day 2 and 701 with trailers started the day at around 10:30am, the layout being left in the unheated shed all night had led to condensation build up on the rail head so 701 did some laps to clean up the rails and test for any bad spots and dirt etc....

As we were so near home for this show I had been able overnight to get Jubilee 761 back up and running for day 2, as it happened it was the only failure of the show, with all other cars performing the gruelling hours of continued running very well!

 

Overall the layout was once again very well received by the public with a few invites to future shows across the country... 2018 season looks to be building all ready!

 

So we'll end with day 2 last hour centre line stables with Balloons 726, 711 and standard 147 parked up for the final time at this show.

We've still got things to do, updates, repairs etc, are next outing for 2017 will be announced shortly its next month (June 2017).... more info to follow in a bit

But for now thanks for reading!

 

Edited May 20, 2017 by Balloon_726

[Balloon_726]

Its been a hot one! infact June 21st 2017 was the hottest day in the UK since 1976 .... apparently...

 

Anyway it has been nothing but an utter pain trying to work on the layout over the past five days in the 30+ C temperatures, but we had to with this weekends model show and open weekend at Blackpool Transport's Rigby Road Tram depot.

 

 

This is the first event at Rigby Road for some years, so its a real privilege to be able to take Thornton Gate inside the depot for the weekend. 

 

 

Above: With the show on the horizon the decision was taken (not by me i might add!) to replace the card 'Blackpool' fencing with something a little more 3D, so with only two weeks to go at this point Anna (My girlfriend) took it upon herself to rip out all the card fencing from the layout, some of which has been on the layout for over five years now.

 

Above: The replacement was some custom resin cast panels which Anna had build the master for out of plastic strip and I had made the moulds and tooling for rather a lot of cast resin duplicates!

 

The process of cleaning and then painting these panels took in all three days, and was a large undertaking.

 

Above: Here Anna is just applying a final light weather coat to the newly install panels, which really do look for part!

 

Above: Some areas like the station were a bit tricky to say the least, and some white paper was used to protect the 'wooden' fence behind from a splatter of Humbrol matt 64!


We've also been static grassing the layout to aid the overall scenics and to try and add some depth, this along with the new fences worked well and allowed for some test 'sunset' moody photos....

 

Above: Long withdrawn Balloon class no 708 made a brief return to Thonton Gate, now weathered down for this shot of it dumped awaiting onward movement at the rear of the yard.

 

Above: Work crews still installing new fence panels for the tramway lineside in the streets of north Cleveleys.

 

Above: And finely sunset at Thornton Gate station.

 

Back to the upgrades and the coming 'Totally Models' Blackpool Show....  

 

Normally with Thornton Gate we like shows that give us barriers, however in this case it was unknown if we were going to get any for the weekend, in which case we have to use plexiglass shields, which I for one hate using as it gives a rather obstructed view of the layout and a 'gold fish bowl' effect. But this children and even some adults completely unable to not touch things, its a necessary safeguard. So for this show we've fitted new shields, still in there protective wrappers in this shot.


And finally we'll end with Balloons 701 and 713 out on test yesterday (21st June) ahead of the layout being crated up ready for transport to Blackpool for this weekends event.

We hope you can make it, well worth a visit this one, with all the other things going on in support of the model show, doors open from 10am on Saturday 24th June 2017!

And as ever thanks for your continued support and viewing of this thread.