Dock Green

[chaz]

I too have had one very enjoyable weekend, almost 2 years ago now! The operating sequence, I found, is very comprehensive, but not so restrictive that it takes the enjoyment out of operating. I've operated other layouts where there is an operating sequence and either so badly put together that doesn't work or so restrictive that you end up focusing too much on reading and following the sequence, that it takes the enjoyment out of the operating experience. Also, the sequence is relaxed enough that you can at least have some interaction with the viewers. Mind you, still need to keep your wits about you.

 

Unfortunately, I've not had an opportunity to join Chaz at other exhibitions either due to location or clash with other activities and would certainly want to help again f the opportunity arises.

 

 

Point noted, sir. I'm sure we can arrange something. Unfortunately geography is often against you, living as you do in Devon. Maybe you could send me a PM giving me some idea how far you would be prepared to travel?

 

Chaz

Edited March 18, 2018 by chaz

[chaz]

I've had the opportunity to help operate DG at some shows and it is good fun. It is also a rare example of cramming in a lot of track in mostly straight and parallel lines and yet still looks realistic. I am delighted that a couple of my locos are part of the DG industrial stud, but I have to succeed in slipping in a Minerva 57XX/8750 pannier on an inter-regional trip working. That said, one of the highlights of the timetable is the operation of the GNR somersault starting signal - well worth waiting for. The other thing always impresses me is the high quality and originality of Chaz's work in every aspect of the hobby. Well that's enough of that and its back to being rude about about engines found outside the blessed triangle that had its apex at Praed Street W2. 

 

Regards,

 

Chris

 

Oh dear. I'm sorry Chris but any inter-regional trip working would almost certainly run to Ferme Park to be sorted and any traffic to be worked on to Dock Green would be added to a trip freight with a Doncaster-built loco on the front (we won't mention diesels). Now, despite a superficial resemblance, my J52 saddle tank is not a pannier tank, it's much nicer.  

 

Chaz

[The Bigbee Line]

Oh dear. I'm sorry Chris but any inter-regional trip working would almost certainly run to Ferme Park to be sorted and any traffic to be worked on to Dock Green would be added to a trip freight with a Doncaster-built loco on the front (we won't mention diesels). Now, despite a superficial resemblance, my J52 saddle tank is not a pannier tank, it's much nicer.  

 

Chaz

How about a London Transport Pannier collecting some P Way materials.......

[sb67]

Thanks for posting the plan Chaz, all this is really wetting my appetite for seeing your layout at Railex in a few months.

Steve.

[Guest curassier]

For my money this is one of the best layouts I have seen at current shows - not just because it is beautifully built and exudes atmosphere - but because it is on a scale that makes one think - "I could have a go at something like that".

I look forward to more information on operation since I am thinking of adapting the plan as the basis for a US-outline layout, though siding will have to be a little longer to accommodate the longer freight cars.

Jon M

[chaz]

For my money this is one of the best layouts I have seen at current shows - not just because it is beautifully built and exudes atmosphere - but because it is on a scale that makes one think - "I could have a go at something like that".

I look forward to more information on operation since I am thinking of adapting the plan as the basis for a US-outline layout, though siding will have to be a little longer to accommodate the longer freight cars.

Jon M

 

 

Thanks for the comments Jon, much appreciated. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery they say so feel free to do whatever you like with the plan. You will need to change the source of your track, Peco chaired bullhead rail bears no resemblance to the spiked US variety. I leave it to you to decide if Peco's flat-bottom will answer.

 

Chaz

Edited March 19, 2018 by chaz

[martin.a.ball]

as others have commented, where you see compromises what I remember most when I saw Dock Green at the Wilton show was a feeling that the railway was hemmed in by the surroundings. The sort of feeling you get with inner city sidings where space is a premium. Whilst not really part of the topic you have planned for how the layout is operated, it would be nice if you could revisit the retaining wall and bridge construction at some point in the future.

 

Martin

[chaz]

as others have commented, where you see compromises what I remember most when I saw Dock Green at the Wilton show was a feeling that the railway was hemmed in by the surroundings. The sort of feeling you get with inner city sidings where space is a premium. Whilst not really part of the topic you have planned for how the layout is operated, it would be nice if you could revisit the retaining wall and bridge construction at some point in the future.

 

Martin

 

 

There's no reason why I can't deal with the bridges and retaining walls again, providing I can find sufficient photos so the answer is "yes" to that.

 

Chaz

[chaz]

OK, lets kick off with the background to operations.

 

We operate Dock Green as a team of four. We have a rota such that each of us does an hour “on” and an hour “off”. Operators change every thirty minutes, so that at each change only one is new to the position and the other will know what’s going on (at least that’s the theory). The heart of operations on Dock Green is the set of sequence cards. The first photo is of the shelf which is usually fixed on the back of the layout and carries the cards. It is positioned roughly in the centre of the 16 feet length.

 

 

When we set up the layout we use the list on the first card (#0!) to position the stock for the start - ready for the moves on card #1. The next photo is of card #0.

 

 

The operators should then work through the cards methodically. The cards tell the operators the moves to make and give details such as how many wagons to position or remove from the various locations on the layout when shunting. The next photo is an example card - in fact it is #9. 

 

 

I have used a colour code on the cards…

Green - moves by the train loco - arrivals, departures or light engine 

Red - moves or shunts by the yard pilot

Blue - moves or shunts by the estate loco

Black - making up or disposing of stock on or off the cassettes

 

The two operators who are on agree among themselves which moves they will make.

 

The last card is #42. The moves on that card finish with the line “END OF SEQUENCE - TURN BACK TO CARD 1”.

 

The sequence is proven to work and if it is followed accurately the stock is in the correct starting position after #42 to start again.

 

Of course there are occasionally mistakes made and wagons end up in the wrong place for the next move. If that happens there are two possible strategies. 

1. If it is obvious that a simple shunt will restore the correct position then we do it.
2. If the whole thing is hopelessly confused (it does happen) then we turn the cards back to #0 and shunt the stock to the start position. This may include a train engine departing with wagons that don’t have a place in the start position. If this is done as realistically as all the other moves it need not be obvious from the front that anything untoward happened. 

Chaz

[Jack P]

I see myself converting from enamels to acrylics - a complete conversion will depend on how well it goes through the airbrush - if that goes well I don't think I will be buying any more enamels.

 

Comparing the Tamiya paints with the Humbrol the former seem more liquid and will probably need less thinning to use in an airbrush.

 

Hey Chaz,

 

As someone that uses Tamiya acrylics almost exclusively, they are excellent to airbrush with, some paints require little to no thinning, but I find a few drops goes a long way. I also employ a light to speed up drying time, although it drys so quickly anyway, I find that a light dusting (for weathering) drys almost instantly. I only use 

 

Vallejo also produce some excellent paints for airbrushing. 

[chaz]

Hey Chaz,

 

As someone that uses Tamiya acrylics almost exclusively, they are excellent to airbrush with, some paints require little to no thinning, but I find a few drops goes a long way. I also employ a light to speed up drying time, although it drys so quickly anyway, I find that a light dusting (for weathering) drys almost instantly. I only use 

 

Vallejo also produce some excellent paints for airbrushing. 

 

 

Thanks for that information. Although I haven't yet airbrushed acrylics I may well do so soon (I have a dozen On30 hopper cars to weather). Have you had any problems with the paint drying in the airbrush?

 

Chaz

[Jack P]

Thanks for that information. Although I haven't yet airbrushed acrylics I may well do so soon (I have a dozen On30 hopper cars to weather). Have you had any problems with the paint drying in the airbrush?

 

Chaz

 

I keep the lid on the cup, and i've not had any issues so far, the only issue i sometimes have after lots of spraying, or using too high pressure, is paint drying inside the nozzle on the end, usually a quick twirl with the end of a cotton bud dipped in thinners cleans everything up. 

 

I was terrified to airbrush with enamel, but I found that really, just being diligent in cleaning the airbrush and thinning the paint down enough is key (as you probably already know). I'm sure for someone with the skill level you have, acrylic paint should be a breeze!

 

Jack

[81A Oldoak]

I am moving over to acrylics for a lot of spraying jobs. I find there is far less risk of matt acrylic colours not mixing correctly and coming out with the sticky and shiny finish that can come from enamel colours. My only advice is not to use cellulose thinner to clean and flush out the airbrush after using acrylics. For some reason the cellulose reacted with the acrylic paint, which was from the Citadel range, and formed a rubbery compound that completely gummed up the airbrush. Despite all of my efforts and taking advice, I had to write-off the airbrush.   

 

Chris

[keefr2]

That will almost certainly happen if you try & clean any water based acrylics out of the brush with cellulose thinners, not just Citadels. For example Valejo, Lifecolor, Revell, Humbrol etc.. They should only be cleaned out with water, or for stubborn deposits something like Isopropyl alchohol or specific airbrush cleaners can be used, although if I use IPA I'll always finally flush the brush through with water.

 

The problem is in the terminology, as Tamiya and others such as Gunze Mr.Color (the non 'aqeous' type) are what are now termed 'laquer' based acrylics. These can be thinned/cleaned with cellulose, their own thinners or even some window cleaners/screenwash solutions (they're useful as they're cheap!). 

 

You can easily tell the difference between the two, as the laquer based acrylics have a very much stronger smell than water based ones which have little or no smell.

 

One other thing to watch for if you use cellulose thinners through some airbrushes is to check what the internal seals are made from. Both my Iwata's are no longer in use as they have rubber seals which have disintegrated through repeated use of cellulose thinner. I've replaced them with a Harder and Steenbeck Ultra and an Evolution, both of which have PTFE solvent resistant seals

 

Keith

[chaz]

First a word on cassettes...

 

There are eight cassettes (numbered 1 - 8!) which have vans or opens in them. The odd numbered ones have four wagons and the even numbered ones have three wagons and a brake van. Other cassettes have special wagons - the coal train (two cassettes), three tank wagons etc.

 

An example of a cassette move on a sequence card…

 

make up train on main staging track

loco + cassette #1 + cassette #2

(loco + 4 wagons + 3 wagons & brake van)

 

The cassettes to be used are specified so that the wagons chosen are varied from train to train and they all get to run.

 

The photo below shows the devices I made which couple the cassettes to Peco track. It was taken when the work was done on adding a board for cassette work.

 

 

The tracks are (from L to R)…

The main line

The yard headshunt - normally ended with a buffer beam fixed to the inside of the warehouse

The lower level track which supposedly goes to the industrial estate

And (out of sight behind the platform in this view) the warehouse siding

 

The next photo (taken at a show) shows the cassette board in use.

 

 

A loco cassette is hooked up to the transition device. Two bulldog clips conduct the DCC power to the cassette. A loco cassette and a wagon cassette are in place on the lower level ready to send an engine and wagons up to the yard from the industrial estate.

 

The next photo is a closer view.

 

 

The cassette for the three tank wagons (which always run together) is in place. Another wagon cassette (this one for the Weltrol and bogie-bolster) is on the lower level. Strictly speaking there is no need for the Bulldog clips to be fitted on wagon cassettes as they don’t require power.

 

Making up a train goes like this (best practice)…

 

1. The loco cassette is placed into the transition and the loco driven to the far end of the unballasted Peco track, but still hidden.
2. The odd numbered wagon cassette specified on the sequence card replaces the loco one and the wagons are pushed by hand up to the loco and coupled.
3. An even numbered wagon cassette (which includes the brake van) is put up and the wagons in it added to the train.
4. The operator checks that the train, which is now safely on Peco track, is all coupled and that all wheels are on the track (derailments do sometimes occur as stock comes out of the cassettes).

 

And all this activity happens out of sight behind…

 

 

More later.

 

Chaz

Edited March 21, 2018 by chaz

[sb67]

Great stuff Chaz.

Steve

[chaz]

Once an inbound train (arrival) has been made up the sequence will soon call for it to run.

 

 

In the photo above 68891, one of the original batch of GNR J23 locos which the LNER reclassified as J50/1, brings a trip freight into the yard. The second van in the train is a GWR fruit C. As it is rather longer than a nine or ten foot wheelbase vehicle it counts as two when shunting and also in a cassette. The crossover just in front of the loco will presently allow the yard pilot to come from the headshunt to collect the train.

 

 

When it’s not busy the yard pilot often sits on the headshunt. The two next photos show another J50, this one an LNER built J50/3 waiting for its next task.

 

 

 

Meanwhile the incoming train will have come to a stand on on the reception road with the brake van clear of the crossover.

 

 

I don’t think anyone is going to object if I post a photo of the J6 waiting on the headshunt. 

 

 

Hornsey shed must have rostered it as Dock Green yard pilot. Its extra length compared with a tank loco might be a bit of an embarrassment when shunting. The operators might have to make allowances!

 

Chaz

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by chaz

[chaz]

A quick look back before I continue the description of operating moves… 

 

 

This is a photo taken at the NEC during the 2013 Warley exhibition, showing a behind the scenes view. It shows how the cassettes were originally set up. 

 

 

You can see a loco cassette and, on the right, one of the two wagon cassettes which are in place for a train to run into the yard. This arrangement was not ideal - the biggest drawback being that any derailment as stock left the cassettes happened in full public view. This happened too often to be tolerated and prompted me to make the cassette baseboard and lay about six feet of Peco track to join it to the layout. Any problems should be detected and can be dealt with discretely out of sight.

 

Dave, one of my operating team at the time, is about to turn over a card to read the next move in the sequence.

 

Chaz

[chaz]

Searching through the archives  I came across this snap which highlights another advantage to the cassette board.

 

 

A train headed by Brush type 2 diesel D5612 has just left the yard. Clive, who can be seen operating, was able to accelerate the train away and not bring it to a stand until the brake van had disappeared from view. The loco cassette is already in place in case of an overrun and the green indicator LED is lit, showing that the cassette is powered. The procedure will be for the second operator to uncouple the loco, which is easier to do outside the cassette, and then run it in. After removing that cassette to a table behind the layout the wagon cassette assigned to the Weltrol and Tube will be put up and those wagons disposed of. Finally the remaining wagons and brake van will be rolled into their cassette. A look at the sequence cards to see what cassettes will make up the next incoming train will be timely and a choice of locomotive can be made. This is left to the operator - we all have our favourites!

 

Chaz

Edited March 25, 2018 by chaz

[chaz]

OK, back to operating, and particularly arrivals.

 

The next picture shows another trip freight that has just arrived. You can see the blades of the crossover point and that LNER brake is clear. Of course this is just another example of awful liberties taken with clearances. In a real yard no settings would be so tight that the driver at the far end of the train would have to worry about clearances, the siding would be much longer.

 

 

Actually that's just an excuse to feature the van - the first brass wagon kit I built - just after the J50/3. I'm told I did them in the wrong order, but then I have always been contrary!

 

While the trip was arriving the yard pilot was probably waiting on the headshunt.

 

 

In this case a Drewery shunter of the type later to be given the TOPS code 04. 11135 was later painted green and became D2229. I rather liked these small diesels in black with the five-figure numbers. It was allocated to 30A Stratford for a time, so it's not inconceivable that Hornsey might have borrowed it to shunt in Dock Green yard.

 

The pilot would run on to the reception line and be coupled to the train. 

 

 

In the picture above the J52, on of the last surviving saddle tanks at Hornsey shed, has coupled up and is ready to pull the train back onto the headshunt. This will release the train engine which is otherwise trapped at the far end of the reception line.

 

 

When the pilot draws the train back on to the headshunt it disappears with most of the train under the road bridge and only the tail end is visible.

 

To be continued....

 

Chaz

Edited March 25, 2018 by chaz

[sb67]

Really enjoying the operating info, and it's giving me an insight on layout planning as well, I'm guessing that is the most important bit being the length of the reception siding, seems a bit obvious now but that would be the longest train that could be run on Dock Green? 

Steve.

[chaz]

Really enjoying the operating info, and it's giving me an insight on layout planning as well, I'm guessing that is the most important bit being the length of the reception siding, seems a bit obvious now but that would be the longest train that could be run on Dock Green? 

Steve.

 

 

Yes Steve, most incoming trains comprise 7 wagons (nine or ten foot wheelbase) or equivalent. This length allows the choice of any locomotive - the whole train fitting nicely on the reception road. A train this length with the yard pilot will also fit on the headshunt.

 

 

I did have to limit the coal train to six mineral wagons. I had originally intended to make this seven but had to reduce it when we discovered that seven and an industrial loco' would not fit on the transfer siding.

 

 

The loaded wagons have just been shunted across the yard by the yard pilot.

 

 

The industrial loco ("Christine" in the photo above) must clear the blades of the point so that it can run down the grade to the estate where there is a coal yard    

 

 

Clearances are even tighter when the empties are brought back up - the industrial loco is trapped against the stop and the last wagon must have cleared the last point blades so that they can be set for the yard pilot, which will collect the wagons.

 

Chaz

[chaz]

Continuing the operating tale...

 

Once the yard pilot has shunted a train, separating the wagons for the goods platform tracks from the ones for the estate (these placed on the transfer track) it will pull the brake van back to the headshunt.

 

 

Usually the brake will be put on the reception road where the next departure will be made up. However to provide some variety for both onlookers and operators there is one point in the sequence where a second arrival is due before a departure. To allow this to happen the train due to depart is shunted across to the transfer siding (to get it out of the way).

 

 

The photo below shows a busy moment some moves into such an overlap.

 

 

The J50 on the right has shunted the wagons of the second arrival into the goods platform lines and now stands with the brake van on Goods No. 1. The N7 is the train engine for the departure and is the process of moving the train to the reception road (just visible on the extreme right) so that it can then depart. You might wonder where the second arrival’s train loco is - in fact once released by the shunting of its train by the yard pilot it has departed as a light engine.

 

 

Just a reminder - when I planned the  sequence I used the “virtual” layout seen above - just a track plan with strips of coloured card to represent the locos and various numbers of wagons. The rolling stock can be moved around on the track plan much quicker than on the actual layout (not available anyway at home) and potential problems spotted early. I recommend that anybody planning a sequence adopt this approach.

 

The virtual layout has been stored, along with the card strips, and has been used again when I decided to change the sequence for the sake of the inclusion of more varied moves.

 

Chaz

Edited March 27, 2018 by chaz

[chaz]

Another of those busy moments.

 

 

In the background you can see the brake van of an arriving trip freight which that filthy J50 will soon shunt. In the foreground D5330, a BRCW Type 2, is propelling its train to the transfer siding to get it clear of the connections to Goods No. 1 & 2 to allow the shunt access.

 

D5330 was "borrowed" for a couple of months by Doncaster and sent south to ease a loco crisis for the suburban services out of Kings Cross. This was possible because Doncaster was doing the acceptance trials and the Scottish region, for which these locos were destined would just have to wait a bit. Both the Baby Deltics and the North British Type 2s were proving thoroughly unreliable, to the extent that they were often used for empty stock and goods workings - they couldn't be trusted with passenger trains. 

 

Chaz

[chaz]

When I planned Dock Green I accepted the limitation of four boards, each 4 feet by 2 feet. The challenge was to get as much operating potential into the space as I could. A passing passenger service at the back was an early casualty and from then on a small urban goods yard was the theme. The stock inherited from my dismantled home layout fixed the location for me as North London, just off the ECML - probably near Hornsey and the big yard at Ferme Park.

 

 

Early designs had a simple kick back siding planned for where the estate line is. This would have offered little to the operating scope, indeed it was initially envisaged as a loco spur. My light-bulb moment was to imagine an industrial estate off-stage with the yard becoming dual purpose - the covered goods platform would serve the locality like a town goods yard with the transfer siding becoming a junction for the estate. All traffic to and from the complex of Dock Green Industrial Estates Ltd uses the transfer siding. 

 

 

As the layout developed I realised that there was an unexpected bonus to the plan - the fiction of an industrial estate offstage would allow us to run some of the more unusual wagons in my collection that would require specialist facilities to load or unload and would not be dealt with at the covered goods platform.

 

Coal wagons would need a coal yard - and this is imagined to be on the estate.

This picture shows the loaded coal wagons positioned on the transfer siding ready for one of the estates locos to take them down the grade.

 

 

Another load dealt with on the estate is heavy oil, moved in three black tanker wagons. The next picture shows the Peckett 0-4-0ST “Susan” arriving in the yard having hauled the empty tank wagons up the grade. It will use the loop visible on the left to run round the tankers before propelling them onto the transfer siding.

 

 

There must be a heavy engineering works on the estate. Here a Weltrol loaded with a large tank or pressure vessel destined for final finishing and a Bogie Bolster loaded with steel angle wait to be collected by the estate loco. I couldn’t think of an easy way to make these loads removable without compromising the fixing and hence the realism. A friend’s suggestion, that I should make a second pair to run unloaded was met with an Anglo-Saxon reply.

 

 

Another pair of wagons regularly worked to and from the estate are seen being hauled up the grade by “Susan”. The Lowmac is loaded with a large and obviously very new crate from Arrow Engineering Ltd, precision engineers.  We are left to speculate what is inside the crate. The long tube wagon is empty. I had always intended to make a load for it and might still do so - DHYB.

 

 

The gradient was included as a scenic feature. I intended it to make that area of the layout more interesting to look at but it makes no difference to the operating providing we don’t overdo the application of graphite to the rails.    

 

As well as the “special” wagons the sequence does also include movements of ordinary goods wagons to and from the estate.

 

 

In the photo above the estate’s Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST “Christine” takes four 12 ton vans down the grade. Ordinary wagons always go to and from the estate in fours - it makes the cassette work straightforward and, of course, a brake van is never included.

In the background a brand new Sulzer Type 2 D5052 ticks over, waiting for its next job. The disfiguring yellow panels applied to the front of diesels are still a year or two away. I like my diesels green!

 

....................................................................................................................

 

This post pretty well concludes this short series on operating but if you any questions I will do my best to answer them with some appropriate photos.

 

Chaz

 

I don't know why this photo appears again at the bottom of this post and the editor doesn't seem to see it. 

Edited March 28, 2018 by chaz