Grantham - the Streamliner years

[LNER4479]

THE GRANTHAM CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2014

 

Becoming something of a tradition this. For this seasonal break, it was going to be the completion of the Nottingham Fiddle Yard. And in fact it still can be but having made a good start over the last month I'm already well on with the job so I feel a bit of a fraud. But we can still make something of a challenge out of it so here it is:

                          to drive a (southbound) train over the flyover and into the Nottingham fiddle yard

 

Here's where we up to at the moment. Board 5 has been corked and left to dry over night.

 

Beyond, Board 6 is where the grade separation starts and the inner (up) line heads for the flyover.

 

A few hours later and the head of steel is already advancing, making the critical passage past the turntable.

 

The rear of the 42 vehicle coal train tries it for size!

 

From this point forward, I'm going to switch to the actual flyover part and build back to the current rail head. The overall configuration is mapped out here. From bottom right, the existing trackbed on what I call the 'Link' board can be seen, so there is a baseboard joint here. That's OK, as there's just enough room on the adjacent board for a short piece of elevated trackboard before the first of the bridges springs from there (over the top of the V3 (I think!?) tank) to the central piece of elevated board (which still needs the B17 for now to prop it up!). The positioning of this has been fine-tuned to accommodate the thoughts of south-end fiddle yard supremo (Mr Wealleans) during his visit on Sunday and it will avoid the pointwork around here as best it can. Finally, there is a second bridge which links it to Nottingham Fiddle Yard Board 6 - this bridge will have to be removable as it spans a baseboard joint and links on to a board that folds out.

 

Plenty still to do therefore!

Edited December 24, 2014 by LNER4479

[manna]

G'day Gents

 

You've set yourself a wonderful target for Christmas, I suppose I'll just have to put up with the Wine, Women and Song and to much Christmas pud.

 

And to everybody else that like the LNER and railways in general, Merry Christmas, and may your railtops stay shiny.

 

manna

[JCL]

Merry Christmas Graeme, Graham and The Gulliver's Grantham gang.

[Barry O]

Nice ski ramp for the streamlined battle space turbo car there!

[LNER4479]

THE GRANTHAM CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2014

 

So, continuing with the Nottingham Fiddle Yard challenge and starting to look at the flyover in particular:

 

Here, I'm making the support pieces for the elevated pieces of board. Might not seem like much, but just to mention that here I've cut along the grain of the wood so that the pieces so cut can be used such that the fixing screws screw down (and up!) in the direction shown by the arrows. This will be a much stronger fixing than screwing down into the end.

 

Like so. These are the supports for the little piece of approach board that the first bridge will spring from (as referred to in the earlier post).

 

And now with the little top board attached (looking strangely a bit like a Stonehenge...?!) As you might detect, there's been a little faux pas here, in that the gradient of the approach ramp does not rise up enough, it's about 7mm too short  - well it was made three years ago to be fair! Some packing will be required when it comes to tracklaying.

 

And here's the basis of the bridge, a piece of 3mm MDF. This will rest directly on top of the boards either side and the track laid directly on top (of the 3mm MDF). With 3mm cork used either side then that should all line up satisfactorily. As can be seen, clearances are a bit...ahem...tight!

 

The wood is reinforced with 9mm ply sides attached to the top. They might seem a little excessive but myself and Jonathan thought that stock on this higher line could be a little vulnerable to being knocked (by an over-worked south end fiddle yard operator!) so hence the tall sides.

 

 

Here, the supports for the intermediate raised board have been fitted (at last the B17 can take a rest!)

 

And here we have the work so far all permanently fixed up.

 

Next time, the remaining (lift out) bridge and we're ready for tracklaying...

Edited December 26, 2014 by LNER4479

[Barry O]

Great work!

 

Just a thought. Have you tried your 12 wheel diner through the bridge as its probably longer and has more overhang than the Pullmans?

Baz

[gr.king]

Note to self: All own stock to have dead slow gauging run under bridge prior to full blooded operation.

[Flying Fox 34F]

I hope the Flyover is fixed down well! We don't want any accidental demolitions by the south yard operator.

Paul 4475

[ianb3174]

Utterly fantastic. I'm from the other end of the modelling spectrum, small layouts and handbuilt track but what you've created here is awesome. The best use of Peco ever. Very impressed

[LNER4479]

Just a thought. Have you tried your 12 wheel diner through the bridge as its probably longer and has more overhang than the Pullmans?

Baz

No I haven't (didn't think of it) but the Pullman is a 12-wheeler and more or less as long as anything that's likely to run on the layout. I've been pretty generous with the lateral clearances actually and nothing comes anywhere really close; it's the vertical clearances that will be the issue!

 

Note to self: All own stock to have dead slow gauging run under bridge prior to full blooded operation.

A wise move - may well do it with my own stuff! If we have any 'issues' then it would not be impossible to jack up either bridge with 1mm card packing pieces just to give a little bit more room for manoeuvre. Let's see how the haulage trials go up the slope...

 

Utterly fantastic. I'm from the other end of the modelling spectrum, small layouts and handbuilt track but what you've created here is awesome. The best use of Peco ever. Very impressed

Well thank you most kindly and thanks for looking in. Might as well crack on with...

 

THE GRANTHAM CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2014

 

Now concentrating on the second, removable bridge:

 

 

A large enough piece of 3mm MDF is offered up so that the 'job' can be weighed up...

 

As a result of this, decided to add some intermediate support pieces as this bridge is longer, on a curve and actually has a change of gradient in the middle of it(!)

 

This should give a reasonable idea of the arrangement as it has emerged. A very important aspect was to give the fiddle yard operator easy access to change the two 'king' points that the B17 is stood on - I think that has reasonably been achieved.

 

Now with strengthening sides added. No need for them to be so high for this bridge as it is away from the prime reaching over zone. Note also the addition support piece (arrowed); this should be sufficient to support this end of the bridge (this is where the gradient has changed).

 

I've added a location dowel at this end of the bridge for a little bit of 'knock' resistance. It locates in a hole on the supporting piece (marked).

 

And so, with the final pieces of cork weighted down whilst they stick, we're all set for a further dose of tracklaying.

 

Hope to report back within 24 hours...

[JCL]

Well, it's plane we'll have to weight for you to get back to us. (Sorry).

 

It's looking like it'll be great 'Robert', I can't wait to see it in use - I hope all your clearances come through.

 

cheers

 

Jason

[gr.king]

"this bridge is longer, on a curve and actually has a change of gradient in the middle of it(!)"

 

Such things never seemed to bother the Swiss. Full steam ahead.

 

If that change of gradient is on the curve, do you have a loco with rigid chassis, fine flanges and long coupled wheelbase to allow you to check that locos won't be "rocking" too much as they try to follow the curve? Obviously you've got a bit more likelihood of a sufficiently level rail top with the more rigid code 100 rail as opposed to finer profiles that readily form humps, but it might be good to double check.

Edited December 28, 2014 by gr.king

[LNER4479]

THE GRANTHAM CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2014

 

At last, tracklaying time!

 

Starting at the bottom of the incline, here the tracks are making their way up the hill. This is the continuation of the up relief line (so it sort of really is climbing Stoke Bank!). Adjacent is the existing up main which has made its way up a slight incline along with the up relief as it 'exits stage right' (to give the latter a fighting chance) but thence returns back down to base level as its part of the grade separation. Linking the two is the up relief to up main crossover (so that a departing southbound goods train can make it back to the main fiddle yard).

 

Now we've reached the first (fixed) bridge. This shows the different mix of trackbeds as the line makes its way on to the flyover. From foam underlay (bottom of the picture, where the twist drill is), to a short length of cork and then on to the 3mm MDF. Beyond there I've placed a length of 1mm card which allows the gradient to 'top out' a little more gently as there was a danger of having too sharp a gradient change otherwise.

 

And so on to the central part of the flyover.

 

Meanwhile, the tracklaying is progressing from the fiddle yard end.

 

Which just leaves the lift-out bridge to complete the connection.

 

Success! Here the 40 wagon coal train straddles the newly-laid flyover. The front section of the train is heading downhill, the central section is level and the rear third is on the uphill part. In case you can't make it out, the guard's van at the end of the train is marked.

 

 

But, of course, I could have just positioned it there for the photo! So, in case you don't believe me (and there was a little bit of wiring up to do anyway), here - with the help of my glamorous assistant - the first train can be seen making its way into the yard from the south. To achieve this, the load was reduced to 32 wagons plus brake, but it still looks satisfyingly long. I look forward to further haulage trials as I suspect we might have some more gutsy locos than this one

http://youtu.be/HuwSiH-UGkw

 

'Robert'

[gr.king]

That certainly seems to work! Was the loco slipping on its way up the bank or was the motor labouring under load? There was noticeable acceleration once over the summit. We may have to actually drive the trains according to the gradient rather than sitting back lazily and expecting the motors to maintain steady speed irrespective of load.

[Barry O]

Wot! No 66?

 

The glamorous assistant drove that very well despite the sled dragging along at the back!

Baz

[manna]

G'day Gents

 

Good looking flyover, but...........................where's the Wath banker !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

manna

[Flying Fox 34F]

Wath Banker, not authorised in the sectional appendix!!

Next it will be motorised coal wagons to assist the loco over the hump!

I'll get back in my box

Paul 4475

[gr.king]

4-8-2 photos?

[Nelson Jackson]

Superb work on the flyover, reminds me very much of the bleach green viaducts, and their purpose in life.

[richard i]

4-8-2 photos?

yes please

[Flying Fox 34F]

4-8-2, still in its box. No work due to other duties, i.e. family entertainment officer, plus bottle washer, now the wife has strained her back. Only model railway activity is on here and the other forum.

Hopefully normal service will resume once the school holidays are over. I get more time to myself then.

Paul 4475

[LNER4479]

That certainly seems to work! Was the loco slipping on its way up the bank or was the motor labouring under load? There was noticeable acceleration once over the summit.

Well spotted that man. Yes there was slight slipping but nothing too untoward, most of the decelaration was due to the drag on the incline. I'm not TOO concerned about slow down and speed up as, once the brake van goes under the Great North Road bridge, then it's 'off scene' so fiddle yard rules apply. I'm more pleased that a train of that length makes it up and over all the various grade changes and corners without apparent difficulty so hopefully a little care in its construction has paid off.

 

Thanks to all for kind comments.

[gr.king]

It might be an idea to arrange stock so that whitemetal wagons don't go via that route, unless we restrict those workings to whitemetal locos with extra ballast and macho motors....

 

Try that Wright-works C12 up the incline on a full load. No doubt it will be sickeningly effective. That bank could prove an interesting testing ground. Six wheel drive Atlantic springs to mind for instance.

[LNER4479]

Well, after all the excitement of seeing the first train running up-and-over into the Nottingham fiddle yard, we took off for a few days over the New Year...

 

...not so much seeking, as topping up on inspiration for the forthcoming 'project of a lifetime'. Carlisle (like I needed to tell you that!)

 

Took a wander over the St Nicholas bridges to the south of the station from which one can view the (still) interesting arrangement of running lines hereabouts. Of course, there are plenty of more useful period pictures to work from...but there's nothing like actually being there to get the 'feel' for a location.

 

Finally to conclude these inane mutterings, here's a little 'guess the location' quiz. And an extra bonus point if you can name the signalbox, which carries a different name to the station. (although thinking about it, that's more of a clue than making it more difficult... )

 

 

Have no fear - all this topping up of inspiration merely serves to steel the resolve to get Grantham 'finished' as quickly as possible. To which end, tracklaying in the Nottingham fiddle yard has continued this evening (you didn't really think it was completely finished did you?)

 

[Barry O]

Aargh..duchesses and Lizzie's and black Fives and Scots and pats and Jubs...better have a lie down in a darkened room!

 

Hope the remaining track laying goes smoothly!

Baz