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Grantham - the Streamliner years


LNER4479
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24 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Well, a solid day's running, layout generally behaving itself. Hope those who watched on the link enjoyed what you saw. We'll aim to have the link up and running again tomorrow 1100 to 1500 ish.

Indeed I very much enjoyed watching the layout.  Sadly the limitations of the video prevented us from seeing the layout in its full glory but just being able to socialise around a model railway at last was pleasure enough.  Thank to you all,  Frank

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I think this is before we started running, so what I was probably doing was either looking for the new J6 to give it an extended run or trying to work out which signals to set to allow it to complete a circuit.   I don't remember you taking the picture so I imagine I was talking to Red Leader and taking instruction.

 

I see one of the New Zealand viewers (Mr. Leary) had already joined by then.

Edited by jwealleans
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1 hour ago, jwealleans said:

Nice to have Steve Pearce (31A) with us both days and I hope we haven't put him off for life.

 

Thank you for having me, guys - I think I'll have recovered in time for Leeds!

 

Joking apart, a very enjoyable weekend; good to challenge the grey matter sometimes!

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15 hours ago, jwealleans said:

Some of my pictures from the weekend.   It was quite an understated affair, not many of the regular crew were able to make it.  Nice to have Steve Pearce (31A) with us both days and I hope we haven't put him off for life.

 

I mainly photographed newer locos and cameos round the engine shed, which is generally right in front of us as we take tea or have lunch and so lends itself to spotting what might be good pictures.

 

Both the J6s I seem to have been building for ages made their first appearance.  This is 3523 on a down mineral, getting an extended run on Sunday morning.

 

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In the running sequence, whatever it had been doing brought it on shed as it later turned up on a passenger working.

 

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The other one, 3554, also ended up on shed, here in company with 4493 Woodcock and C1 4401.

 

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Later in the day and the running order all 3 had moved on, to be replaced by two generations of East Coast workhorses, C7 706 and P2 2005.

 

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Round the back of the old shed, Mr. Nicholas has always professed to be a big fan of 6229 in unstreamlined form.

 

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While at the front of the new shed the pioneer A1 made an appearance after being relieved on a Leeds express.

 

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Your intrepid photographer was not going to miss an interesting wagon in the yard.  LNWR glass wagon from a Mousa Models resin kit.

 

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While at the far side of the running lines, it looks as though an LMS cripple was having to be unloaded.

 

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Later on in the day there was some deviation from the booked motive power on some services...

 

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... which I'm afraid Barry took as an excuse to be very silly indeed.

 

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For those who can't believe their eyes:

 

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I have to say it had an impressive turn of speed - at one point it was peeling it's own stickers off through sheer velocity.   Other than one short length of platform, it turned out to be in gauge as well.

 

This was probably more plausible, though pretty far fetched in its own right.

 

 

Now onwards to Leeds.

 

 

 

Ere!  I only brought it along.. I didn't put the red with yellow propeller on the track and I didn't drive it...:jester:

 

 

Baz..

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2 minutes ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

 

My mum always said I was a right one. 

My mum said - and continues to say - something similar. So that would make us a right pair.

 

Hmm ... perhaps we should get back to the modelling?

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2 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Now then, away from the fun and the frolics, there has been some hard work going on. Well, sort of ...

 

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What on earth is going on here, I hear you cry? Anyone ...

Well, whatever, the crazy fool is only attacking one of his viaduct parapets with a girt big 7mm drill. Has he finally 'lost' it?

There is a clue in the form of some spindly brass thingies to the top right of the drill...

 

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Aha! (possibly). The parapet now sports these rather odd appendages. The balance weight is the giveaway - there's some signalling installation going on.

 

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But such things could never just sit there looking pretty, that would never do. Here are the motors being prepared, using a Heath Robinson arrangement (I would never dignify it by use of the word 'design') that has worked (after a fashion) on the two shunt signals to the south of the station.

 

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They work on an 'over-throw' arrangement, the rather violent flick of the Peco motors being put to good use to create a longer travel than otherwise available, with the slender-looking spring arrangement holding them in position (on a good day).

 

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And now in position, under the board. The rotating drive rods from the signal heads come through the soldered-up brass tubes then bent 90 degrees to give some back and forth travel for the motors to work with, in conjunction with a brass pin soldered to the bent over drive rod. I had done some pre-wiring, but Andrew's first job on arrival Saturday morning was to link it all up to one of his motor drive units that can cope with a continuous supply from the associated relay panel even though it's only a pulse that is actually required (the detailed electronix is 'lost' on me after that point).

 

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Ladies and gents - I give you North Box lever No.24, a well-used lever in the sequence as there are many back and forth shunting moves that set back inside these signals (hence worth the effort to install), the down Nottingham effectively being the north end station shunting spur.

 

If you think that the mounting of signals like this seems a little preposterous then nay, not so ... although we do run in to a slight historical anomaly here. Due to the fact that the layout sports the post-1942 track layout for the Nottingham services, the equivalent signals were not configured so pre-war; however, POST-war, there were indeed two shunt signals side-by-side on the parapet. So I feel that it is typical enough of the location and the steam-age era in general.

 

If I feel so moved, then I might even get round to putting signal numbers on them ... which will have to be '24A' and '24B' as, on the model, they're operated by the same lever, using the logic from trailing crossover No.28 to determine which one actually fires. Reversing lever 24 also locks crossover 28 accordingly.

 

If you bring your opera glasses with you, see them in action at the Leeds show! 

 


Red Leader,

 

Nice to see these Dollies added.  Have had the pleasure of inspecting the real bridge for 18 years, I can confirm there are a couple of the Signal Wire roller brackets in position at the base of the parapet.

 

Paul

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13 minutes ago, Flying Fox 34F said:

Nice to see these Dollies added.  Have had the pleasure of inspecting the real bridge for 18 years, I can confirm there are a couple of the Signal Wire roller brackets in position at the base of the parapet.

 

Paul

Thanks Paul - good to know.

 

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A little indistinct but can be seen in the background of this (cropped) pic

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26 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Thanks Paul - good to know.

 

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A little indistinct but can be seen in the background of this (cropped) pic

and, given that we all love looking at pictures of Grantham(!), you can also see them on various pictures from a pleasant scroll down this page from John and co's excellent site (best one is approx half way down, in the background of a DMU arriving in the East Bay)

http://www.tracksthroughgrantham.uk/railway-life-at-grantham/signal-boxes-and-signalling/grantham-north-signal-box/grantham-north-signal-box-an-introduction/

 

Of note are the pre-war photos; equivalent signals assumed to be in the melee of arms associated with the home post of the Up Nottingham road - but note the lack of the facing crossover which IS included on the layout.

 

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5 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

For a moment there I thought you were installing OHLE.

Grand idea, some Mk3 OLE would look wonderful with class 90s.

                                          :punish:

Edited by Clive Mortimore
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