Grantham - the Streamliner years

[Ollie K]

1 hour ago, jwealleans said:

Oliver, I hope you don't mind my reposting some of your pictures as I've been rereading the last few pages with a clearer head and there are some nice details visible. 

 

Not in the slightest - great to have a behind-the-scenes explainer and details I'd not spotted pointed out.

 

For the readers' benefit, these photos are just a standard iPhone job shot from behind the spectator barrier, with as little zoom as possible.

 

Previously I've been guilty of enjoying exhibitions 'through a lens' too much, arriving home with lots of photos and shaky video but not having just enjoyed watching a railway operating. Happily there was time last week to watch the whole Grantham sequence almost twice, once for a few keepsake photos, and again to just enjoy the sights. 

 

Any videos would've been soundtracked with squeals of delight from younger onlookers spotting the new horse...

[Bazza]

Thanks Jonathan for those insights. I spent most of the weekend inside Grantham and did not realise that those outside were sometimes seeing something different!

Glad you're feeling better.

Bazza

[LNER4479]

So - to the scenic improvements.

 

You didn't spot them then?

 

Let me help you ... still not spotted them?

 

Does this help?(!)

 

Yep - we now have a run of telegraph poles! 'Proper' photographers will be so pleased; as well as lattice post signals, there's now tops of telegraph poles to photoshop around.

 

Some of these poles was quite tall! And had lots of arms. Well, that's where the typical Grantham compromise kicks in. Paul had already seriously overdone the number of telegraph poles required for Shap so we went for cheap n cheerful and depleted the stock of spares to hopefully still provide some sort of effect. Otherwise, just the b0g standard Ratio product.

 

A simple jig to solder up the bases ...

 

And here's the tallest one in position, over double the height of the standard Ratio product. For reasons that are unclear to me, the GNR chose to string the run so that it passed right over the top of the warehouse. Could it not have run in front of it? You'd have really needed a head for heights to attend to those insulators! Any telegraph pole experts out there able to provide an explanation?

 

Having one either side of the warehouse rather set the spacings for them - 22" or two per board. So not TOO bad in terms of the total number required. You can overdo these things. Beyond the warehouse, they gradually decrease in height (by the same amount each time).

 

And viewed the other way. Just these five done at this stage. Obviously, the one in the middle of the yard is a bit vulnerable(!) but they all survived Leeds unscathed.

 

Here's virtually the whole run, awaiting painting of their bottom halves.

 

And now being molly-coddled in their own carry case - yet another removable set of items (you didn't think they stayed on the layout, did you?)

 

As already explained, I was thwarted in our intent to photograph such things properly Sunday morning so these are just crops of pics you've already seen. This one shows a little of the run just north of the station. You might have noted above a 'funny' one and it can be seen here, strategically positioned right alongside North Box. Here there were additional arms at 90 degrees and a corresponding pole by the box. Afterall, telegraph wires were largely(?) for box-to-box communication, as I understand it.

 

Shows up as well on this crop of one of Ollie's shots. If you look closely, you can see the run continuing round the curve to Peascliffe tunnel; the last two poles are permanently affixed as they're not too tall and reasonably well protected during transportation.

 

Of course(?) the real place also had a completely separate run coming in off the Nottingham line. And that was strung right through the middle of the loco depot, not apparently coming together until past South Box! I think we'll live with just the one to give the effect.

 

Next time - curious goings on at the depot.

 

Edited October 27, 2021 by LNER4479

[jwealleans]

For the privileged few there were advance tours of the new scenic features available at Leeds.

 

 

Maybe we should offer this as a premium package at future shows?

 

 

 

[St Enodoc]

21 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

For the privileged few there were advance tours of the new scenic features available at Leeds.

 

 

Maybe we should offer this as a premium package at future shows?

 

 

 

Looks like @Nicktoix examining the bookshelves. Surely he's got enough already?

[jwealleans]

Nah, that's Andrew and I think he's only walking past.

[alexl102]

On 25/10/2021 at 16:49, jwealleans said:

The pair of Howldens parked next to the Quint set - was it you asking about those? - are both D189 Luggage Composites, one by D& S, the other Mousa Models (Bill Bedford).  

 

No 4 wheelers to my knowledge but plenty of 6 wheelers.   The ones in view in the 1938 train are a mixture of scratchbuilt and built using Mike Trice 3D printed sides.   Others I know of are mainly D & S.  Mousa (Bill) has done some in resin but I don't believe we use any at shows.   There's a D303 6 wheel van of his runs on a couple of the express sets, but he no longer supplies the kit.

It was me, and this is so helpful, thank you!

[chris p bacon]

11 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

 

 

And here's the tallest one in position, over double the height of the standard Ratio product. For reasons that are unclear to me, the GNR chose to string the run so that it passed right over the top of the warehouse. Could it not have run in front of it? You'd have really needed a head for heights to attend to those insulators! Any telegraph pole experts out there able to provide an explanation?

 

 

No idea why the GN opted for that, I can only presume they recruited from travelling circus and tried to get as much as possible for their money....

[franciswilliamwebb]

11 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Any telegraph pole experts out there able to provide an explanation?

 

A total non-expert guess, but to clear loads swinging from the various hoists?

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

4 hours ago, jwealleans said:

Maybe we should offer this as a premium package at future shows?

 

Gawd, don't start down that route... before you know it there will be VIP only corporate sponsored marquees in front of the interesting bits where nobs can sup champagne and scoff canapes while the rest of us are herded into rickety enclosures at the far ends of the layout. 

 

Just like airshows these days...

[drmditch]

33 minutes ago, chris p bacon said:

 

No idea why the GN opted for that, I can only presume they recruited from travelling circus and tried to get as much as possible for their money....

 

Or proper 'sailing ship' sailors who didn't like being made redundant by steam?

 

 

[lmsforever]

2 hours ago, chris p bacon said:

 

No idea why the GN opted for that, I can only presume they recruited from travelling circus and tried to get as much as possible for their money....

Seeing the telegraph poles on the layout and the above picture  brings back memories of my time working for GPO telephones in the 1960,s.Going up a really tall pole was a bit unnerving at first but you got used to it the tallest I went up was forty feet unbolting an arm meant leaning back quite a way  the view was good and made up for the long cliimb .

[drmditch]

Re: Working at height (again)

Does anyone know what it was like replacing the signal lamps on Durham (North Road) Viaduct?

 

Might have been worse over an up train - working against the gradient!

[The Stationmaster]

52 minutes ago, drmditch said:

Re: Working at height (again)

Does anyone know what it was like replacing the signal lamps on Durham (North Road) Viaduct?

 

Might have been worse over an up train - working against the gradient!

It was bad enough doing it in the wind and rain on a gantry that had its legs very firmly planted on terra firma.  That one would have been horrendous especially if you looked down.  But no doubt plenty of other willing Lampies could be found in the dole queue back in those days so h whoever had that job didn't have much choice.

[jwealleans]

5 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

...the rest of us are herded into rickety enclosures at the far ends of the layout. 

 

Some of us spend whole weekends there....

[Clive Mortimore]

6 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

 

Gawd, don't start down that route... before you know it there will be VIP only corporate sponsored marquees in front of the interesting bits where nobs can sup champagne and scoff canapes while the rest of us are herded into rickety enclosures at the far ends of the layout. 

 

Just like airshows these days...

My goodness dear Doc, it is as it should be. One cannot have the riff-raff mixing with well mannered educated people of the better classes.

[figworthy]

19 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

 

 

 

That is rather impressive.  How long are they prototypically ?  It must have been a bit of a challenge getting long enough lengths of timber, or was there some form of join part way up ?

 

Adrian

[LNER4479]

I await the arrival of a telegraph pole expert as I am equally interested to know the answers to your questions, especially the second one!

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Used to work for Southend-on-Sea Council, street lighting section, had great fun fixing the very tall street lights along the sea front on a filthy squally day.

 

manna

[LNER4479]

34 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

I await the arrival of a telegraph pole expert as I am equally interested to know the answers to your questions, especially the second one!

On the other hand ...

 

 

[Tony Wright]

On 25/10/2021 at 21:00, jwealleans said:

Thank you, Tony.   I'm afraid I didn't manage the shot of the K3 I promised.  That was due to be my job on Sunday morning.

 

I can offer this one posed on my layout before coal and weathering.   The one beyond it is an SEF kit, unknown builder but painted by Larry Goddard.

 

 

One of us will have to do the action shot at Doncaster.

 

 

Thanks Jonathan,

 

You've finished it beautifully.

 

The things which stand out for me the most are the correct-sized driving wheels. 

 

I'm at the Doncaster Show in my role as demonstrator/loco doctor. If I may, I'll take its picture on Grantham at the show.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[TheSignalEngineer]

4 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

It was bad enough doing it in the wind and rain on a gantry that had its legs very firmly planted on terra firma.  That one would have been horrendous especially if you looked down.  But no doubt plenty of other willing Lampies could be found in the dole queue back in those days so h whoever had that job didn't have much choice.

Going up this one at Oxley was not too clever  especially if like me when l had to test the wiring on the arm repeating during the commissioning of the new signal box. It would have been better if I had not gone there straight from an all night party. 

 

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, drmditch said:

 

Or proper 'sailing ship' sailors who didn't like being made redundant by steam?

 

 

Interesting comment - my first thought on seeing that photo was "HMS Ganges".

[61070]

On 28/10/2021 at 20:32, LNER4479 said:

I await the arrival of a telegraph pole expert as I am equally interested to know the answers to your questions, especially the second one!

This may be all you need (and more): https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=1150266 .  It seems that a 'highly desirable' in setting out a pole route across an area where there were buildings, sidings etc. was to minimise deviation from straight lines both vertically and horizontally, thus avoiding the need for inclined stay wires from near the tops of the poles to ground level which would be inconvenient/hazardous in such places.  At Grantham, perhaps avoiding the passenger station buildings (by going behind them) dictated that the alignment passed above the roof of the grain warehouse (as it couldn't be taken around the building without resorting to pole stays)? 

Edited October 31, 2021 by 61070

[TheSignalEngineer]

12 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

I await the arrival of a telegraph pole expert as I am equally interested to know the answers to your questions, especially the second one!

https://www.telegraphpoleappreciationsociety.org/