Grantham - the Streamliner years

[lezz01]

Looks like you've had a great trip. It's certainly brought back some wonderful memories of my time in West Germany, as it was then. Good luck with the TM gig. Funnily enough I used to do that too. When I first left the forces I spent a very enjoyable couple of years as a TM for a company based in West London called Auto Tours that ran coach based tours right across Europe with a mainly antipodean and Canadian client base. It was run by a mad South African chap who was also ex-forces. It didn't pay a great deal but the kick backs were fabulous plus I got free travel. I spent the summer months doing that and the rest of the year as a MC courier. More happy days! I've always had an interest in European history and combined with the fact that I can speak most Latin based languages and German to a fairly good level plus my experience as a NCO made me quite good at it. Oh happy days. Thanks very much for the trip down memory lane it's cheered me up no end.

Regards Lez.       

[Malcolm27]

Evening folks,

 

Not posted on this thread before but reading of LNER4472's interest in the German scene here are a few photos taken in 2016 on a visit to the Hartz metre gauge system.

 

It was an organised visit, so the group was fortunate in having a tour of the maintenance facility at Wernigerode.  The loco in the shed was in light steam despite being worked on by maintenance staff.  Replacing a white metal bearing on the big end of the connecting rod if I remember rightly. 

 

Arriving by train the previous evening in the dark was like stepping back in time with a number of the metre gauge locos simmering outside the shed.

 

Six inches of snow at the top of the Brocken!

 

Regards,

Malcolm

 

[lezz01]

Now that is a big beasty isn't it!?

Regards Lez.

[lofty.ian]

Fascinating travel log. 

Congratulations on the GRJ role.

I've been on several GRJ trips in Europe and other continents and always appreciated the Tour Managers.

[St Enodoc]

12 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

On the right is a 1952 replica of said loco - Der Adler.

I was there five years ago as you might recall. I believe there are two Adler replicas, one working and one not, but I don't know which is which.

 

12 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

No doubt a wire-scraper fan will enlighten us.

Easy - a red one, a green-and-blue one and a cream one.

 

Always here to help.

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

pavement cafe outside Gare du Nord

Our favourite is L'Etoile du Nord inside the main concourse. A bit pricier but very, very good.

[The Stationmaster]

Not sure when you were there Graham but my son suffered some very hefty delays in the fatherland the other week when he was on the sleeper from Vienna to Brussel - reportedly down to 'signalling problems' with a hint about over-running engineering work.  i think he was overt 4 hours late arriving in FBMZ (Midi) which was getting a bit tight for lunch but well before his Eurostar.

 

And great to hear that you have joined Mac's Tours, sorry Great Rail Journeys.  My former Director, who retired back in the late 1990s, spent a good many years with them which got him to many places outside Europe, as well as the more immediate countries.  And a former colleague - whose job I got when he retired in 1989 - had been with them for many years.  I'm sure you'll be ideal for the role unlike one or two others I've come across in the past including one I got talking to in gasthaus in Jenbach while I was doing my 'grand tour' in 2003 who found it amazing that I had arranged myself a tour through Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland  (plus passing through a tiny bit of Poland) including all the hotel etc bookings

[LNER4479]

On 20/11/2021 at 17:48, Malcolm27 said:

Evening folks,

 

Not posted on this thread before but reading of LNER4472's interest in the German scene here are a few photos taken in 2016 on a visit to the Hartz metre gauge system.

 

Six inches of snow at the top of the Brocken!

 

Regards,

Malcolm

 

 

 

 

Cripes, don't get me started on the Harz or we'll never get any modelling done!

 

First visited in 2006 - a lot more than six inches up the Brocken on that occasion!

 

Fell in love with the place instantly, not just the railway but also the locale, especially Wunderbar Wernigerode

 

Had a Mallett on the Selketalbahn (as a change from the usual 2-6-2T) (2011)

 

Even brought along Mr King of this parish and his good lady (2017).

 

Must have been over ten times now, last there in autumn 2019, prior to the lockdown.

 

Fingers crossed, I've been allocated my first GRJ tour there in February ('Harz Mountains in Winter', 19th Feb) - six places still left ...

 

We keep talking about doing a 'Team Grantham' visit out there - Mr & Mrs Wealleans are (over)due celebrating a significant milestone...

[LNER4479]

On 20/11/2021 at 13:57, lezz01 said:

Looks like you've had a great trip. It's certainly brought back some wonderful memories of my time in West Germany, as it was then.

 

Thanks very much for the trip down memory lane it's cheered me up no end.

Regards Lez.       

Well, thanks for that Lez. Certainly makes it more than worthwhile posting the pictures if it has that effect.

 

I love Germany (can you tell?). No special pre-conceived reason; the Harz in 2006 was my first taste of it and I just keep getting drawn back, each time discovering some new place to explore. Been to all four corners of what is an utterly fascinating country and, as you say, so much history (not always of the right kind, but history nonetheless) tied up in the place. Here are some highlights:

 

Trier and the Mosel for German Railways 175 (2010)

 

Dresden (amazing city) for Zittau (pictured) and Radebeul (2011).

 

Meiningen and Rodelblitz ski train (2012)

 

Leipzig station concourse (Europe's largest railway station measured by floor area) ...

 

... Platform 24 exhibits ...

 

... and Cranzahl for the Fichtelbergbahn (2015)

 

Remagen / Rhine including the Vulkan Express (one for the D&E fans) (2016)

 

Ruegen Island and the bizarre former KDF 'holiday camp' (3 miles long) at Prora. Also visited the Rasendar Roland NG steam railway  and ...

 

The 'Molli'-bahn (2017)

 

Oh - and not forgetting of course ...

 

MiniaturWunderland in Hamburg (been twice)

 

Also been to Cologne (multiple times), Berlin, Hannover, Freiburg (Black Forest), Nuremberg (see earlier), Munich ...

 

Hope to see more yet, God willing.

 

Right - really MUST get back to some modelling now!

 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by LNER4479

[LNER4479]

On 20/11/2021 at 13:43, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

Ooof!  Such irreverence!  You can go off people you know!!

 

These days I find myself more interested in the eloks than in the dampfloks.  

 

 

PS - in that (very pleasant) trawl through just, found the following (from the 2010 celebrations)

 

 

Wot's this then?

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by LNER4479
Looks like another of them E03 103 thingies. See, I'm getting better ...

[lezz01]

Seems you came back just in time. Austria has just gone back into full lockdown.

Regards Lez. 

[The Stationmaster]

Trains don''t just standstill and pose on the Harzbahn

 

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

20 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

 

PS - in that (very pleasant) trawl through just, found the following (from the 2010 celebrations)

 

 

Wot's this then?

 

 

 

[John Tomlinson]

21 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

 

PS - in that (very pleasant) trawl through just, found the following (from the 2010 celebrations)

 

 

Wot's this then?

 

 

I think this is one kept in mainline operating condition and restored in original livery. The coaching set has been done to match. There are a few of them about still operational in one form or another, although they are long retired from regular service work.

 

There are actually quite a lot of "Golden Oldies" in terms of classic diesel and electric traction at work in Germany, used by the smaller independent operators. I haven't been there for awhile unfortunately, but suspect some familiarity with enthusiast websites, as here, would provide the gen. needed to find the workings.

 

John.

[lincolnshiremodeller]

On 19/11/2021 at 00:42, LNER4479 said:

 

 

 

Where to next?

...and did you get Steve Martin's autograph? 

[LNER4479]

5 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

 

 

You expect me to watch 1hr 2mins of wirescrapenloks?

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

1 minute ago, LNER4479 said:

You expect me to watch 1hr 2mins of wirescrapenloks?

Please read the following in a Saxon accent...

 

Yes.  It vill be good for you.  Also, it is 1hr 2mins of only one class of wirescrapenloks.

 

I will find more hours of more wiresccrapenloks, and you vill be wery pleased.

[LNER4479]

3 minutes ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

 

I will find more hours of more wiresccrapenloks, and you vill be wery pleased.

        

 

Nope. I'm off to do something more interesting ... like installing point rodding ... zzzzzzz 

[LNER4479]

Meanwhile ...

 

Back to recent layout improvements.

 

Remember this? Well, this is what happened to it ...

 

A bit of drilling later. Aargh...

 

 

Meanwhile, the Faller HO battery powered coach chassis is an extraordinary match in terms of wheelbase.

 

And now, the most useful tool in the box - the piercing saw.

 

The wheelbase might have matched but some of the other gubbins needed moving around and I ended up having to take a bit off the back wheelarch.

 

But doesn't look too bad from this angle. With the roof temporarily plonked back on, it happily chuntered up and down the road system all weekend at Leeds. Now needs finishing off properly in time for the Doncaster show.

 

And that wasn't all! Unashamedly an itch that had to be scratched - a 'working' horse n cart. Well sort of ...

 

As you can see, it is somewhat crude but it does work. Hidden beneath the trailer body are a pair of AAA batteries, thus providing ample weight for traction on the motorised wheelset. As they were, the thing went at too fast a gallop and careered out of control! So I experimented with a resistor in series and this one seemed to be the best compromise, keeping it in check whilst being able to keep moving round corners etc. Good ONLY for the flat however but that's OK, as it's ideal for plodding into the front yard and back into the town. It did 'escape' a couple of times heading towards the south end and had to be retrieved!

 

So we had up to six road vehicles available at Leeds which starts to be a bit more like it. I have an idea for one more but am keeping that under wraps for now.

 

[2750Papyrus]

I much enjoyed watching the Team Grantham layout on the web exhibition yesterday.  The use of identical trains to present a "mirror image" and instant change of height was innovative and would keep a child guessing, and the gallopers and "Ring the Bell" sideshow were fun.

 

I sometimes think we take this hobby too seriously and view operating features as toy-like, and I am encouraged by the introduction of motorised road vehicles and the potential horse and cart on Grantham itself.

 

How about a shunting horse?  If it hasn't been done before, maybe a motorised wagon permanently attached to the horse?

[Barry O]

4 hours ago, 2750Papyrus said:

 

How about a shunting horse?  If it hasn't been done before, maybe a motorised wagon permanently attached to the horse?

I seem to remember the Oxford MRC Rewley Road layout had a horse pulling wagons on and off a wagon turntable .. this was in the 1970s..

 

Baz

[lezz01]

The trouble with horses is that unless you can make the legs move with some sort of cam arrangement they can look a bit silly.

Regards Lez. 

[61070]

 

 

On 04/12/2021 at 16:51, LNER4479 said:

 

And that wasn't all! Unashamedly an itch that had to be scratched - a 'working' horse n cart. Well sort of ...

 

 It did 'escape' a couple of times heading towards the south end and had to be retrieved!

 

 

…what a superb re-creation of a 'little incident' that happened at Grantham in 1898.  See this page and scroll down to "Horse running away on Wrong Line!" - 21st April 1898 for the press report.

(They didn't know about resistors in those days.)

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by 61070

[drmditch]

9 hours ago, 61070 said:

 

 

 

…what a superb re-creation of a 'little incident' that happened at Grantham in 1898.  See this page and scroll down to "Horse running away on Wrong Line!" - 21st April 1898 for the press report.

(They didn't know about resistors in those days.)

 

Standards change. I felt the article, although most interesting, was very condescending towards the cat!

Edited December 11, 2021 by drmditch

[gr.king]

On 04/12/2021 at 16:51, LNER4479 said:

Meanwhile ...

 

Back to recent layout improvements.

 

Remember this? Well, this is what happened to it ...

 

A bit of drilling later. Aargh...

 

 

Meanwhile, the Faller HO battery powered coach chassis is an extraordinary match in terms of wheelbase.

 

And now, the most useful tool in the box - the piercing saw.

 

The wheelbase might have matched but some of the other gubbins needed moving around and I ended up having to take a bit off the back wheelarch.

 

But doesn't look too bad from this angle. With the roof temporarily plonked back on, it happily chuntered up and down the road system all weekend at Leeds. Now needs finishing off properly in time for the Doncaster show.

 

And that wasn't all! Unashamedly an itch that had to be scratched - a 'working' horse n cart. Well sort of ...

 

As you can see, it is somewhat crude but it does work. Hidden beneath the trailer body are a pair of AAA batteries, thus providing ample weight for traction on the motorised wheelset. As they were, the thing went at too fast a gallop and careered out of control! So I experimented with a resistor in series and this one seemed to be the best compromise, keeping it in check whilst being able to keep moving round corners etc. Good ONLY for the flat however but that's OK, as it's ideal for plodding into the front yard and back into the town. It did 'escape' a couple of times heading towards the south end and had to be retrieved!

 

So we had up to six road vehicles available at Leeds which starts to be a bit more like it. I have an idea for one more but am keeping that under wraps for now.

 

 

I see that you too have some vintage Humbrol paints. Mine include some that still have the original "Enamel" branding on the tin, and the old Marfleet factory phone number. I imagine some of yours do too.

I am not volunteering, but it occurs to me that one way to animate the horse would be to articulate the legs (using very free-moving joints) and pin the hooves of each pair to a transparent plastic disc, like a bicycle wheel, hoping that the discs (bearing the weight of the horse) actually rotate rather than skid as the creature moves along the road surface. I'm not sure how you would set up the correct gait for the horse without good equine knowledge, nor whether the two discs would remain in phase to maintain that gait...