Waverley 85-86

[Waverley47708]

 

 

The good news is we had the first successful movement of a train on the new scenic boards last night, 47708 did the honours.  Shuttling back and forward up and down the lines.

 

The bad news is that the troublesome trucks, the rake of HAA (old versions) did not take well to being pulled across the crossover at the end of the loops.  This is a key feature of the layout and needs to work.  The two sets of points appear to be aligned but not aligned enough for the seamless crossing over of the HAAs from the up to the down track.  They are long points and will try to relay them or swap them round.  The HAAs are not the best runners most of the time but last nights efforts across the crossing was very bad.

Relaid the crossover and then managed a successful running of HAAs out of the loop and across from the up to the down line.

[Lowlander]

Hi Calum

 

Any new updates?

 

Stephen

[Waverley47708]

Hi Calum

 

Any new updates?

 

Stephen

 

Thanks for asking.  Despite the cold there have only been one or two days when I have thought no way and stayed out of the loft.

 

Been busy relaying the fiddle yard between the end of the new main scenic boards and the hidden bit of the station.  As before the design means passenger trains sit partially exposed in the respective platform 11 to 19, they leave go round the layout and eventually enter the fiddle year into the same track they occupied earlier but do not project beyond Waverley Bridge.  When they are ready to "return" to Edinburgh they go round the layout in the opposite direction and enter the respective platform and stop with part of the train still visible.

 

Whilst I have been able to keep the visible part of Waverley, much of the fiddle yard had to be relaid with new board, this was on account of them being attached to all new scenic boards.  It incorporates a neater track plan and I have added an additional hidden track so that I can accommodate both HSTs on the layout at the same time, either within the visible or the hidden parts of the layout.

 

I have also been working on the new separate Freight Only fiddle yard which will allow both the loaded and unloaded MGRs to be accommodated along with 4 to 6 other trains on tracks between 8 and 6 ft.  This should provide a home for the cement, oil and 2 or 3 Speedlink train.  It also has it own wee three road loco holding area to provide locos to replace the incoming locos.

 

Currently I am working to close the gap between Waverley tunnels and the reused scenic board (the section which featured in the video I did before moving house).  Seems that trying to fit in four running tracks and a 5 track "Haymarket Depot" was a bit too optimistic and has resulted in some unplanned but nevertheless pleasant gentle curves and a rather less impressive 3 track depot.  Fortunately I realised before it was too late of the need for another set of crossovers to allow trains on the up and down lines in the two track section to get to any of the four lines into the station throat.

 

The main control panel for the station has been partially rewired and I need to get on with the control panels for the scenic sections and the fiddle yard.  

 

The wee shopping list for Glasgow is getting bigger by the day........

 

Once I have tidied up a bit I may post some photos of my efforts, but a the moment it is too messy to share.

[Waverley47708]

At last after many many nights soldering and laying track, I managed to get trains running round the layout last night.  47708 and her push pull rake did the honours.  I did film it but it did not make for a classic as it was a bit stop and go.  She ran much better after a pair of 20s did a half dozen circuits with the CMX track cleaner. 

 

There are a couple of niggles needing ironed out.  The good news is that it ran happily in both push and in pull mode round and over all the crossings and curves.  At top speed it took 40 seconds to complete a circuit on the inner loop.

 

Think I may try 40122/D200  next, if she stays on the tracks all the way round then anything should.

 

In the end I only respaced the wooden sleepers on the loops on the main line section, it does make a difference.  The main lines are concrete sleepers so that is my excuse for not respacing them.

 

Have installed magnets so I can use the Brian Kirby method and so far they have worked well.  I just need to get them installed before I start ballasting.

 

Next job is the finish the fright fiddle yard and then wire up the points and the lights.  Some lights will be manual, but the four on the main loops will be automatic using the Heathcote Electronic system.

[Waverley47708]

A bit of an update,

 

All of the track is laid and I am just making final alterations and levelling the boards. Once this is sorted, I can start on the new scenic section. The double track main line with passing loops at one end. The plan is to keep the scenery simple and uncluttered.

 

The problem is that because trains can now run round and round and round and round and round (you get the point) I go up to the loft and before you know 3 or 4 hours have gone and all I have done I watch trains go round and round and round and round and round………..

 

Some news about new arrivals to run round and round and round and round and round.

 

One new arrival is a Tamper, may be very useful when it comes to ballasting!! The photo is of it lurking around on the Club’s Laurencekirk layout.

 

Once the nameplates arrive a recent purchase 47710 Sir Walter Scott bought at Ayr MRX will complete its transformation into 47716 Duke of Edinburgh Award. I am reliably informed by a former driver that 47716 was the fastest of the ScotRail 477s.

 

This will bring the ScotRail 47/7 fleet on Waverley 85/86 to 10 (11 if I can find the blue one hiding away in a box somewhere). 47701 St Andrew, 47702 St Mungo, 47703 St Cuthbert, 47708 Waverley, 47710 Sir Walter Scott, 47711 Greyfriars Bobby, 47712 Lady Diana Spence, 47714 Grampian Region, 47715 Haymarket and 47716 Duke of Edinburgh Award. 708, 712 and 716 are Bachmann, the rest are detailed Lima.

 

Now a prediction, each time I renumber a Bachmann 47/7, someone does a Ltd Edition, this is what happened to 47708 and 47712. So am now just waiting for someone to announce a Ltd Edition 47716.

 

The imminent arrivals are two ScotRail DBSOs. When I turned 40 my work colleagues got me Rails vouchers and I had almost enough to buy two DBSOs, now I am nearly 50 and have just used the vouchers toward one of them.

 

Edited September 29, 2018 by Waverley47708

[Waverley47708]

Thanks to some absolutely first class customer service by Fox Transfers, the latest arrival 47716 Duke of Edinburgh's Award is ready for action.

 

The longer nameplate and Haymarket logo being unusually located to the right of the nameplate rather than above it made 47716 stand out from the others. Here it is with number 1 end leading. Most photos and video I have seen have no 1 end leading for this particular loco rather than the more usual no 2 end leading.

 

Cocktail stick used to remove the old number and the Haymarket Castle from above the nameplate. Numbers and nameplate, Fox Transfers.

Edited September 29, 2018 by Waverley47708

[Charlie75]

What a great layout. I look forward to following this develop.

[Waverley47708]

Have been making progress - slowly anyway.  Have added extra framework underneath the boards to prevent sagging.  Now that the points and motors are in place and since I know where the Heathcote Electronic units will go for the signals.  I was able to add the extra framework below the tracks.  

 

In the meantime, years ago I got a Railfreight Redstripe 37, however it apears this livery didn't appear until 1987.  Must admit although I liked Railfreight livery, personally I did not like the Redstripe version on 37 or 47s anyway.  I managed to get an original Railfreight version, 37906.  I assumed it would just fit on however a little bit of work is needed as the new body nose end are a little different to the old one.

 

By the summer of 1986 some Welsh 37s had started appearing in Railfreight livery.  Just need to find one to renumber to with the clips above the head code box. 37906 only fits into 1986 by a couple of weeks being converted mid December 1986. Some of the 3769x  were converted in the summer of 1986.  Will also have to change the overhead warning stickers to the older version.

 

Will just have to imagine this Welsh machine came on a trip to Scotland.

 

Before above, after below.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Waverley47708

[blueeighties]

Hiya. The 37 bodies are normally all interchangeable. However as you have discovered, that red stripe version is one of the original releases and different in the nose end department. With regards to renumbering the 37/9, you are aware the roofs are specific only to that sub class?

Layout looks fab.

[GordonC]

The early Class 37s were 8 pin DCC (and am I right in thinking they didn't have working tail lights?) where the newer ones are 21 pin so the lighting connections certainly are different - the bodies should all be exactly interchangeable within their generation

[BR Blue]

6 hours ago, blueeighties said:

Hiya. The 37 bodies are normally all interchangeable. However as you have discovered, that red stripe version is one of the original releases and different in the nose end department. With regards to renumbering the 37/9, you are aware the roofs are specific only to that sub class?

Layout looks fab.

It depends on how bothered you are about details differences but 37906 cannot really be anything else, not even 37905 to which it is most similar. Additionally, even though the livery dates for the 80s the roof configuration and the electric warning symbols on the model depict the loco in its preserved condition and not as it was in the 80s. I did not buy the model of 37906 even though I model south Wales in the 1980s as I would have had to modify the roof anyway. The variation of the nose grilles was the only plus. I just used another cheaper 37 as my base model.

[Jim76]

I know what you mean Calum. To my eyes Red Stripe just doesn’t look right on locos without an obvious sole bar like 37s, 47s or for that matter 56s. I think it does looks ok on 31s however where there is a distinctive panel. Jim

[Waverley47708]

Farewell To Thy Greatness.

 

 

That was the age of the train. 

[Waverley47708]

There has been progress and some ballasting is not far away.  I rebuilt the frames of the main scenic boards after noting a slight rise and fall over the cross beams.  Now I know where the points, colour lights etc go I rebuilt it with full length supports.  This has improved the view at track level.

 

I have installed modified Eckon signals, (IMHO) they are the most realistic and fitted them to the brilliant Heathcote Electronics.  They are inter locked to points etc.

 

Any, some photos a trackside crew installing point motors with a 37 ballast train in the engineers siding.

 

A class 20 waits to be called upon at one end of the 40ft layout.

 

 

 

 

[muddy water]

Hi!

Great layout!

Any more progress?