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Mortimore's Yard - '70s trip freight workings


HillsideDepot
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Beyer Peacock Hymek, no. D7042 is allocated to this morning's "Tripper" making a tour of the local yards hustling wagons to and fro. Whilst a variety of freight was left for sorting and delivering by one of the local Pilot engines there were thin pickings to collect: just 2 empty 16 tonners from Mortimore's back to the collieries via East Usk Yard. 

 

With it's Maybach engine chattering away the Hymek waits for the Guard to do his checks and put up the appropriate lamps on his van as departure time approaches.

 

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There is still some work to do here - a bit of "weathering" including some rubbish. Not too much, a suggestion of a yard that is "lived in" rather than one which is a run down dump.

 

Few yards back then looked as bad as some mainlines do today !! From memory, most had an air of gentle decay rather than the rampant jungle that many modern yards have become

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We last saw Hymek D7042 leaving on the next stage of its morning trip working, taking two empty 16t minerals back to South Depot for onward transmission to South Wales.

But what did the Hymek bring the staff at Mortimore’s Yard?

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  • 2 x 12t ventilated vans of sundry goods to New Cut Goods on the Redcliffe Branch for onward distribution by road
  • 1 x 20t tube open with piles to Albion Ship Yard on the Hotwells Branch
  • 1 x 35t covered hopper of foundry sand to Pew Hill sidings for Westinghouse Brake & Signal Company
  • 1 x 21t stone tippler from Barton Hill wagon works to Pooles Wharf on the Hotwells Branch for sea dredged aggregates traffic from Holmes
  • 1 x 13t Hybar open with a machine tool in a large packing case to New Cut Goods on the Redcliffe Branch for onward delivery by road
  • 1 x 20t grain hopper to the flour mill at Redcliffe Back on the Redcliffe Branch
  • 1 x brake van to work today’s local trips with No.1 Pilot (the 03)

So, there is a bit of shunting to do before No.1 Pilot can head off on its deliveries. Sometimes the load for Mortimore’s Yard is ready sorted, sometimes jumbled up. It all depends on how the traffic arrives at Queensland Road, and how much time they have to shunt it there. From today’s muddle it rather looks like there were delays overnight on the trunk trains which feed the wagons into Westonmouth from around the country.

 

First off the Pilot shunts off the brake van and the grain hopper, the van going int. No 1 Road and the grain hopper lining yesterday’s pair on hoppers and one from the day before on No 2 Road. The mill has suffered a plant breakdown and hoppers are being held at Mortimore’s Yard as the mill siding is already full. The Supervisor at Mortimore’s Yard is keeping in close touch with the mill regarding the repairs in case he needs to put a stop on further wagons as his yard could easily get clogged.

 

Back onto the train and the Hybar, Tippler, CovHop and Tube are drawn out

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And shunted into their respective positions

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The Hybar is then shunted onto the two Vans, ready for the later trip along the Redcliffe Branch.

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Shunting done, it’s time to couple on to the train which the timetable calls 9B07 but which the crew know as the “Hotwells”. There is just time to leave 03382 waiting while the crew return to the Cabin and fill their tea cans before setting off.

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Tea cans filled, and crew all back aboard, 9B07 waits for the signal to depart the yard and begin its journey.

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Looks like they're delivering an old Airfix packing crate, last seen on a lowmac I believe

 

:)

 

Yes, that's the one. The Lowmac's revenue earning days are behind it now; it's been taken into Departmental stock and renumbered TDB904544. It's now restricted to working between the carriage sidings and Queensland Road yard carrying rubbish skips. Just occasionally it comes to Mortimore's Yard as that is another location where CSG can get their lorries positioned to empty the skips (albeit turning round afterwards is tricky).

 

post-5204-0-20136900-1542661075_thumb.jpg

 

I really must get some lettering on it and on the skips....

Edited by HillsideDepot
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Yes, that's the one. The Lowmac's revenue earning days are behind it now; it's been taken into Departmental stock and renumbered TDB904544. It's now restricted to working between the carriage sidings and Queensland Road yard carrying rubbish skips. Just occasionally it comes to Mortimore's Yard as that is another location where CSG can get their lorries positioned to empty the skips (albeit turning round afterwards is tricky).

 

attachicon.gif007b.jpg

 

I really must get some lettering on it and on the skips....

Looks great Adrian, you will have to bring the skip wagon to Trainwest in 2020 and we can reunite it with the Hemmings version on PVCS!

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Looks great Adrian, you will have to bring the skip wagon to Trainwest in 2020 and we can reunite it with the Hemmings version on PVCS!

 

Sounds like a plan!

 

I wonder if there are any other hobbies where research includes finding out when black refuse sacks were introduced? I went there for this model!

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Sounds like a plan!

 

I wonder if there are any other hobbies where research includes finding out when black refuse sacks were introduced? I went there for this model!

Kevin (Rivercider) has an aerial photo of one on his Flickr stream taken from circa 1980 which shows them full with black sacks so before then I presume, either way I loaded mine with fake sacks.

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Kevin (Rivercider) has an aerial photo of one on his Flickr stream taken from circa 1980 which shows them full with black sacks so before then I presume, either way I loaded mine with fake sacks.

Pre 1977, cos they were for a very short time clothing for some punk rockers.

 

When I was a union rep in the hospital I worked in we were discussing the variety of uniforms worn by the nursing staff. Our head of nursing said that she wouldn't mind if the nurses came in bin liners as long as they had their name badge on. So I asked her as a registered nurse should I be in a plain black bin liner or a yellow clinical waste one. The look she gave me was one saying " You are lucky matey this is a proper meeting or I would have given you a clip around the ear".

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I've seen that elevated photo of Kevin's, Rob, a useful angle, and the fact that there were two colours (at least) of bag in use in 1977 Clive suggests they'd been around a while by than if the colour coding had been devised. My researches suggested that the plastic bin bag originated in Canada in the 50's so a decade to get into general use here seems reasonable, so my skips have black bags in them. I still need to add some non bagged waste to mine, there seem to be some card board boxes in some photos. 

 

I have a conundrum for Saturday though; do I go to the NEC and the Bachmann "scrum" to bag a bargain, or do I head to the Scout hut for one?

 

post-5204-0-28124700-1542744228_thumb.jpg

 

Although there was no NEC before 1976, and instead of Bachmann, perhaps I should be looking for Tri-ang?

 

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I've seen that elevated photo of Kevin's, Rob, a useful angle, and the fact that there were two colours (at least) of bag in use in 1977 Clive suggests they'd been around a while by than if the colour coding had been devised. My researches suggested that the plastic bin bag originated in Canada in the 50's so a decade to get into general use here seems reasonable, so my skips have black bags in them. I still need to add some non bagged waste to mine, there seem to be some card board boxes in some photos. 

 

I have a conundrum for Saturday though; do I go to the NEC and the Bachmann "scrum" to bag a bargain, or do I head to the Scout hut for one?

 

attachicon.gif001.JPG

 

Although there was no NEC before 1976, and instead of Bachmann, perhaps I should be looking for Tri-ang?

Now come Adrian

 

1976, well it was the age of the modern image modeller.......Modern Traction Kits. :locomotive: :locomotive: :locomotive:

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An update is long overdue here, although to be fair, there has been nothing to report for far too long. For a variety of reasons my modelling mojo just disappeared, and Mortimore's Yard has lain largely untouched for two and a half years. But hopefully things are changing now, my mojo is coming back, and maybe Mortimore's will "live" again. 

 

Anyway, something which has always been bit of a bugbear for me has been the Lenz DCC system, not the operational side of it, but the physical units. There is the transformer and the base station, one quite heavy the other (presumably) needing handling with care, wires between them and then wires to the throttle and to the layout. Having a number of different layouts, all of which have at various times been exhibited, and use the same system led me to think that something better could be done.

So an open top wooden (MDF actually) box was made to keep the transformer and base station together, safe but still well ventilated (they don't seem to run hot, but better safe than singed). A cable was made up between the box, (which will usually sit in the floor) the layout and a control panel.

 

Control panel??? For DCC? Well, I don't know what else to call it really. Its has a holder for the throttle, an A5 sized clipboard, a tray for track rubber, shunter's poles (assorted, tension lock and 3-link)  etc and a double socket to connect throttle units. It took far longer to construct than it should have done as I took a long time over the design, wanting something to hang on layouts on legs, but which would also work laid flat on a table-top for micro-layouts.

 

So, warts and all, here is what I came up with.

DSCN3399.JPG.a4cd2b798244beb5e89bfa40c0ebbbf1.JPG

 

and in context

DSCN3314.JPG.2d24535deb8814fa29e373b2e4f4592e.JPG

 

All I need to do now is clean the track (I probably need the CCE's Dept to allocate a cross between a rail grinder and a snow plough to the job there is so much dust and dirt!) and maybe trains will run again.

 

I have also been tinkering with a few small detail items, which have been quite satisfying to add to the layout, so hopefully Mortimore's Yard is back on track for a while longer yet (plans are afoot for a permanent layout around 3 1/2 sides of the room, with much research still on-going; no rush though as I need quite a bit more to be added to Peco's Bullhead track range before I start).

Edited by HillsideDepot
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Just now, HillsideDepot said:

An update is long overdue here, although to be fair, there has been nothing to report for far too long. For a variety of reasons my modelling mojo just disappeared, and Mortimore's Yard has lain largely untouched for two and a half years. But hopefully things are changing now, my mojo is coming back, and maybe Mortimore's will "live" again. 

 

Anyway, something which has always been bit of a bugbear for me has been the Lenz DCC system, not the operational side of it, but the physical units. There is the transformer and the base station, one quite heavy the other (presumably) needing handling with care, wires between them and then wires to the throttle and to the layout. Having a number of different layouts, all of which have at various times been exhibited, and use the same system led me to think that something better could be done.

So an open top wooden (MDF actually) box was made to keep the transformer and base station together, safe but still well ventilated (they don't seem to run hot, but better safe than singed). A cable was made up between the box, (which will usually sit in the floor) the layout and a control panel.

 

Control panel??? For DCC? Well, I don't know what else to call it really. Its has a holder for the throttle, an A5 sized clipboard, a tray for track rubber, shunter's poles (assorted, tension lock and 3-link)  etc and a double socket to connect throttle units. It took far longer to construct than it should have done as I took a long time over the design, wanting something to hang on layouts on legs, but which would also work laid flat on a table-top for micro-layouts.

 

So, warts and all, here is what I came up with.

DSCN3399.JPG.e92af7c8ec13a8a5c3ce1caca69b085f.JPG

 

and in context

DSCN3314.JPG.9e007ee61115dbdbedc24b81699c7f47.JPG

 

All I need to do now is clean the track (I probably need the CCE's Dept to allocate a cross between a rail grinder and a snow plough to the job there is so much dust and dirt!) and maybe trains will run again.

 

I have also been tinkering with a few small detail items, which have been quite satisfying to add to the layout, so hopefully Mortimore's Yard is back on track for a while longer yet (plans are afoot for a permanent layout around 3 1/2 sides of the room, with much research still on-going; no rush though as I need quite a bit more to be added to Peco's Bullhead track range before I start).

The mojo thing is pretty common.
For me, it's been lockdown. Weird, seeing as I have loads of modelling time.
As a writer, it's like writers block. It does happen.
I used to build an aeroplane kit. This time, I just stopped.
I'm getting back now. Don't know if it's Spring or the approach of the sort of end of lockdown or, like writers block, just that 'thing' that happens.
Regards,
Chris.

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I’m glad to see you back , this was one of my favourite layouts.

 

Always amuses me when people just go off it for a couple of years - I’d have naff all hobbies other than irritating the wife without the chuffers !

Edited by rob D2
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Thanks for the likes and comments.

 

My time away from (or more accurately ignoring, as I see it every day through the open door) Mortimore's Yard goes back to before the pandemic, and I have done a few other mini-projects in that time, Drew's Sidings, a Garden Railway and an Army Depot, not Mortimore's. And whilst you might not call it a hobby, much of my spare time is taken up volunteering both as a Deputy District Commissioner with the Scouts and as a church deacon so model trains have to take their place in the queue.

 

Of course the various lockdowns and restrictions could have provided time for modelling, except work has been busier than ever and whilst I've not had anything like the pressures those on the front lone have had working in a local authority Passenger Transport team has had plenty of new demands. Not just repeatedly working out the latest Government guidelines and ensuring bus, coach and taxi operators are complying, but setting up a system for food parcel deliveries (which was then adapted for pharmacy deliveries, PPE deliveries and even Easter egg deliveries to key worker children still in school), keeping parents informed of school transport changes, attending numerus multi-agency Teams meetings as well as doing the day job while the media kept telling everyone that the world had stopped and everyone was at home with loads of spare time, was mentally tiring. 

 

Still, enough of the 21st century, let's get back to the 1970s. A time, of course, not without its own troubles and worries, but where in its recreation I can pick and choose what to recall and reproduce in miniature.   

 

DSCN3301.JPG.0c75b775b7ff4b2cc1c6ac635945233b.JPG

 

Mortimore's coal yard, viewed from the "cinder track" (the shot's a bit fuzzy, due to the difficulty of keeping the camera still while leaning over the layout up against the wall, but lets just say its due to the snap being taken by a 1970's instamatic, probably one of those 110 cameras with the cassette films).

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Wandering towards the end of Cinder Track (the name comes from a footpath in Chippenham through a lineside industrial area - all housing now though - which was my route to the station when still living with my parents), which is now concrete rather than cinders, we drop down to the road entrance to Mortimore's Yard.

 

DSCN3302.JPG.9639956b5a511cffb38d29fe97268f4d.JPG

 

When I replaced the Peco stop blocks with Lanarkshire Models GWR ones I raised the track slightly under them as this is a feature I recall of the stops in Chippenham's Up Yard. I'm not sure why there were like that; I suppose a short slight gradient might be enough to slow a wagon which is already almost stopped before it reaches the blocks. Or was it that the ballast got compacted by numerous wagons over the years, but not for the last few yards where wagons didn't normally reach? I'm not convinced by either possibility, but can't think of any other reasons aside from "that's just how they were". The stop blocks at Chippenham also had a black hue to them, rather than being "rusty rails" colour, so I have painted mine likewise.

 

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Looking back up the Cinder Track the roof of the yard office/mess room nestles into the hill, while the blank expanse of Downing Rudman & Bent's joinery works, where just out of shot (meaning I've not finished building it yet!) to the right the dust cyclone provides a continuous humming, rumbling sound track.
Just visible next to the water tower is the brick building of the Wiltshire Bacon Company.

 

DSCN3303.JPG.4efcf50b4414e1461edd3ff1f3e00917.JPG

 

Downing Rudman & Bent's factory was between the real Cinder Track and the GWML and was known locally for the steam roller in its yard (actually a diesel roller, but they all seem to get the "steam" tag). The water tower provided a supply for Chippenham station In reality it was between Mortimore's office building and their lorry shed, but transposing the latter two works better here as the tower helps hide the corner of the room.

The bacon factory building overlooked Chippenham's up sidings, Mortimore's piling coal along the shared boundary.  In reality it was of concrete block construction, but I felt red brick looked better as the large Rudman's factory is creamy/grey concrete colour.

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Wandering further this is the view through the open gate to the yard. 

image.png.7b01ff5dce6a8d5f5b00ff49e5ce3b62.png

 

And by reaching over the fence we can get this view back to the main yard building

image.png.5e913e6a071126e756354609ee25eeee.png

 

While a class 08 shunter chatters away , waiting for its crew to return and make the next shunting move

image.png.edbe1f46cb5a2e03002cff179a3534f0.png

 

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19 hours ago, HillsideDepot said:

Wandering further this is the view through the open gate to the yard. 

image.png.7b01ff5dce6a8d5f5b00ff49e5ce3b62.png

 

And by reaching over the fence we can get this view back to the main yard building

image.png.5e913e6a071126e756354609ee25eeee.png

 

While a class 08 shunter chatters away , waiting for its crew to return and make the next shunting move

image.png.edbe1f46cb5a2e03002cff179a3534f0.png

 

This just drips atmosphere.
Great work,
Regards,
Chris.

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Thanks for the likes and comments, they mean a lot. On the one hand the layout has to please only me, but knowing that I've achieved what I set out to do is appreciated.

 

So, walking onwards, down the footpath at the side of Mortimore's Yard I can hear voices in the garden behind the Scout Hut. So, making my way round to the side gate I see that the Rover Scouts are looking at their latest acquisition, a fleet of the latest plastic moulded kayaks. 

 

DSCN3309.JPG.9c584a551ebf6b58938a0193906dd0e5.JPG

 

(I think these 3-d printed boats from Model Railway Scenes are actually of a more complexly shaped modern design than those early plastic craft of the '70's, but as railways, Scouting and kayaking all give me great pleasure I couldn't resist these when I spotted them)

 

 

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Thank you for constructing this and posting all the photos. I looked after the Weighbridge building between 2006-2016, when it reverted back to Network Rail. I'm currently part of a group which decides how the area will be developed/maintained/enhanced, and am also interested local history. The brick water tower and other lost buildings were known, but not their rough relationship to each other. I understand both the oddness of memory (particularly in dreams) and the limitations/compromises of a physical model on a baseboard of limited size. Both a year of extreme stress I have been through and the lockdown have slowed progress. Things seem both very up and down currently.

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43 minutes ago, trackside said:

Thank you for constructing this and posting all the photos. I looked after the Weighbridge building between 2006-2016, when it reverted back to Network Rail. I'm currently part of a group which decides how the area will be developed/maintained/enhanced, and am also interested local history. The brick water tower and other lost buildings were known, but not their rough relationship to each other. I understand both the oddness of memory (particularly in dreams) and the limitations/compromises of a physical model on a baseboard of limited size. Both a year of extreme stress I have been through and the lockdown have slowed progress. Things seem both very up and down currently.

Thank you for your interest, trackside. The order was weighbridge buildings, water tower, lorry sheds in reality, then coal staithes against the boundary wall, rather than as I have used them.

 

Back in the early 2000's, in certain weather conditions, a very faint ghosting of where the lorry sheds were became visible on the big wall. 

P1010359lines.JPG.bf36f70a78d876fa97fc91d151f55164.JPG

I didn't model the right hand side "lean-to" (by the one-way sign). 

The weighbridge building is looking very sad now, partly propped up, with a very fragile roof and over shadowed by the massive new foot bridge. I know things must change, and I know why the footbridge is as it is, but I prefer the version of my memories, complete with a few wooden steps each side showing where it had been raised for HSTs to pass under at speed and with the sidings still in place.

I've got an interest in how the area is developed too, but from a professional point of view, and concerned with the station forecourt rather than the coal yard side, where sufficient space and priority for buses in the re-design is my concern. Just like a model railway though, there isn't much space on the "baseboard" and compromises will have to be made. 

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The ghosting against the wall was something I never noticed (before). I did notice little metal clamps, presumably where the timber frame was attached to the wall. You probably know this already, but the post set into the wall, just visible on the left of your photo, is one of a pair, and these formed a gate/gateway (now bricked up), with the miscellaneous industry, on the far side of the wall.

 

The Weighbridge is not "propped up", although you could be forgiven for thinking so. This is Network Rail's obsession with installing flying buttresses. Here, a few long screws/bolts would've been far more suitable. All that happened was some cladding sagged under the weight of a particularly heavy downpour, when it emerged the gutters is more firmly attached to the cladding, than the cladding is attached to the frame. One corner of the building settled a bit further into the ground than the others years ago, and while that's now completely stable (and verified by a buildings surveyor), whoever assessed the cladding sag perhaps mistook them as linked. I am a bit concerned though, that pushing a stable building may cause issues down the line.

 

The roof on the visible side, last time I checked, had been re-slated and was fine. There is the danger that vandals may scale the buttress though. I've noticed someone has chucked bricks/stones through the previously-pristine upstairs windows - highly irritating.

 

I did used to keep the area immediately around it tidy, but I haven't been able to this year, due to stress-related illness and a back injury flaring up. I've just started a new job, so my stress levels are much better, and I haven't managed to re-injury my back yet, so I aim to return to this task: The number one rule of security, after all, is to keep external appearance clean & tidy. There's a CCTV gap (apart from when a train passes - as you doubtless know, they have outward-pointing CCTV), and the station/carpark improvements will close this gap, and any further opportunity for vandals. The end of the lockdown and warmer weather will help too. There's a block of flats directly opposite, and a high footfall, so it's not exactly deserted.

 

The South carpark is also due to be tarted up, and the plans for that are more mature. There will be a better taxi rank (although they always grumble nomatter what's proposed), better integration of the carpark near Sainsbury's Local, and bigger bicycle stands with a roof and CCTV. On the North side, the footbridge will be altered, as analysis shows they accidentally exposed pedestrians to a dangerous blind junction. The North carkpark entrance needs work. GWR had a cunning plan (demolish the Weighbridge), which is stupid, because they'd have to demolish half of Union Road along with it; all Listed buildings, most of which they don't own. Even then, a new junction with New Road there would be awkward to say the least. I have a much better plan: Change the entrance to the back of the current carpark, cutting through the fence from the upgraded Foundry Lane. I am not the only person to notice this solution: Network Rail usually cut through the fence for heavy plant access. Various nearby shops etc have also put in plans for it, although as all of those were submitted before the rerouting of Foundry Lane, getting the main road right appears to have been the overriding priority - it's eventually going to be a mini-bypass, taking the pressure off Pew Hill. Currently, it's primarily a gift to Aldi, where it currently terminates.

 

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