Buckingham West

[Richard Mawer]

[Richard Mawer]

14.20 at Charlton cutting. Up Birmingham to Buckingham West Parcels and Down Local to Banbury.

 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Richard Mawer

[Richard Mawer]

The up express from Shrewsbury (14.30 ex Banbury) headed by a Castle passes the 14.18 down Buckingham West to Wolverhampton express headed by a Star at Charlton Junction

 

[Richard Mawer]

The 15.08 Banbury to Evenley Limestone empties in Charlton cutting, headed by a 72xx.

 

[Richard Mawer]

It’s now 17.45 and the photographer is still in Charlton cutting, but further along. A local from Banbury to Buckingham West passes by, heading for its penultimate stop at Evenley. It is passed by the down cross country express to Leicester, headed by ex-GCR Director, Marne.

 

 

All this playing is fun, but I must crack on with more ballasting.

Edited December 28, 2017 by Richard Mawer

[Silver Sidelines]

All good fun.

 

I can see someone has been enjoying themselves - a new camera for Christmas perhaps?

 

All the best for the New Year.

 

Ray

[Richard Mawer]

All good fun.

 

I can see someone has been enjoying themselves - a new camera for Christmas perhaps?

 

All the best for the New Year.

 

Ray

Just the same old iphone.

 

Happy New Year

[Andrew P]

Just catching up on the nice Videos Richard, excellent stuff.

[Mikkel]

I fully agree, this sort of thing really makes all the work and waiting in large layout construction seem worthwhile. I especially liked the cattle and limestone empties.

 

Interesting how giving each train a proper identity and it's own clip made me want more. I think that's a way ahead. Thanks for sharing that Richard.

[GWR8700]

Excellent set of videos there

[Neal Ball]

The Youtube clips are certainly bringing Evenly alive Richard, keep them up, looks great.

[KNP]

Enjoyed the video's, more please......

[Richard Mawer]

I fully agree, this sort of thing really makes all the work and waiting in large layout construction seem worthwhile. I especially liked the cattle and limestone empties.

 

Interesting how giving each train a proper identity and it's own clip made me want more. I think that's a way ahead. Thanks for sharing that Richard.

Every train does indeed have its own identity. It’s all run to a timetable and a fastclock. There are daily variations, different locos rostered to the turns on each day and the freight wagons are allocated and shunted by colours on the sole bars referenced from charts. The wagons are reversed through the dumbbell at Banbury and have different colours on each side. They depart in an organised fashion and return as a random selection. Edited December 29, 2017 by Richard Mawer

[Richard Mawer]

Thanks for all the great comments guys.

 

Happy New Year

[Richard Mawer]

A TUESDAY EVENING

 

Buoyed by the comments, I’ve put off ballasting and videoed part of this afternoon’s session. Its a last hurrah for 2017. This one is not for the faint-hearted, 15 minutes of video to give more of a flavour of Buckingham West. It’s a solo operating session so there are no bells, but there’s some shaky camera work instead.

 

The session starts with the 19.53 TuWSO Horses and Carriages Buckingham to Banbury seen running between Buckingham Tunnel and Evenley, through Evenley and then going over Charlton Junction. It passes the up Birmingham express.

 

The yard shunter then reverses the coal empties into the departure line at Buckingham West.

 

The Birmingham express is due in Buckingham West at 20.03. We see the signals clear at Buckingham and Charlton Junction before it make its way through Charlton Junction, up the bank, through Evenley (obviously from a 1930’s drone!), into Buckingham tunnel (the trains standing in the loops will be covered by scenery in due course) and finally running into Buckingham West. Its a bit of an abrupt stop!

 

The signals are then pulled off and the crossing gates closed for the 20.15 SX Empty Coaching Stock from Buckingham West to Brackley Road via Evenley (where it takes the branch of course). This is the vintage rake used on the branch. There is another abrupt stop, this one at Brackley Road. The Horses and Carriages can still be seen around the continuous run known as Charlton Junction.

 

Next, a 28xx comes off shed and reverses into the yard to head the 20.25 Coal Empties to Severn Tunnel Junction. However it stops off at Evenley to pick up 8 more empties, 4 from Evenley yard and 4 that came down from Brackley Road on the Fly in the afternoon. The 28 reverses the wagons into the goods loop, runs round wrong line, over the slips and into the yard. It shunts the yard and then runs back to the front. The 20.20 local from Banbury is running round Charlton Junction. It’s due in Evenley at 20.48. The coal empties are due out at 20.45. The shunt was completed with 4 minutes to spare. YouTube then finally cut the last part off the video. But it was only backing onto the rake.

 

Sorry about all the clutter and lack of scenery etc, but it’s a work in progress.

 

Edited December 30, 2017 by Richard Mawer

[Mikkel]

Not a bad way to end the year    The branch rake gets my vote. The scene at 4.04 must have required some careful coordination.

[Neal Ball]

Great to see it all in action.

[KNP]

Lovely video showing the layout off though I can see why the ballasting was put on hold......there's a lot of it and some look in awkward places! 

To reach these places do you have long arms or hang from the ceiling in a hoist?

Edited December 31, 2017 by KNP

[Ray H]

Thanks for the video Richard. I can see that solo running isn't something to be undertaken too lightly so I'm not sure how you managed to film it as well especially against a speeded up clock.

 

I went with a friend to see the O gauge layout that Gainsborough MRC have in an old (school?) building yesterday. That is very impressive and primarily an operator's layout rather than a Pendonesque arrangement. I wonder if you've seen it.

 

What size room - is it a room? - is you layout in?

 

All the best for the New Year.

[Richard Mawer]

Lovely video showing the layout off though I can see why the ballasting was put on hold......there's a lot of it and some look in awkward places! 

To reach these places do you long arms or hang from the ceiling in a hoist?

I have yet to see!

 

The Buckingham tunnel to Evenley section at the back, will be very interesting!

[Richard Mawer]

Thanks for the video Richard. I can see that solo running isn't something to be undertaken too lightly so I'm not sure how you managed to film it as well especially against a speeded up clock.

 

It’s designed for operation from 1 person to 4. Single handed isn’t too hard actually. It’s challenging but at a speed of 24 hrs in 17 or 18 hrs its fine. I can do a speed of 24 in 15 for the first and last few hours of each day. 24 in 15 is the fastest we’ve managed in group operations. 17 or 18 is the norm so far. The main issue is operator familiarity (or lack of) because no one gets long enough on it to get any faster. Its far from a problem. It’s nice to enjoy it without it being headlong. When we tried faster we kept having to stop the clock to catch up.

 

That part of the evening timetable is quite relaxed so filmimg was easier, but I did stop the clock!

 

I went with a friend to see the O gauge layout that Gainsborough MRC have in an old (school?) building yesterday. That is very impressive and primarily an operator's layout rather than a Pendonesque arrangement. I wonder if you've seen it.

Oh yes!!! My Father was born In Gainsborough and my Grandmother lived there. I grew up just outside Newark (in sight of ECML) and we to Gainsborough every other week. I have known that railway for about 50 years. It used to be more complicated than it is now. There were two continuous run “holding circuits”, but now only one. Kings Cross trackwork and the next station layout have been somewhat rationalised and the Moorgate lines trunkated to a simple out and back below Kings Cross. The widened lines used to run in a low cutting round the outside - a small child’s dream.

 

The layout is my second inspiration after Denny’s Buckingham. The idea of a continuous run (not through any station) to add running time to trains (a holding circuit) is a straight lift from Gainsborough. With both layouts using bells, I had no option.

 

 

What size room - is it a room? - is you layout in?

 

It’s a largish integral garage forming part of an extension. It’s cavity walled, insulated and the old up and over door is bricked up. It holds the heat reasonably well - when I put enough in it! It’s about 18 x 13 feet. A decent railway room was one of the criteria of the move. I had spent too many years modelling on paper in an armchair : now or never.

 

Happy New Year.

[Ray H]

Thanks for that Rich.

 

I can manage the 18ft length but am limited to 8ft wide - just a single garage. My current layout has probably lasted the longest that I've ever kept one design and now that I've built half the signals, many of which would be hard to use elsewhere, I think it'll have to last a bit longer.

 

That said I do maintain a passing acquaintance with an idea of something a little more substantial which would have to be multi-level.

[Richard Mawer]

Thanks for that Rich.

 

I can manage the 18ft length but am limited to 8ft wide - just a single garage. My current layout has probably lasted the longest that I've ever kept one design and now that I've built half the signals, many of which would be hard to use elsewhere, I think it'll have to last a bit longer.

 

That said I do maintain a passing acquaintance with an idea of something a little more substantial which would have to be multi-level.

If you do, keep the gradients shallow. My mainline bank is about 1:70 and the 0-6-0s struggle with loads over 10 wagons. I have steel plates underneath the track and magnets under the locos, like the Powerplate concept. Without that there would be nothing going up except traction tyred locos.

 

Oh yes, and curves on gradients are a nightmare!

Edited December 31, 2017 by Richard Mawer

[john dew]

Happy New Year Richard!

 

Thoroughly enjoyed the videos of Buckingham West particularly the last operating session. I know from my own attempts that running and filming multiple routines singlehanded is quite the undertaking......and I have a computor to help!

 

I was very envious of your signal operation......many years ago I opted that mine would be cosmetic.....a decision I regret every time I see a video like yours.

 

Is your timetable adapted from an actual one or did you create it to suit your stock and layout? Regardless its very impressive and set up one of my resolutions for 2018.

 

Best wishes

 

John

[Richard Mawer]

 

Is your timetable adapted from an actual one or did you create it to suit your stock and layout? Regardless its very impressive and set up one of my resolutions for 2018.

 

Best wishes

 

John

John

 

Its all a figment of my imagination. It’s based on observations, logic, real timetables and even reading Peter Denny’s timetable in the back of his Peco book. There is a 2 hourly local service between Buckingham and Banbury, branch autotrains to meet the stoppers at Evenley, extra passenger trains at peak times and market days, expresses during the day, extra evening trains Friday and Saturday, 2 pick up freights (am & pm), perishables very early in the morning, mainline freights early morning and evening/night, cattle on market days, 2 loaded limestones per day and empties and a daily coal. Milk vans of churns come to the dairy after morning and evening milking times. The tanks of pasteurised milk go out to Banbury in the evening.

 

All common sense daily life as it used to be, sorted to fit my loop capacity, stock and loco fleet.

 

Mind you its on the 13th version of tweeks and easiest layout for reading!!!

 

Rich