Christleton Junction - 1986 - Gateway to North Wales

[61656]

3 hours ago, mallaig1983 said:

Sounds great 

The sound project on this one is as good as I’ve heard. The midi speaker is also a step up in base quality - which you won’t really be able to pick up over the internet. It’s a fairly straightforward fit, but you do have to strip the loco right down to get the speaker in the fuel tank. 

[mallaig1983]

Ive found that it’s the speaker that really makes a sound fitted loco. There are some great sound files on the market but without a decent speaker you won’t get the most of them. I have a Roads and Rails double iPhone speaker with a Biffo chip in a 37 and it’s absolutely leaps and bounds over the 2 factory fitted examples. I’ll get those two reblown and fitted with iPhone speakers. Looking forward to hearing what the Accurascale ones sound like.

That 25 really does sound the part. Well worth the effort you’ve gone to. I get that much is lost going through your microphone, down the fibre optic and out through my tv speaker but you can still tell it’s good.

Edited April 13, 2021 by mallaig1983

[Mol_PMB]

I saw this on Flickr and thought it would be a great train for one of your rats:

 

[61656]

2 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

I saw this on Flickr and thought it would be a great train for one of your rats:

 

That’s a great formation. 2 vans (VDA?), 5 flasks plus brake van. 
 

Really unprototypical weathering with the dirt only coming half way up the 25’s bodyside though...

[47449xeCD]

On 05/04/2021 at 04:41, 61656 said:

Now here’s a photo with some issues. At first glance we see a 45/0 on a Saltley to Holyhead liner taking the through road passing a 25/1 on parcels. 
 

Then you look closely. The 45/0 has ETH. The sealed beam peaks use to be like rocking horse dung and I bought this for a steal some time ago. It came in a 45/1 non-sound fitted split box green liveried box; presumably the previous owner did a simple body swap... looks like this may be an easy (ish) conversion to a 45/1 - just the body step plates to smooth out?

 

Then you look again and you’ll see the 25/1 is missing a water tank between the bogies. I don’t think any 25/1s had them removed. I could swap the body with my 25/2 to make a 25/3, but I don’t know if the bodies are identical (or close)? If they are I could then upgrade it to a 25/9. 
 

 

Following with interest!

 

You seem admirably keen to get the prototypical details right in your fleet. Just wanted to mention that 47436’s ETH recepticle should sit on top of the buffer beam rather than alongside the buffer. Haven’t checked out any other 47/4’s you may have. 

[Mol_PMB]

3 hours ago, 61656 said:

That’s a great formation. 2 vans (VDA?), 5 flasks plus brake van. 
 

Really unprototypical weathering with the dirt only coming half way up the 25’s bodyside though...

 

The two vans are BR ferryvans (like the very old Hornby model). 

Also there is a mix of flask wagon types I think.  

[61656]

3 hours ago, 47449xeCD said:

Following with interest!

 

You seem admirably keen to get the prototypical details right in your fleet. Just wanted to mention that 47436’s ETH recepticle should sit on top of the buffer beam rather than alongside the buffer. Haven’t checked out any other 47/4’s you may have. 

Thanks. Other than renumbering 47408 to 402 I haven’t yet done much with my 47s. 47436 and 47612 are still fresh from their boxes. I did sort of hope they’d have all the right bits in the right places, because 47s are as yet an unexplored minefield of subtle differences. 
 

I do have an unhealthy fascination with getting things right, up to a point at least!

[61656]

2 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

 

The two vans are BR ferryvans (like the very old Hornby model). 

Also there is a mix of flask wagon types I think.  

A closer look suggests VJX or similar (the ferryvans seem to have led varied lives!). A couple of Hornby examples could make nice little projects. 
 

I think Bachmann do two varieties of flask wagons, of which I have one. I can probably draw the line of nervous breakdown some way before getting excited about different flask varieties!

 

Great to see some real pics. I find flickr quite hit and miss, so always good when someone else has done the legwork. 

[Mol_PMB]

That photographer (Dave Sallery) has a particularly good selection of 1980s/1990s NWCoast photos. This is another great one - note the sulphur hoppers in the background as well as the unusual block train of Mermaids and a rather lost NSE loco!

 

Another view of the sulphur traffic:

 

[61656]

15 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

That photographer (Dave Sallery) has a particularly good selection of 1980s/1990s NWCoast photos. This is another great one - note the sulphur hoppers in the background as well as the unusual block train of Mermaids and a rather lost NSE loco!

 

Another view of the sulphur traffic:

 

Sulphur hoppers are on my ultra long range plan, together with the Octel tanks for Amlwch. Interesting little shunter possibility too.  
 

Always interesting to see the variety of stuff in the area, the NSE 47 is typical of the everyday unusual too. Not sure I can really justify one though. A 47/0, 47/3 (one in grey) and a plain blue non-generator 47/4 are all on the list...

[61656]

10 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

I saw this on Flickr and thought it would be a great train for one of your rats:

 

 

Remarkable coincidence...

[Mol_PMB]

Haha! This could be a good game to test your stock list...

 

These 37s look way too plasticky straight out of the box!

 

 

And the proportion of first class in this train is just unbelievable:

 

There are lots of great photos of locos on test, pretty much any colour you want!

And finally some units...

 

[61656]

Some great photos there, I can probably recreate a few of them. I can’t say for certain, but it would appear the Crewe test rake was used up to about 1985, after which the 33 turn from Crewe seems to have been a regular for testing. Which is quite handy for modelling, as the 5 coach length allows me to have 2 locos without overhanging anywhere. 
 

I’ve seen a few all first class relief services, presumably because of the excess of spare first class mk1s. I think the Western region had a regular FO service using all first. 
 

I’ll see what I can do next time I have a proper running session!

 

Keep ‘em coming...

[mallaig1983]

5 hours ago, 61656 said:

A closer look suggests VJX or similar (the ferryvans seem to have led varied lives!). A couple of Hornby examples could make nice little projects. 
 

I think Bachmann do two varieties of flask wagons, of which I have one. I can probably draw the line of nervous breakdown some way before getting excited about different flask varieties!

 

Great to see some real pics. I find flickr quite hit and miss, so always good when someone else has done the legwork. 

I have a Hornby continental van never out the box I could possibly be persuaded to part with if it would help the project 

[Mol_PMB]

Still more from Dave Sallery’s NWC album, picking mid-80s examples to suit your period...

 

Everyone loves a nosey diesel:

...or two:

 

Not so keen on a smoky Duff but the rake of carriages is a typical mix of liveries and types for a secondary WCML express:

 

At least six types of ballast hopper behind these Rats:

 

Ped and Mk1s:

A long train for a 31 but at least it wasn’t providing ETH as well:

 

1988 and a more modern looking freight:

 

And for now I’ll finish with a bone:

 

[61656]

9 hours ago, mallaig1983 said:

I have a Hornby continental van never out the box I could possibly be persuaded to part with if it would help the project 

That’s a great offer, but a ferryvan has now been added to my “amazing pub and model shop” national tour which commences shortly. My intention is to get out and support the small suppliers of beer and model railways, single handedly keeping both in business!

[61656]

12 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Still more from Dave Sallery’s NWC album, picking mid-80s examples to suit your period...

 

Everyone loves a nosey diesel:

...or two:

 

Not so keen on a smoky Duff but the rake of carriages is a typical mix of liveries and types for a secondary WCML express:

 

At least six types of ballast hopper behind these Rats:

 

Ped and Mk1s:

A long train for a 31 but at least it wasn’t providing ETH as well:

 

1988 and a more modern looking freight:

 

And for now I’ll finish with a bone:

 

Far too many great pictures whilst I’m at work. Only time for a quick bit of pedant’s corner - aren’t peds only 31/4s?

 

Anyway, a railfreight 31 in 1985 is great news!

[Mol_PMB]

Maybe Ped is for Pedant rather that Pedestrian? The one I described as a Ped is 31469. ;-)

[Mol_PMB]

Here's a nice one for you. Note the leading coach:

 

A nice short ballast train:

Plenty more ballast here:

 

 

Great Speedlink rakes:

 

Colourful 31, maybe a year or two too late though:

 

And finally an MGR:

 

[61656]

A brilliant set of photos, worthy of further discussion and definitely some inspiration for the next running session. 
 

I am a massive fan of the mundane and everyday railway, so banger blue and uniform blue grey mk1s is right up my street. I also like to model the changing scene, so I love the mixed blue grey, intercity and trans-pennine liveries. I try to avoid the unique and rare stuff, because I like to model what you could see every day. The PV intercity BFK is one of my few indulgences, although with a handful of them at Oxley and Carlisle, I think they’d have been fairly regular on cross country services, but a massive plus to see one on a Holyhead service!

 

The picture of 25035 highlights further work required - no central lamp irons and a number on the front end. Such is the joy of modelling!

[47449xeCD]

20 hours ago, 61656 said:

20 hours ago, 61656 said:

Thanks. Other than renumbering 47408 to 402 I haven’t yet done much with my 47s. 47436 and 47612 are still fresh from their boxes. I did sort of hope they’d have all the right bits in the right places, because 47s are as yet an unexplored minefield of subtle differences. 
 

I do have an unhealthy fascination with getting things right, up to a point at least!

There are many other details differences among the 47 fleet, but the ‘high’ vs. ‘low’ ETH boxes are by far the most noticeable, and one of the first ways of starting to identify your loco as it’s approaching down the platform. Just one of those things that sticks out like a sore thumb. There are more subtle differences that distinguish between a Crewe and Loughborough built locomotive, but I don’t think I’d sweat those, at least in 4mm scale!

5 hours ago, 61656 said:

Far too many great pictures whilst I’m at work. Only time for a quick bit of pedant’s corner - aren’t peds only 31/4s?

 

Anyway, a railfreight 31 in 1985 is great news!

All 31s are peds. 

[cheesysmith]

I agree, all 31 are peds, if they have more than 4 coaches behind the hook.

 

The high/low 47s, will have to check, but wasn`t it because of the mounting of the 3 piece snow plows for the scottish region? It was mainly the later ETH conversions that had them fitted to the side of the buffer beam instead of the cab front.

[61656]

2 hours ago, 47449xeCD said:

There are more subtle differences that distinguish between a Crewe and Loughborough built locomotive, but I don’t think I’d sweat those, at least in 4mm scale!

Aren’t there some differences in the tanks between the bogies and various combinations of grills to consider? 
 

Something will have to be done about 47436, mainly because it was still all over blue in 1986. I think it became large logo in late 87 or early 88. Which is a pain, as renumbering a large logo example was something I was hoping to avoid. 

[mallaig1983]

2 hours ago, 47449xeCD said:

All 31s are peds. 

I’d never heard this. As far as I was aware they were called ‘Goyles’ or non head code box ‘Skinheads’

[61656]

34 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

I’d never heard this. As far as I was aware they were called ‘Goyles’ or non head code box ‘Skinheads’

Back in the late 80’s I knew 31/4s as ped(estrians), all other headcode boxed ones as Goyles and Skinhead for those without. 
 
I guess terms differed everywhere and there can’t be right and wrong for a nickname!