Christleton Junction - 1986 - Gateway to North Wales

[ISW]

On 16/05/2021 at 22:26, 61656 said:

I’ve spent some time recently trying to get a proper timetable together, including slots for several of the freight trains that I’ve not yet acquired. It’s been very enjoyable trying to research the various trains and traffic flows.

Andy,

 

I have my original yearly BR 'Great Britain' Timetables from mid 1970s to early 1980s. If you need copies of any of the Tables just let me know.

 

Ian

[61656]

1 hour ago, Banger Blue said:

Lots of WTT available here:

 

eBay > Collectables > Transportation Collectables > Railwayana > Paper Railwayana > Collectable Railway Employee Timetables

 

Section CH (PASS.) & CV (Freight) cover the area around Chester. See photos below for area covered:

 

 

I'm not sure posts get any better than that! I was aware that there would have been working timetables, but I wouldn't have had the first clue where to start looking.

 

I quickly found that there are several online stores that have these available, as well as our favourite auction site. Hopefully I now have a copy of each on their way to me for May 86 to May 87.

 

My word, if you found my posts dull before this moment, just wait until I unleash the WTT from October 86...

[61656]

3 minutes ago, ISW said:

Andy,

 

I have my original yearly BR 'Great Britain' Timetables from mid 1970s to early 1980s. If you need copies of any of the Tables just let me know.

 

Ian

Thanks - it's possible that I've just found the ultimate source (see above). RMWeb is an absolute gold mine of information.

[ISW]

1 minute ago, 61656 said:

Thanks - it's possible that I've just found the ultimate source (see above). RMWeb is an absolute gold mine of information.

Andy,

 

I also bought the Working Timetables (passenger & freight) from TheBay for the area covered by my layout. However, the Great Britain timetable is also useful as a good 'overview' of all the passenger services.

 

Ian

[61656]

Just now, ISW said:

Andy,

 

I also bought the Working Timetables (passenger & freight) from TheBay for the area covered by my layout. However, the Great Britain timetable is also useful as a good 'overview' of all the passenger services.

 

Ian

I’m looking out for a paper copy so that visitors know when trains are due!

[Banger Blue]

This is what I ended up with as a “Station WTT” based on the 1983/1984 working timetable, it was done more as an exercise in “what might be seen” at my fictional station rather than any attempt at a timetable for operating purposes.

 

 

Stowbury WTT copy.xlsx

[61656]

22 minutes ago, Banger Blue said:

This is what I ended up with as a “Station WTT” based on the 1983/1984 working timetable, it was done more as an exercise in “what might be seen” at my fictional station rather than any attempt at a timetable for operating purposes.

 

 

Stowbury WTT copy.xlsx 89.69 kB · 2 downloads

That’s brilliant. I’d not considered having different days, but it’s a blindingly obvious possibility. It really opens up the options for different running sessions. 
 

I’d like mine to show which stock and booked traction. I’m also debating showing which fiddle yard roads so that I can try to avoid sending a train to siding 7 of 6!

[5BarVT]

Have a look at St Enodoc’s Mid Cornwall Lines.  It will be a lot of pages back now: he posted a comprehensive spreadsheet that showed stock, loco, etc which I’m sure you could adapt to your needs.

Paul.

[Mol_PMB]

Much harder to find but also of interest are the Trip Notices like this one:

[61656]

1 minute ago, Mol_PMB said:

Much harder to find but also of interest are the Trip Notices like this one:

Now there’s a source of information. How long would those have been produced for? 
 

By 1986 I would assume most trip working would have disappeared, but I guess the duties must have been planned somewhere.  
 

Really interesting to see one working as class 8/11 - the only two classes of loco that I’m passed to drive. I don’t sign that route though, so I’ll need a conductor!

[Mol_PMB]

I’m not sure to be honest how long the trip notices lasted. I’m sure someone else on here will know though.

 

Regarding the Class 11s still in use into the BR blue era it amuses me that they carried 5-digit numbers in the steam era series (12xxx) looking like a TOPS number but they were class 11s not class 12s. 

[Mol_PMB]

The internet knows EVERYTHING!

 

https://www.2d53.co.uk/trip/tripmenu.htm

[61656]

3 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

The internet knows EVERYTHING!

 

https://www.2d53.co.uk/trip/tripmenu.htm

 Chances of me getting anything done this week are rapidly receeding!

[61656]

Whilst musing on my timetable, I was considering that one of the consequences of not having enough motive power (!) is that the depot is always nearly empty. It struck me that I’ve never really seen it full. 
 

This teed up a most enjoyable evening of light engine moves on to shed, to give an impression of what a busy Christleton Bluebeck should look like. 
 

Tomorrow I may start them all up to hear what a busy Bluebeck sounds like. Probably white noise...
 

 

 

 

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Have a look at St Enodoc’s Mid Cornwall Lines.  It will be a lot of pages back now: he posted a comprehensive spreadsheet that showed stock, loco, etc which I’m sure you could adapt to your needs.

Paul.

Thanks Paul!

 

I'll post a copy of the current version when I get home later.

[61656]

What happens when you start 9 sound fitted locos?

 

All it’s missing is a lot of smoke!

 

 

[ISW]

2 hours ago, 61656 said:

What happens when you start 9 sound fitted locos?

 

All it’s missing is a lot of smoke!

 

 

That's a lot of Sulzer engines starting. Great noise though. Time to add a few EE engines into the sound 'mix' ...

 

Ian

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Thanks Paul!

 

I'll post a copy of the current version when I get home later.

Here it is:

 

wtt mid cornwall 1952-1957-1958 draft 10a stage 3 main line, railbus, clay master.xlsx

It's the full Friday and Saturday sequence for the main lines. As you'll realise from the gaps in the train numbers, it's an extract from the full document that will include the branch when it gets built. I hope it's reasonably self-explanatory but if anyone would like more information just ask.

[cheesysmith]

3 hours ago, 61656 said:

What happens when you start 9 sound fitted locos?

 

All it’s missing is a lot of smoke!

 

 

 

All that is missing is the ability to breathe. All those sulzer with the worn injectors and the black smoke. I remember doing the same with some busses parked up over the xmas break, that had not moved for a week. The car park and a large part of the local neighbourhood disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 

[61656]

1 hour ago, ISW said:

That's a lot of Sulzer engines starting. Great noise though. Time to add a few EE engines into the sound 'mix' ...

 

Ian

Good point, although not all Sulzer!

 

03 - Gardner

08 - EE
2 x 25 - Sulzer

31 - EE

2 x 45 - Sulzer

2 x 47 - Sulzer

 

Locos 'missing'

 

33 - Sulzer - unlikely to spend time on shed except as a failure

40 - EE - will be a rare visitor

 

Different locos types likely to be added to the fleet:

 

20 - EE (steel / coal / tanks)

37/0 - EE (steel)

56 - Ruston Paxman (coal/tanks)

97/4 - EE (civil engineering)

[61656]

22 minutes ago, cheesysmith said:

 

All that is missing is the ability to breathe. All those sulzer with the worn injectors and the black smoke. I remember doing the same with some busses parked up over the xmas break, that had not moved for a week. The car park and a large part of the local neighbourhood disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 

A nice blue haze generator would be a great thing.

 

There was a proposal a couple of years back to try starting about 10 class 50s at the same time on the Severn Valley for the 50 gala. I seem to recall it didn't go ahead when someone pointed out that the diesel depot is adjacent to a housing estate.

[61656]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Here it is:

 

wtt mid cornwall 1952-1957-1958 draft 10a stage 3 main line, railbus, clay master.xlsx 266.95 kB · 6 downloads

It's the full Friday and Saturday sequence for the main lines. As you'll realise from the gaps in the train numbers, it's an extract from the full document that will include the branch when it gets built. I hope it's reasonably self-explanatory but if anyone would like more information just ask.

That's an epic piece of work. I'm guessing it was quite time consuming!

[St Enodoc]

2 minutes ago, 61656 said:

That's an epic piece of work. I'm guessing it was quite time consuming!

It was, although I didn't do it all in one go of course!

[ISW]

2 hours ago, 61656 said:

Good point, although not all Sulzer!

I did clearly hear the Class 08 starting though.

 

Ian

[BenW]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Here it is:

 

wtt mid cornwall 1952-1957-1958 draft 10a stage 3 main line, railbus, clay master.xlsx 266.95 kB · 9 downloads

It's the full Friday and Saturday sequence for the main lines. As you'll realise from the gaps in the train numbers, it's an extract from the full document that will include the branch when it gets built. I hope it's reasonably self-explanatory but if anyone would like more information just ask.

Wow, that's fantastic.  For me that just makes running trains more purposeful and adds so much to the sense of realism - do you also run it with a scale clock, or are the timings stated more indicative?