Christleton Junction - 1986 - Gateway to North Wales

[61656]

A couple of shots from a very enjoyable evening with visitors, including the new civil engineer’s rake. The level of detail on this is great and they set a new bar for rolling stock on the layout. 

 

It’s fascinating to see how other people operate it, particularly when they obviously know what they’re doing. Christleton certainly needs more nights like this!
 

 

 

 

 

[61656]

30 pages of the “highest quality journalism” is certainly worthy of comment. Christleton has come a long way over the last 5 years, albeit most of the progress has been in the last 18 months, which the increased frequency of posts reflects. 
 

I suspect it will take a lot more than 30 pages to get the layout to anywhere near where I want it to be. The scenic work as I turn my attention to the main straight is bordering on the daunting!
 

I think most of all I’d like to say thank you to you all for your help and support in helping me get this far. My knowledge of the railway in 1986 has expanded vastly from the somewhat naïve newcomer with a soft spot for sealed beam 45s! From regular contributors to occasional thumbs-upperers (sic), you’ve all helped keep me going even when I question if it’s really worth the tears and the pain!

 

For the 81 people who choose to follow the thread, I can recommend professional help, or at the least recommend some fine pale ales.

 

Cheers all, now let’s go do some modelling…

 

[5BarVT]

45 minutes ago, 61656 said:

For the 81 people who choose to follow the thread, I can recommend professional help, or at the least recommend some fine pale ales.

Enjoying the ride.  Can you help a zider drinker?

Worzel Gummage

[61656]

21 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

Enjoying the ride.  Can you help a zider drinker?

Worzel Gummage

An absolute specialty of mine. Try a pale ale instead. 

[mallaig1983]

Here’s to the next 30 pages. It’s great following along. 
cheers 

[EuroMST]

Congratulations on getting to 30 pages! It has been a great ride so far. It's probably about time I started a thread for my North Wales project in N gauge. It might actually spur me on into action! Maybe I will start with some photos of the space I will be using, once I get all the junk cleared out!

[61656]

59 minutes ago, EuroMST said:

Congratulations on getting to 30 pages! It has been a great ride so far. It's probably about time I started a thread for my North Wales project in N gauge. It might actually spur me on into action! Maybe I will start with some photos of the space I will be using, once I get all the junk cleared out!

Go for it I say. And don’t hesitate to share the photos of the junk - not only does it help inspire people to think they can do the same, it also gives a great reference for you in the future. 
 

One of the great things about this community is it’s honesty, we probably all take as much from someone confessing to launching a loco across the room as we do from the is-it-really-a-model type photos (sometimes from the same author). It’s not Instagram and I’m very happy about that. 
 

Plus, if you do start a North Wales thread, there’s no end of people on here who can drop everything to come and chat! It’s a wonder any of us get anything done at all. 

[61656]

So, some actual modelling. The problem with having people around that know what they’re talking about is that they tend to know what they’re talking about. Hence this evening I have been cursing my collection of saws trying to cut the 90 degree corner  of the multi-storey to a quarter circle. This allows the backscene to curve round and avoid any shadows. 
 

Following some excessive use of the anglo saxon vocabulary, I have managed to temporarily mount some of the Gaugemaster sky backscenes. Now these seem a little more Balaerics than September in North West England, but they seem to work in the photos. I’m not fully sure they are right, so thoughts very welcome. 

 

They do cause a very obvious problem in that they highlight the missing side of the tower block. Potentially my forthcoming low relief buildings will help hide that…
 

 

 

 

[5BarVT]

1 hour ago, 61656 said:

They do cause a very obvious problem in that they highlight the missing side of the tower block. Potentially my forthcoming low relief buildings will help hide that…

I see what you mean.  Bit of a pain really.

Could you ease the tower block forwards by 1/2” just to give a bit of a return before the sky?

Paul.

[61656]

On 31/10/2021 at 21:31, 5BarVT said:

I see what you mean.  Bit of a pain really.

Could you ease the tower block forwards by 1/2” just to give a bit of a return before the sky?

Paul.

I think that may be the solution. I’m contemplating taking a couple of steps backwards, splitting the boards again and sorting some proper backscenes.  I think inexperience has got me into something of a corner. Hopefully I can reverse out before I find myself stuck!

[61656]

Whilst giving some proper thought to my next steps there was a rare opportunity to enjoy some running time.
 

A no-boiler 47, much in need of some yellow dominoes, gets a Speedlink service moving from the yard. 
 

 

From up on the roadbridge we see a pair of 47/4s passing at the South end. The large logo 47 has brought in a Holyhead to Euston relief service, which it will hand over to AC power, whilst a generator 47 brings in a relief service from Coventry to Llandudno. 
 

 

A diverted West Coast express sees an 87 hammer through on the usually freight only line. The cross overs are only 30mph from the down line through the station, but Up trains can pass through at 70. 
 

 

A fortunate turn up was the green class 40 putting in a shift on a ballast working from Arpley to Penmaenmawr. I really like this view, but the Superquick viaduct really isn’t good enough. 

 

 

The ballast train will run round at Christleton, so we see it pausing in the late evening sun. The shunter has unhooked the loco, but it has to await some passenger moves before running round. 
 

 

I thought I’d try a new shot through the tunnel. I can’t quite get enough angle to fit the loco in view. The points in the foreground split for the Crewe and Warrington fiddle yards. 

 

 

Meanwhile it’s all action at the north end. The large logo 47 has gone for fuel, whilst a 45 waits alongside it on the holding road. To the right two trans-pennine services roll in together. 
 

 

With a DMU in platform 4, the pair of trans-pennines are routed into platforms 2 and 3. I don’t often do this, but having them either side of an island platform works well (and is good for spotters making the leap!). Here we see them snaking through the station throat - it’s very satisfying to watch!

 

 

It also results in a pleasing line up at the south end. The sole passenger is still absolutely non-plussed. 

 

[mallaig1983]

More great photos. The layout looks like a lot of fun to operate already. Please keep sharing sequences like this. 

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, 61656 said:

I think inexperience has got me into something of a corner.

Quite!

[61656]

There are some great hashtags on Twitter, but #Raturday takes some beating…

 

A pair of 25s bring through a long rake of empty vans. 
 

In reality they run together like hungry rats in a bag, due to having different decoders in them. Something to note for my sought after 20’s. 
 

[61656]

A quiet week whilst I contemplate splitting the boards… 40122 lifts a ballast train out of the through line. 
 

[BenW]

Splitting the boards to do….?

[61656]

19 minutes ago, BenW said:

Splitting the boards to do….?

Wiring (lights and signals) plus sort the backscenes properly. 
 

And just in case I ever need to move it.

[BenW]

Definitely worth extended contemplation that; I’d take at least a couple of years to plan the job

[Mol_PMB]

Just saw this on Flickr and thought of you! 

 

 

Mol

[61656]

On 14/11/2021 at 19:03, Mol_PMB said:

Just saw this on Flickr and thought of you! 

 

 

Mol

Thanks!

 

I love the dullness of 80’s containers. Painting mine a flat red is on the list.

[61656]

The more I thought about it, the more I realised I would like to get the boards apart again. The more I went to look at it, the more I realised I really didn’t! 
 

Eventually splitting them won out. Mainly because I know I would forever regret not splitting them whilst it was still relatively easy. I’m also regretting being a little eager in the early days and not sorting the fabric of the room out before starting. It’s a good opportunity to sort out a few bodges that are bound to come back and bite me later. 
 

Daunting as the task was - I had to insert two 9 way d-type connectors under the boards and cut through the middle of a double junction in the fiddle yard - it actually came away fairly easily. 
 

Now I’ve actually done it, I need to take a few more steps backwards before making a proper charge forwards. Ultimately, there’s nothing you can’t fix, so if you have some doubts about where you are, undoing a few steps isn’t as hard as you think. 
 

Here’s problem 1. The fiddle yard points right across the join. What fool would do this?
 

Problem 2 at the other end of the board, the platforms and buildings across the join. But also an unsatisfactory backscene, some unsatisfactory building work and a wavy platform top. There’s much to be gained from this. 
 

 

First job is to insert some connectors. To help with the awkward position, I used bigger connectors than needed. 
 

 

And then, hardly more than a year’s worth of swearing later, I demonstrate my Moses trick. 
 

 

This is definitely warts ‘n’ all, although I seem to have run out of ‘n’ all!

[mallaig1983]

Looks daunting and I can understand your apprehension but it does appear you have mastered the task. 

[61656]

8 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

Looks daunting and I can understand your apprehension but it does appear you have mastered the task. 

I have undertaken the task. We will talk about mastered when it goes back together!

[mallaig1983]

2 hours ago, 61656 said:

I have undertaken the task. We will talk about mastered when it goes back together!

Haha :-)

[61656]

Now here’s a view I can live without seeing too often!

 

 

Jobs to sort whilst it’s apart:

 

1. Proper backscene boards

2. curved backscene in the alcove where the shed is. 
3. Remove the shelves above the shed to let more light in. 
4. Enable lighting and signalling circuits.

5. Paint walls and sort gaps between ceiling beams and ceiling. 
 

If anyone has any other bright ideas, don’t feel obliged to wait until it’s all back together before saying something!