Christleton Junction - 1986 - Gateway to North Wales

[5BarVT]

31 minutes ago, 61656 said:

Unfortunately they are oriented North - South, meaning that they are a mirror image of the layout…

As long as you don’t want to read the writing, scan, flip, print.

Paul.

[61656]

1 hour ago, 5BarVT said:

As long as you don’t want to read the writing, scan, flip, print.

Paul.

I did wonder about that, but who puts a map up with South at the top? None of us would ever sleep for worrying about falling out of bed!

[61656]

1A14, the 07.10 Holyhead to Euston arrives behind an intercity liveried 47.

 

 

And then causes a headache…the Holyhead to Lawley St Freightliner is booked to lay over for 30 minutes, blocking the 47’s route back to shed. So on to Electric Stabling it goes to wait whilst the 87 takes over. 

 

And in other news, there’s a DPU! Ready for the 4K12 to Man Vic (booked with trailing load…). I wonder who it was that painted 2 of them in this livery… and if they had permission? They certainly didn’t last long like this. 
 

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by 61656
Duplicate photo removed

[BenW]

Wow, where did you get that from?

[61656]

8 hours ago, BenW said:

Wow, where did you get that from?

I let Mrs 61656 buy it me for Valentine’s Day, following a chance find at the Doncaster show. 
 

I figured a DPU was more romantic than a rake of BBAs. After-all, DPUs would certainly have delivered Valentine’s gifts in 1986…

[5BarVT]

On 13/02/2022 at 20:57, 61656 said:

I let Mrs 61656 buy it me for Valentine’s Day, following a chance find at the Doncaster show. 
 

I figured a DPU was more romantic than a rake of BBAs. After-all, DPUs would certainly have delivered Valentine’s gifts in 1986…

Didn’t see you at Doncaster, but that’s not surprising!  I also came away with an unexpected find, so feeling very pleased with myself too.

 

Paul.

Edited April 3, 2022 by 5BarVT
Reload photo

[61656]

Well I finally took the plunge and stuck the backscene down, pretty much permanently. Overall I’m pleased with it, there are a couple of imperfections - the advantage of the room being very wonky is that you always have a good excuse to hand!

 

What I want to do is relatively quickly sort out some simple scenics along the backscene and then I can turn my attention to some of the more detailed elements, including signals, a proper control panel, overhead line, rolling stock…

 

First job was to get the brewery back together (priorities). The old backscene followed the odd shape of the room, so a lot of the Metcalfe buildings have had to be trimmed to refit. 
 

 

The shed area and brewery is much improved I think. 
 

I’ve also put together a quick cameo scene with spare buildings by the fuel point. I have a kit of fuel tanks to put alongside here somewhere. I quite like the look of a former factory now repurposed alongside the new fuel facility. 
 

 

Shadows against the sky are something of an issue. I have a spare lighting point that I haven’t used yet which may help. It’ll shine from the left in the above photo so should balance the light better. 

[61656]

36 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

Didn’t see you at Doncaster, but that’s not surprising!  I also came away with an unexpected find, so feeling very pleased with myself too.

Paul.

Presumably yours has gangway doors?

 

Are you fitting sound? I’m just debating which to choose, but I shall probably go for Legomanbiffo. 

[bradfordbuffer]

On 02/02/2022 at 21:39, 61656 said:

The penultimate piece in the fiddle yard jigsaw, at least until I next have a flash of inspiration!

 

The lifting section now has a double crossover to enable all 6 Warrington sidings to exit via the Up or Down Warringtons or via the sneaky connection to the Holyhead yard. 
 

 

The 47 sits quite tight with 12 tanks (SLUs…standard length units). The pair of 20s will only fit with the raising section lowered. In writing this I’m already thinking 1-3 would be better as through roads rather than 2-4…

 

Cracking layout....point of order the 4w tanks are in excess of a SLU...a slu is or was when I started on br in 86 equivalent to a 21 tone 4 w rust bucket! TTA would of been a 1½ SLU's...loop space would be quoted as ie 40 SLU's that was plus 1 loco and a brake van that was automatically allowed...hope this info helps just scrolling back through your posts brill....can't beet a bit of banger blue!.

G

[5BarVT]

10 hours ago, 61656 said:

Presumably yours has gangway doors?

 

Are you fitting sound? I’m just debating which to choose, but I shall probably go for Legomanbiffo. 

Yes gangwayed (WR) version.  This one is W55992 allocated to Reading, but I’m pretending it was Tyseley (even though that would be M…. by that stage).

As for sound, I’m too tight fisted at present!

And I ought to get a layout operating before I go there.

Paul.

[61656]

 

A class 47 passes through the centre road on a Birmingham bound container train. Both the 47 and the freightliner rake are on my list for attention when the time comes to look at rolling stock. 
 

I think only one banger blue 47 retained a domino style marker light panel in 1986 (47520), so I’ll probably repaint the whole front end. 
 

As for the containers, they need quite a lot of repainting to get to a 1986 consist. Luckily most of the photos I have show them to be mainly red or white. 

[61656]

5 hours ago, bradfordbuffer said:

Cracking layout....point of order the 4w tanks are in excess of a SLU...a slu is or was when I started on br in 86 equivalent to a 21 tone 4 w rust bucket! TTA would of been a 1½ SLU's...loop space would be quoted as ie 40 SLU's that was plus 1 loco and a brake van that was automatically allowed...hope this info helps just scrolling back through your posts brill....can't beet a bit of banger blue!.

G

Thanks - and welcome to the thread!

 

I haven’t used SLUs since the resignalling to Ironbridge power station when a loop length was reduced by 0.5SLUs and the world ended. Now trying to squeeze as many HAAs into a siding as possible I find myself with a lot more appreciation of the problem!

 

An SLU is 21’ and a TTA is 30’ - I think a HAA is 29’, so your 1.5 SLUs looks good. It took a lot of research to get there and I’m still not sure the wagon lengths are correct. 
 

[47449xeCD]

2 hours ago, 61656 said:

 

A class 47 passes through the centre road on a Birmingham bound container train. Both the 47 and the freightliner rake are on my list for attention when the time comes to look at rolling stock. 
 

I think only one banger blue 47 retained a domino style marker light panel in 1986 (47520), so I’ll probably repaint the whole front end. 
 

As for the containers, they need quite a lot of repainting to get to a 1986 consist. Luckily most of the photos I have show them to be mainly red or white. 

I believe 520 was one of the many ER machines never to receive dominos. If accuracy matters might want to look for archive photos. 

[bradfordbuffer]

45 minutes ago, 61656 said:

Thanks - and welcome to the thread!

 

I haven’t used SLUs since the resignalling to Ironbridge power station when a loop length was reduced by 0.5SLUs and the world ended. Now trying to squeeze as many HAAs into a siding as possible I find myself with a lot more appreciation of the problem!

 

An SLU is 21’ and a TTA is 30’ - I think a HAA is 29’, so your 1.5 SLUs looks good. It took a lot of research to get there and I’m still not sure the wagon lengths are correct. 
 

SLUs used pre tops ...from a time of less education! And most stock where a SLU! If a bogie wagon 3 SLUs

mid 80 to late 90s use to show SLUs and feet on tops drivers lists....if you went into a loop and your back end was sticking out it was as punishable as if you had taken wrong route! ...easer to remember a loop was 55 SLUs  not 1423 feet long etc! When you think of how many loops used easy to remember 

[61656]

55 minutes ago, 47449xeCD said:

I believe 520 was one of the many ER machines never to receive dominos. If accuracy matters might want to look for archive photos. 

520 is the only one I’ve found in blue with dominoes. A lot of LL with dominoes. If anyone can find one I’d be interested. 
 

That said, they seem overwhelming yellow and I like to model the everyday, rather than the exceptional. 

[61656]

22 minutes ago, 61656 said:

520 is the only one I’ve found in blue with dominoes. A lot of LL with dominoes. If anyone can find one I’d be interested. 
 

That said, they seem overwhelming yellow and I like to model the everyday, rather than the exceptional. 

 

47 minutes ago, 61656 said:

520 is the only one I’ve found in blue with dominoes. A lot of LL with dominoes. If anyone can find one I’d be interested. 
 

That said, they seem overwhelming yellow and I like to model the everyday, rather than the exceptional. 

A flickr search for class 47s in 1986 shows maybe another 3; 005,116 and 562. Definitely more than one, but slim pickings. 

[EuroMST]

20 hours ago, 61656 said:

I let Mrs 61656 buy it me for Valentine’s Day, following a chance find at the Doncaster show. 
 

I figured a DPU was more romantic than a rake of BBAs. After-all, DPUs would certainly have delivered Valentine’s gifts in 1986…

It seems everyone went to the Doncaster show! I had to go on my own and choose my own gift! I was quite frugal and only came away with a Mk2a BSO new out from Farish, and three packs of West Hill Wagon works magnetic couplings to try out. It was a good show, although very busy!

[EuroMST]

1 hour ago, 61656 said:

520 is the only one I’ve found in blue with dominoes. A lot of LL with dominoes. If anyone can find one I’d be interested. 
 

That said, they seem overwhelming yellow and I like to model the everyday, rather than the exceptional. 

47 096 kept it's domino on at least one end until the end. It was withdrawn in 1996. Have a look on class47.co.uk, that is my first port of call to check out anything Duff related.

[61656]

22 minutes ago, EuroMST said:

47 096 kept it's domino on at least one end until the end. It was withdrawn in 1996. Have a look on class47.co.uk, that is my first port of call to check out anything Duff related.

No way that my OCD will deal with that! Although not as bad as the 40 with discs at one end a headcode box at the other. 

[GD]

1 hour ago, EuroMST said:

47 096 kept it's domino on at least one end until the end. It was withdrawn in 1996. Have a look on class47.co.uk, that is my first port of call to check out anything Duff related.

I think some people are getting domino's and black painted panels confused here

[61656]

38 minutes ago, GD said:

I think some people are getting domino's and black painted panels confused here

For the avoidance of doubt, we mean black ones. Not the original glass ones. 

[5BarVT]

3 hours ago, 61656 said:

For the avoidance of doubt, we mean black ones. Not the original glass ones. 

Ah, no wonder I was confused.

Paul.

[61656]

7 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Ah, no wonder I was confused.

Paul.

The old black painted thing that looks like a domino rather than the glass panel that looks like and is also referred to as a domino?

 

I never understood why they didn’t plate them over in the first place…

[EuroMST]

4 hours ago, 61656 said:

The old black painted thing that looks like a domino rather than the glass panel that looks like and is also referred to as a domino?

 

I never understood why they didn’t plate them over in the first place…

From what I have read it was all down to cost savings. The indicator boxes were costing a lot to maintain. They started by ordering them all to be set to 0000, which led to the Western Region setting them to loco numbers on the Class 52 Westerns. Then depots were told to put black vinyl with 'dominos' over the glass, removing the route indicator boxes, but leaving the light there to illuminate the dots. Cost was a pound or two per loco, and a little bit of labour, a lot less than maintaining the boxes or plating over at the time.

[5BarVT]

Once headcodes had been ‘removed’, could there have been a safety aspect to changing from 0000 (or in some cases . . . .) to dominoes?  Gut feel is that they would have been a little more visible at night.

Paul.