The Great Central in and around Leicester 1955/65

[tigerburnie]

Don't recall ever seeing a 4F on the GC around Leicester. The Jinty is OK as 47442 transferred fro Leicester Midland to Leicester Central in October '59 and stayed for about 6 months.

 

I can't recall them either, but there 11 of them in 1963 sheded at Leicester Central, but then at that time all sorts of steam was being dumped on the GC, can't remember a Jinty either, other than at Leicester Midland. Modellers licence will mean there may well be the "Odd special" visiting. As Leicester was a change over station for both engines and crews(or both) we had stuff from the GWR and from the frozen north turn up, especially in the summer when such expresses would run from Edinburgh to the west country holiday resorts.

[tigerburnie]

Trawling through a 1959 loco shedbook I found 47203, a Jinty allocated to 15E Leicester Central, the only non Eastern Region loco allocated to the shed, the rest were 5 V2 and a dozen B1's, all I need to do now is try and work out what went on what service, I'm guessing the Jinty would have either been a station pilot or in one of the goods yards shunting.

The 1959 shed book clearly illustrates the dramatic decline in steam and the equally rapid rise of diesel, all be it not noticeable on the GC so much.

[APOLLO]

Not Leicester, but GC at Nottingham. This is a useful site for the GC modeller in BR days.

 

http://www.annesleyfireman.com/

 

Hope it is of interest.

 

Brit15

[tigerburnie]

Thanks Apollo, I have read this very interesting site, with Woodford to the south, this shed supplied most of the locos for the freight on the GC during the period I hope to cover. In the earlier part(pre 1960) the locos at Annesley give me great scope for some interesting locos from the LNER.

[tigerburnie]

This layout is still progressing slowly, trains are run several times a week, but not yet to any sort of timetable, just running in locos and sorting out teething problems as they appear. One was the gaps in the rails, I laid my track in the warmth of high summer(well as high as we get up here in NE Scotland), now we are getting close to freezing point, my track is shrinking in the cold(not the only thing lol). I have had to slide track in places as gaps up to a quarter of an inch(this is a steam layout, pre metrification)appear.

No new rolling stock added as it's too near Christmas and Santa needs all the financial help he can get just now, but the station is progressing, bought a Metcalfe PO340 platform canopy yesterday to see if it looks acceptable, so that may get built whilst SWMBO watches "Strictly". The first part of the scenic side in the country on the opposite side of the oval is under way, lots of polystyrene packaging held in place with gaffer tape is slowly being covered with Modroc plaster roll. Photos to follow later.

Edited April 11, 2018 by tigerburnie

[Littlethorpe]

I can't recall them either, but there 11 of them in 1963 sheded at Leicester Central, but then at that time all sorts of steam was being dumped on the GC, can't remember a Jinty either, other than at Leicester Midland. Modellers licence will mean there may well be the "Odd special" visiting. As Leicester was a change over station for both engines and crews(or both) we had stuff from the GWR and from the frozen north turn up, especially in the summer when such expresses would run from Edinburgh to the west country holiday resorts.

 

I'm still mystified by this as my records don't show any 4Fs allocated to Leicester Central. In the Shed's final years the allocation was mainly B1s, Black 5s & Standard 5s. On closure the 15E Shed Code was, I believe, switched to Coalville which did have numerous 4Fs.

 

The full Leicester Central Loco allocation can be found here...

 

http://www.brdatabase.info/sites.php?page=depots&subpage=locos&id=315

[tigerburnie]

I'm still mystified by this as my records don't show any 4Fs allocated to Leicester Central. In the Shed's final years the allocation was mainly B1s, Black 5s & Standard 5s. On closure the 15E Shed Code was, I believe, switched to Coalville which did have numerous 4Fs.

 

The full Leicester Central Loco allocation can be found here...

 

http://www.brdatabase.info/sites.php?page=depots&subpage=locos&id=315

 

Hi, that data base will be most useful, this moving of the shed code could be why I got confused then, my source is my old Ian Allen abc loco shed books and the one with these 4f's at 15E has the page with the date on it(the front cover) is missing, as is the first page which would have confirmed that Coalville changed from 15D to 15E(something I don't remember happening), I think this was the 1964 book. I shalln't be buying any more of them, so the existing one I have can be a guest from down the road.

[tigerburnie]

The joys of an evolving model railway, I have built the Metcalfe platform canopy as the image looked close to what I need for this station, however clearly it's not right. It will do nicely over the subway steps in the centre of the platform, but as I need 4 feet of it on either side of the platform and it should be on single legs, not double, scratch built here I come.

I will try and source suitable lattice work as quite a lot of it is exposed over the central bays on the prototype, off scouring the t'internet, I may be gone some time(all suggestions greatfully accepted.

The buildings are to be replaced, they were my first attempts at scratch building, first lesson learnt was buy the windows and doors first, then cut the buildings to suit, not the other way round. doh!

 

 

Edited April 11, 2018 by tigerburnie

[tigerburnie]

I'm also starting to landscape the section of "countryside on the opposite side of the oval, 2 cuttings with over bridges one farm bridge under the track all to be scratch built, then a 13 arch viaduct leading into Whetstone station.

 

This will all need to be ballasted, not sure do I do ballast then grass, or do I do grass first?

 

Edited April 11, 2018 by tigerburnie

[tigerburnie]

I need to get the South Goods(read fiddle yard) built, not much rolling stock, but it is getting in the way. I also need to find something for the gates on the goods lift, even if I do bin this building for another one.

 

[tigerburnie]

Whilst waiting for bits for the station, I've started building a couple of overbridges for the scenic "countryside", anyone got any tips? One is a pedestrian narrow one and the other was wide enough for the farmer to get his tractor over and was tarmacked, both in blue brick of course.

[richard i]

Whilst waiting for bits for the station, I've started building a couple of overbridges for the scenic "countryside", anyone got any tips? One is a pedestrian narrow one and the other was wide enough for the farmer to get his tractor over and was tarmacked, both in blue brick of course.

Use wood as the basic structure and build out in plasticard for the facing

[innocentman]

Whilst waiting for bits for the station, I've started building a couple of overbridges for the scenic "countryside", anyone got any tips? One is a pedestrian narrow one and the other was wide enough for the farmer to get his tractor over and was tarmacked, both in blue brick of course.

 

For the bridges on the Leeds MRS layout Chapel-en-le-Frith we turned to 3D printing as a way of forming the basic structures.

 

 

The bridge was printed in sections, glued together and then clad with embossed plasticard for stone/Brickwork.

 

 

Regards

 

Andy

[tigerburnie]

Thanks gents, I have two others to build, one a 13 arch viaduct, so I'll practice on these 2 first. I doubt I'll be buying a 3D printer though.

[APOLLO]

I used Dapol station canopies for my Leicester Central layout (dismantled in 1993). The (unglazed) canopies still exist on my "generic" loft layout.

 

 

Not exactly the same as leicester GC but they were near enough for me.

 

My photos of this layout are non digital, I need to scan them one day.

 

Brit15

[tigerburnie]

I might end up compromising on the canopies, but I will try making a section and see how it turns out, the Metcalfe isn't bad, but I'd need around 24 of them at £14 a pop, expensive was my first thought for something that is a compromise.

[tigerburnie]

Whilst waiting for parts to continue with the station, I made a start on the "countryside" area that was at the back of my parents place where I grew up, just north of Whestone station, I've begun with a low profile pedestrian bridge  that will have a scenic screen to break the bend and fiddle yard from the area. This is not complete, will need weathering and will be fitted once the grass has been fixed on the cutting banks.

 

 

Edited April 11, 2018 by tigerburnie

[tigerburnie]

This one doesn't look quite right, so will need modifying

 

 

Edited March 18, 2019 by tigerburnie

[tigerburnie]

Thanks Apollo, my first go at scratch building bridges.

[tigerburnie]

I'm not too happy with the bay platforms, modified Hornby stuff, I was down at the model shop near Dundee and a member of their modelling club put me right. Left the shop with a heap of balsa wood, so I'll scratch build new ones, all advice welcomed before I start.

[30851]

Trawling through a 1959 loco shedbook I found 47203, a Jinty allocated to 15E Leicester Central, the only non Eastern Region loco allocated to the shed, the rest were 5 V2 and a dozen B1's, all I need to do now is try and work out what went on what service, I'm guessing the Jinty would have either been a station pilot or in one of the goods yards shunting.

The 1959 shed book clearly illustrates the dramatic decline in steam and the equally rapid rise of diesel, all be it not noticeable on the GC so much.

 

Jinty 47203 was used as the shunter at Leicester Goods - there is a picture of it in "The Great Central  From the Footplate" at Leicester South Goods. It replaced J52 68839 and was itself replaced by D3785.

 

Rob

[APOLLO]

Have you sen this superb site, lots of Leicester Central photos.

 

http://www.gcrleicester.info/html/leicester_central1.html

 

Brit15

[danstercivicman]

Years ago I worked in Leicester (after growing up there)... sadly the GCR station is now a car park or what's left of it is now a car park.

 

It's such a shame that the line was cut to pieces. My own view is that it would make an excellent HS2 type line as it's built to the continental gauge...

 

There are some amazing bits of railway history in Leicester like the old GN station at Belgrave Road (a nice track plan).

[tigerburnie]

Years ago I worked in Leicester (after growing up there)... sadly the GCR station is now a car park or what's left of it is now a car park.

 

It's such a shame that the line was cut to pieces. My own view is that it would make an excellent HS2 type line as it's built to the continental gauge...

 

There are some amazing bits of railway history in Leicester like the old GN station at Belgrave Road (a nice track plan).

 

Leicestershire was criss-crossed with railways in the 1950's I can remember quite a few journeys, but sadly few on the GC as Blaby station was nearer to my home, I often used to travel home from school from Wigston on a steam hauled train, not a very exciting model layout though.

[tigerburnie]

The platform re-build begins

It will need some more cross bracing, but I've used up the balsa, any advice about the finishes would be appreciated, plan is brick on the sides and the top should be slabs for he third that is under cover, then the rest was tarmac. I tried sticking sand paper on the previous incarnation and I don't like it, so I thought I might try paint, sprinkled with fine "N gauge" ash granules?

 

 

Edited March 18, 2019 by tigerburnie