Priory Road - North East Essex in BR days

[Izzy]

Priory Road – The Rolling Stock Sequences

 

With Priory Road pretty much completed apart from adding a few figures attention has been turned to properly sorting out the rolling stock to use on it for running sequences, BR green diesel era, BR blue era, and a steam/diesel transition era.

 

Although as with most small terminus layouts the type of stock is limited to what would be needed for it’s particular services the decision to base it on the location of Colchester St Botolphs provides the opportunity to use a reasonable selection. In my (slightly) altered reality where 309 EMU’s called in on their journeys between Walton & Liverpool St it was also the starting point for services from Colchester to Cambridge via the Stour Valley line at Marks Tey and the terminus for Brightlingsea ones. This was the rational for choosing it along with featuring separate lines for the two directions to add to the sense of trains coming and going different ways.

 

The first job was to generate a sequence timetable to reflect what might be seen on an average day, the general order of arrivals and departures. From this I could then decide what stock to use. A case of matching up what was needed with what I had. These two aspects were mostly undertaken in conjunction with each other because I had been gathering together the stock seen in the area alongside the construction of PR, or rather well before it emerged for another project, so I actually had considerably more than I required in some aspects.

 

I finally arrived at a basic sequence of 25 movements using seven individual trains, as this was the maximum number I could fit in the five road sector plate without a lot of removal and re-railing which I wanted to avoid as much as possible. This was for the mid-1960’s green diesel era. The blue diesel era has one less train due to the disappearance of the Brightlingsea trains with that lines closure in this later time frame. I have yet to compose one for the changeover steam to diesel era where my N7/3 and Ivatt 2MT will be used.

Although it’s all only for me, so I can take as long as I like to do anything, pause where I want etc. I still find loading stock on the tracks time consuming. I am now firmly of the opinion that fiddle yards are as important, and probably more so, than the visible layout side if decent operation is to be possible when it is done single handed with more than a simple BLT where the same passenger train just shuffles back and forth with the odd goods train as the one change.

 

As Priory Road was only ever intended as a simple home based portable layout with no thought of it ever being exhibited or even lasting very long, and circumstances are now such that it cannot be exhibited for a number of personal reasons anyway, I thought posting shots of the sequences and the rolling stock used might be of interest. To show how much, or how little, is required to have interesting and satisfying operation with a layout such as this or those of a similar nature.

 

I’ll start off with the BR green era one as that is what PR was really designed for in respect of colours, signage, vehicles etc. and for which I have enough correct stock. I will post it in sections as it’s too much to do in one go.

 

 

The BR green era running sequence Pt 1

 

The first train to arrive is the early morning newspaper & parcels. This comprises of a number of NPCS vehicles detached at Colchester North (herein just ‘North’) from one originating at Liverpool St and terminating at Clacton. This is brought on to PR as a local trip working and will return to North where it will eventually rejoin the rest of the train as an empty stock working back to Stratford sidings to repeat the journey again the next day.

 

 

This is hauled by my CL15 and is composed of a GUV, CCT, and Full brake. These were built from 2mm Association etched kits designed by Chris Higgs which sadly are no longer available at present. Really lovely kits they go well size wise with the CL15 which is also 2mm. I made these in the time before the latest Farish ‘blue riband’ NCPS was produced, examples of which I also now have and which help to illustrate the sometimes obvious size differences between N gauge stock at 1:148 and 2mm at 1:152. There is only just enough length in the loop for the loco to run-round these and then push them into the shorter parcels platform from which they are then unloaded.

 

 

 

With hindsight it would have been very useful if this loop could have been just a bit longer, the odd inch would have made all the difference. This is part of the trade-off that is often needed when producing a minimal space layout. Easily solved by using a shorter train, say the FB with either the CCT or GUV, but I prefer to run all three together since they are for me a ‘set’ as they stand and I have great affection for them. It provides a bit of a challenge as well.

 

 

In a sense it’s a bit of a misnomer to say minimum space because it’s sobering to realise that if I had tried to produce PR in 4mm scale it would be 12ft long and 20” wide and too invasive to leave erected for long periods in the spare room I use which I can do with PR. That PR is also a fairly light single board layout that I can easily move around highlights the advantages that working in 2mm and using mountboard based baseboards has brought me.

 

The next arrival is an early morning 309 EMU set from Walton.

 

 

Some passengers head into Colchester but more join those already aboard. This will go on to North where it will join with another set from Clacton for the onward journey to Liverpool St. It sits in the main platform for as long as it takes the driver to walk up the length of the 4-coach unit and change cabs.

 

 

 

It then exits the station.

 

 

This 4-car set is in the original maroon livery with the curved window cabs. I made it from a blend of Farish coaches with commonwealth bogies coupled with etched sides and ends from Worsley works. The power plant is out of a Farish 101 parcels DMU. Said quickly it seems simple enough, but the build happened in fits and starts over a 2-3 year period as I tried to grapple with various issues like blending the cabs into the sides to get the rounded corners. I think I re-built them three or four times before I managed to get an acceptable result. The pantographs were another little test as was the underframe details. Although far from perfect it’s nice seeing it rolling in and out of PR and as I remember and rode in them in those early years. (I rode in them on and off throughout their entire existence on exGE metals).

 

Shortly after it has gone and cleared the single line access a Derby Lightweight DMU arrives into the main platform from North. This has brought with it more workers and early shoppers heading into Colchester Town centre. East Anglia was a very early recipient of diesel traction in all it’s forms, it was the first region to be fully dieselised and steam eliminated, and these units were common around the area in those years.

 

 

Since no model of these is made or a kit available in either 2mm or N this has been produced by fitting new cabs onto a Farish CL108 DMU. These were basically newer versions of the Derby Lightweights with the same basic body design but different cabs so it was a case of backdating them with the older cabs. These I made from plasticard. They aren’t anywhere as good as the recent etchings for these cabs that @Pixie has produced but like the construction of the 2mm NPCS I did this conversion quite a few years ago and from a distance doesn’t look too bad, (so I tell myself).

 

 

Now emptied the CL15 takes the parcels stock back to North for it’s return onward journey.

 

 

 

                                                              -----------------------------

 

 

Bob

[Richard Hall]

That is really rather lovely. The Derby Lightweight is nicer than you are prepared to admit. Some good inspiration here, thank you for sharing.

 

Richard

[Izzy]

48 minutes ago, Richard Hall said:

That is really rather lovely. The Derby Lightweight is nicer than you are prepared to admit. Some good inspiration here, thank you for sharing.

 

Richard

 

That's very kind of you Richard.  Thank you.

 

Bob

[Izzy]

 

The BR green era running sequence Pt 2

 

Once it has left, the DMU, which had stopped in the main platform as close to the buffers as allowable uses the release crossover to move to the parcels platform. It will now form a Colchester to Cambridge service via Sudbury.

 

 

 

 

It has moved platforms to allow the passenger service from Brightlingsea in the form of a Metro Cammel lightweight DMU to arrive into the main platform, the line from the Clacton/Walton direction not having access to both platforms.

 

 

Like the Derby Lightweight this was another early DMU class and used on the Brightlingsea branch. As like the CL108 the CL101 was a newer version a Farish CL101 was again backdated. This was slightly easier since the later cabs were similar except in details so completely new cabs weren’t needed. I am sure there are probably lots more details that differ with both these DMU classes that more accomplished modellers would wish to alter, so you will have to forgive my broad brush approach. In later years Craven 105’s replaced both these types but although I have produced one in the BR blue livery for a later period running sequence I chose not make a Green era one and use these earlier types instead.

 

 

Once those passengers wishing too have joined the Cambridge DMU, some probably using it just to get to North for further onward travel elsewhere, a few of those who arrived on the Brightlingsea service perhaps, it departs on it’s way.

 

The next arrival is the morning goods, another trip working from North. This enters the parcels platform road since the Brightlingsea DMU sits in the main platform and stops short of the release crossover.

 

 

A CL 08 is in charge, the train usually composed of vans with perhaps the odd conflat or two either empty for outgoing containers, or loaded with a container. The loco is a Farish body on a 2mm association etched chassis. It also has a brass sheet footplate as well as the etched outside frames/bufferbeams and a coreless motor along with a Zimo decoder and home brew tantalum stay-alive pack to ensure reliable running. The vans are mostly 2mm association kits on etched chassis, various LNER & BR standard types but with a couple of Farish and Peco thrown in (also on etched underframes), while the conflats and containers are Farish with just the wheels changed. I have a selection to choose from. All stock has DG couplings except the EMU’s & DMU’’s which use different arrangements. The guards vans are mainly Farish standard BR 20T’s with 2FS wheels & DG’s along with replacement wire handrails, although there is a LNER toad E from a 2mm association etched kit that sometimes appears, as it’s nice to ring the changes where possible.

 

Once the goods arrives the Brightlingsea DMU departs.

 

 

This leaves the station empty for the goods to be run-round and the wagons placed in the siding behind the parcels platform. How much shunting takes place depends as to whether there are any wagons in the siding to be taken back to North. Then the engine and train either sit in the parcel platform road awaiting a clear path back or, as in this case, sit in the siding since it is only the loco and brake van.

 

 

 

Two sidings in the yard would have been nice but although it was considered during the original planning it felt too overcrowded at the time. I keep thinking about it now, to widen the goods scope a bit, allow a few more wagons, but feel it would require too much alteration.

 

                                           --------------------------------------------------------------

 

Bob

[sb67]

Lovely set of photo's Izzy, the 'Clacton' unit looks superb and really sets the location. 

[Izzy]

The BR green era running sequence Pt 3

 

The next arrival is a 309 EMU from North. This is the first return service from Liverpool St. As before it stays only as long as the time taken to walk from one cab to the other, and then departs onward to Walton. In reality this is the same 309 EMU of course, the advantage that both exits lead to the same sector plate tracks.

 

 

 

Now a late morning parcels train arrives into the main platform again from North. This is hauled by a CL24. A Farish model this is one of three I take my pick from, all different liveries, one plain green, one with small yellow panels, and a two tone green. It’s the plain green this time, the first I acquired. They are standard Farish with the 2mm association ‘drop-in’ conversion wheels. Superb runners all have had their roofs altered to correct the position of the roof panel strips. Sadly for some reason the paint seems to be rubbing off these alterations and will have to be re-done. I’m getting rather tired of the poor quality of the present paint these days whatever make I try. It’s a bit of a lottery. Old tins I still have, decades old, are quite okay, far superior. But when the colour needed runs out….such is life..

 

 

The NCPS is that mentioned earlier, Farish blue riband, again a CCT, GUV, and FB. They of course are slightly bigger/longer than the 2mm versions so it is even more of a challenge to get the loco to run-round them. Using the main platform side of the loop gives a fractional increase in space. This is to do with the set of the point blades. I have ganged them to work as pairs to save switches on the handheld panel and for interlocking. It is also likely they would be worked like this in real life. But practically with very limited track length they then have to move under the stock sitting in the loop if there is too much, so getting the stock to a place where they are clear of the actual blade movement, so they aren’t thrown off the track but give clearance, is tricky. As said earlier another inch would have been handy…..

 

 

Once the parcels stock has been moved into the parcels platform the CL08 & train depart back to North.

 

 

 

Then the parcels loco, the CL24 moves into the goods siding while the NPCS is emptied and loaded to clear the loop and access to the cement siding.

 

 

 

Had the goods been sitting in the parcels road it would have been cleared to depart before the CL24 ran-round the NPCS stock. Some aspects of the sequence are variable like this, a bit of flexibility, adjusted to suit the amount of goods wagons etc.

 

The next arrival is the mid-morning DMU service from Brightlingsea.

 

 

 

This is followed by a cement train from North which uses the parcels road, stopping before the release crossover like the goods. It’s anticipated arrival is why the CL24 moved to the goods siding.

 

 

With it’s arrival the DMU again departs for Brightlingsea.  This now leaves the track clear for the cement train to shunt the cement siding, placing and removing wagons as needed which means using the end of the main platform line up to the buffers as a headshunt.

 

 

 

The train loco is a Farish CL31, one of the newer DCC ready 6-pin type. The wheels are the original Farish ones lathe turned to run on 2FS. I think suitable ‘drop-in’ ones are now available. The wagons in this time frame are Farish Presflos with 2FS replacement wheels and often a van or two carrying bagged cement for the store. The van seen here was scratchbuilt but a couple of BR standard vans in brown with Blue Circle branding are also used. A number of presflos are available to choose from, in the grey seen, bauxite with Blue circle branding boards, or plain bauxite.

 

 

When finished the loco sits in the parcels road with the brake van and any outgoing wagons, none this time, and awaits the road back to North.

 

 

 

                                           ----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Bob

 

 

[Nigelcliffe]

Bob,  the running sequence pictures are great.   Please post more !

 

- Nigel

[D5158]

Love the operating potential of this layout.

 

Especially the sequence photographs.

 

Alan

[Izzy]

6 hours ago, Nigelcliffe said:

Bob,  the running sequence pictures are great.   Please post more !

 

- Nigel

 

3 hours ago, D5158 said:

Love the operating potential of this layout.

 

Especially the sequence photographs.

 

Alan

 

Thank you both, and indeed to all those who have posted reactions.  I have more to post to finish this particular sequence, and will attempt to produce some for a later blue era one.

 

Bob

 

 

 

[Richard Hall]

I was wondering when that diamond crossing would come into play.  Your trackplan is very similar to a little N gauge layout I built some years ago (apologies for display of horribly coarse and clumsy modelling below) and I suspect you have exactly the same problem I had: you can only shunt that kickback siding two wagons at a time due to insufficient distance between the crossover and buffer stops.  One of those ideas which look great in terms of making best use of space, but whose fatal flaw I didn't spot until I started running trains. Layout planners take note. 

 

[Izzy]

That looks interesting Richard. You'll please forgive me when I say I don't remember seeing it before. I was very taken by your 'Longframlington' when I saw that at the Felixstowe N gauge show a few years back, a really lovely layout that ran beautifully. The goods yard arrangements were I thought nice and different to the norm. I see that rather than re-laying that to 2FS your starting with a fresh plan.

 

In respect to kick-back sidings on limited space layouts I have to say that often I see arrangements that look good on paper, but in practice won't work at all. With PR I tried to 'massage' all the various parts to get some kind of balance, but if with the goods or cement trains there are any wagons already in their respective sidings then the shunting gets 'interesting', and needs care and a lot of thought if you aren't to get yourself in a right pickle.

 

If I re-post the trackplan which is in one of the first few pages somewhere to explain,

 

 

the main platform headshunt was made just long enough to take the 2-car DMU's so the platform swop can take place as seen previously, and with the extra length to the toe of the slip blades just enough wagons with the longest loco I use (CL31) can be fitted in. The real challange with any train as such is where to put the wagons taken out if the parcels platform is already occupied.  This is where Templot came in very handy, printing various track plans I came up with out full size and 'playing' with the stock I had on them to test them out and see what might work. It really was a case of trying to get a quart into a pint pot!

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Richard Hall]

1 hour ago, Izzy said:

That looks interesting Richard. You'll please forgive me when I say I don't remember seeing it before...

 

Bob

 

 

"Belstone" was my first attempt at building something after very many years out of the hobby.  It was a steep learning curve but quite a nice little terminus to operate, apart from that kickback siding.  I only had room for a J39 and two wagons beyond the crossover, which meant a lot of shuffling around to shunt the coal traffic.

 

Your semi-curved diamond crossing has Templot all over it, lovely piece of work. I'm glad you enjoyed Longframlington.  I'm not sure what to do with it now, might see if I can do another couple of shows while I build Billingboro.

 

Richard

[Sithlord75]

2 hours ago, Izzy said:

That looks interesting Richard. You'll please forgive me when I say I don't remember seeing it before. I was very taken by your 'Longframlington' when I saw that at the Felixstowe N gauge show a few years back, a really lovely layout that ran beautifully. The goods yard arrangements were I thought nice and different to the norm. I see that rather than re-laying that to 2FS your starting with a fresh plan.

 

In respect to kick-back sidings on limited space layouts I have to say that often I see arrangements that look good on paper, but in practice won't work at all. With PR I tried to 'massage' all the various parts to get some kind of balance, but if with the goods or cement trains there are any wagons already in their respective sidings then the shunting gets 'interesting', and needs care and a lot of thought if you aren't to get yourself in a right pickle.

 

If I re-post the trackplan which is in one of the first few pages somewhere to explain,

 

 

the main platform headshunt was made just long enough to take the 2-car DMU's so the platform swop can take place as seen previously, and with the extra length to the toe of the slip blades just enough wagons with the longest loco I use (CL31) can be fitted in. The real challange with any train as such is where to put the wagons taken out if the parcels platform is already occupied.  This is where Templot came in very handy, printing various track plans I came up with out full size and 'playing' with the stock I had on them to test them out and see what might work. It really was a case of trying to get a quart into a pint pot!

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

The track plan looks a lot like "Collier Street" out of the Peco set track plan book - except in 2mm finescale!  I knew it looked familiar - I built a layout based on the same track plan back in 2008 whilst teaching at Longreach State High School in the middle of Queensland.  This was because my wife was a Collier once upon a time and I watched a build of it on whichever version of RMWeb it was at the time.  Lots of potential for location adaptions - I did mine as 3rd Rail Electric.  May revisit it inspired by this.  @nebnoswal will say "layout dream what number?" but you have to have dreams.

 

I've particularly enjoyed the sequence photos.  Thank you for those.

[Izzy]

57 minutes ago, Sithlord75 said:

The track plan looks a lot like "Collier Street" out of the Peco set track plan book - except in 2mm finescale!  I knew it looked familiar -

 

That's interesting. I'm afraid I have no knowledge of the plan book or the plans so it's just purely coincidental.  How strange. PR's track plan actually came about as a basic amalgamation of the GE's predilection for using 'crossed over' sidings like this with a single-slip instead of the diamond to provide trapping of both on quite a few of it's smaller stations - Little Welnetham on the Long Melford to Bury St Edmunds branch was where I first spotted it - with the general practice of using a single-slip on double lines to reach goods yards/sidings without having facing points. Because the angle of the diamond was too actue to be a single-slip I just used it combined with separate traps instead. Funny how things come about isn't it.

 

Pleased your liking the sequence shots. More on the way.

 

Bob

 

 

[Izzy]

The BR green era running sequence Pt 4

 

A Derby lightweight now arrives from North. Again this is of course the same actual DMU as before now taking another role. This is the service from Cambridge to Colchester which terminates at PR so it carries passengers for the town centre from a wide area.

 

 

Once this has arrived the cement trip working is able to return to North.

 

 

 

Following it’s departure the CL24 leaves the goods siding, couples to the NPCS in the parcels road which has by now been loaded/unloaded and then also departs to North.

 

 

This is then followed by the DMU undertaking the previously seen move of transferring via the release crossover to the now vacated parcels platform.

 

 

At this stage the last 309 EMU working from Liverpool St enters from North. After the normal time wait it departs onward to Walton.

 

Now the Derby DMU leaves for North, taking those finished with work or shopping etc. and homeward bound as did the 309 to Walton.

 

And that’s it I'm afraid.

 

Although this sequence does cover the basics it is open to alteration as I choose, adding extra trains and so forth when it seems appropriate. As it stands it takes between 1 1/2 to 2hrs to complete, longer if more shunting is involved. I'll try and illustrate that in the blue era sequence to come to show that even with just one siding quite a bit can be involved.

 

It would seem logical to extend the general sequence more towards the end, to run more passenger services along with perhaps a smaller evening parcels train and/or goods as it ends a bit abruptly, and is an aspect I’m working on. What I am trying to avoid is too many obviously repetitive movements but using the same basic stock/locos and which I’m finding is quite difficult to achieve. But it does show I think what it is possible to run as it stands and give some enjoyment. That a small layout doesn't always have to be too limiting.

 

Bob

[Caley Jim]

1 hour ago, Izzy said:

 

Because the angle of the diamond was too acute to be a single-slip I just used it combined with separate traps instead. Funny how things come about isn't it.

Could you not have made it an outside slip by making the two traps turnouts and joining them together?  Would that give you more flexibility?

 

Nice to see a sequence of movements which have some logic and purpose behind them.

 

Jim

[Izzy]

39 minutes ago, Caley Jim said:

Could you not have made it an outside slip by making the two traps turnouts and joining them together?  Would that give you more flexibility?

 

Nice to see a sequence of movements which have some logic and purpose behind them.

 

Jim

 

I did look at that Jim, but after thinking about it and not seeing any need for wagons to be moved from one to other - I think in the locations I’ve seen the arrangement they may have been moved by local means, pinch bars/horse etc. to suit the direction for collection, I decided to take the easiest and simpler looking way.

 

Bob

[bradfordbuffer]

18 hours ago, Izzy said:

The BR green era running sequence Pt 4

 

A Derby lightweight now arrives from North. Again this is of course the same actual DMU as before now taking another role. This is the service from Cambridge to Colchester which terminates at PR so it carries passengers for the town centre from a wide area.

 

 

Once this has arrived the cement trip working is able to return to North.

 

 

 

Following it’s departure the CL24 leaves the goods siding, couples to the NPCS in the parcels road which has by now been loaded/unloaded and then also departs to North.

 

 

This is then followed by the DMU undertaking the previously seen move of transferring via the release crossover to the now vacated parcels platform.

 

 

At this stage the last 309 EMU working from Liverpool St enters from North. After the normal time wait it departs onward to Walton.

 

Now the Derby DMU leaves for North, taking those finished with work or shopping etc. and homeward bound as did the 309 to Walton.

 

And that’s it I'm afraid.

 

Although this sequence does cover the basics it is open to alteration as I choose, adding extra trains and so forth when it seems appropriate. As it stands it takes between 1 1/2 to 2hrs to complete, longer if more shunting is involved. I'll try and illustrate that in the blue era sequence to come to show that even with just one siding quite a bit can be involved.

 

It would seem logical to extend the general sequence more towards the end, to run more passenger services along with perhaps a smaller evening parcels train and/or goods as it ends a bit abruptly, and is an aspect I’m working on. What I am trying to avoid is too many obviously repetitive movements but using the same basic stock/locos and which I’m finding is quite difficult to achieve. But it does show I think what it is possible to run as it stands and give some enjoyment. That a small layout doesn't always have to be too limiting.

 

Bob

Cracking layout! Thanks for sequence photos.....now have to start st beginning of thread and do a full catch up!...where a lot of layouts go wrong us the tone of colours....yours vis spot on!...looking forward to the catch up.

G

[bradfordbuffer]

8 hours ago, bradfordbuffer said:

Cracking layout! Thanks for sequence photos.....now have to start st beginning of thread and do a full catch up!...where a lot of layouts go wrong us the tone of colours....yours vis spot on!...looking forward to the catch up.

G

Any up coming shows for layout?

[Izzy]

1 hour ago, bradfordbuffer said:

Any up coming shows for layout?

 

I'm ever so sorry but as I mentioned at the beginning of the BR Green era sequence photo posts, nice though it would have been to have been able to do so it cannot be exhibited for a number of reasons. It's why I decided to do the sequence shots. I am pleased people have liked them, and more will be coming along when I can get them done and sorted out, a blue era set.

 

Bob

[bradfordbuffer]

1 hour ago, Izzy said:

 

I'm ever so sorry but as I mentioned at the beginning of the BR Green era sequence photo posts, nice though it would have been to have been able to do so it cannot be exhibited for a number of reasons. It's why I decided to do the sequence shots. I am pleased people have liked them, and more will be coming along when I can get them done and sorted out, a blue era set.

 

Bob

Need to read text rather than just looking at pics

[Izzy]

The BR Blue era running sequence Pt 1

 

Although this later time frame sequence has been based around the earlier Green era one some important changes to the railway network have a marked effect on it. Firstly the Brightlingsea branch has disappeared completely whilst there are no direct services between Colchester and Cambridge, the line from Marks Tey now only going as far as Sudbury, the branches onward to both Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge having been swept away like the one to Brightlingsea and so may others around the UK. So the only services that now run on the ‘branch’ leg of the triangular junction between PR and Clacton/Walton are the passenger services using 309 EMU’s which continue to call on their journeys between Colchester (North) and Walton whether just local or onwards to Liverpool St there being a mix of the two at this time, whilst the service to Sudbury is just mostly a shuttle from Marks Tey, with just a few each day starting and finishing at PR. It still provides 23 movements without I think becoming too overly repetitive. I have tried to provide a few alternative shots of some scenes where possible but seem to have also missed a few I should have taken for which I apologise. There were quite a few taken so it was a very stop & go affair!

 

 

 

 

The first arrival continues to be the early morning newspapers and parcels, trip worked from North as it has been for many years.

 

 

The loco is a CL31, still in green livery but with the BR arrows symbols on it’s sides. It is also an early build example of the class without headcode boxes and indicator discs instead and often referred to as a ‘skinhead’, commonly seen around East Anglia, most being allocated to Stratford and it’s sub sheds as they had always been. Those that retained the green livery longer than most were some re-engined just before the Blue livery arrived and thus got the green but with those arrows, 5520 being one such loco. It also has the Stratford signature white roof but which is now getting a bit dirty as might be expected. Bachmann did promised to produce a ‘Skinhead’ 31 at some stage but when after several years none had arrived I decided to produce my own so this is another Farish 6-pin DCC model which I converted to discs by carving away the headcode boxes etc. The NPCS is more Farish blue riband with the close-coupling parts removed and given DG’s as well as wheels to 2FS. Most of my blue era coaching stock has yet to be toned down/weathered.

 

 

 

 

The loco runs around the train and puts it into the parcels platform for unloading.

 

 

A 309 EMU then appears from the Walton direction, the first working of the day.

 

 

 

This set is currently composed of three coaches. It’s an original 2-car set with the round cab windows now replaced by flat ones which happened to several of these sets when the windows got broken as they were expensive to replace. It’s running in the transition period when these 2-cars were made up to four with modified ordinary Mk1’s and before all sets were re-furbished. This one has currently lost one of it’s Mk1 coaches to the 4-car buffet sets which were given them when the buffets were scrapped. At times it will run as just the 2-car set. This set I made from more Farish coaches with Worsley Works etched sides and ends/cabs but this has a mostly scratchbuilt power bogie. Full details of it’s construction are earlier in this thread. The Mk1 coach is again standard Farish. This set, like the maroon 309, uses the standard N rapidio couplings to enable close coupling, the Farish system being very effective when combined with a mix of coupling shank lengths to produce the result desired.

 

 

 

 

While both these trains sit in the platforms anyone gazing over the station will observe some wagons standing in both the sidings.

 

 

 

 

Three box vans behind the parcels platform, two with Blue circle branding at the cement store, with three Metalair bulk powder cement wagons further along the siding. These latter are Farish which I use instead of the Presflos which were still common at this time to help this era seem different to the green one. They are another set of stock that requires weathering to tone them down a bit.

 

 

 

 

Shortly after the 309 EMU gets the clearance and has departed to North a Cravens 105 DMU arrives from the same direction.

 

 

This DMU class mostly replaced the early types seen during the green era. It has arrived as a shuttle working from North. It will now form the first of the few daily services from PR to Sudbury that still run. Again this has it’s basis in a Farish DMU, a CL101 parcels unit they produced with both units motorised. One of the power plants was nicked to go in the Maroon version 309 EMU while Worsley Works etched parts, sides/ends/cabs provided the bodies for this DMU mated with the 101 underframes which were re-built to suit. Plastic coach roof mouldings from BHE were adapted to fit on top.

 

 

With the arrival of the DMU and with it’s NPCS having been emptied the CL31 is able to leave and take it’s train back to North for the onward empty stock working it will run in back to Stratford.

 

 

 

 

After a short wait the CL105 is also able to proceed on it’s journey to Sudbury.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Allegheny1600]

Hi Bob,

Fabulous!

Many thanks for showing us your sequence pictures, I and I’m sure, many others, really appreciate the effort it takes.

It’s also sobering to read your descriptions and realise all the conversions you have done, truly a labour of love. And so worthwhile.

Cheers,

 John 

[Flying Pig]

This is a cracking layout - beautiful modelling and a strong sense of place.  In the mould of the original Borchester (though the mould has clearly shrunk as it has got older).

[Izzy]

Thanks all for the comments, much appreciated. 

 

Before I load another part of the sequence has anybody spotted something unusual in a couple of the photos? I've only just seen it myself, but it does illustrate that following prototype practice can have it's benefits. No prizes I'm afraid.

 

Bob