Gresley Junction

[John Tomlinson]

Hi Andy,

 

You made a lovely job on "Sun Castle" with the Graeme King conversion parts.

 

Interesting to be reminded of the green colour on the Bachmann A2, bearing in mind the discussions on the Red Team's latest effort.

 

The "Blood" v's Maroon on the first few coaches also looks spot on.

 

John.

[thegreenhowards]

3 hours ago, John Tomlinson said:

Hi Andy,

 

You made a lovely job on "Sun Castle" with the Graeme King conversion parts.

 

Interesting to be reminded of the green colour on the Bachmann A2, bearing in mind the discussions on the Red Team's latest effort.

 

The "Blood" v's Maroon on the first few coaches also looks spot on.

 

John.

Many thanks For your kind words John,

 

The green on Sun Castle has had the ‘Klear treatment’, so not quite a fair comparison with Hornby’s efforts but the basic green is definitely better.

 

I can’t claim credit for the ‘blood’ on the first few coaches. Most of these coaches are either Hornby or bought off eBay. I did build and paint a couple of the maroon SKs and the MJT CK in blood and custard which is coach 7. Slightly brighter than the first few coaches.

 

regards

 

Andy

[thegreenhowards]

Today I feature the slightly late running 2015 KX- York Class C. I was planning to use my new Hornby Cock of the North on this as I thought an evening return working to its Home Depot would be a likely turn. But, as some of you may have read on the Hornby A2/3 thread, I couldn’t get it to work on DCC,so it’s back in its box waiting for me to call the supplier. Instead I thought I’d feature V2, 60835, which got a mention on Wright Writes last week. Here are a couple of shots if it rounding gasworks curve.

 

 

The goods rake is similar to the one which runs on my other down Class C goods trains but I try to change a few wagons at the front each time to make it look a bit different. I hope you notice the difference compared with the Hull Class C which I ran a few days ago.

 

And here is the video. This loco is a lovely runner and will pull anything asked of it as it is stuffed full of lead and with a good Mashima motor with low gearing. However, it’s not the fastest V2 in the west, so I tend to use it on fast goods rather than passenger. She is flat out in the video. I think this is an appropriate speed for a Class C but a bit slow for a non stop passenger but comments on that would be welcome.

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by thegreenhowards

[thegreenhowards]

Tonight it’s the turn of the 1145 Dundee- KX which was a timetabled relief train made up of a mix of Gresley and (I assume) Thompson stock. It was formed BSK, SK *6, FK, BSK. No catering on this one although it did get an RF/SO combo on Mondays and Fridays. It’s headed by A3, 60064, Tagalie.

 

 

 

The video shows the full train which shows a good homogeneity of blood and custard this time - One Kirk SK and four Bachmann Thompson’s.

 

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

It’s debut time again tonight. This time my my newly completed F2, E7111

 

For those who haven’t seen it on ‘Coulsdon Works’ or ‘Wright Writes’, this is an eBay purchase of a knackered F1 which I’ve stripped, modified, rebuilt, put on a Bachmann 2-4-2 chassis, detailed and repainted as an F2. F2’s worked the Ally Pally-Finsbury Park push pull shuttle until their final withdrawal in 1950 and this is based on a picture of one doing that.

I don’t have a suitable push pull set yet, so it is on a Kirk twin. My push pull set is in crimson and I think it should be coach brown/ teak for 1950. The service is the last up Ivatt branch train arriving at Gresley Jn at 2130.

 

Here is the video showing how smooth the Bachmann chassis is (the kit one was terrible).

 

Andy

 

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Like that, very close to home, 'Ally Pally' was a half hour walk away.

 

manna

[thegreenhowards]

Today’s featured service is the 1502 Grimsby-KX which took a leisurely 5 hours to meander its way to KX stopping frequently along the way including at Gresley Jn.

 

 

I don’t really have much idea how to form this train up. The CWN shows it as BG/BCK(2-3)/TSO/TSO/BCK(2-3)/ vanfit/ BG. This is how I’ve interpreted that.

 

 

Here are the coaches close up.

 

 

 

I’m not sure what diagram the passenger coaches would be other than they were of LNER design. They could be Thompson or Gresley but are certainly not Gresleys produced by Hornby as their BCK has 6 compartments. Despite this I thought the Hornby BCK would be the closest I could get and spent yesterday searching for my example. I eventually found it today in a shoebox labelled ‘Jam jars’ in my wife’s writing. Of course turning it round the label was Hornby Gresleys! That’s is my excuse for no update yesterday. 

 

As for the rest of the train, I don’t have any Gresley or Thompson TSOs apart from a couple of Kirks in teak livery , so I decided to use my Tourist twin TO. No idea whether this might have happened on the prototype. The vanfit is noted as carrying MGN fish so Ive used a fish van. 
 

I’ve assumed the train changed locos at Peterborough as it had a 15 minute stop there - hence the New England A2/1. 

 

Any comments on my interpretation and how I could improve this formation for next time would be most welcome.

 

Andy

 

 

 

[great northern]

50 minutes ago, thegreenhowards said:

Today’s featured service is the 1502 Grimsby-KX which took a leisurely 5 hours to meander its way to KX stopping frequently along the way including at Gresley Jn.

 

 

I don’t really have much idea how to form this train up. The CWN shows it as BG/BCK(2-3)/TSO/TSO/BCK(2-3)/ vanfit/ BG. This is how I’ve interpreted that.

 

 

Here are the coaches close up.

 

 

 

I’m not sure what diagram the passenger coaches would be other than they were of LNER design. They could be Thompson or Gresley but are certainly not Gresleys produced by Hornby as their BCK has 6 compartments. Despite this I thought the Hornby BCK would be the closest I could get and spent yesterday searching for my example. I eventually found it today in a shoebox labelled ‘Jam jars’ in my wife’s writing. Of course turning it round the label was Hornby Gresleys! That’s is my excuse for no update yesterday. 

 

As for the rest of the train, I don’t have any Gresley or Thompson TSOs apart from a couple of Kirks in teak livery , so I decided to use my Tourist twin TO. No idea whether this might have happened on the prototype. The vanfit is noted as carrying MGN fish so Ive used a fish van. 
 

I’ve assumed the train changed locos at Peterborough as it had a 15 minute stop there - hence the New England A2/1. 

 

Any comments on my interpretation and how I could improve this formation for next time would be most welcome.

 

Andy

 

 

 

Looking at the HMRS survey, the locos used south of Peterborough during that week were as follows:- 60854 60914 60103 61331 60033 60033, all KX based. I know which one you definitely won't be using!

 

As to the stock, alternate days as follows:-

 

BCK E10116 TS0 B4350 SK E 12543 BCK E 10003

 

BCK E10053 TSO B 4278 TSO B4122 BCK E10104

 

Loads of different BGs 3xLMS 1x BR 1x GWR W148? 1x Southern non gangway, and 1x Southern PMV. The van is not shown at all.

 

Just shows the differences from what is in the books and what actually occured, doesn't it?

[thegreenhowards]

1 hour ago, great northern said:

Looking at the HMRS survey, the locos used south of Peterborough during that week were as follows:- 60854 60914 60103 61331 60033 60033, all KX based. I know which one you definitely won't be using!

 

As to the stock, alternate days as follows:-

 

BCK E10116 TS0 B4350 SK E 12543 BCK E 10003

 

BCK E10053 TSO B 4278 TSO B4122 BCK E10104

 

Loads of different BGs 3xLMS 1x BR 1x GWR W148? 1x Southern non gangway, and 1x Southern PMV. The van is not shown at all.

 

Just shows the differences from what is in the books and what actually occured, doesn't it?

Thanks Gilbert, I should have thought to look in the HMRS survey. Doh! It looks like I guessed right with the loco change to a RA9 beastie at Peterborough. Just got the shed allocation wrong. I suppose it makes sense to be a 34A loco returning home at that time of night. You’re quite right that 60103 won’t be getting a look in!

 

Interesting that the BCKs are all the Hornby type (or seemingly identical diagrams) with 6 cpts rather than the 5 cpt one specified. And the TSOs when they appear are Mark 1. The M&GN must have been in its death throws by the time of the survey (July 1958), so maybe the fish traffic had already gone and the CWN hadn’t caught up.

 

I might have another go at it!
 

Andy

[thegreenhowards]

Having been shamed by Gilbert’s research yesterday, I decided to rerun this train, so here is Seagull on a revised 1502 Grimsby- KX.

 

 

Seagull was the only one of Gilbert’s list of locos that I have available and I think it is making its debut in the sequence. This is a Wills body on a Hornby chassis and can pull anything.....so a bit of a waste on a six coach train.

 

 

The full formation is now:

LMS BG

Gresley BCK

Mark 1 TSO

Gresley SK

Gresley BCK

GW full brake

 

I hope this captures the flavour of the train better than yesterday’s effort.

 

Finally here is a video of it.

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

Today it’s the turn of the 1705 Newcastle- KX which was a 10 coach train including a Gresley triplet RTS. The back 3 coaches came from Bradford and were attached at Doncaster. Tonight it’s headed by A4, 60001.

 

 

Here is the full train.

 

 

This loco is sound fitted so crank up the volume if you like that sort of thing.

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

Tonight we have a light engine from Ferme Park to New England. This is shown in my 1953 WTT but I don’t know what sort of loco it would be. I’m guessing that as the loaded coal trains were about 60 wagons and the empties could be up to 80 wagons a surplus of engines built up in the London area, so this would be a heavy goods engine returning home. Hence, I’m featuring a WD2-8-0, 90158. 

 

 

If anyone would like to suggest an alternative possibility then I’m all ears.

 

 

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

You are probably right. Although it would have been a bit of a slow ride. ( Possible changed crews at Hitchin)

 

manna

[thegreenhowards]

This afternoon it’s time for another fish train, the 1730 from New Clee, headed today by Britannia class, 70036, Boadicea.

 

 

Britannia’s worked these services for a couple of years in the early ‘60s when they were based at Immingham.

 

Here are a couple of wider views of the whole train.

 

[thegreenhowards]

This evening it’s the arrival of the 2054 all stations from KX headed by BRCW type 2 D5301. Firstly seen approaching platform 4.

 

...and then at rest.

 

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

Today, it’s the 2121 KX- Royston hauled by B1, 61097. It’s formed of a standard non corridor six set of Mark 1s and Thompsons.

 

 

This set ran ECS back to Hitchin from Royston so I assume it would have been a Hitchin engine like long term stalwart, 61097.

 

For the video, I’ve tried a telephoto look as it comes round the reverse curves.

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

It’s fish time again, the second up Hull headed by KX B1, 61394. Sadly the harsh light rather shows up my weathering but it looks fine in normal light/ from a distance as the next photo shows.
 

One of the Hull fish trains seemed to get a KX B1 on a regular basis so that’s what I’m showing here. I have a basic fish train which covers all the New Clee and Hull services but I try to ring the changes by changing a few vans at the front. The last one with Boadicea had some of the early ‘60s light blue container flats on. This one has a few blue spot vans borrowed from my Aberdeen fish empties.

 

 

This is an unweighted Bachmann B1 and it struggled a bit with this full rake with a lot of wheel slip and a helping hand on the bends (hence no video today). I think it will have to be relegated to the unstrengthened version of the train in future which it handles OK.

 

Here are a couple of going away shots.

 

 

Edited March 11, 2021 by thegreenhowards

[great northern]

1 hour ago, thegreenhowards said:

It’s fish time again, the second up Hull headed by KX B1, 61394. Sadly the harsh light rather shows up my weathering but it looks fine in normal light/ from a distance as the next photo shows.
 

One of the Hull fish trains seemed to get a KX B1 on a regular basis so that’s what I’m showing here. I have a basic fish train which covers all the New Clee and Hull services but I try to ring the changes by changing a few vans at the front. The last one with Boadicea had some of the early ‘60s light blue container flats on. This one has a few blue spot vans borrowed from my Aberdeen fish empties.

 

 

This is an unweighted Bachmann B1 and it struggled a bit with this full rake with a lot of wheel slip and a helping hand on the bends (hence no video today). I think it will have to be relegated to the unstrengthened version of the train in future which it handles OK.

 

Here are a couple of going away shots.

 

 

I find Hornby B1s to be much superior to Bachmann in the haulage stakes, so my rostering is done accordingly.

[thegreenhowards]

11 hours ago, great northern said:

I find Hornby B1s to be much superior to Bachmann in the haulage stakes, so my rostering is done accordingly.

Thanks for that comment Gilbert. I have done a test on the same rake this morning with an unweighted Hornby B1 and it passed with flying colours. The trouble is I ‘only’ have three Hornby B1s and they’re allocated to Immingham, Cambridge and Hitchin. This Bachmann one is my only KX example.
 

I think this will require another purchase and I therefore think you are guilty of inciting a locoholic!

 

Andy

[great northern]

3 minutes ago, thegreenhowards said:

Thanks for that comment Gilbert. I have done a test on the same rake this morning with an unweighted Hornby B1 and it passed with flying colours. The trouble is I ‘only’ have three Hornby B1s and they’re allocated to Immingham, Cambridge and Hitchin. This Bachmann one is my only KX example.
 

I think this will require another purchase and I therefore think you are guilty of inciting a locoholic!

 

Andy

I was only trying to help, honest.

[John Tomlinson]

1 hour ago, thegreenhowards said:

Thanks for that comment Gilbert. I have done a test on the same rake this morning with an unweighted Hornby B1 and it passed with flying colours. The trouble is I ‘only’ have three Hornby B1s and they’re allocated to Immingham, Cambridge and Hitchin. This Bachmann one is my only KX example.
 

I think this will require another purchase and I therefore think you are guilty of inciting a locoholic!

 

Andy

I found that weighting the Bachmann B1's helped a lot. Mine both have their split chassis mechanisms as well, and have been fiddled with after the wheel inserts ballooned. I think one of them has a new set of wheels in fact. I keep thinking I ought to move up to the Hornby one but don't seem to have managed it.

 

John.

[thegreenhowards]

9 hours ago, John Tomlinson said:

I found that weighting the Bachmann B1's helped a lot. Mine both have their split chassis mechanisms as well, and have been fiddled with after the wheel inserts ballooned. I think one of them has a new set of wheels in fact. I keep thinking I ought to move up to the Hornby one but don't seem to have managed it.

 

John.

John,

 

That spurred me to do some more tests. I have two Bachmann B1s, one split chassis and one more modern/ DCC ready. It was the DCC ready one which was struggling. I tried the split chassis one today, which is Hitchin’s 61027, Madoqua renamed from Kudu. That managed the load perfectly. So it just seems to be my one post split chassis Bachmann B1 which has a problem with it. Typical that that’s the one I chose to number up as a KX example and therefore right for the Hull fish! I suspect there’s room for some weight so I may try that.

 

Regards

 

Andy

[thegreenhowards]

It’s the last daytime express passenger this evening, their afternoon Talisman. Today it’s headed by KX, A4, 60013. This is her first outing since I changed the tenders around within my A4 fleet and backdated #13 to early to mid ‘50s condition with a non corridor tender and the coat of arms on the cab side. Strictly speaking she got her corridor tender back in 1955 so is a little early for this train (which is based on the 1957 formation) but I’m afraid I forgot that when I ran it!

 

 

 

here’s the video.

 

 

 

[thegreenhowards]

It’s fish’o’ clock for the last time in this sequence with the second New Clee - KX fish train headed by K3 61826. 

 

This is the SE Finecast kit built by me and is probably the most accurate of my K3s (famous last words!).

 

This is the fifth fish train in the sequence, with the down Aberdeen empties very early on, then two Hulls and two New Clees. According to my 1953 WTT there were two more, another Hull and a Grimsby. But these came through Hatfield after midnight so are out of the time period for my sequence.

 

Here is the full train.

 

 

...and a shot over the river section.

Finally a video.

 

[thegreenhowards]

This afternoon’s train is a 2115 KX-Leeds Class D passing Gresley Jn at 2217. I decided this would make a good excuse to give my new Hornby A2/3 a first run and as these Class Ds often loaded well it would double up as a haulage test. So here is 60512, Steady Aim.

 

This show shows some of the train.

 

It’s formed of my regular class c set with some cattle wagons on the front and empty minerals on the back loading to 62 wagons in total. Steady Aim managed this easily on the straights but slipped a little on the bends and crossing the viaduct which is (unintentionally) slightly uphill. You will notice in the video that the speed varies a little bit still an impressive feat I think. I haven’t weighted her at all.