York station in the 1950's.

[Harry Lund]

View of yard throat without the Scarborough line over.   The servo control system is by Megapoints, which I thought I would tryout for the fiddle yards.   Very easy to set up once I got the hang of it.

 

 

And with the Scarborough lines over.   

 

 

Next task is to complete the point and slip providing access to the reversing loop from both Up and Down Scarborough lines.  

 

Giles

 

(Thanks to Peter and Andy, (and Irfan), for helping me sort out the rotation problem.)

 

 

 

 

[davidw]

1 hour ago, Harry Lund said:

I've allowed myself in the last two weeks to be diverted from finishing the Loco Yard and its ashpits, onto developing the main running lines and the arrangement of fiddle yards along the back wall.   The 1:50 incline is proving to present an operational challenge in that only the heavier locos can tackle them with 9 coaches on (Yes Tony, I know ...).   So where to fit the Down Main storage yards?   An 8 road yard will fit neatly into the top right corner, sitting under the Scarborough lines.   Hopefully this adaptation of Andy York's trackplan gives a feel for the overall scheme.       

 

Here is a photo looking toward the bridge.  The two lines on the right are a two very long sidings which will each take either a very long train, or two shorter ones.  I'll post more once I work out how to stop them rotating 90 or 180 degrees.  Any clues anyone?

 

 

Giles

The Chadwick model railway on YouTube. Use a Helix and I think he experimented with "Bullfrog snot" an American product and Gauge master product called powerbase.  The later seemed to improve adhesion on gradients. 

Edited November 7, 2022 by davidw

[Rowsley17D]

PowerBase is by DCC Concepts who sell online and through agents such as Gaugemaster.

 

https://www.dccconcepts.com/product-category/specialised-model-accessories/dccconcepts-powerbase/

 

But nothing beats shallow gradients no steeper than 1 in 75 and preferably 1 in 100 as the late Gordon S found out.

[davidw]

15 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

PowerBase is by DCC Concepts who sell online and through agents such as Gaugemaster.

 

https://www.dccconcepts.com/product-category/specialised-model-accessories/dccconcepts-powerbase/

 

But nothing beats shallow gradients no steeper than 1 in 75 and preferably 1 in 100 as the late Gordon S found out.

Thanks for the correction. 

[ianathompson]

13 hours ago, Harry Lund said:

Morning everyone.   I hope you are sitting down with a whisky to hand as I am about to confess a sacrilege   We had a visit this weekend from the giant Finn MacCool riding the footplate of his On30 something or other.

 Impressed.

 

I have one of these things lurking somewhere or other on my own layout.

David Jenkinson, I believe, referred to them as a "funny".

I.e. totally out of contect with the area/period beeing modelled.

The problem with this particular model seems to be that the overhang on the rear makes them difficult to run on on sharp curves.

 

Ian T

[Harry Lund]

The problem was the housing cover for the kadee coupler had been installed back to front, so fouling the bogie in tighter curves.   All good now.

[coronach]

On 07/11/2022 at 18:00, Harry Lund said:

View of yard throat without the Scarborough line over.   The servo control system is by Megapoints, which I thought I would tryout for the fiddle yards.   Very easy to set up once I got the hang of it.

 

 

And with the Scarborough lines over.   

 

 

Next task is to complete the point and slip providing access to the reversing loop from both Up and Down Scarborough lines.  

 

Giles

 

(Thanks to Peter and Andy, (and Irfan), for helping me sort out the rotation problem.)

 

 

 

 

How do you keep everything clean and in good condition.  Do you cover the layout with plastic sheeting to keep the dirt and spiders off?

[Harry Lund]

Natural weathering!   Sheeting it would be impractical, so I just let it happen and get the hoover (with a soft brush nozzle) out occasionally.  All the locos have stay alives which makes them fairly tolerant of dirty track.

[Harry Lund]

When I say all the locos, I meant most of them.  The heaviest ones don't seem so affected by dirty track.   I had a two hour running session yesterday, and only had to get the track rubber and cleaning fluid out a couple of times. 

[Harry Lund]

For what it is worth. From about 48 mins to about 55 mins in, sandwiched between Peter Collins and Panic at the Disco     https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0d945sq?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile  

Only available for the next 29 days.   I had a long list of things to say and people to thank... but in the end just went Jonathan took me.

[Harry Lund]

A few more of Tony Wrights unpublished photos.

 

A2/2 Earl Marischal with an up express drawing into Platform 8.   Most photographs of York's trainshed are taken from the south, so this is perhaps a better known perspective than those of the north end in the BRM article.  I'm not sure why I overlooked it.   

 

 

 

An overall view showing the platforms 2,3,8,9,10,11,14 and a glimpse of 15 south of the trainshed, much foreshortened.  Platform 1 is not modelled.   I am considering narrowing platform 2 so as to fit a middle road, thus providing a partial representation of the two carriage and van storage roads adjacent to the wall under the smallest arch (not modelled).  The view also shows the Hydraulic Power Station, next to the loco shed, as it was in 1957 with tower and chimney still in place.   These we both removed in 1958 when the shed was rebuilt.   My father, who knew little about railways but much about creating 'a canvas' often said to me 'height, go for height on a layout'.   He was right and so we exercised modellers' prerogative and included them.

 

 

Another view over the hotel, booking hall and trainshed roof this time looking south.    The view provides a glimpse of the southern throat, which is work in progress.   The lifting section and temporary fiddle yard can also be seen.  The whole area from the lifting section through to the fiddle yard will be re-aligned to the track plan schematic on page 31.   This task is working its way up the to-do list.

 

 

D20 62335 waits for the off in platform 7 with a York to Hull stopping service.   The D20 is from an Arthur Kimber kit, with twin beam compensation on the drivers.      This is possible between the relatively narrow frames in OO thanks to a HLK gearbox less than 9mm wide.   With traction evenly distributed  across all 4 drivers, this loco pulls well above its weight.   I have rebuilt all my 4-4-0 and 0-4-4 chassis, (and a C12 4-4-2) to this design, and seen a dramatic improvement in performance and current collection.  

 

and another fine view of Peter's fabulous model of the station hotel.   

 

Giles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[woodenhead]

3 hours ago, Harry Lund said:

 

For a moment there I thought you'd posted an image to show how the real place looks......

[Harry Lund]

Happy New Year everyone.   I've been working over the break on the new section of line over the Scarborough Bridge, which will now be scenic for much of its length.    Once the baseboards and track are installed (a few months yet), it will be over to Peter to  develop the backs to Earlsborough terrace and a second terrace behind, all on a removeable lightweight base to give access to the Down Main fiddle yard under.

 

This photo gives an overall view of the track layout in this area, with the lines wrapping round the back of Earslborough terrace and over the Scarborough bridge top left, and Bootham junction in the foreground.    Bootham junction, where the line from Hull joins the line from Scarborough, is on the model much closer to the bridge than in reality.      

 

Below is a view looking back towards the bridge.   The branch off to the right doesn't exist in reality - it is the start of a reverse loop and 3 storage roads.  

 

This is the view looking the other way towards Bootham junction.    The lines out of the junction are actually reversed on the model - the lines to the right are the Scarborough lines, and to the left will run into an 8 road fiddle yard for Hull trains.  The pair of crossovers that enabled Up trains to enter the station over the bridge on the Down line, and to allow trains leaving the station on the Up line to cross over to the Down line are both modelled, being essential for representative operations.  I'm still faffing around with the alignment of the 8 roads of the Down Main fiddle yard on the lower level, so as to fit around the supports for the Scarborough line.   The incline rising from the left foreground is the Up Main.   I have learned my lesson from the 1:50 incline on the Down main (by the retaining wall) - which is too steep.  This one will be about 1:80, so that trains running clockwise will be less constrained in terms of train length, engine tractive effort etc. 

 

 

The backscene will run along the left edge of the upper level boards with the Scarborough line.  The gap to the right will be filled by the extended terrace diorama.

 

With apologies for some fuzzy photos ...

 

Giles

[AdeMoore]

Looking excellent Giles.

My head can’t quite work it out! I’ll have to go back to see the track plan!

Keep up the good work.

[Harry Lund]

Its the top left section of the hand drawn plan on page 31.   Its not so easy to follow I know, and just to obscure things further, the track plan doesn't show the double crossovers.   Those were an afterthought once I had worked through how the junction needed to work operationally, and having consulted Ken Hoole's book on York which usefully has photos and explanations of the movements in and out of the station on the Scarborough line.     And like many other features of the layout, lastminutethinking.com    Giles

[DougN]

Giles, Happy new year from Australia. (summer has finnally hit) 

 

Love hearing about the Bootham junction... the last 2 times we have been to York (now becoming a long time ago) we stayed in a B&B  in some of those terrace houses.  I love to watch where your all heading with this. 

 

 

[john new]

Pedant point - Bootham Junction was for the Foss Islands Branch. The Hull line diverted a bit further to the N East. I lived for a while (1981-4) very close to Bootham Junction.

 

Bad memory - see below. My own photos confirm @ngtrains.com's point below.

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by john new
Correction. My error.

[ngtrains.com]

2 hours ago, john new said:

Pedant point - Bootham Junction was for the Foss Islands Branch. The Hull line diverted a bit further to the N East. I lived for a while (1981-4) very close to Bootham Junction.

Pedant point on your pedant point….

Surely the Foss Islands branch left the Scarborough line at Burton Lane Jnc and the Hull line a bit further on at Bootham Jnc

[john new]

21 minutes ago, ngtrains.com said:

Pedant point on your pedant point….

Surely the Foss Islands branch left the Scarborough line at Burton Lane Jnc and the Hull line a bit further on at Bootham Jnc

--- map image snipped - ---

Apologies for the confustication.  See below - left is Burton Lane on the right Bootham at the Wigginton Rd level crossing and now demolished.

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by john new

[Harry Lund]

Thanks both of you for this.   I am not modelling the Foss Islands branch with its junction at Burton Lane.   On the layout Bootham Junction where the Hull line splits off is hard up against the double crossovers which are just north of the Ouse bridge, where is in reality it was some way up the line.  And thanks for the photo of the Bootham signal box, I have been looking for one.

 

This whole section is very emerging thinking.   In my original thinking, it was all to be hidden behind a backscene, but time to cogitate late last year led me to the conclusion that it would be a shame not to make this section scenic if at all possible.   Hence the contrived narrative (aka Rule 1 as TW would put it) and alternative reality in terms of what lines go where.

 

Giles 

[Harry Lund]

With track diagram, based on the 1951 signalling layout

 

 

[john new]

49 minutes ago, Harry Lund said:

Thanks both of you for this.   I am not modelling the Foss Islands branch with its junction at Burton Lane.   On the layout Bootham Junction where the Hull line splits off is hard up against the double crossovers which are just north of the Ouse bridge, where is in reality it was some way up the line.  And thanks for the photo of the Bootham signal box, I have been looking for one.

 

This whole section is very emerging thinking.   In my original thinking, it was all to be hidden behind a backscene, but time to cogitate late last year led me to the conclusion that it would be a shame not to make this section scenic if at all possible.   Hence the contrived narrative (aka Rule 1 as TW would put it) and alternative reality in terms of what lines go where.

 

Giles 

I have some more of the Bootham box and crossing. I posted that back view as it had the name board visible. 

[iands]

1 hour ago, Harry Lund said:

Thanks both of you for this.   I am not modelling the Foss Islands branch with its junction at Burton Lane.   On the layout Bootham Junction where the Hull line splits off is hard up against the double crossovers which are just north of the Ouse bridge, where is in reality it was some way up the line.  And thanks for the photo of the Bootham signal box, I have been looking for one.

 

This whole section is very emerging thinking.   In my original thinking, it was all to be hidden behind a backscene, but time to cogitate late last year led me to the conclusion that it would be a shame not to make this section scenic if at all possible.   Hence the contrived narrative (aka Rule 1 as TW would put it) and alternative reality in terms of what lines go where.

 

Giles 

Hi Giles,

FYI, Burton Lane SB as well as controlling the junction for the Rowntrees/Foss Island's branch became the fringe box to York SB under the 1951 resignalling scheme. Bootham SB controlled the Bootham Junction for the Market Weighton branch as well as controlling Bootham Crossing gates. As you rightly say, space is a key factor and a certain amount of 'compression' needs to happen in order to keep the workings viable. So it makes sense not to model the Foss Islands branch per se. For the sake of your layout, and the key application of "Rule 1", you could always surmise that the Rowntrees/Foss Island's branch came off the Market Weighton branch (out of view), and you could still run one or two applicable freight trains 'into the fiddle yard'. Another application of Rule 1 could be to combine/rename the signal box (if you are thinking of adding one) and name it 'Bootham Lane Junction' - just a thought.

[Harry Lund]

John.  Would love to see more photos of Bootham SB and crossing ....   Giles

[john new]

1 hour ago, Harry Lund said:

John.  Would love to see more photos of Bootham SB and crossing ....   Giles

Not the best shots but these of the box, gates and keepers cottage are scanned off some prints I had  to had in an album of misc images around York. I probably have more on slide and print but they will take a fair bit of finding. Hope they help. I am guessing at circa 1981 when I lived nearby.