Peterborough North

[great northern]

This morning started well, then fell away rapidly. I have a short circuit on the Up main, and at the moment I can't find the cause. So, I took some more photos instead, not helped by the sun coming out and then going in again every thirty seconds. You will see that I have temporarily stuck some platform tops on- please ignore the blu tack- but I have also very temporarily put in the foundation for the station forecourt, and positioned the GN hotel and surrounds roughly in place.

 

Next on the running sequence was the loco change for the Down Glasgow, so by special request of Tom F here is a series of photos of that process.

 

First the relieving loco backs in via the engine road. This would be a Gateshead engine which worked in on the overnight Edinburgh- Colchester train, arriving about 0740. Today it is 60002, not a common sight down south.

 

 

The loco reverses onto the Up main, then waits for the road to cross to the Down.

 

Forward on the Down (all this is controlled by ground signals), and finally she reverses into number 4 bay.

 

Meanwhile at the other end of the station 61657 waits to depart with a Norwich train.

 

 

And still Sir Murrough Wilson waits..... as a Leeds- Kings Cross runs through non stop behind A1 60139 Sea Eagle.

And finally the Down Glasgow arrives.

 

And the loco is revealed to be 60062 Minoru, a Kings Cross loco, which runs via the Down Main for servicing at New England.

Finally 60002 backs on, but will not be allowed to depart until the fireman puts up Class A lights.

 

Now I shall go and try to work out that short again. It's in a three way point, which doesn't help. Still, I can now be smugly satisfied that I'm not playing golf today, as we have just had a very violent hail storm.

Edited September 17, 2011 by great northern

[Taz]

Don't know how I have missed this thread up until now but have just spent an enjoyable couple of days catching up with it.

 

Br 1950/60s mainline layout ticks all the boxes for me The ER mainline certainly seems to be a popular subject.

 

I'm looking forward to following progress in the future

[landscapes]

Great set of new photos Gilbert.

Brings back memories when I saw A4's 60001 and 60002 side by side in Kings Cross station very early 1963 during the bad winter of that year.

Is 60002 a Hornby A4 or kit built.

Regards

David

Edited September 17, 2011 by landscapes

[great northern]

Great set of new photos Gilbert.

Brings back memories when I saw A4's 60001 and 60002 side by side in Kings Cross station very early 1963 during the bad winter of that year.

Is 60002 a Hornby A4 or kit built.

Regards

David

 

Standard Hornby David, as are all but one of my A4's. The appearance and quality are so good there's no point kit building one any more, as far as I'm concerned. Except perhaps to get one to haul the Elizabethan, which at the moment even the one that's been weighted won't do.

[great northern]

As they say, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday, everything seemed to go wrong, while today nearly everything went right. Don't know what happened to that short circuit, but a bit of moving things round when I finally got access to the appropriate Tortoise resulted in it disappearing. I suspect a microswitch had just stuck temporarily. I'm getting there with the Elizabethan too, though I still haven't quite got to the bottom of the problem. Also spent some time fine tuning decoders, with good results. Mind you, I have a visitor tomorrow, so no doubt everything will fall off as it always seems to do when others are watching.

[mike wild]

Simply stunning! Really enjoyed reading through your thread so far.

 

Mike

[Guest Tom F]

Sorry for not getting back sooner Gilbert after requesting photos

 

Much appreciated mind! I love how they tell a little story and very much suspend ones disbelief! When you get the chance I'd love to see some more.

 

How are the station buildings coming on, is wishful thinking they may be in place when I visit end of October. No matter, because you certainly can't rush quality!

 

Tom

Edited September 21, 2011 by Tom F

[great northern]

This week I have had the pleasure of the company of Herbert Hopkins, a regular contributor to this thread. We worked through the rest of the sequence, and ironed out some more bugs. The good news is that the problems with the Elizabethan appear to be solved, and I now have two A4's which can handle it. A couple of longer shanked kadees just eased the tension on curves, and that made enough difference.

 

Was all sweetness and light though? Of course not. My much vaunted cunning storage plan.... doesn't work. I swear I had checked it thoroughly. I even cut out bits of paper with the names of the trains on them and pushed them about. Somehow though, I got it wrong. It's not unusual. I think I know why it happened. When I originally did the sequence I only had a public timetable to work from, and it was for 1957, not 1958. Close enough though, surely? No, there were some significant changes to running times, revealed when I got the 1958 WTT, though I missed them for ages.so my cunning plan didn't work any more. Today though I have done some more research, using old Railway Observers, Railway Magazines and Trains Illustrated. Would have been a good idea to do that in the first place. I then found that the Up Northumbrian was put back a full three hours. Guess what though, I'm a lucky old *******, as it actually helps me.In the end I can get over half of what I wanted to do, and the rest I'll just have to work round somehow. Anyway, this afternoon I've been moving trains back to start of day positions, and so out came the camera.

Followed by Quicksilver with Pullman cars. I've no idea why they came up out of order, but no time to adjust now, as I'm off for some physio.

Edited September 24, 2011 by great northern

[davidw]

Sounds like some fun going on Gilbert! In the picture of the second a4 is the second pullman ridding a bit high?

Edited September 23, 2011 by davidw

[great northern]

Sounds like some fun going on Gilbert! In the picture of the second a4 is the second pullman ridding a bit high?

 

One of the corridor connectors had ridden up a bit David, which was part of the effect, but also the Brake has had its ride height lowered , and I've forgotten to do the same with the second car. The angle doesn't help to be fair- it's far less noticeable side on, which must be my excuse for not doing it. By the way, fun wasn't the word I used when I found out my ideas didn't work, but the one I did use may have begun with the same letter.

[HerbertHopkins]

 

By the way, fun wasn't the word I used when I found out my ideas didn't work, but the one I did use may have begun with the same letter.

 

Surely not, from an educated gentleman like yourself! On a serious note, I had an enjoyable few days on the outskirts of Nottingham and, as always, was treated to some marvellous hospitality by Gilbert (notwithstanding the unfortunate incident in the Indian Restaurant that was due to circumstances beyond our control). We managed to sort out a few problems and identify some others that, hopefully, Tom Wright and John Houlden will be able to rectify. So, all in all, it was a productive time, thanks for the invite Gilbert.

[great northern]

Sadly, I have to report a theft. Overnight, most of the captions to my last set of photos have gone missing. Would anyone having any information as to their whereabouts please ring Whitehall 1212. ( You have to be above a certain age to understand that bit). Seriously, there were captions there yesterday, honest guv.

[S.A.C Martin]

Interesting theft! If you hit the "edit" button, you may find that they have been lost in the code somewhere and just need sorting out. The "attached thumbnails" indicates the code to put the photographs into the main body of the post isn't there.

[great northern]

This weekend's work mainly consisted of a fault finding session. It's difficult to show photos of a fault when it occurs under baseboards, so suffice it to say that a couple of sticky microswitches were to blame for some of the troubles I had encountered. Add in a dead short caused by my failure to notice that two wires to a Cobalt had been transposed , and my equally silly failure to put an insulated fishplate where one should obviously have been, and it didn't take Tom long to sort out the electrical side.

 

We then spent quite a long time hunting down and removing as many as possible of the huge old type couplings, which were causing derailments because of their incompatibility with modern slimline tension locks, and stuck a few more kadees on where necessary. Routine stuff, but it has improved running and thus lowered my blood pressure. And of course it has also improved the look of the stock concerned quite considerably.

 

A concentrated burst of giving things a good hard looking at has also brought me back from the brink as far as train storage is concerned. There will still be a certain amount of manipulation and manual shuffling, but it can all be kept "off scene" and will not intrude into the station area. Of the eight roads that hold two trains I have managed to get six to work as I want, so not a bad result really.

 

Having got things working more reliably, and staying on track more often, I have now gone back to the start of the sequence, and can at last run the layout as planned. It has taken over two years from conversion of the room, and eighteen months since the baseboards were erected, but I suppose that's not bad for a project of this size. It could not have been done so fast without a lot of help, in fact I suspect it could not have been done at all, so thanks to all my helpers when and if they read this.

 

How about a few more photos? Here's what you would have seen if you had been at Peterborough North at about 0715 on a summer weekday.

 

At the North end, we find a New England A2/2 at the head of the 0735 "Parliamentary" to Doncaster. This was sadly the kind of duty that New England's pacifics spent most of their time performing, but this particular one would not survive past the end of the Summer timetable, when it and most of the other "stop at every lamp post" trains were withdrawn after over a century of running at almost exactly the same time every day. I like the thought of top link locos working services like this, so my timescale was always going to allow me to include these trains.

 

A slighlty different view shows the station pilot which brought in the stock now simmering in platform 5 while waiting its next task. This train was mainly made up of non passenger carrying stock- in fact I suspect it was more a parcels service with a few passenger vehicles for the probably very few potential customers.

 

That definitely applied to the train standing at the South end, which was I believe a relic left over from WW2. It left Edinburgh at 2355, and staggered wearily into Colchester to terminate nearly twelve hours later. Again, it was mainly a parcels train - there were seven BG's and two BZ's in the formation, plus two BSK's. Any passengers got two SK's and a CK sandwiched in the middle. I can understand a need for this train in wartime, but I wonder how many people used it by this time? I just can't imagine anyone doing the whole journey! No sleeping cars provided for anyone who did you will notice. Anyway, it brought a Gateshead Pacific to Peterborough so the sequence had to start early enough for it to feature. Today the loco is 60023 Golden Eagle. Lovely name, but as a single chimney loco it apparently had a poor reputation. At this time it was one of the last A4's still running as single blast, and will enter works very soon for conversion. She will come off here, and return to Newcastle on the 1100 KX - Glasgow. The train will be taken on by a March B17, which is waiting in bay platform 1. It occurs to me though that a Colchester engine might have been rostered for this diagram, thus allowing me the opportunity to acquire another Footballer.

And just think folks, soon I shall be able to post shots where these trains are in their full and proper surroundings, and standing at platforms which don't feature badly cut tops and prominent blu tack.

[coachmann]

Very nice photos as usual. The shot showing the 6-wheel Thompson at the front of the train reminded me to ask if you or anyone knows when this action was outlawed and non-bogie vans were martialled at the rear of a train thereafter..

[S.A.C Martin]

That Thompson A2/2 is lovely. What kit is it, Gilbert?

 

I have to say, the more you post those almost at track level shots, the more you get drawn into believing that all you see is real, and not 4mm to the foot.

 

You could almost squint at the picture of the A4 approaching the bridge, and smell the coal and steam.

[great northern]

Very nice photos as usual. The shot showing the 6-wheel Thompson at the front of the train reminded me to ask if you or anyone knows when this action was outlawed and non-bogie vans were martialled at the rear of a train thereafter..

 

Hi Larry,

 

 

Sorry I don't know the answer to that one. The formation I have is dated 1958, so it was still allowed then. I suspect that the advent of the Deltics and other more potent motive power may have caused a hasty reappraisal. This particular train stopped ten times in the 80 miles of its journey, which took 153 minutes, so it is safe to assume that the kind of speeds which might have made this practice dangerous were very unlikely to be achieved.

[great northern]

That Thompson A2/2 is lovely. What kit is it, Gilbert?

 

I have to say, the more you post those almost at track level shots, the more you get drawn into believing that all you see is real, and not 4mm to the foot.

 

You could almost squint at the picture of the A4 approaching the bridge, and smell the coal and steam.

 

Hi Simon,

 

The A2/2 is a Tony Wright original from 30 years back or more, though I believe Mike Edge scratch built it for him. Tony offered it to me when good kits became available and he could build something which he regarded as much better. I was delighted to get my hands on it, and I wouldn't dream of getting rid of it. The only drawback is that it has an ancient and very noisy X04 type motor. I may eventually have to do something about that.

 

As to the photography, I just follow, though in a very inferior way, what TW pioneered. I just think that the closer you get to a true viewing level, the more realistic it is likely to look. I need to find a way to get rid of those bookcases in the background though. And I also still hanker after a better camera, and some seriously powerful lighting. Not cheap though, so it keeps getting postponed.

[HerbertHopkins]

 

so thanks to all my helpers when and if they read this.

 

 

Pleasure Gilbert. I'm glad that Tom managed to sort out the electrical glitches, as I suspected they were all simple faults but, as you quite rightly said, it was better to leave it for him to put right. Once John has rectified the faults we identified on the locos you should really be cooking on gas!

[CUTLER2579]

 

Pleasure Gilbert. I'm glad that Tom managed to sort out the electrical glitches, as I suspected they were all simple faults but, as you quite rightly said, it was better to leave it for him to put right. Once John has rectified the faults we identified on the locos you should really be cooking on gas!

 

Once John has Fitted a High Level Motor/Gearbox to the A2/2 and Built a B17/4 from Colchester Shed, that is.

 

Looking really Good Gilbert, as you say once Pete has finished the Buildings it really will be the Dogs hanging bits.

[great northern]

 

Once John has Fitted a High Level Motor/Gearbox to the A2/2 and Built a B17/4 from Colchester Shed, that is.

 

Looking really Good Gilbert, as you say once Pete has finished the Buildings it really will be the Dogs hanging bits.

 

Mr Houlden's bank balance won't be swelled by another B17 Derek, as I'm sure the Hornby one will as usual render any future kit building totally unnecessary. You could be right about the A2/2 though.

[Guest Tom F]

Like those Gilbert....particular of the A2/2.....the Wolf certainly has to have one of the best names of any locomotive in my opinion.

 

Am I right her firebox had a larger combustion chamber?

[andyrush]

 

That definitely applied to the train standing at the South end, which was I believe a relic left over from WW2. It left Edinburgh at 2355, and staggered wearily into Colchester to terminate nearly twelve hours later. Again, it was mainly a parcels train - there were seven BG's and two BZ's in the formation, plus two BSK's. Any passengers got two SK's and a CK sandwiched in the middle. I can understand a need for this train in wartime, but I wonder how many people used it by this time? I just can't imagine anyone doing the whole journey! No sleeping cars provided for anyone who did you will notice.

SNIPPED

 

As most of the passengers on the Glasgow - Colchester were squaddies, I don't think anyone had their comfort in mind. In the early 1950's there were paths in the GE area WTT's for it to run in three sections so presumably business was brisk when there were regimental changeovers in the BAOR. As another aside, I'm told that the train was diagrammed forward from March to Ipswich with a Stockton (51E) B1 off an overnight freight to Whitemoor for a short period, but I've got no actual dates. From the documentary and photographic evidence I've seen, Colchester B17's were rare birds in the March area.

 

It won't be a hardship to have another March B17, surely!

 

Andy

[great northern]

Like those Gilbert....particular of the A2/2.....the Wolf certainly has to have one of the best names of any locomotive in my opinion.

 

Am I right her firebox had a larger combustion chamber?

 

According to the green book that was 2002 Tom, and that boiler was condemned in 1946. I agree about the name though - it has a real ring to it, but then so do all of them. Much better than some of the pathetic modern attempts, that's for sure.

[great northern]

SNIPPED

 

As most of the passengers on the Glasgow - Colchester were squaddies, I don't think anyone had their comfort in mind. In the early 1950's there were paths in the GE area WTT's for it to run in three sections so presumably business was brisk when there were regimental changeovers in the BAOR. As another aside, I'm told that the train was diagrammed forward from March to Ipswich with a Stockton (51E) B1 off an overnight freight to Whitemoor for a short period, but I've got no actual dates. From the documentary and photographic evidence I've seen, Colchester B17's were rare birds in the March area.

 

It won't be a hardship to have another March B17, surely!

 

Andy

 

Thanks for that Andy, fascinating information and shows that my assumptions were wrong. Couldn't these poor squaddies have been transported at a more civilised hour though? Suppose not, they didn't have many "rights" did they? I'm happy to have more March B17's, as I remember some of them very well, but there were'nt many Footballers there, and I already have 1657. How about if I get one or two more March engines to handle the other two sections, but have a Colchester loco for the main train? I do have photos of them at East, and my WTT tells me that engines came up from there light engine to work trains from North, so I reckon I can get away with it. After all Nottingham Forest would be appropriate for where I live.