North Eastern Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) Hirst Sidings is located on the Blyth & Tyne Railway between Winning Junction & Cambois Depot. Set in the 1980's when BR Blue & Large Logo liveries reined supreme and we thought it would never end. Lots of Class 08's, 37's & 56's will feature as well as plenty of visiting locos. It's home to a BR wagon repair yard, overflow storage area for Cambois Depot and run round facility for the nearby Bitumen Plant & Steel Fabrication Yard. The other half of the sidings belong to Hirst Colliery exchange sidings and the spur leading to the colliery. Ex-BR Class 14 locos are still in service with the NCB as well as a solitary ex-austerity steam loco which is on its last legs. Hirst Sidings was previously Seven Mills created by Andy Peters who then sold it onto Peter Cheshire and a change of location to N Wales before finding its way to the North East. It's only took 39 years since I last had a layout up in the house, but at last Hirst Sidings main boards are erected in the garage. Work will now commence on making a frame work for the two fiddle yard traversers. In the meantime I couldn't resist in having a little play Photos show 56116 coming in to the yard to run round it's train of bitumen tanks prior to taking them to bitumen plant back down the branch. Other photos show a Saturday scene with various locos stabled in the sidings as an overflow from Cambois Depot as well as various wagons waiting repair and empty coal hoppers waiting for a trip down the NCB branch to Hirst Colliery. Haven't quite figured out the wiring for points control panel yet but I'll figure it out unless I blow it up🤣 Edited March 30 by North Eastern 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 These photos show a Saturday scene with various locos stabled in the sidings as an overflow from Cambois Depot as well as various wagons waiting repair and empty coal hoppers waiting for a trip down the NCB branch to Hirst Colliery. 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold GWR57xx Posted March 28 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28 Nice to see this layout again, and still looking so good. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold jcarta Posted March 28 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 28 Yep..... It's great to see the layout being used again. Do you have any plans to change anything? 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 WOW AND BLOODY WOW.... Thanks for resurrecting my old Layout, how great to see it in good use, just as it was meant to be. I'm definitely following this now. Cheers, Andy. 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 (edited) Can you add another Layout down the OTHER side of your Garage, like I did with Bench Rd? The Swivelling Sector Plate transferred stock from one Layout to the other. Edited March 28 by Andrew P 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 10 hours ago, jcarta said: Yep..... It's great to see the layout being used again. Do you have any plans to change anything? Hi Jim, There will be a few subtle changes at first - 1) The platform & signal box will go to allow a road access & bothy for the wagon repair crew to operate from. 2) Also remove some of the buildings in the middle and either replace them with more NE based buildings or not - Not decided yet. 3) Also remove the crossing gates as most NCB crossings in the NE were ungated, Long term - 1) Look at installing semaphore signals and repositioned signal box. 2) Replace road bridge with a concrete based bridge similar to one near where the layout is supposed to be based. 3) Longer fiddle yards if space permits. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 (edited) 9 hours ago, Andrew P said: WOW AND BLOODY WOW.... Thanks for resurrecting my old Layout, how great to see it in good use, just as it was meant to be. I'm definitely following this now. Cheers, Andy. Hi Andy, Glad your following it. When you had the layout it was one of my favourites to watch. I couldn't resist it when Peter put it up for sale. I might need to pick your brains reference the electrics for the points as Peter wasn't sure which wires were which. Unfortunately I don't have space at the other side of my garage for another layout, it would have been nice to. Regards Chris Edited March 28 by North Eastern 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 The National Union of Seamen have called a nation wide strike and as a result there are no coal shipments from the West Staiths at Blyth or on the Tyne as around the country. As a result Cambois & Gateshead Depots are struggling to stable the locos used on the coal traffic. Cambois has sent four of its Class 56's (56076,56077, 56116 & 56135) to Hirst Sidings to ease the pressure at the depot. Today also sees an unusual loco on the daily 'Cripple Wagon' turn (Maybe due to amount of locos stabled at Gateshead it was the easiest to get to?) 47007 brings into the sidings a defective HBA & a Alumnia Hopper. 08886 has been hired to the colliery as both the Class 14's require repairs and the Austerity is undergoing a boiler wash out. The sidings are also looking empty, hopefully work will pick up soon😀 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 08886 has been hired to the colliery as both the Class 14's require repairs and the Austerity is undergoing a boiler wash out. The sidings are also looking empty, hopefully work will pick up soon😀 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold jcarta Posted March 29 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 29 11 hours ago, North Eastern said: Hi Jim, There will be a few subtle changes at first - 1) The platform & signal box will go to allow a road access & bothy for the wagon repair crew to operate from. 2) Also remove some of the buildings in the middle and either replace them with more NE based buildings or not - Not decided yet. 3) Also remove the crossing gates as most NCB crossings in the NE were ungated, Long term - 1) Look at installing semaphore signals and repositioned signal box. 2) Replace road bridge with a concrete based bridge similar to one near where the layout is supposed to be based. 3) Longer fiddle yards if space permits. Chris Some good changes taking place, definately will be following with interest. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dragonboy Posted March 29 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 29 Lovely to see this layout’s return. Always think this was one of Andy’s best. Looking forward to seeing more. Brian 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 The Sailors strike has finished (Yippee) and traffic is returning to normal. The yard has lost its allocation of 56's back to Cambois . 37008 is currently running round four defective HAA's and will return to Cambois Depot for its next job after moving the HAA's into the sidings. 08085 has arrived in the sidings to take over from 08886 as the colliery still has a motive power shortage. 47363 is waiting to leave the sidings after depositing its train of bitumen tanks at the bitumen plant. The sidings are looking busier and long may it continue 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 08085 has arrived in the sidings to take over from 08886 as the colliery still has a motive power shortage. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 47363 is waiting to leave the sidings after depositing its train of bitumen tanks at the bitumen plant. The sidings are looking busier and long may it continue 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcanman Posted March 30 Share Posted March 30 Great layout. BR Blue and a north eastern theme. Wonderful! 37008 was at Sunderland South Dock when I visited in 1981. The other photo is, of course, Cambois TMD. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 30 Author Share Posted March 30 It's the Saturday during Easter weekend and the last few trip workings are in full swing before the two day Easter break. 08085 is propelling some empty HBA/HEAs down the colliery branch. The NCB PW gang are clearing away some spent ballast & debris from some recent track maintenance. Thornaby's 20028 is a surprise visitor on the repaired cripples trip. The local spotters will be delighted with this cop 40118 is in the head shunt waiting to go to Cambois after dropping off its train load at the steel fabrication yard. The biggest surprise today is 50035 Ark Royal & 50037 Illustrious which are double heading the Branch Line Society railtour to Cambois & North Blyth. The crew at Hirst Sidings asked the depot foreman at Cambois if he'd send the locos down the branch so they could see them. The local spotters will be over the moon at these two cops. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold GWR57xx Posted March 31 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 31 9 hours ago, North Eastern said: It's the Saturday during Easter weekend and the last few trip workings are in full swing before the two day Easter break. 08085 is propelling some empty HBA/HEAs down the colliery branch. The NCB PW gang are clearing away some spent ballast & debris from some recent track maintenance. Thornaby's 20028 is a surprise visitor on the repaired cripples trip. The local spotters will be delighted with this cop 40118 is in the head shunt waiting to go to Cambois after dropping off its train load at the steel fabrication yard. The biggest surprise today is 50035 Ark Royal & 50037 Illustrious which are double heading the Branch Line Society railtour to Cambois & North Blyth. The crew at Hirst Sidings asked the depot foreman at Cambois if he'd send the locos down the branch so they could see them. The local spotters will be over the moon at these two cops. Didn’t anyone get a photo of the two 50’s? I was there for ages but must have left before they arrived - shucks! 🙂 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 57 minutes ago, GWR57xx said: Didn’t anyone get a photo of the two 50’s? I was there for ages but must have left before they arrived - shucks! 🙂 Apologies I thought I'd posted them, it mustn't have saved😁 The biggest surprise today is 50035 Ark Royal & 50037 Illustrious which are double heading the Branch Line Society railtour to Cambois & North Blyth. The crew at Hirst Sidings asked the depot foreman at Cambois if he'd send the locos down the branch so they could see them. The local spotters will be over the moon at these two cops. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 Some of the superbly detailed/weathered road vehicles which will appear on the layout, supplied by Andrew Proctor 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 (edited) Lovely Hoovers Chris, can I up you a pair of Tractors? Hahah. Edited March 31 by Andrew P 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 4 hours ago, Andrew P said: Lovely Hoovers Chris, can I up you a pair of Tractors? Hahah. Very nice Andy. I'm hoping to get some LL 37's when Heljan release their new batch of 'Skirtless' 37's this year. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 It's Easter Sunday and Hirst Sidings is just about full of locos stabled from Cambois Depot during the Easter break. The full list of locos stabled are - 08008, 08085, 08512, 08575, 08747, 08872, 08886, 08888, 37008, 37015, 37078 Teesside Steelmaster, 56076 Blyth Power, 56077, 56116, 56119, 56124 Blue Circle Cement, 56126, 56132 Fina Energy & 56135 Port of Tyne Authority. The only visitor to the sidings is 37078 from Thornaby so the local spotters won't be getting too excited with the line up😁 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Eastern Posted April 5 Author Share Posted April 5 Apologies for the lack of posts a dirty 4 letter word has got in the way 'Work' Normal service has resumed since the Easter break at Hirst Sidings and we see 08886 on hire to the colliery resting in between duties on one of the colliery exchange sidings. 56116 is waiting to leave the sidings for Cambois depot with the repaired cripple wagons. 20172 Redmire & 20173 Wensleydale arrive in the sidings after depositing their bitumen tanks at the bitumen plant, before returning to Teesside. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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