Lancaster Green Ayre - The Barn Owls have returned.

[jamie92208]

Hi there Jamie.

I have to say that Kirtley looks the biz mate

Very nice.

Regards Lez.Z.

Thanks for the comment Lezz.  Both locos plus a 3P 700 class have been built by a great friend of mine who is part of the layout team.  Not very well at the moment but busy folding etches in hospital at the moment.  He's a very accomplished scratchbuilder as well and won many trophy's for his models of Snowdon Mountain Railway equipment in 7mm narrow gauge.   If his health improves he's threatening to build a model of the Midland's porposed Bo Bo electric boxcab that was going to work between Manchester and Derby.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Had quite agood day doing various jobs.  I got a lot of point indicator LED's working and this afternoon put some framing on the loco shed to support the roofs.   I also called in to a local sign makers that do laser cutting.  It looks as if I'll be able to get the parts for the roof louvres on the shed laser cut from 3mm ply.  I need 56 units so laser cutting looks a good option.   I then tried test running in the shed area with my 3 young helpers.  We actually got a loco running so they were very pleased.

 

After tea I went back to see if I could solve the logic problem in the relay matrix that controls the Loco shed/goods yard/castle branch area and thier interation with the main line.  For some reason two of the 15 relays seem to be cross feeding and various LED's are coming on when they shouldn't.   I started out and thought that I had found the problem but after 2 hours things seemed to have got worse.  I did find and fix one problem but eventually gave up.  I'm now typing up a spreadsheet showing where the wire from each pin on the 15 relays should terminate.   The plan is to work on the board next Monday and to test each pin and trace it's wiring.

 

Hopefully tomorrow should bring some light to it.

 

Jamie

Edited October 30, 2014 by jamie92208

[roundhouse]

its very frustrating when you cant trace a wiring fault.

 

One common issue I have is finding that I have accidentally swapped a couple of wires over when making up the electrical connectors!

[jamie92208]

Thanks for that Ian.  I spent an hour last night making a fault finding chart then had a think.  I strongly suspect that there are either 1 or two wires crossed over and I have my suspects.   I'm going to have a quick look this morning before I take the layout down (Sunday is looming and the room is needed for Sunday School).   I'll probably try and sort it early next week.   I've also got to do some work on the shed area.  There are 12 isolation sections there and I got about 8 of them working yesterday.    Tonight the activity switches to the clubrooms.  Earlsheaton is out at a 2 day show in Wakefield cathedral so we are putting the fiddle yard up for testing tonight and tomorrow.  It's going to be a busy weekend, but hopefully there should be trains running at Warley.

 

Jamie

Edited July 23, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Dave and I put the whole fiddle yard up yesterday at the clubrooms and got some testing done.   This threw up one problem which we thought was electrical when a point frog was the wrong polarity.   After changing relays and testing it transpired that the Tortoise wasn't throwing fully in one direcftion and wasn't tripping the relay.   The motor drive was nmoved lightly to take pressure off it and it all now works OK.

 

This afternoon I've been up at church (in between services) trying to sort out the relay logic for the castle branch.  I've gone right back to basics and have started to check every wire from each relay and think that I'm now getting somewhere.  I'll do some more tonight and tomorrow.

 

As mentioned in early risers Il Dittore  (Flavio) has very kindly offerred to build one of our buildings.   This is the Yard Office from ladie walk Sidings at the east end of the layout just before the scenic break.  

The white box is in the approximate location that the office will occupy.  It's based on the actual Yard Office but has had to be resized to fit the location on the model. The footbridge provides access to the Office.

 

Jamie

Edited July 23, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Things are continuing to progress and a lot has got done today.   This morning I went and bought some more barrel bolts so that I can energise more sidings on the Castle Branch Traverser.  On the way home I called at a local firm that offers laser cutting.  They said they could do 3mm ply.  I need 72 saltire shaped sets of timbers for the upper part of the shed roof.   I then emailed them some artwork for the pieces and some other bits that will make the upper part of the rooves.  the shed is 3' long  by 21" wide and has two bays of hipped rooves plus 40 smoke chimneys.   

 

I then set to work to start cutting the main roof structure after sorting out the dimensions on the CAD system.  After a pause for lunch i continued and by 3pm this was the result.

 

 

The plan is to add 3mm ply to the roof trusses and make the two hipped sections removable for transport.  they will be stored inside the shed for transport.    The four trusses per side slot into slots made from plywood noggins, all 32 of them glued and nailed on.   I'm pleased with the result.  I just need to get the plywood on.   The plan is to have two 2" wide strips on the operator side that can be left off during shows so that we can see what's in the shed.

 

Then it was back up to church to try and sort the rats nest.  At least I have now established a logical method of testing and am working my way through the relay sets one by one.  I've got two of the four sets and two of the changeover relays done.   Some problems have emerged and been sorted.  However there is still some sort of cross feed between the Goods Yard and the Castle branch LED's but I am making progress.

 

At the clubrooms this evening we had an inspiring slideshow of late BR steam.  One slide even showed Helifield station on 4-8-68 when I was actually on the platforms aged 15, having just done my O levels.  Another showed Lancaster Castle with the overhead still up.  Afterwards we took the Fiddle yard down.  All in all good progress. 

 

Jamie

Edited July 23, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

More progress to report.  At the clubrooms ballasting of the track on Greyhound Bridge has commenced so it should look OK for Warley.  I continued on electrical work at the chapel this week.  I mainly worked on the locoshed tracks.  This was a bit frustrating.  I managed to get all 12 of the isolating sections, where the locos are stored, to work and by Thursday had a loco running p and down and stopping in all the right places.   I Also sorted out the logic on the ritary switch that controls the entrance tracks and got three of them working but ended up with a short on the fourth that I couldn't trace.  However it was progress. 

 

Today, after attending the village service at the cenotaph I spent the day happily demonstrating soldering at the little show in Morley.  I got a lot of interest but more importantly made some real progress on the final set of bridge piers for Greyhound Bridge and also got all the treads onto one of the stair units for Ladies Walk footbridge.  It's starting to look OK but I didn't have my camera with me.  Hopefully there will be some more progress over the coming week.  I'm hopeing to pick up the laser cut woodwork for the clerestories on the loco shed (I don't know what their proper name is.) and will then try to assemble a roof unit.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Just a quick update.

 

Last night we continuied ballasting Greyhound Bridge and John Patrick brought the back wall for the up platform down.  I screwed it on temporarliy and this is the result.

 

The adverts make it look quite atmospheric.  This view won't normally be seen as the main station building is on the viewers side of the tracks.  However it all adds to the atmosphere.

 

Jamie

Edited July 23, 2022 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

I got the email this morning to say that that laser cut wood was ready to collect.

This is the sheet it was cut from.

Here are the two shapes that I got cut, 80 of what I call the saltires and 20 of the roof trusses.

The saltires were then glued into pairs and one pair had a truss attached.

When they'd dried I put the first few sections together whilst checking for squareness and straightness.

These are going to go on the top of each section of the hipped roof.  They would normally have had louvres attached but photos show that the timbers were exposed at the time we're modelling.   Here's the first section of roof.  One side is glued on and the other just placed.

I then checked for general effect.  It will look better when I've got the roof parts levelled up.

All in all I'm very pleased with the results, though SWMBO isn't too pleased with the smell of burnt wood that pervades the dining room.  I'm very pleased with the results.  I ned to shim the end set of frames to get a solid corner on one side but overall I think it's worth doing.

 

Jamie

Edited July 23, 2022 by jamie92208

[ozzyo]

Hello Jamie,

 

was any special reason that you got the saltires cut out as a half pair so that you had to glue two together.

 

That will look very good when it's all completed.

 

OzzyO.

[jamie92208]

Hello Jamie,

 

was any special reason that you got the saltires cut out as a half pair so that you had to glue two together.

 

That will look very good when it's all completed.

 

OzzyO.

It was just an easier drawing to do but with hindsight they would have been easier as a pair.  The roof trusses have helped a lot.  The parts  aren't cheap but worked out at just over £1 each and there's no way I could have cut them out as accurately as that.  I'm going to get a quote for the walls for the building that Il Dottore is making for me for the front and back with the window and door apetures.

 

Jamie

Edited November 15, 2014 by jamie92208

[newbryford]

Just catching up with this - looking forward to seeing it at the NEC when I can escape from my demo stand.

 

My usual view of the Greyhound bridge is from the left hand lane, heading to Morecambe.......................

 

Cheers,

Mick

[jamie92208]

Well all but three of the 27 boards are now home in preparation for the trip to Warley.  This is going to be the first time that the layout as a whole has been out and all set up with the electrics working (Hopefully).      The extra stock from the team that used to exhibit Long Preston has now arrived so storage has become a problem but has been solved.   I;ve been working on various things this weekend in between domestic duties and sorting out the Wakefield Show Guide.

 

The engine shed roof is progressing and I got the first end glued and pinned this afternoon before the light failed.   I've remeasured the other section and found that one of the stringers is 5mm out of kilter so that one is now soaking before I attack it with a chisel and pair of pliers to separate it.   The plan is to ahve both roof sections and hopefully the laser cut clerestory's on for Warley.   Once the roof section has been attended to it will be time to do some soldering on the Ladies Walk footbridge so that it can be trial fitted on it's board before we set off.

 

Yesterday the post brought a marvellous present, the mock up of the yard office from Il Dottore.  He's made it in foamboard and printed on slates and brickwork.  The baseboards it sits on are the last two still up at the clubrooms so I'm going to take some photos tomorrow night to show how good it looks.

 

If you're at Warley come and see us on stand E13.  It will be the first time that we will have had the fiddle yard filled with stock and hopefully (fingers crossed we'll be able to run a few trains as well as work on the layout.

 

Jamie

Edited November 17, 2014 by jamie92208

[jamie92208]

Just got back from taking the Wakefield show guide to the printers so am looking forward to an afternoon of shed roof building.   However on the way home I called at the van hire firm to check on the lorry.  I was told that they couldn't garuntee a 7.5 ton tail lift but that I wouyld get at least a 3.5 ton Luton with a tail lift.   I've had a quick play on Autocad and with a squeeze we will be able to get the layout and stock into the van but with little space to spare and crates stacked 4 high.   Hopefully they will have a 7.5 tonner by Friday.  Unfortunately there is only one firm in the area that allows private hire of 7.5 tonners without an operators licence. 

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

A quick update from last night at the club rooms.  I took the Ladies Walk footbridge down with me for a trial install.   I also took the mock up of the  yard office that Il Dottore is building for a trial fit.  

Here's the footbridge with 7 of the 8 legs attached.  They still need their bracing and the bridge still needs a lot of work.

Through the footbridge you can see the yard office.

 

This is the view from the other end.

It's all bringing a bit of life to the scene.  We also had to do a quick relocation of the final electrification gantry as when we put the footbridge in place, the first flight of stairs were under the gantry which we didn't think would be correct.   In reality the final gantry was half way down the yard from the office.

 

Jamie

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by jamie92208

[asa]

Jamie beware of a Luton with a tail lift.I'm sure it was talked about on here that it's very easy to overload them.

If I remember someone was stopped by the Police and had to transfer some of the gear to another vehicle so they could continue their journey.

I'm sure someone will be able to clarify for me.

Regards Alistair.

[jamie92208]

Jamie beware of a Luton with a tail lift.I'm sure it was talked about on here that it's very easy to overload them.

If I remember someone was stopped by the Police and had to transfer some of the gear to another vehicle so they could continue their journey.

I'm sure someone will be able to clarify for me.

Regards Alistair.

Thanks for that Alistair,  I'll certainly look out for that but I don't think that we'll be over the weight limit but might be approaching the volumetric limit.  I'll probably check weigh it at the local free weighbridge asw we set off.

 

Jamie

[iL Dottore]

Having seen the mock-up in-situ I get the impression that a slight difference between board heights at the join will require either a stepped "cellar", or a deeper one, to allow it to bed in correctly into the scenery. Or is it just the angle of the photo?

iD

[jamie92208]

Having seen the mock-up in-situ I get the impression that a slight difference between board heights at the join will require either a stepped "cellar", or a deeper one, to allow it to bed in correctly into the scenery. Or is it just the angle of the photo?

iD

Thanks iD.  yes there is a 3mm step there to do with the transition to what was originally all fiddle yard.  I've got loads of 3mm cork so can put a patch there.  We'll have a good look over the weekend and decide what the ground level is going to be.It will probably end up at the top of the sleepers which will be 6mm above the board with the bridge on.

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Hopefully Plan B about the van hire is going to work out.   I've now done a CAD drawing of the interior of the 3.5t van and am now on my third iteration of the packing layout to get 15 baseboard crates plus a host of stock crates, buildings in boxes and assorted tools, layout cloths and other assort c**p as it's known, into the van.  I think that we can now do it and still have space to safely lift things in and out.  I'm still hoping for a 7.5 tonner but at least I have a plan B that looks robust.  Now to spend an evening soldering the ladies Walk footbridge and sorting various boxes of stock and bits.

 

Jamie

Edited November 19, 2014 by jamie92208

[Ohmisterporter]

Always nice to see progress being made Jamie and I know that the wagons on the layout are just for testing purposes but with my pedants hat on, Lancaster only became a city in 1937 some years after your setting. 

[jasond]

Jamie, I moved south in August and your long thread with posts referencing Lancaster and Morecambe's railways has certainly made me melancholy. Anyway, I belonged to the Morecambe & Heysham MRC with members running 0-gauge Black Fives, etc with Green Ayre allocation (can't guarantee shed plates!). Harry Lewis, Club Chairman, was a fireman at Green Ayre, maybe has a tale to tell.

 

You did say you had some American models didn't you? Well the club has a large (28 times round is a mile) 0-gauge layout, British Open Days second Saturday of the month with an Open Day for American running on the Sunday. Rolling stock provided if you just want to run locos. Yes, we've had PRR boxcabs, but pantos down and Big Boys etc manage the Peco track no prob. http://www.mandhmrc.com

Jason

[jamie92208]

Always nice to see progress being made Jamie and I know that the wagons on the layout are just for testing purposes but with my pedants hat on, Lancaster only became a city in 1937 some years after your setting. 

Thanks for that Geoff.  It's always nice to learn things like that.  I'll have to stop buying that particualr POWsides transfer.  It was the same on Long Preston where I had a Settle Limes wagon then found out that the company ws set up in the mid 30's a s a marketing coop for several quarries.

 

Cheers

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

Jamie, I moved south in August and your long thread with posts referencing Lancaster and Morecambe's railways has certainly made me melancholy. Anyway, I belonged to the Morecambe & Heysham MRC with members running 0-gauge Black Fives, etc with Green Ayre allocation (can't guarantee shed plates!). Harry Lewis, Club Chairman, was a fireman at Green Ayre, maybe has a tale to tell.

 

You did say you had some American models didn't you? Well the club has a large (28 times round is a mile) 0-gauge layout, British Open Days second Saturday of the month with an Open Day for American running on the Sunday. Rolling stock provided if you just want to run locos. Yes, we've had PRR boxcabs, but pantos down and Big Boys etc manage the Peco track no prob. http://www.mandhmrc.com

Jason

 

Thanks for that Jason.  I was aware of the Morecambe club and went up there one Sunday with two of my colleagues from the Green Ayre team.  I plan to go up again.

 

 

Cheers

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

After a long days work I've got all of Green Ayre with all it's various bits and pieces into one place.  13 Baseboard crates, 2 other crates, 3 control panels  and many boxes of stock, tools, buildings etc.    Fortunately I've got the use of the chapel and its various storage rooms so it will be easy to load the lorry in the morning.  

Here's most of the various boxes and bits plus 4 crates and the two crates for the backscenes and backscene supports.

In the back room are another three of the odd shaped and larger crates (1 fiddle yard crate and the two trapezoids)

The other 6 crates are in the chair store, fortunately there's a big meeting tonight and all the chairs are out.  Using this area makes them a lot nearer the front doors with an easier access route.

I used to call Long Preston 'The monster' now I'm not sure what to call Green Ayre.

On that subject the name for the layout in the Warley show guide is Lancaster (Green Ayre).  Until the grouping both the LNWR and Midland stations were known as Lancaster.  The LMS renamed the Midland one Lancaster Green Ayre in the 30's and called the LNWR one Lancaster Castle.  I felt that if I just called the layout 'Lancaster' viewers would get confused as to which station the model is of.   The shed was also known as Lancaster to the Midland but became Green Ayre to BR.

 

Jamie

Edited July 23, 2022 by jamie92208