Lancaster Green Ayre - The Barn Owls have returned.

[edward66]

Should be over there for the event Jamie, hope to meet you then!

 

Edward

[jamie92208]

Better finish my breakfast and get off to put the layout up then.  However SWMBO is issuing instructions that may delay my departure.

 

Jamie

[45156]

It might even be better to leave it as a cardboard mock up so that it prompts someone's memory in May as we only have a very indistinct aerial view of the front of the building plus a ground plan.

 

Jamie

Indeed, Jaimie.  And that's in part what showing the layout locally is for - to get the locals who remember it to add their contirbutions, ideas, and suggestions - nothing better than first hand advice for helping with the accuracy.

[45156]

Oh and hope all is going well for the layout's public debut.

[jamie92208]

Just back from the stadium.   It has not been the best of days.   A layout that was working well when put away didn't want to work but by the end of the evening we had trains running reasonably on the two main lines though a bridge rectifier cooked itself which stopped the job for half an hour as i took out half the fiddle yard.   One of my Kent controllers decided to stick on full power in reverse so we had to operate the other end on one controller for both tracks.  At the other end another of the Kent's stuck on full power but ws reversible so we can at least receive trains.   We also spent far too long struggling to put up the lighting rig and I discovered that a vital piece was missing.   I've now got to go to the the shed and find it.  2' of 22mm diameter copper pipe.   However when I did get section of light plugged in they worked very well but I do need to make a proper carrying crate for them.   Hopefully we'll get it looking a but better tomorrow with more trained operators, the cloths on, and the lighting rig and pelmet plus nameplate up.

 

This is meant to be a fun hobby.   All I can do is apologise to anyone who came tonight for the poor way it was performing.  We'll try to put on a better show tomorrow.

 

Jamie

Edited July 24, 2022 by jamie92208

[Jock67B]

Sorry to hear about your woes Jamie, but I'm sure that, as a team you'll sort them tomorrow!

Try to get a good night'ssleep,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[jamie92208]

Sorry to hear about your woes Jamie, but I'm sure that, as a team you'll sort them tomorrow!

Try to get a good night'ssleep,

Kind regards,

Jock.

Thanks for the ind words Jock, a hot bath has already restored my soul and a bit of good malt is now on the agenda.  Whilst soaking my aching back in the bath I dd formulate a bit of  a plan.  I just need to find out if it's a cunning one or not tomorrow.

 

Jamie

[Dava]

Bad luck about this evening. Looked like it just needed longer to get set up and debug the electrical problems. Having seen it, its a huge, ambitious project which will yet consume a whole lot more work on track, scenics, catenary, buildings & details, and be wonderful when complete. No criticism intended.

 

Dava

[jamie92208]

Bad luck about this evening. Looked like it just needed longer to get set up and debug the electrical problems. Having seen it, its a huge, ambitious project which will yet consume a whole lot more work on track, scenics, catenary, buildings & details, and be wonderful when complete. No criticism intended.

 

Dava

Thanks for that Dava.  Comments like that mean a lot.   Was it you I spoke to briefly by the loco shed.

 

Jamie

[Dava]

Thanks for that Dava.  Comments like that mean a lot.   Was it you I spoke to briefly by the loco shed.

 

Jamie

No, you were busy with electrical matters when I saw you. I did admire the MR steam railmotor in the sidings though, then went for carp'n'chips 'cross the road.

 

Dava

[45156]

Hope all is better today.  I know how much work has gone into this layout, and how much it means to you to get it running smoothly.  It is the first time out, and with an undertaking of this size, there were always going to be teething troubles.

 

You've a good team there, who will be able to iron out the bugs, I'm sure. 

 

All the best

Stewart

[jamie92208]

Thanks everyone for the good wishes.  Just got home after the new style social.   Things have gone a lot better today and many more trains have been running.   No fried rectifiers though there is some sort of niggling short on board E5  (I've narrowed it down to there)   It's reading 33 ohms rather than open circuit.   I got most of the Castle branch running this afternoon and various strange items of rolling stock moved down and joined the fun on the main line.  There's even a rumour of a Pennsy 01a though I'm not convinced and suspect that someone had overindulged.  The loco shed had more movement and various scenic items were discovered and put out.  I got some info up on the display board.  The rest of the lighting rig was completed and worked well and the layout now has three name boards on the pelmet.  So all in all a good day.

 

Jamie

[Jon Fitness]

The big question is....did the signals work!?

Seriously though, I'm sure you'll work through the niggles and it'll all be superb in the end!

Jon F.

[enginelane]

Thanks everyone for the good wishes.  Just got home after the new style social.   Things have gone a lot better today and many more trains have been running.   No fried rectifiers though there is some sort of niggling short on board E5  (I've narrowed it down to there)   It's reading 33 ohms rather than open circuit.   I got most of the Castle branch running this afternoon and various strange items of rolling stock moved down and joined the fun on the main line.  There's even a rumour of a Pennsy 01a though I'm not convinced and suspect that someone had overindulged.  The loco shed had more movement and various scenic items were discovered and put out.  I got some info up on the display board.  The rest of the lighting rig was completed and worked well and the layout now has three name boards on the pelmet.  So all in all a good day.

 

Jamie

Making progress!

[Jock67B]

Very pleasing news to go off to sleep with Jamie,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[45156]

Great news - never easy when a new layout decides to play up, and I do remember when I was helping set up a layout MANY years ago and there was a section on one of the platform roads which shorted as soon as it was switched in.   Took hours to chase it out.  33 ohms seems a bit odd though, and I can't shed any light on that.

 

I'm sure that these are teething problems and will be traced soon.

[jamie92208]

Thanks for all the supportive comments.  I'm now relaxing with some single malt before climbing the wooden hill towards bed.  We managed to get it all dismantled and crated by 8.30 which is good going as there were only 4 of us at the end.   Many of the usual team were heavily involved in the exhibition organisation.  However I would like to say a big thank you to all who came and helped and to all the visitors who gave us such positive feedback despite the problems that we had.

 

The running was generally better today but the rogue short cropped up again and fried another two rectifiers in the morning.  I eventually disconnected the auxiliary feeds to one board and that seemed to make to manageable.  However we had to run the fiddle yard on only two controllers and trains had to be handballed over one of the boards for the afternoon.  

 

A lot of lessons have been learned and recorded. These relate to train formation, sequence of erection and dismantling etc etc. 

 

We now have the loco shed area back at the clubrooms for work over the next couple of months, both on scenery and trackwork.  It will next get set up at the church in February for a big running session before going to Nottingham in March and Lancaster in May. 

 

Various potential invites have been discussed and one confirmed.

 

Lots to talk and think about but it had been good to take it out on the road.

 

Jamie

[skipepsi]

It was an interesting layout to watch and clearly will be stunning when finally finished one of the things that struck MrsB was the height of the backscenes limiting access to the tracks, I think you will all have to be less shy and retiring. The running train when we watched had a reluctant coach that tested the strength of a mast and the mast won. The railmotor looked great with its tail coach and there was a lot more to be proud of.

[Jock67B]

Jamie,

That has to be a well done to you and the team. The fact that you can't put the whole layout together all the time, makes it difficult to fully sort the running - it really is a major undertaking. I really look forward to your updates on here, but I'd prescribe a couple of days well earned rest after you've got it put to bed!

Kind regards

Jock.

[ColinK]

Jamie, I'm glad that you put up the big picture of the actual Lancaster Green Ayre up by your layout. I though it put the whole layout into perspective. It also helped me as I moved to Lancaster long after Green Ayre vanished, enabling me to see what it used to be like.

[45156]

Jamie, I'm glad that you put up the big picture of the actual Lancaster Green Ayre up by your layout. I though it put the whole layout into perspective. It also helped me as I moved to Lancaster long after Green Ayre vanished, enabling me to see what it used to be like.

Me too, though I've seen lots of photos in various publications.  I couldn't make Wakefield, but I am looking forward to seeing this layout in May.  Are you planning to be there?

[jamie92208]

Thanks for the above comments.  I'm glad that the display board was useful.  It came about by accident and with a bit of recycling but seemed to generate plenty of interest.  I spent quite a bit of time pointing features out to visitors (When I wasn't fitting new rectifiers to the fiddle yard).

 

Anyway I did take a few pictures.

These are the lovely hoardings that Tony has made for the woodyard.   He was hoping to get to the who bust wasn't well enough.  The hoardings re modelled from photo and are designed as a plug in unit  Behind it s the old North Western railway Loco shed used by Waring and Gillows for maintenance of the Royal Coach. Mark is building the shed.

A general view of the coal yard area.

More coal yard with the mock up small buildings and a part completed big office/stable building that Melvyn Price is doing.

A shot of the back of the shed area with all the different mock up and part done buildings. The illuminated sword of Damocles isn't part of a fiery cross. A strip of LED had taken the time to come loose and was dangling just beyond reach.

Two shots of Il Dottore's Yard Office.   We didn't have time to trim to excess hydrocal to set it properly but it looks great and there was a photo of the prototype on the display board near it. In due course it will be seated well and we'll add details like grates for the downpipes.

The coal yard area again with a unit waiting in the bay platform for it's next turn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by jamie92208

[45156]

NIce pics there, Jaimie - shows just how far your project has gone over the years.

 

Keep up the good work.

[Jock67B]

Evening Jamie,

I'm with Stewart on those photographs, and in addition they confirmed my suspicions about the sheer scale of the project! It was only to be expected that some teething troubles would arise in the circumstances - the layout is crying out for a 'clubroom' large enough to keep it built up and running until every glitch is ironed out!

I wonder how many comments those beautiful canopies and the exceptionally realistic bridge drew from show visitors? I also wondered if Tony was able to contribute to the show?

Kind regards,

Jock.

[ColinK]

Me too, though I've seen lots of photos in various publications.  I couldn't make Wakefield, but I am looking forward to seeing this layout in May.  Are you planning to be there?

I wasn't sure what you meant by May, but now I know - an exhibition in Lancaster to commemorate the closure of Green Ayre, staring the model. Sounds very interesting, date now in diary.