GRANBY JUNCTION - Shunting Siphons for the Up Parcels with a Manor!

[Edwardian]

Great parcels train there, John.  Good to see some more shots of the layout.  What a fine townscape it all adds up to.  Never tire of seeing it.

[M.I.B]

 

Whatever....needs must.....I added "Great [crest] Western"  and some weathering and it doesnt look too out of place in a 1948 parcels train.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a couple of Hawksworth BKs for NC with this branding too...............fully agree with your methodology.

 

I agree with your thoughts on SIPHONs - "G" and "H"s ( inside and outside framed)  were in use right into the 1980s on all sorts of work and would therefore sell well if updated.   

 

Now that I have put better bogies and buffers on my Lima internally framed "G"s I am very happy with them.

[john dew]

Great parcels train there, John.  Good to see some more shots of the layout.  What a fine townscape it all adds up to.  Never tire of seeing it.

 

Thank you! The style and content of Granby are so different from Castle Aching comments like that are particularly appreciated

 

Kind Regards

 

John

[john dew]

There are a couple of Hawksworth BKs for NC with this branding too...............fully agree with your methodology.

 

I agree with your thoughts on SIPHONs - "G" and "H"s ( inside and outside framed)  were in use right into the 1980s on all sorts of work and would therefore sell well if updated.   

 

Now that I have put better bogies and buffers on my Lima internally framed "G"s I am very happy with them.

 

What bogies and buffers did you use? As I am sure you could tell, mine are the original (although the wheels were replaced of course) .....the vans seem to ride rather high and sway around like a Pendolino!

 

I guess you are looking for a result against Wales on Saturday.........first time in years I wont be getting up at the crack of dawn to watch the six nations......not availablle on Canadian Tv...grrr

 

Regards

 

John

[john dew]

Nice to see you done your home work on that tender I did wonder about it, Sixsmiths book of Hall's Vol 1 states it was tender number 2233. 

 

Hi Bob

 

Not sure about homework.......It came from a guy called Andy, cant remember his nom de plume...GWRxxx or similar,who suddenly became a  "deleted member" just before Christmas. He was quite active on ANTB and appeared to be very knowledgeable about GWR locos. It was he who prodded me into renaming and weathering my Halls. He gave me a lot of useful advice and sent me a load of photo links......which of course I cant find now!

 

Best wishes

 

John

 

Well its correction/apology/George Washinton time.

 

I finally located the photo that Andy had sent me and its actually of 4903 Astley Hall.....not 4905 Barton Hall. I guess I opted for geography (Barton was shedded at Chester in 1950) rather than history. Furthermore the tender is GWR not G crest W!

 

So my brief claim to authenticity on Granby is no more! I cant say Barton Hall never had a 3,500 gallon tender but I certainly cant claim that I have seen photographic evidence that it did......I have trawled the internet searching...just in case. In fact if you google Barton Hall you will eventually see the photo of Astley Hall that I referred to.

......

Its not the end of the world..... I will leave Barton Hall as is (though I might change the tender decals!)......but I really didnt want to mislead anyone.

 

It wouldnt surprise me that Bob (81C) knew this already...........in which case, I do appreciate you nudging me in the right direction in such a subtle manner.....thank you!

 

Regards to all

 

John

[St Enodoc]

I guess you are looking for a result against Wales on Saturday.........first time in years I wont be getting up at the crack of dawn to watch the six nations......not availablle on Canadian Tv...grrr

 

Regards

 

John

Middle of the night over here. I usually record the games (assuming they're on Fox Sports - better check...) and then watch on Sunday morning, having made sure I don't hear the results on the radio first.

[john dew]

Middle of the night over here. I usually record the games (assuming they're on Fox Sports - better check...) and then watch on Sunday morning, having made sure I don't hear the results on the radio first.

Australia is listed as Bein sports.....Canada a big fat zero. I will observe strict 24 hour embargo before commenting here .....will that be long enough?

 

Cheers

[St Enodoc]

Australia is listed as Bein sports.....Canada a big fat zero. I will observe strict 24 hour embargo before commenting here .....will that be long enough?

 

Cheers

Yes, Bein Sports should be available on our Foxtel cable package. They showed the November internationals. As previously, I might post a few teasers but no spoilers!

[M.I.B]

What bogies and buffers did you use? As I am sure you could tell, mine are the original (although the wheels were replaced of course) .....the vans seem to ride rather high and sway around like a Pendolino!

 

I guess you are looking for a result against Wales on Saturday.........first time in years I wont be getting up at the crack of dawn to watch the six nations......not availablle on Canadian Tv...grrr

 

Regards

 

John

 

John,

 

On the Lima inside framed "G"s, I used the Bachmann Collett bogies which as available in pairs as repair items/spares.  Buffers - forgotten which - white metal cast large round ones (MJT/Dart?).  I used the same ones as Robin, which is where I copied the technique from.

 

The Lima wheels and bogies apart from looking awful did ride well.  I put something quite weak and weedy in front of 6 Lima SIPHONs and it pulled them with ease.  The old Lima bogies sold for quite good money on Ebay if I remember correctly.

 

I left the Airfix/Replica/Mainline exterior framed Gs and the Hs alone in terms of fettling.  I just renumbered and weathered and painted the roofs mainly. 

Edited January 31, 2018 by M.I.B

[81C]

Hi John my knowledge of tender is bad in so much as I posted asking for what the tender numbers were on various size/types of tender I only got half an answer and the thread went of at a tangent.

I spent hours trying to work out what west country Hall I could have with a 3500gal Collett tender with info' I had/didn't have I gave up and put a 4000 gal tender behind the bl##dy thing. 

BTW 4904's 1948 tender was number 2168

Edited January 31, 2018 by 81C

[john dew]

Now for something completely different.

The subject of this post is far removed from last weeks elegant green Hall 4-6-0 with a colourful rake of passenger rated parcel vans.

Epitomising the grit and grime of Granby........a rugged work horse:
 

 

 

 

 

The schoolboys at the end of platform 4 are quite excited spotting this loco for the first time on Granby .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Bachmann G2A 0-8-0 sometimes known as a Super D

 

 

 

These were produced by the LNWR to haul heavy mineral trains.First manufactured in the 1880s over 800 of the assorted sub classes were produced.........400+- were handed over to BR on nationalisation and the last loco was withdrawn in 1964.

I have admired this model since the day it was first released......however LMS tends to take second place on Granby. Despite the attraction, it dropped into the "could have" list.......as opposed to must have (eg 43xx Mogul) or should have (47xx Night Owl).........and there it remained until a few months ago..

While discussing my new 72xx a few posts back, i was reminded of my liking for the G2A. Out of the blue Tony (trw1089), a long standing internet friend, told me he had a surplus BR G2A. He made me an offer I couldnt refuse....... reliveried, re numbered and weathered at a very attractive price.

Bearing in mind Tony lives in Queensland Australia 9376 is now a much traveled loco! Incidentally when Tony asked me what number I wanted, knowing little about the LMS,I looked up the class in Wikipedia........where the lead photo shows 9376 at Crewe in 1948....problem solved.

 

I think his weathering really enhances some of the superb detail on the model

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have only recently started to weather my locos so having an example like this in front of me is great. I think the overall effect is very impressive and far more subtle than I had realised.............by way of contrast there is a factory weathered 14xx in the foreground of the next shot.


So photo shoot over........ 9376 continues on her way to Birkenhead Docks.
 

 

 

Apart from looking the part the loco also performs very well.......slow crawl, smooth steady acceleration and very powerful. The steel tubes were a temporary assignment. Hopefully the next time you see her will be on a video hauling a long iron ore train.


Regards from Vancouver where, in January, we enjoyed a record 248mm of rain.

 

 

John

Edited September 28, 2022 by john dew
Photos 29/9/2022 Photos

[trw1089]

Great shots John and I feel truly privileged to have one of “my” locos running on Granby, it fits in so well with the overall atmosphere of Granby. Thanks for the kind words about my weathering. I’ve followed the methods of Tim Shackleton and others and am always trying new ideas and techniques. That’s the most important thing though, having a go!

 

Cheers

Tony

[7007GreatWestern]

Hello John et al,

 

Here are some meandering thoughts which I hope you will find amusing or informative.....

 

First off, well done to Tony for such a marvellous weathering job. Inspirational!

 

I too have become to be an admirer of the "Super D". As a staunch Great Western man it's a kind of guilty pleasure, a bit like liking ABBA. I hope we can keep this between ourselves?

 

Anyway, I bought my first Bachmann Super D with the reluctance one might expect from a small boy presented with a plate of cabbage for lunch! You see, I intend to model the "North & West Route" in the 1950s and they were simply an indispensable part of that route at that time. "Maybe I'll grow to love it one day" I thought to myself, without much conviction. Then quite recently I was 'grazing' railway videos on YouTube and found a couple that really brought these venerable locos to life for me.

 

The first is by Chris Eden-Green whose videos you might already be familiar with:-

 

 

The 'Super D' it seems was awkward, idiosyncratic and temperamental to work on....just my kind of loco!

 

Over on the National Preservation forum, a group of very knowledgable members including volunteer footplate crews discussed the 'foibles' of the class:-

 

https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/super-d-49395.38595/page-2

 

It seems that list of foibles is even longer than that listed by Chris Eden-Green! For example, if you wind the tender handbrake 'on' too much the mechanism falls to bits! Apparently the firebox grate is flat rather than sloped so the fireman would have to throw the coal right to the front of the box without 'gravity assistance". The lubricators dispensed oil faster on one side of the loco than the other, so there was a danger of running out.....which could entail a 'hot box'. Also it was very easy to accidentally open the tender water valves.....which could cause the loco to run low on water....which could entail the 'ultimate' disgrace of having to throw out the fire in order to save the firebox crown sheet!

 

Whatever their vices, for a class built in the early 1920's to be still around in 1964 they must have operationally useful. Bear in my that the Hawksworth "Counties" were built 25 years later but all had gone by 1963!

 

Here's some footage of the preserved 49395 filmed on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway doing the kind of work these locos evidently did rather well, whatever the crews thought of them.....

 

 

Moving on to Bachmann's model, a railway modeller and YouTuber called Australia1957T performed 'strength trial' of six different eight-couple, OO gauge RTR models. Perhaps you can guess which model won?

 

 

And before anyone asks, yes, I admit it, I bought a second 'Super D'. I guess I'm a convert. Just don't tell anyone.......  ;-)

 

Regards to all,

 

Andy.

[trw1089]

Hi Andy

 

I was looking through your post rather quickly and saw the Super D at the end and thought that’s a bit mucky, then realised which video it was and chuckled. I’d weathered that loco too, as the guy who has that layout was my former physics and maths teacher and I have weathered a number of his locos.

 

I’ve had a soft spot for the Super D too, especially after seeing 49395 on the NYMR. One of the members of our BRMA modelling group here in Oz used to work on them at Abergavenny and he was always impressed with their haulage capacity and their off beat gallop when they got going. I think their idiosyncrasies is why I like them, because while not perfect they still did the job asked of them every day.

 

Cheers

Tony

[DCB]

Good to seethe NYMR Super D  footage of a goods train running at goods train speed, I make it just over 120 rpm so around the 25mph mark. A super D and most UK 8 coupled freights do around 5 yards per revolution of the wheels. 

By contrast the models on the load test look more like 60mph!

Edited February 2, 2018 by DavidCBroad

[St Enodoc]

Good to seethe NYMR Super D  footage of a goods train running at goods train speed, I make it just over 120 rpm so around the 25mph mark. A super D and most UK 8 coupled freights do around 5 yards per revolution of the wheels. 

By contrast the models on the load test look more like 60mph!

As a rule of thumb, I encourage my operators to drive at one coach length per second for a passenger train and one wagon length per second for a goods train.

[john dew]

Hi Andy

 

Thank you for that great post. What an eclectic mix of videos. I spent a very relaxing 30 minutes (with a glass of wine) learning a great deal about the Super D.......so glad Tony twisted my arm,

One of the things that really stood out to me was how close coupled the wagons were on that Yorkshire preserved railway.......I guess one gets used to the gap of tension locks or kadees....but it was a real eye opener to me seeing how close the real thing is.

 

Thanks again for posting the videos......after seeing them my Super D is definitely getting promoted to the Iron Ore train!

 

Best wishes

 

John

[john dew]

Hi Tony

 

Quite the coincidence!  When I checked the video I immediately recognised your style.

 

That was a very interesting trial......not least because I noted none of the GWR 2-8-0s made the final three.......not entirely surprised though. Probably the longest train on Granby is the iron ore train....hauled for the last 10 years by a Hornby 8F. Seeing how comfortably the Super D beat the 8F its no surprise where the Super D is now!

 

Incidentally your ex-teacher has an amazing collection of stock in that fiddle yard

 

Cheers

 

John

[john dew]

Good to seethe NYMR Super D  footage of a goods train running at goods train speed, I make it just over 120 rpm so around the 25mph mark. A super D and most UK 8 coupled freights do around 5 yards per revolution of the wheels. 

By contrast the models on the load test look more like 60mph!

 

I suspect they had to get up to that speed to make the gradient......I noticed that as they added more wagons the locos started to stall when they entered the second curve while the end of the train was still transiting the first curve.

 

Regarding layout speeds, I think it rather depends on the size of the layout. Granby is 18' x10' but with the station complex on one long side and  storage sidings on the other its really only on the 10' curves at either end that trains can approach full speed. If you want realistic acceleration and braking , as I do, 10' isnt very long.

 

In these sections maximum speed for express passenger trains is 35mph, ordinary passengers 20- 25mph and freight at 15 mph. I suppose one could argue with some justification that the layout isnt big enough to run realsitic speed.......however, sadly, not an argument that has found much favour with Mrs D.

 

My speeds are calculated by RR&Co but next running session I will be counting carriages and wagons per second as practised by St Edonoc.........it will be interesting to check the speeds with the RR&Co throttle.speed

 

Cheers

 

John

[St Enodoc]

Yes, Bein Sports should be available on our Foxtel cable package. They showed the November internationals. As previously, I might post a few teasers but no spoilers!

Checked today and yes, Bein Sports is on our package so the recorder is now set up for all three games. I'll probably be able to watch both of today's but unless I get up on Monday morning at stupid o'clock to watch it before I go to work I will probably miss the England game.

[richard.h]

Just finished reading through this thread which I really enjoyed, it's a great layout and I particularly like the way you have modified standard structures to fit your layout and also put together small cameos with figures to create interest and atmosphere.

This will be definitely one for me to keep an eye on in future.

 

On the subject of Kadees could you tell me what type of uncouplers you use, I have been retrofitting them to all the ends my rakes and the rear of the locos but as the track is already gravelled it seems super magnets  or surface mounts would be the only options

[john dew]

Hi Richard

 

So glad you like Granby. I do admire your stamina in wading through thirty odd pages of my ramblings.

 

I primarily use #321 Kadee  "delayed action" uncouplers. I dont rely on the delayed action......I find the slightest jerk or judder causes them to re couple...so I have quite a lot around the layout. I use a few of the automatic magnets on short dead end sidings but never on running lines. HTH

 

Kind regards

 

John

[john dew]

Once again thank you for the likes etc guys......and now for a brewery update
 

 

The vents, gable windows and rooves (roofs if you prefer) are now on the main building and the roof is on the water tank
 

 

 

 

 

 

Malted barley is hauled to the top of the tower and milled.......the resultant grist is transferred to the main building and soaked in water that has been drawn from the tank and boiled........hence the many vents.

This is more a progress report than a tutorial, so I havent taken a raft of stage photos......happy to answer any questions though
 

 

I think the next shot demonstrates why I only devote a few hours each week to this project http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif


 

 

Cutting each individual tile strip, inking the cut edge and keeping them in sequence (to preserve John Wiffen's skillful weathering) is only marginally more exciting than watching paint dry.

On the right, the roof (without a window opening) will not be seen, so I just cut and pasted from the sheet. The roof above has the full mind-numbing strip treatment  

On balance I think its worth the effort

 

 

 

Still to do......the sack hoist on the Grist tower, a significant architectural feature (see below) and the fermentation plant on the RH side ....two bays, three storeys, gable roof.

As a reminder .....the model is based loosely (very loosely) on Hook Norton Brewery.
 

 

 

 

Hopefully there is some resemblance

 

 

Regards from Vancouver where the days are getting longer and yesterday we saw some blue sky!

 

 

John

Edited September 30, 2022 by john dew
28/9/2022 Photos

[trw1089]

That is some brilliant modelling there John, it really is a very unique structure that will be a highlight of the layout I reckon.

 

Here’s cheers to Danby Brewery, long may it produce fine ales!

 

Tony

[M.I.B]

Stunning structure John.  Very very impressive.

 

Can I ask what the origin of the silver hopper wagons in the back ground of the last shot are?