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

[Mikkel]

Modelu meets Granby - the results can only be good.

 

Very nice subdued painting John. That Dean Goods suddenly springs to life.

[john dew]

I think you may have a drink problem John.

 

I am afraid you are right Robin. We are drinking more Chateau Screw Cap so I am running short of corks!

 

Cheers

[St Enodoc]

Change of pace this week.

 

The to do list keeps growing. A bunch of Modelu engine crew that I got in January needed painting. The black Dean Goods still hasn't got a driver   and an unlined green Dean Goods on its way from Liverpool will need crew.

 

Time to set up the people painting factory

 

 

1 All Fiigures.jpg

 

Sadly no placement fee from the Villages of Beaujolais.....just happy memories.

 

There are three interlopers on the right but the rest are all from Modelu. For those unfamiliar with the brand they are 3D prints using images scanned from real people.

 

There are some noticeable differences between these models and the more conventional products from Monty's Models or Airfix/Dapol. The poses, for obvious reasons, appear to be more natural. The heads are generally smaller but more realistic. Clothing, particularly drape and folds, looks much better. There are a myriad of little rods that support the product and they have to be cut away very very carefully........modern flash I suppose. The definition (of a tie for example) is less crisp than a top quality white metal model.

 

I will mostly standardize on them for the future......they also do a nice line in loco head and tail lights (usual disclaimer)

 

Here ae four of my favourites:

 

 

2 Modelu.jpg

Before railways I used to paint 7mm Napoleonic soldiers. Facial features... eyes and lips etc had to be painted. In 4mm I dont bother......I feel that with my skill level a flawed attempt is worse, in this case, than no attempt. I prefer to let the shadows of the model suggest the features

 

A 7mm technique I was recently reminded of on Little Muddle (what an inspirational layout), is the application of a number of heavily diluted black washes to the finished model

 

Not the best example but the figure on the right hasn't had this treatment yet.

 

 

3 Unfinished.jpg

 

Whereas now he has:

 

 

4 Finished Fireman.jpg

 

 

........of course it helps that he is a footplate crew but the technique will enhance any model figure.

 

 

So at long last the Dean has a full crew

 

 

5 Dean.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

5a Mid close up.jpg

 

 

 

There is, of course, an issue with inanimate figures on moving objects. Its hardly likely that Gareth Edwards could spend an entire circuit of Granby with his hands in his pockets. However Dean 2409 will spend most of its time in the public view shunting in Cynwyd yard, where the pose is hopefully more acceptable

 

 

7 Close up.jpg

 

 

 

 

Have you any idea how long I spent painting Driver Hughes tie? Never to be seen again!

 

I guess its debatable how long one should spend painting the unseen side of a figure? I am quite pragmatic about buildings......the rear of the brewery will never ever be seen......fortunately .........but somehow, to me, a figure isn't complete unless its properly painted

 

Here is a nice shot of the Oxford's backhead treatment

 

 

8 Backhead.jpg

 

I will finish with a bit about the photographs

 

Phil-C of Pen Bryn (another inspirational layout) is a brilliant photographer and he has been very patiently coaching me over the years.

 

I have a very rudimentary knowledge of photography and some of my most recent photos have been less than stellar..........As a result of hints from Phil I think this latest batch are a lot sharper. (apart from the fossilised labourer bottom left)

 

 

6 Photo.jpg

 

I always shoot remotely on a tripod with aperture priority at the smallest aperture f22. However I had previously set the ISO at auto. I guess the penny should have dropped when the shutter was so fast with such a small aperture.! For this session I changed the ISO to 100.......the shutter now takes forever but the results are crisper with good depth of field........thank you Phil

 

I know I still need to add smoke though

 

 

9 Black and White.jpg

Regards from Vancouver where I spent part of yesterday morning shoveling snow.

 

No fake smoke please John. To me it just looks... erm... fake.

[john dew]

No fake smoke please John. To me it just looks... erm... fake.

 

Phil's examples look very convincing.......but I suspect you are quite correct about how any attempts of mine would look! Probably why I haven't tried anything so far.

 

I guess you must been enjoying the Six Nations ? I am very envious. England at Murrayfield will be interesting

 

Regards

 

John

[St Enodoc]

Phil's examples look very convincing.......but I suspect you are quite correct about how any attempts of mine would look! Probably why I haven't tried anything so far.

 

I guess you must been enjoying the Six Nations ? I am very envious. England at Murrayfield will be interesting

 

Regards

 

John

Yes and yes. My brother is a neutralised naturalised Scot so there is always a little bit more edge when Calcutta Cup time comes around.

[M.I.B]

Not only are you a wiz at buildings, but your people just keep getting better and better and better.

[john dew]

I knew that I should have ordered the snow plough version of the Dean Goods

 

 

 

 

 

This pretty stuff taken earlier this week is ok

 

 

 

 

 

 

But 18" overnight with more to come is a bit over the top!

 

Regards from a sunny but snowy Vancouver

[The Fatadder]

Looking at that I wish I was in BC!

 

It’s freezing here at the moment, just without the upside of snow!

[7007GreatWestern]

I knew that I should have ordered the snow plough version of the Dean Goods

 

 

snow plow.jpg

 

 

 

This pretty stuff taken earlier this week is ok

 

1 Snow.jpg

 

 

2 Stream.jpg

 

 

 

But 18" overnight with more to come is a bit over the top!

 

Regards from a sunny but snowy Vancouver

 

 

Hi John,

 

The UK is forecast to be hit by a weather system next week straight from Siberia! The journos have dubbed it "The Beast from the East". You might be wondering how terrible a meteorological phenomenon has to be to earn such a daunting sobriquet? Well apparently we can expect night time temperatures to plummet to -5 (centigrade) and snow as deep as 10-15cm (4"-6") is expected. At this point I imagine your average Canadian would be in fits of hysterical laughter that something so puny could cause such consternation. You have to look at things in UK terms however. This is a country who's transportation network, both public and private, grinds to a complete standstill with barely an inch of snow on the ground. You Oh well, time to ready the emergency rations, batten down the hatches, put one's affairs in order and prepare for the uniquely British form of pandemonium the begin!

 

Andy.

 

Below: Brits stranded in their cars....there's all of an inch of snow on the ground....

[john dew]

At the end of this post there is a 5 minute video about a long freight train circuiting Granby.



By way of preamble....my storage yard is more than a little crowded.



Here is a view from the train room doorway with the terrace houses and warehouse, that normally conceal it, removed

 

 

 

Although the Up and Down lines each have 5 storage roads, because of the entrance pointwork,  there are only three through routes for the Up line



U1 is for an 8 coach passenger express, U2 accomodates either the Milk or Parcels trains leaving U3 the only available route for Up Freight circuits 

 

 

Here is the view from the otherside

 

 

 

 

To squeeze as much stock in as possible the dead end siding U4 has both the 16 wagon iron ore train and a 2 car autotrain in front



U5 has two sets of suburban trains...... 5 coaches and 4 locos ......these movements have been covered in an earlier video

 

 

In this video the GWR  72xx  with a 16 wagon mixed freight leaves the blind siding U4 to circuit the layout meanwhile the LMS Super D and Iron Ore train clears U3 eventually backs into the blind siding U4.



In the background, so to speak, three shorter freights do a continuous circuit in the opposite direction. So in total there are 5 locos in play.....well 6 if you include a cameo appearance by a 14xx



The entire sequence actually takes a little over 7 minutes. I fear I may have been a little ruthless in cutting so there are a few jerky transitions.........and you may be only able to count 5 locos.....I think a LMS 4F may have fallen on to the cutting room floor!



Rather than have the camera (iphone) in one fixed spot I ran the sequence a number of times with the camera in different places around the layout. I hope this makes the sequence clearer. However there is one clip which because of the sunlight  I could only shoot at night........and it shows



Enough excuses......I hope that, despite the flaws, you enjoy watching the video......I certainly enjoyed making it



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTEfS4YkXT4

 

 

PS I had a lot of problems loading the YouTube on another site.....please let me know if you cant see it

 

        

Edited February 27, 2018 by john dew

[Edwardian]

Hi John,

 

The UK is forecast to be hit by a weather system next week straight from Siberia! The journos have dubbed it "The Beast from the East". You might be wondering how terrible a meteorological phenomenon has to be to earn such a daunting sobriquet? Well apparently we can expect night time temperatures to plummet to -5 (centigrade) and snow as deep as 10-15cm (4"-6") is expected. At this point I imagine your average Canadian would be in fits of hysterical laughter that something so puny could cause such consternation. You have to look at things in UK terms however. This is a country who's transportation network, both public and private, grinds to a complete standstill with barely an inch of snow on the ground. You Oh well, time to ready the emergency rations, batten down the hatches, put one's affairs in order and prepare for the uniquely British form of pandemonium the begin!

 

Andy.

 

Below: Brits stranded in their cars....there's all of an inch of snow on the ground....

 

 

I remain unconvinced that the widespread reporting of snow in the South East of England is reliable, if only because journalists from London will have no idea what snow actually looks like.  Possibly an explosion in an expanded polystyrene factory in Kent has been misreported.

[7007GreatWestern]

At the end of this post there is a 5 minute video about a long freight train circuiting Granby.

 

 

 

By way of preamble....my storage yard is more than a little crowded.

 

 

 

Here is a view from the train room doorway with the terrace houses and warehouse, that normally conceal it, removed

 

 

 

3 Storage 1.jpg

 

Although the Up and Down lines each have 5 storage roads, because of the entrance pointwork,  there are only three through routes for the Up line

 

 

 

U1 is for an 8 coach passenger express, U2 accomodates either the Milk or Parcels trains leaving U3 the only available route for Up Freight circuits 

 

 

 

Here is the view from the otherside

 

 

2a Storage.jpg

 

 

To squeeze as much stock in as possible the dead end siding U4 has both the 16 wagon iron ore train and a 2 car autotrain in front

 

 

 

U5 has two sets of suburban trains...... 5 coaches and 4 locos ......these movements have been covered in an earlier video

 

 

In this video the GWR  72xx  with a 16 wagon mixed freight leaves the blind siding U4 to circuit the layout meanwhile the LMS Super D and Iron Ore train clears U3 eventually backs into the blind siding U4.

 

 

 

In the background, so to speak, three shorter freights do a continuous circuit in the opposite direction. So in total there are 5 locos in play.....well 6 if you include a cameo appearance by a 14xx

 

 

 

The entire sequence actually takes a little over 7 minutes. I fear I may have been a little ruthless in cutting so there are a few jerky transitions.........and you may be only able to count 5 locos.....I think a LMS 4F may have fallen on to the cutting room floor!

 

 

 

Rather than have the camera (iphone) in one fixed spot I ran the sequence a number of times with the camera in different places around the layout. I hope this makes the sequence clearer. However there is one clip which because of the sunlight  I could only shoot at night........and it shows

 

 

 

Enough excuses......I hope that, despite the flaws, you enjoy watching the video......I certainly enjoyed making it

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTEfS4YkXT4

 

 

PS I had a lot of problems loading the YouTube on another site.....please let me know if you cant see it

 

        

 

John,

 

The film is fabulous! Am I right in saying all the train movements are running automatically under the control of RR&Co or are you "at the regulator yourself" operating them manually?

 

You mention in the captions that some movements are dependent on trains clearing block sections. Is RR&C using some kind of physical sensor to detect that or is it using "dead reckoning"? (e.g. 7226 has been moving at X mph for Y seconds so must have travelled Z distance so is therefore clear of block....)

 

 

Also, the smooth running of your locos is impressive. Those heavily weathered plodding freight engines like to 72xx and the Super D just ooze atmosphere. Great to see Granby "brought to life" for those of us who aren't going to see it in the flesh!

 

Andy.

 

PS The camera work and editing are spot on. I found to my horror last week that Youtube removed their online Editor in September last year, so I'm guessing you used a PC based NLE?

[john dew]

I remain unconvinced that the widespread reporting of snow in the South East of England is reliable, if only because journalists from London will have no idea what snow actually looks like.  Possibly an explosion in an expanded polystyrene factory in Kent has been misreported.

 

In the excitement of posting my video I forgot to acknowledge the likes and ticks for my previous post and  Andy and James comments about the weather 

 

In regard to the latters views on journalists I have to say that the older I get (and I am now very old) the less faith I have in hack's knowledge about almost any subject they churn out. I should add that to get a balanced view on life in the UK I read both the Guardian and Telegraph 

 

Its snowing again here........unlike the rest of Canada including the interior of B.C. we only get the occasional snowfall on the coast. The CBC invariably amuses eastern Canada by showing the citizens of Vancouver or Victoria (where they rarely get snow) coping with the first snowfall of the year.....in the manner depicted in Andy's photo.

[Edwardian]

At the end of this post there is a 5 minute video about a long freight train circuiting Granby.

 

 

 

By way of preamble....my storage yard is more than a little crowded.

 

 

 

Here is a view from the train room doorway with the terrace houses and warehouse, that normally conceal it, removed

 

 

 

3 Storage 1.jpg

 

Although the Up and Down lines each have 5 storage roads, because of the entrance pointwork,  there are only three through routes for the Up line

 

 

 

U1 is for an 8 coach passenger express, U2 accomodates either the Milk or Parcels trains leaving U3 the only available route for Up Freight circuits 

 

 

 

Here is the view from the otherside

 

 

2a Storage.jpg

 

 

To squeeze as much stock in as possible the dead end siding U4 has both the 16 wagon iron ore train and a 2 car autotrain in front

 

 

 

U5 has two sets of suburban trains...... 5 coaches and 4 locos ......these movements have been covered in an earlier video

 

 

In this video the GWR  72xx  with a 16 wagon mixed freight leaves the blind siding U4 to circuit the layout meanwhile the LMS Super D and Iron Ore train clears U3 eventually backs into the blind siding U4.

 

 

 

In the background, so to speak, three shorter freights do a continuous circuit in the opposite direction. So in total there are 5 locos in play.....well 6 if you include a cameo appearance by a 14xx

 

 

 

The entire sequence actually takes a little over 7 minutes. I fear I may have been a little ruthless in cutting so there are a few jerky transitions.........and you may be only able to count 5 locos.....I think a LMS 4F may have fallen on to the cutting room floor!

 

 

 

Rather than have the camera (iphone) in one fixed spot I ran the sequence a number of times with the camera in different places around the layout. I hope this makes the sequence clearer. However there is one clip which because of the sunlight  I could only shoot at night........and it shows

 

 

 

Enough excuses......I hope that, despite the flaws, you enjoy watching the video......I certainly enjoyed making it

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTEfS4YkXT4

 

 

PS I had a lot of problems loading the YouTube on another site.....please let me know if you cant see it

 

        

 

Excellent viewing, John

[john dew]

John,

 

The film is fabulous! Am I right in saying all the train movements are running automatically under the control of RR&Co or are you "at the regulator yourself" operating them manually?

 

You mention in the captions that some movements are dependent on trains clearing block sections. Is RR&C using some kind of physical sensor to detect that or is it using "dead reckoning"? (e.g. 7226 has been moving at X mph for Y seconds so must have travelled Z distance so is therefore clear of block....)

 

 

Also, the smooth running of your locos is impressive. Those heavily weathered plodding freight engines like to 72xx and the Super D just ooze atmosphere. Great to see Granby "brought to life" for those of us who aren't going to see it in the flesh!

 

Andy.

 

PS The camera work and editing are spot on. I found to my horror last week that Youtube removed their online Editor in September last year, so I'm guessing you used a PC based NLE?

 

 

Hi Andy

 

So glad you could liked the video......I was worried you could actually see it!. I edited it with iMovie and published it on YouTube without problem but I had to go through all manner of hoops to find the YouTube editor (its called Creator Studio now) in order to make the video public.

 

With one exception the whole sequence was run automatically.....There was one clip with the ore train which I didn't like so rather than run the sequence I just set the route and then the throttle on 10 mph.

 

I am an admitted RR&Co enthusiast....get a huge amount of fun out of it (and some frustration but that's a component of modelling anyway) but its not to everyones taste so I only mention it in passing

 

But since you ask.......the entire layout is divided into electrically isolated blocks. Eack block is linked to its unique occupancy detector. When the detector senses a current draw anywhere in the block it is deemed occupied. The current draw required to trigger the sensor is minimal.....a stationary loco of course or even a van with a resistor on a wheel set is sufficient. This means a block is not shown clear when just the loco passes through. 

 

Trains move around the layout under the control of schedules using a version of the absolute block system . The 72xx schedule started in block U4  and ended in U3. As it moved around the circuit on entry to a block it reserved the next block ahead.... if unoccupied. If occupied it slowed to a halt at the end of the current block until the next block was released. You can see that happening a few times on the video

 

You specify where the loco will stop in each block by specifying a distance measured from the entrance to the block...........Granby Bank is 96" long. I want the train to stop short of the signal (cosmetic) so the Stop Marker is set at 90"........I want the train to start braking 24" before the signal so the brake marker is set to trigger 66" from the block entrance with a deceleration ramp of 24". As you surmised Train Controller uses these distances together with the known speed of the loco to control the train.

 

This is just a very superficial explanation.......its a very sophisticated piece of software.

 

Hope I haven't been too nerdish  

 

Cheers

 

John 

[danstercivicman]

Some amazing work!

[GWR8700]

That's fantastic, I personally find the RR&CO software fascinating and I hope to use it one day on a layout of my own.  It must be great when wanting to just watch the trains go by.

[Markeg]

While you Northern Hemisphere guys have plenty of snow, we in the antipodes (Australia) are having a heat wave.

According to the 'Ground Hog' winter was going to be a long one.  So summer is longer here.

 

Just send some snow here.

 

Very enjoyable pictures and Video.

Thanks John

Mark in OZ

[St Enodoc]

Just send some snow here.

No thanks.

[M.I.B]

Great film John.  Thanks for creating it.  And the editing is fine.

 

Slow heavy goods, great locos and lots of sheeted goods - all very atmospheric.

 

Now where's a 4-6-0 on some NPCCS?

 

Thanks again for inspiring.  Nice to see what's hidden in the yard from time to time.

[john flann]

John, so glad to see your staging yard-yes, I know it's an American term, but it expresses the purpose so very well.

 

I'd like to see more of other members yards. Without them representing the rest of the world, no layout I suggest can have purpose.

 

I have recent images of mine and shall post them in due course.

 

And, as always I admire your workmanship and perseverance. Well done too with the video.

 

No comment on the weather either yours or in the UK, here we just take it in our stride.

 

On a personal note and OT, like you  I too read the Guardian but the Telegraph I gave up years ago.

 

Best wishes,

 

PS, on Edit, -9C, 16F currently, sunny with snow on ground. Winter Storm Watch for weekend.

Edited February 28, 2018 by john flann

[john dew]

Great film John.  Thanks for creating it.  And the editing is fine.

 

Slow heavy goods, great locos and lots of sheeted goods - all very atmospheric.

 

Now where's a 4-6-0 on some NPCCS?

 

Thanks again for inspiring.  Nice to see what's hidden in the yard from time to time.

 

 

Thank you everyone for the likes and comments.........very encouraging.

 

I am so glad the editing didn't jar........rightly or wrongly I feel that 5 minutes is about max length for a video like this.......or am I misjudging the attention span of Granby's followers?

 

 

Pleased you noticed the sheeted wagons Tinker. One of my strongest memories of the fifties was the preponderance of wagons like this in the freight trains we used to pass. Anyone hazard a guess at the proportion of ordinary wagons to vans/bulk grain etc etc in an "ordinary" freight train (as opposed to a "fitted freight")?  Its a bit below 50% on the long freight but I think it should be nearer 75%?

 

Regards to all

 

John

[M.I.B]

Not sure on that proportion John, but I know I don't have enough GW opens of the "basic 7 plank" variety.  Coupled with the post on here somewhere about the lifespan of sheet rails, or rather the lack of them in our time-frame, I may well take the rails and fittings off many of my Hornby 7 plankers and sheet them.

[81C]

Not sure on that proportion John, but I know I don't have enough GW opens of the "basic 7 plank" variety.  Coupled with the post on here somewhere about the lifespan of sheet rails, or rather the lack of them in our time-frame, I may well take the rails and fittings off many of my Hornby 7 plankers and sheet them.

The GWR did not have many which were built in 1905 and would have all gone but a few in the 40's the GWR did hire some the information on these is a bit scarce, the Hornby

one is pure fiction as are most if not all of the RTR's, for a GWR wagon best try and find 5 plank RCH wagon with a near correct underframe to hide under a sheet. 

 

Check this site out. http://www.gwr.org.uk/kits4rtrwagons.html

[M.I.B]

Thanks - oddly enough my Ebay perusal led me to an RCH...........