THE RAMCHESTER CHRONICLES

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Managed to fit the vac fittings to both ends of the wagon this afternoon. It is now over to Howard in the paint shop for completion - I hope.

 

Having a debate with myself as to whether or not to install a turntable as part of the kick back section of the fiddle yard. I do not want  - at this stage -to alter the main station layout as this would require a great deal of work. A turntable in the fiddle yard would mean that tender locos would have to run "light engine" off stage in order to turn. I envisage that this will only affect "London bound or expresses to the far north or across  the Pennines but in my mind I have a triangular junction a short distance "down the line" where larger tender locos could turn. It would be interesting to hear what you all think about this.

 

Any comments would be welcome.

Hi Rod,

 

I have come up with a similar ruse for the operation of RAF Down Ampney (Sidings) with trains returning to the fiddle-yard so as to replicate running down the branch (where locos could be turned by whatever method in the FY).

 

With such designs I tend to run them in my mind's eye and then on paper so as to see how such would work.

 

Good luck - it sounds like a good idea.

 

ATVB

 

CME

Edited July 9, 2014 by CME and Bottlewasher

[puddlejumper]

Managed to fit the vac fittings to both ends of the wagon this afternoon. It is now over to Howard in the paint shop for completion - I hope.

 

Having a debate with myself as to whether or not to install a turntable as part of the kick back section of the fiddle yard. I do not want  - at this stage -to alter the main station layout as this would require a great deal of work. A turntable in the fiddle yard would mean that tender locos would have to run "light engine" off stage in order to turn. I envisage that this will only affect "London bound or expresses to the far north or across  the Pennines but in my mind I have a triangular junction a short distance "down the line" where larger tender locos could turn. It would be interesting to hear what you all think about this.

 

Any comments would be welcome.

We used to use a similar ruse on an exhibition layout, Woodhouse, the difference being we had a branch to the colliery via the fiddle yard with the assumption of a triangular junction up the branch. Worked well for us

[railwayrod]

Thanks guys.

 

I am sure that there are situations in real life where tender locos had to be turned at a nearby triangular junction in order to run "right way round" when leaving the station on an express train. My line is supposedly situated in Cumbria somewhat North of the Maryport - Workington area giving me a route to London through the Lake District. I felt that a triangular junction a short distance south of Ramchester would also give me a direct route through to Carlisle and beyond (perhaps Scotland or across the Pennines to Yorkshire). This link would also allow me to run quite an intensive service for the good people of the area.

 

I think this is feasible using "modeller licence" but again your comments would be welcome.

 

Railwayrod

[puddlejumper]

Thanks guys.

 

I am sure that there are situations in real life where tender locos had to be turned at a nearby triangular junction in order to run "right way round" when leaving the station on an express train. My line is supposedly situated in Cumbria somewhat North of the Maryport - Workington area giving me a route to London through the Lake District. I felt that a triangular junction a short distance south of Ramchester would also give me a direct route through to Carlisle and beyond (perhaps Scotland or across the Pennines to Yorkshire). This link would also allow me to run quite an intensive service for the good people of the area.

 

I think this is feasible using "modeller licence" but again your comments would be welcome.

 

Railwayrod

It all seems perfectly reasonable to me..........anyway it's your train set etc

[CME and Bottlewasher]

It all seems perfectly reasonable to me..........anyway it's your train set etc

 

+1

 

On our H&BLR we have a triangle junction which allows train access to the branchline as well as a return to Bree (ie the shed) or Westwick Lodge works (MPD), it also allows the turning of locos at Hobbiton too. Of course it's small in nature as it's NG but nevertheless very useful.

 

ATVB

 

CME

[railwayrod]

Yes I am going to do this and install a turntable on the kick back part of the fiddle yard. The fact that there will be a number of light engine movements to the junction can only add to the operational interest of the layout, especially when I have devised a sequence timetable. More anon on this project.

 

Having completed the wagon which awaits Howards attention when he returns from his hols I have today looked at my next building project that of the Easi-build Mark 1 BG. The instructions seem to be clear enough and quite comprehensive so I made a start on the bogies. I have separated the side frames and the stretchers from the sprue and these now await assembly which I will start next session (I hope).

 

I have also been looking at getting  on with my outdoor G scale layout and have planned the next bit and cleared the wild part of the garden ready to start. Never a dull moment here...!

[HSB]

Below is my Mk3 version of the route to Ramchester which assumes that Maryport station was enlarged to accomodate LNWR trains to Ramchester. LNWR trains would have to run along the M&C for a short distance before branching off towards the coast. In the original Mk1 concept trains would have run along the M&C to Bullgill before branching off although some might have run up the long defunct M&C line between Brigham and Bullgill. I added triangular junctions in both these plans at Rod's insistence so trains could run directly to Carlisle. Personally, I think such a connection would have been highly unlikely and trains to and from Carlisle would have simply reversed at Maryport or Bullgill. There were several examples of passenger trains having to reverse somewhere enroute  The Bradford to Paignton 'Devonian' had to reverse at Leeds, for example, and the M&C once ran a service from Maryport to Cockermouth which reversed twice at Bullgill and Brigham.

In real life the LNWR made an end-on junction with the M&C just south of Maryport station and in my Mk2 concept the Ramchester line would have branched off just before there to a station near the harbour and then along the base of the cliffs and up the coast to the supposed location of Ramchester. Adding a triangular junction to this route would have involved a very sharp curve through a tunnel!

When I suggested putting a turntable in the fiddleyard I was really thinking in terms of tender engines either running light or with empty coaching stock back to the depot at Workington.

 

Edited July 12, 2014 by HSB

[railwayrod]

Modeller's licence is a wonderful thing! Unlike Howard I am not concerned about whyhow things should/should not be done. Yes I like to get as close as possible to the prototype BUT space and time do not allow absolute fidelity to scale. If we modelled everything to scale we could not use a 5 foot radius curve for example (in O gauge at least) unless we were modelling an industrial or dock line. So from the stare we are hindered and constrained by what we want and what is possible in the space and time we have available. Therefore if I wish to have atriangular junction just south of Ramchester then I shall have one which will give me the facility to turn tender engines round and connect to Carlisle and beyond. In this case it is unlikely that  such a connection would have been built but this is my layout and I assume that it was.

 

Changing the subject I had a short session down in the layout room and have now assembled the basic bogies for the BG. I only had time to do the basics and need the solvent to harden off overnight before I can adjust the axle bearings to minimise side play. They fitted together quite well with only a tiny bit of fettling needed to obtain a really nice fit. More anon.

[puddlejumper]

Modeller's licence is a wonderful thing! Unlike Howard I am not concerned about whyhow things should/should not be done. Yes I like to get as close as possible to the prototype BUT space and time do not allow absolute fidelity to scale. If we modelled everything to scale we could not use a 5 foot radius curve for example (in O gauge at least) unless we were modelling an industrial or dock line. So from the stare we are hindered and constrained by what we want and what is possible in the space and time we have available. Therefore if I wish to have atriangular junction just south of Ramchester then I shall have one which will give me the facility to turn tender engines round and connect to Carlisle and beyond. 

Spoken like a true railway modeller, well said sir!!!

[railwayrod]

I have had some further thoughts on Ramchester's location. As this is a fictitious place currently situated in Cumbria I imagine that it could have been built and developed long before the M & C or the line to Workington. Indeed this could have become the main port on this stretch of coast and could therefore have attracted some heavy industry and a dock area rivalling anything north of Liverpool. In this case the line should be double track BUT this is something that Howard and I have discussed in the near past but doubling the line would mean major upheaval of the scenery. We have also thought about adding a second platform to give it a more "main line" look but again this will need much rebuilding, neither of us are ready for this at the moment so these ideas have been put on hold for the time being. Such a rebuilding would mean that we lose the "openness" which the layout portrays at the moment so a lot more thought will have to be put into this long before anything so drastic is carried out.

 

In the meantime I am very happy with the layout as it stands and it is great fun watching it develop. It has already overtaken my wildest dreams of the past and I am sure that whatever is decided we will be having a lot of fun.

[pwr]

Conceivably it could have been the main line and thus a through station on a route to Carlisle. You are going to need a bigger house!

 

Paul R

[railwayrod]

Yes this could be the case!!!  I should have had my shed made much bigger!

 

I am however enjoying this wonderful hobby of ours and it is nice to think about what we might do in the future. I must confess that I had not considered the idea of a through station but the thought does please me. Perhaps I should consider.... Watch this space.

[HSB]

The idea of a through station with the line extending up the coast to Silloth had occurred to me as something we could do when Rod wins the Lotto and extends the shed!!!

 

In a more practical vein I have been revisiting the Mk2 version of the route which I mentioned in my last post and after studying a couple of maps I now think it would be possible to have a line connecting the southern end of the M&C station with the southern end of a fictitious harbourside LNWR station using a curve of around 10 chains and a short tunnel.This would mean trains from Carlisle would run through Maryport before continuing to Ramchester which I think is a scenario which we could both be fairly happy with and Rod would still have his turning triangle! Unfortunately I appear to have deleted my original map so will have to draw another one which I'll post here shortly.

[DLT]

In this case the line should be double track BUT this is something that Howard and I have discussed in the near past but doubling the line would mean major upheaval of the scenery. We have also thought about adding a second platform to give it a more "main line" look but again this will need much rebuilding, neither of us are ready for this at the moment so these ideas have been put on hold for the time being.

And you would need a new fiddleyard....

[HSB]

And you would need a new fiddleyard....

And speaking of which we did a bit of work on the fiddleyard this afternoon and we now have a bit more track pinned down and  a couple more points wired up.

 

Following on from my last post I have now redrawn the Maryport end of the branch. The line now follows the LNWR harbour branch for a short distance before cutting off to a station behind the harbour and then continuing along the coast to Ramchester. A line from the ex-M&C station curves round sharply to join the branch just south of the harbour station. Of course, this is all rather academic but I feel it helps to give a framework for developing a credible sequence of operations for the layout.

 

Edited July 14, 2014 by HSB

[HSB]

It has occurred to me that an alternative route between the two stations might be to use the Maryport & Carlisle Railway's harbour branch:-

 

 

 

[HSB]

Further consideration on the supposed layout of lines at Maryport has now lead me to put the branch junction back on the main line instead of the harbour branch. This was where it was in the original Mk2 plan and there was no real advantage in moving it. In fact, when dreaming up the present concept for Ramchester, I rejected this route initially because I got the impression from the maps I looked at that there were high cliffs north of Maryport harbour jutting out into the sea. Only later, after looking at Google Earth, did I realise that a route along the coast was actually perfectly plausable and would be shorter and more level than the alternatives. Instead of having to run over sections of the S&C to reach the Ramchester branch the LNWR line simply carries on along the coast to Ramchester. Anyway these are my final updates to the Ramchester route map (I promise!)

 

 

[railwayrod]

Had a visit from CME &  Bottlewasher and his wife this afternoon which passed very pleasantly. We ran a few trains but talked a great deal. I do hope that they both enjoyed the visit.

 

Afterwards Howard laid the next two fiddle yard sidings which now await wiring up. This means that we only have one more siding to lay plus the kick back part. I suspect that Howard will post a photo later this evening.

[HSB]

The pic I took looks very much like the last one I posted so I will wait until the progress we have made is a bit more obvious before posting another one of the fiddleyard. As Rod said, we now have seven tracks pinned down.

[HSB]

We now have the eighth track in place but not yet wired in. Hopefully next week we can start laying the kick-back sidings.

[pwr]

Further consideration on the supposed layout of lines at Maryport has now lead me to put the branch junction back on the main line instead of the harbour branch. This was where it was in the original Mk2 plan and there was no real advantage in moving it. In fact, when dreaming up the present concept for Ramchester, I rejected this route initially because I got the impression from the maps I looked at that there were high cliffs north of Maryport harbour jutting out into the sea. Only later, after looking at Google Earth, did I realise that a route along the coast was actually perfectly plausable and would be shorter and more level than the alternatives. Instead of having to run over sections of the S&C to reach the Ramchester branch the LNWR line simply carries on along the coast to Ramchester. Anyway these are my final updates to the Ramchester route map (I promise!)

 

Maryport final version.cdd.jpeg  The Ramchester Branch revised.cdd.jpeg

 

Thinking about this again I am not sure that you would find a triangle at the end of the branch unless there was heavy freight traffic going that way. The journey time would probably be unattractive for Carlise passengers who could take a bus to the nearest railhead on the main line.

 

I think the main line through Ramchester is a better version of the local history. Better start choosing those lottery numbers!

 

Paul R

[HSB]

Rod wanted a triangle so I put one in. I agree it is unlikely but he didn't like the idea of trains having to reverse to reach Carlisle.

[railwayrod]

Take a bus!!! Wash your mouth out with soap and water!

 

Seriously though I like the idea of Ramchester being on the main line and thus would be a through station. The problem is that I have run out of space at the buffer stop end of the layout  and to convert the station to a through station would mean an extension to the shed which would be impractical. I suppose that Ramchester could be a reversing station like Bath Green Park on the old S & D line in Somerset and this would appear to be a valid solution. I will discuss this with Howard when we next meet to get his view on the matter. A glance at the pic posted some time ago will illustrate the problem as the buffer stops are in front of the "sea" and the hotel would have to be demolished!

 

I have been looking at my inherited ZTC system which at present looks and sounds complicated but as I read through the booklet which came with the system and get to understand it better things should get easier. At present I do not have a chipped loco so that everything is academic but I hope to be able very shortly to correct this situation.

Edited July 18, 2014 by railwayrod

[N15class]

Take a bus!!! Wash your mouth out with soap and water!

 

Seriously though I like the idea of Ramchester being on the main line and thus would be a through station. The problem is that I have run out of space at the buffer stop end of the layout  and to convert the station to a through station would mean an extension to the shed which would be impractical. I suppose that Ramchester could be a reversing station like Bath Green Park on the old S & D line in Somerset and this would appear to be a valid solution. I will discuss this with Howard when we next meet to get his view on the matter. A glance at the pic posted some time ago will illustrate the problem as the buffer stops are in front of the "sea" and the hotel would have to be demolished!

 

I have been looking at my inherited ZTC system which at present looks and sounds complicated but as I read through the booklet which came with the system and get to understand it better things should get easier. At present I do not have a chipped loco so that everything is academic but I hope to be able very shortly to correct this situation.

Just run on through the end of the shed around the garden and back onto the fiddle yard. :no:

Edited July 18, 2014 by N15class

[HSB]

Just run on through the end of the shed around the garden and back onto the fiddle yard. :no:

You haven't seen Rod's garden. Most of it is on a very steep slope and the shed door is in the wrong place to bring the track back into that end of the shed. In any case, Ramchester is supposed to be a seaside terminus. I visualise it as a sort of mini-Morecambe with holiday traffic from Lancashire, the West Riding and the industrial North-East.