Banbury in N scale - A great time at the Abingdon in March 2024

[LongRail]

We had a change of trains at Banbury today.

Apart from the car park construction. Now that I have only recently fitted those ex NSE red seats, well they have now gone with more modern ones.

So even more changes to what I have modelled. I think that I will have to rename the layout to 'Banbury 2011'

Ian

 

Lot more changes planned for Banbury in the near future.

And electrification in a few more years

[roundhouse]

I would guess new canopies, new island platform etc.

 

Not so keen on the new decor in the footbridge cafe though. I think its a bit dark and dreary compared to what it was like.

[bgman]

Ian,

 

You may need a few more post office transit vans, took this picture for you a couple of weeks back from the top of the lift core on the new car park, mighty high up there.

Once the scaffold is down you wont be able to get his view again.

Post Office Vans.jpg

 

Gary

Hi, just picked up your blog, it brings back memories of when I was a teenager ( don't ask!) , playing football with my mates in Spiceball Park just over the road bridge waiting for the next train- get the books out and see if we'd copped it!

Week-end steam specials and sitting in the bay spotting.

I was back in Banbury about 8 months ago and noticed how it had changed, however seeing your excellent layout has brought back some happy memories, thank you.

[LongRail]

I would guess new canopies, new island platform etc.Not so keen on the new decor in the footbridge cafe though. I think its a bit dark and dreary compared to what it was like.

That's a shame we developed the new scheme, not the pink wall to the cafe I hasten to add

[roundhouse]

Gary

It's dark in there unlike the old cafe as there's no light from the South facing windows now. The decor makes it even more gloomy.

However the information point is much brighter.

The toilets on the other hand are very much more compact and bijou with queue for both ladies and gents do a very backward stop but I suppose that the the new barriers need the space.

 

One big thing that all TOCS go on about with barriers is that it improves security but at night when that's needed they are not manned.

Edited May 3, 2014 by roundhouse

[LongRail]

Barriers are all about revenue protection despite what may be claimed

[LongRail]

You would have hated the original cafe scheme which would have made it much darker than it ended up before we had a go at it.

 

The toilets were limited as you say due to the barriers but also there is a step in the floor, we managed to remove one section which used to form a servery, this helped in solving the issues with regards to the layout and the lift access which made it very difficult to make the gateline work.

 

The main problem with the upper concourse is that the lifts face the wrong direction from a passenger perspective which limits what can go where. When the station was originally built the corridor along the back where the new cafe is situated was not open to the public and was a goods way only, the lifts were originally goods only and not for passenger use.

 

I have the original station plan and what I particularly like apart from the beer store is that there was a dedicated area to keep tea trolleys. Not all progress is good.

[roundhouse]

Gary

 

I always wondered why the lifts faced the other way. As you say, not the easiest area to work with.at our local stations they made a big thing about the barriers adding security but they are really only in use peak times and during the day so it's only for revenue collection. I don't have a problem with that as we always buy tickets and so should everyone else but I don't like the spin that they put on it.

 

Wish that there was still a need for a beer store. A micropub serving Hook Norton ales would be great!!!

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Yesterday I managed to do a little work related to the layout.

 

ANother cardboard tray was constructed to take all the extra Chiltern 168's that I have obtained in the past year. There are now 12 of this sets, tow of them being 4 car ones. There is one set that will probably get the 3D printed Chiltern 165 unit and another the 168/0 cab front.

 

A Dapol Royal train livereid 67 006 was obtained at a good price at Trainwest, so that is now sitting on the workbench ready for the etched plates to be fitted along with the Dapol long Easimate couplers and a spot of weathering.

 

The layouts next show is Bexhill in August. A fair few details to add are stacking up on the modelling bench whihc I do need ot get inp lace  before the photos are taken for an article on the layout that should be out in time for Warley in November.

 

Ian

[kaiwhara]

How's Banbury getting on? Been a bit quiet over the summer break has it?

[roundhouse]

Yes.

 

Only just got back from a trip away so no real progress but did do a little bit of weathering to a coach last night.

 

Our next show is Bexhill in early August so I will be doing more to the layout prior to then.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

No work done on the layout recently apart from move it around the garage under another layout.

 

However after next weekend I hope to be progressing with more detailing.

 

Another two Oxford transit vans have arrived, this time plain white ones.

 

Pictures of the Royal Mail and RAC ones are now on Oxford Diecasts website. These will be of the lower roof profile so really looking forward to buying the Royal Mail ones once they come out probably later this year, to fill the yard although these days its mainly full of Peugout vans which are not available in N scale.

 

I also have some very nice photos kindly taken by Gary (aka Longrail) ontop of the car park so I am hoping ot be able to put these together and phot shop where required to improve the backsecene in time for Warley this year.

 

 

 

 

Ian

Edited July 9, 2014 by roundhouse

[C&WR]

Wish that there was still a need for a beer store. A micropub serving Hook Norton ales would be great!!!

 

Ian

 

After the best part of a year working in Banbury, suffering delays with trains heading back to Oxford, and buying cans from the station shop I wholeheartedly agree!

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi Ian,

 

I thought of your layout the other day whilst travelling up the A34 and M40 as saw Banbury sign posted. Also saw a couple of the 168's DMU's you have modelled as I hadn't actually seen them before.

 

All the best

Mark

[roundhouse]

Mark

 

We came past Banbury on the M40 last weekend and saw a few units go by.

 

I must make a trip back to Banbury station now that the car park is open, hopefully in the next few weeks.

 

Now that the rebuilding of another layout is more or less complet,e attention is now turning back to Banbury. its bene nearly 5 months since it was last set up so  some dusting down will probably be required!!

 

I have a fair few Oxford Diecast For transit vans to fix to the layout plus a few other details.

 

Also another signal decoder to fit to the remaining colour light signal to get it operational. The bracket signal on platform 1 will have to wait a bit longer to see what the Dapol bracket signals are like if they ever materialise but I suspect that I will have to get the one that I have built working some how.

 

On the stock side one of the Dapol Colas class 56's is awaiting fitting of a decoder. The 3D printed FGW class 165 will also be worked on especially the barbie stripes on the side, prior to the layouts visit to the NEC in November.

 

However, the next show is Bexhill in August so plenty to do for then and an article for a magazine that I must finish very soon so the layout needs to be set up outside on a bright day to get some decent photos for this.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

The weather forecast for today was sun and clouds but no rain so this evening Banbury was set up in the garden.
The light was just right for photos.

 

This the first time the layout has been unboxed since early March so quite a few cobwebs to clear away.

The layout will be af Bexhill in two weeks time so there are a few tasks to do.
Anyway here are some photos from thIs evening.

Edited July 28, 2014 by roundhouse

[richierich]

Had the pleasure of reading through the topic and also seeing Banbury at Pontefract back in January. Super layout.

 

Glad to see I'm not the only one having issues with Bachman Farish class 158/159/168/170 chassis. I've got a 159 which has interesting running properties at low speed. I currently suspect it's down to the flywheels not been matched and effectively out of balance, which can cause low speed running to be jerk, which is the motor surging to over come the inertial of the flywheels. Surprising when it's 5 pole skew motor.

 

Also Farish 66s have interesting running qualities, especially the first batch (66135 / 66610 / 66701). I've fitted a Mashima MH1015 to my 66701, which has improved slow speed running significantly. Later batches must have an improved motor, because the PCB is the same revision.

[roundhouse]

The Farish 168's generally run fine once the pick ups have been tweaked or hard wired to the decoders. The Farish 66s do seem to blow the PCB and any decoder fitted so I am starting to remove the PCB altogether. How easy is it yo fit a Mashima motor?

[richierich]

Removing the PCB and directly wiring in the decoder, or wiring to a 6 pin NEM 651 socket & tail cables, so you can plug & play a decoder sounds like a worthy project if the PCBs keep failing.

 

Fitting a Mashima is pretty straight forward it's the initial posting on my blog:-

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/user/7822-richierich/?tab=blog

 

Let me know your thoughts . . . .

Edited August 4, 2014 by richierich

[roundhouse]

Thanks for the link. Have had a quick look but will spend a bit more tiem reading it at home later. Doent look too difficult to do though so will keep this in mind forany that end up with a failed motor.

[MRDBLUE17]

Those photos in natural light look very good, the colours really come out well throughout the scene which is rather nice.

 

Thanks

Mark

[roundhouse]

Thanks Mark.

 

I waited till the evening so the light wasn't so harsh and Luckily it was a little hazy so just right.

 

The photos were taken on the compact Digital camera.

 

The main purpose for setting it up outside was to use the Digital SLR to take photos for an upcoming article

[roundhouse]

Last night I managed to find some time to do some work on the layout.

 

A dislodged solenoid in the fiddle yard was fixed then the Traintronics decoder that will work the Up main three aspect signal was installed. I decided to go with these as they have two DCC output / addresses which when wiring up a three aspect signal is what is required. There is one already installed on the Down main although I do need to connect up the third aspect, the yellow. The Harmon Signalist SC2's are fitted to the Dapol semaphores.

 

There are some new road vehicles to fit.they have all had a couple of assets of the Dullcote spray can after masking the glazing.

 

I really want to add some detail to the transits but running out of time for this weekends show.

 

I could not resist the VW camper with surfboards as I had one on my old California Coast layout when I built that about 15 years ago!

 

Ian

[cornish trains jez]

Nice set of vans Ian, really like the camper! Great addition and will always spark up a bit of conversation.

[roundhouse]

Maybe I should put a VW camper with surfboards on all my layouts, but would be a little out of place on a Czech layout being that they have no coast line to surf off. I wonder if the river Vltava has a 'Severn bore' phenomenon!!