Grantham - the Streamliner years

[LNER4479]

Don't you just love 'work from home' Fridays?

 

Firstly, I was pleased to host Barry the Ballast for another trackwork session which turned out to be the final one. Yes - to all intents and purposes the layout is now fully ballasted!

 

I never thought I'd see the day - but I'd reckoned without the ballastmeister. In case it's not obvious, the down goods yard tracks got the treatment (bottom left), as well as toning down the sprayed Peco ballast on the main lines.

 

In case the latter is not obvious, then perhaps this might give you an idea. This has been treated with a watered down mix of dirty brown - it still has to dry properly.

 

Meanwhile, what's this pottering along the Up main on a delivery run from Doncaster?

 

Why it's only a darling Stirling J54. OK, withdrawn a year or two before our time period but far too charismatic to let a little detail like that get in the way.

 

Arriving on shed, she is greeted by a posse of 'modern' locos (ha!)

 

Now facing north, I couldn't resist this line up. The allocation of station pilots is now complete - what a gorgeous little collection. The perfect counterpoint to the glamorous pacifics to give a more realistic portrayal of the period.

 

3637A (note the duplicate number) takes up residence in the East Side Bay, where she is due to spend most of the time looking pretty with just the occasional burst into life to shunt a parcels van or two. See her in operation at Woking and Warley.

 

My grateful and humble thanks to Barry-O and drmditch for their much appreciated contributions to the project.

[drmditch]

Glad 3637A doesn't show up too badly in company. I wonder what is the correct collective noun for station pilots?

[manna]

G'day Gents

 

I would have thought a 'Shunt' of station pilots sounds about right.........

 

manna

[Barry O]

No problemo Red Leader..

 

and I took my camera today as someone had weathered another A4

 

 

et voila.. Wild Swan. Weathered using a load of photos provided by LNER4479..

 

and many thanks to Mrs LNER4479 for providing my favourite lunch!

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

No problemo Red Leader..

 

and I took my camera today as someone had weathered another A4

 

Wild Swan 3 quarters (1280x609).jpg

 

et voila.. Wild Swan. Weathered using a load of photos provided by LNER4479..

 

and many thanks to Mrs LNER4479 for providing my favourite lunch!

 

Baz

Now let me guess...

 

- a hot growler with mushy peas and mint sauce?

 

- Cumberland sausage with Yorkshire pud and onion gravy?

 

- fish and chips with scraps?

 

Good work on the ballasting and the A4.

[Barry O]

nope hot corned dog and skinless mice on toast  (corned beef and tinned tomatoes) .. yummy!

 

but all of the ones you mention have an attraction...

Edited August 5, 2016 by Barry O

[The Blue Streak]

- a hot growler

 

 

Could you chaps please elaborate, because when I was a young bloke, I think this meant something completely different

[Barry O]

A growler is a pork pie in Leeds

[gr.king]

....and the other meaning, if we don't already know it, we are best left to imagine.......

 

 

PS: suggestion for future shows - put a little pot full of miniature flags on dressmaking pins at the front of the layout, for the observant with a death wish to plant in suitable positions around the layout, each flag bearing the words "Baz you've missed a bit".

Edited August 6, 2016 by gr.king

[Mallard60022]

....and the other meaning, if we don't already know it, we are best left to imagine.......

 

 

PS: suggestion for future shows - put a little pot full of miniature flags on dressmaking pins at the front of the layout, for the observant with a death wish to plant in suitable positions around the layout, each flag bearing the words "Baz you've missed a bit".

Great idea, however a little too traditional. Create an App and have lots of idiots crashing around the layout trying to 'cop' Ballestholes on their bl##dy phones. Great exercise and not harming anyone or themselves.

[St Enodoc]

Great idea, however a little too traditional. Create an App and have lots of idiots crashing around the layout trying to 'cop' Ballestholes on their bl##dy phones. Great exercise and not harming anyone or themselves.

As long as they don't have to throw a ball at them.

[Mallard60022]

Layout's looking superb; well done gang.

Phil

[Mallard60022]

As long as they don't have to throw a ball at them.

Look at Revenge of the Poke thingies on UTube. great fun.

P

[gr.king]

After Nottingham show back in March, a certain amount of grumbling came from one individual who didn't think that two large layouts should have appeared in an unfinished state. I still wonder if the person in question thinks that quick and easy-to-build fantasy layouts with make-it-up-as-you-go-along generic scenery would have been more worthy than faithful depictions of actual locations in a specific timeframe, which do not of course get completed accurately in a hurry. Never mind, because the much more complete state of Grantham's scenery now ought to do much to quell any further mutterings. There is in fact a further development in the pipeline that should help to ensure no more of these complaints about an incomplete appearance to the layout. These should do the trick:

 

 

Disappointingly, there's more to all this than is shown in the pictures, under construction elsewhere, so the resemblance to seven flat-pack sets of gallows for summary mass-execution of complainers is in fact a misleading one.

[Alister_G]

I thought they were the new platform lights, but I must admit to worrying they might be slightly over scale.

 

Al.

[gr.king]

I thought they were the new platform lights, but I must admit to worrying they might be slightly over scale.

 

Al.

 

No Father Dougal, they are close to us, the Grantham layout is far away......

[Richard E]

My first reaction was lighting rig, my second a proscenium arch support. On reflection they are far too lighly built for the latter so I'll stick with my first thought.

 

Having now read through all the posts I have come to realise just how big Grantham was pre-war. I am no longer surprised that there were allegedly more than 1000 staff on the books. It is also rather sobering to see just how much land has been sold off and built upon when looking at the current site (albeit normally at 100mph from a seat on a 225 or 125 twice a day). Also just how much the infrastructure has been pared back as well. After all the lead in from Nottingham is now a single road that diverges into up and down roads a little way clear of the station.

 

At least the bay is still in use for the Nottingham/Skegness reversals and the Allington chord has removed the problems that were associated with continued use of Barkston Junction. Incidentally it looks as if there used to be a station at the junction, is that correct? The stationmasters house (I presume) seems to be extant as does a stub of platform on the down side. Indeed I believe it was from the Junction station that Mallard started her record run.

 

And in closing I'd like to say what a cracking bit of modelling - absolutely gorgeous, hope to see it in early 2017 now.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Richard E

[LNER4479]

Thanks Richard,

 

Yes, Barkston was the first station north of Grantham and it was indeed where Mallard started her record run from (having turned it's train on the triangle there - there used to be a north facing chord - lost in the vegetation - as well as the south facing one that the Allington chord replaced - more apparent due to the ballast still being there).

 

If you ever get bored - whilst still concentrating on signal aspects of course(!) - then here is a list of stations that once were between Peterborough and Doncaster:

Peterborough, Tallington, Essendine, Little Bytham, Corby, Great Ponton

Grantham, Barkston, Hougham, Claypole, Newark, Carlton-on-Trent, Crow Park, Tuxford, Retford, Barnby Moor & Sutton, Ranskill, Bawtry, Rossington, Doncaster

 

Do say 'hi' if you see us at a forthcoming show.

Edited August 11, 2016 by LNER4479

[Andrew P]

I thought Grantham looked rather good at Nottingham, or was that just the operating Team behind it?

[LNER4479]

...er no, it would definitely have been the layout

 

 

Should be looking even better at Woking and Warley

[Richard E]

Yes, of course I'll say hi, It'll be at Huntingdon as I'm in Peterborough. What has been striking for me is how simple you make the scenic stuff seem and how much it changes the impact of the model. And the buildings, well you seem to make it look so easy for those as well, the joinery overall is a joy to behold, I wish I could do a fraction as well.

 

Of course, Helpston was just on the Midland lines, not the ECML if I'm right. My partner remembers both Helpston and Tallington stations - she used to run up onto the footbridge at Tallington with her brother to wait for the steam trains to pass underneath!

 

A friend of mine works on the site of Essendine and I have been known to take the odd pint or two at both Tallington and Little Bytham ex-railway hostelries. That at Essendine closed a few years ago. Corby Glen still has some buildings in place and is used by NR for track access and materials storage from time to time.

 

Unfortunately my seat isn't up front much as I think I would have loved it, I'm just a fee paying punter with an interest in the current scene and in the 1930's railways getting taken for a ride (in more ways than one). Mind you chatting with one or two of the NR guys that commute daily can be quite interesting as well.

 

The next year or so should see me return to the hobby in earnest when I will start my own modelling efforts, they've been delayed by work getting in the way! Your articles and explanations on trackwork are inspiring and hopefully I can make the ideas cross over to N. Yes, I'm going for the tiny stuff! If I achieve a fraction of what you guys along with others (Gilbert for one with Peterborough) have on their layouts I'll be well pleased. Strange, I'm being drawn to ECML models despite being a West Country inhabitant for half my life.

[Mallard60022]

Thanks Richard,

 

Yes, Barkston was the first station north of Grantham and it was indeed where Mallard started her record run from (having turned it's train on the triangle there - there used to be a north facing chord - lost in the vegetation - as well as the south facing one that the Allington chord replaced - more apparent due to the ballast still being there).

 

If you ever get bored - whilst still concentrating on signal aspects of course(!) - then here is a list of stations that once were between Peterborough and Doncaster:

Peterborough, Tallington, Essendine, Little Bytham, Corby, Great Ponton

Grantham, Barkston, Hougham, Claypole, Newark, Carlton-on-Trent, Crow Park, Tuxford, Retford, Barnby Moor & Sutton, Ranskill, Bawtry, Rossington, Doncaster

 

Do say 'hi' if you see us at a forthcoming show.

Tuxford X 2....... yes, really.

Philth

 

.WP_20160311_20_08_23_Pro_crop.jpg

 

That sign sounds like a 70s Prog Rock Album title...."Grantham.....The Stream" Sort of Moody Blues but with some metal influences and the band members would have looked much like that bunch peering into some box/hole/pot.

Spot the Drummer and bassist.

Ar$e

[LNER4479]

More modelling ... you can tell there's a show or two coming up

 

This area has turned out to be highly symbolic as it falls to the rear section of Springfield road to be the final section of untreated bare baseboard to be tackled. Anyway, it is bare no more.

 

Was originally unsure how to deal with that 'ole in the backscene - and then the wonderful 'britainfromabove' website provided the perfect answer. There was a bridge over the road, linking together different parts of the Ruston and Hornsby complex. The 1900's map shows this as being a rail bridge, presumably for the internal work shunter to fuss about with the odd wagon or two so would have been quite substantial. By the 1950's it looked to have been tarmac'd over so it's a toss of a coin as to what it was in the 1930's (unless anyone knows for sure?). I may possibly have overdone it with the use of the Wills vari-girder pack but I think it does the trick. This is a bridge in half relief - the other side of it will be on the backscene.

 

Now with the usual plaster mix applied to the polystyrene inserts. You can see the dastardly cheat going on here as the non-viewable sides of the bridge under the railway haven't been treated! The cutting sides themselves seem to be concrete slabs, rather than a brick retaining wall. This is just plain card at the moment; I'm hoping the scenic team (due tomorrow) might come up with some suitable treatment, possibly just dry brushing - it is over 4 foot away from the barrier at a show after all.

 

Bit of a closer view. The aerial pictures show a large sign on the bridge girder. Almost certainly 'RUSTON & HORNSBY L^TD' so that will be applied as part of the finishing off details.

 

More after the weekend, all being well.

 

[jamie92208]

More modelling ... you can tell there's a show or two coming up

 

IMG_8093.JPG

This area has turned out to be highly symbolic as it falls to the rear section of Springfield road to be the final section of untreated bare baseboard to be tackled. Anyway, it is bare no more.

 

IMG_8094.JPG

Was originally unsure how to deal with that 'ole in the backscene - and then the wonderful 'britainfromabove' website provided the perfect answer. There was a bridge over the road, linking together different parts of the Ruston and Hornsby complex. The 1900's map shows this as being a rail bridge, presumably for the internal work shunter to fuss about with the odd wagon or two so would have been quite substantial. By the 1950's it looked to have been tarmac'd over so it's a toss of a coin as to what it was in the 1930's (unless anyone knows for sure?). I may possibly have overdone it with the use of the Wills vari-girder pack but I think it does the trick. This is a bridge in half relief - the other side of it will be on the backscene.

 

IMG_8096.JPG

Now with the usual plaster mix applied to the polystyrene inserts. You can see the dastardly cheat going on here as the non-viewable sides of the bridge under the railway haven't been treated! The cutting sides themselves seem to be concrete slabs, rather than a brick retaining wall. This is just plain card at the moment; I'm hoping the scenic team (due tomorrow) might come up with some suitable treatment, possibly just dry brushing - it is over 4 foot away from the barrier at a show after all.

 

IMG_8104.JPG

Bit of a closer view. The aerial pictures show a large sign on the bridge girder. Almost certainly 'RUSTON & HORNSBY L^TD' so that will be applied as part of the finishing off details.

 

More after the weekend, all being well.

Oh Graham you spoilsport, not bringing the bridge forward an inch and laying track on it. You could have had all sorts of fun running internal users over it.

 

Jamie

[LNER4479]

Yeah, I know. How about a half relief loco and van atop the bridge? Or is that just too weird!