Grantham - the Streamliner years

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, gr.king said:

The strangest "front coupling" I ever saw on a road vehicle was in the Vancouver BC area, possibly Coal Harbour, a float-plane launching facility. The planes were shunted to and from the water (across a public road) by what appeared to be the converted remains of some sort of pick-up truck (or ute, in antipodean parlance) with a long front bar which (I think) coupled to the nose wheel gear of the amphibious planes - but... memory suggests that everything to the rear of the cab of the truck had been removed entirely, including chassis and therefore the rear wheels!  How could such a thing balance, or be handled, when not coupled to a plane? I presume it was "front" wheel drive.  I wish I had a picture to hand to prove the point.

 

My analysis : the long front connecting beam counter-balanced the remains of the truck, and had a dolly-wheel at the end that attached to the float-plane.

 

CJI.

[gr.king]

3 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

The internet, as ever, is your friend:

 

 

 

That's a far better view of the contraption than I got from a cafe some way along the road. I can now see just how long that front beam is, and the additional wheels. No nose wheel gear on the plane at all, it just gets lifted out of the water on that chassis as the truck reverses (?) away.

[LNER4479]

Meanwhile, back at the layout ...

 

Track being taken up, wire, switches, hammer, pliers, saw ... just another normal day in the Grantham fiddle yard.

 

Danger! Man with hot soldering iron at work.

 

All in the name of incremental improvements, designed to reduce head-scratching time at exhibitions.

 

Stay tuned ...

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Meanwhile, back at the layout ...

 

Track being taken up, wire, switches, hammer, pliers, saw ... just another normal day in the Grantham fiddle yard.

 

Danger! Man with hot soldering iron at work.

 

All in the name of incremental improvements, designed to reduce head-scratching time at exhibitions.

 

Stay tuned ...

Won't there be more head-scratching along the lines of "Oi, this didn't used to do that"?

[gr.king]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Won't there be more head-scratching along the lines of "Oi, this didn't used to do that"?

A good point. What is logical and obvious to the installer, based on his impression of the way that section of the layout should/will operate, isn't always obvious, logical and convenient to any (other) operator or operators.

[LNER4479]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Won't there be more head-scratching along the lines of "Oi, this didn't used to do that"?

Yep! That's what the forthcoming practice session is for. No gain without pain.

 

In other cases, the improvements have rendered it impossible to set up some of the inadvertent cross-feeds that led to previous cries of 'I'm not driving this train (that's careering away out-of-control in front of me)'*. In the full view of an exhibition audience.

(*in other parlance 'turn your bl00dy links off!')

 

To be honest, the fiddle yard so-called wiring has grown like topsy to become a dog's breakfast with each reconfiguration of the yard. Yesterday, without being in the glare of an exhibition environment, we were able to take a long, hard look at it. It's deficiencies were all too painfully apparent. Some of the 'improvements' were more a case of tidying up, making things more logical, etc to (hopefully) eliminate further 'traps for the unwary'.

 

The proof of the pudding ...

[LNER4479]

Layout preparations have continued such that:

 

All scenery, signals etc are now out.

 

Today was a photographic session, with a future magazine appearance potentially at stake. The pictures are therefore embargoed for now - however, this was a test shot so I'm happy posting that. Bit of photo-shopping required to get rid of background from this viewpoint!

 

[jwealleans]

Grantham has been and gone - now in the process of dismantling and returning to storage for a couple of months.   We did have what used to be the regular August Bank Holiday running session again this weekend as well as another photography session for possible future publication, so clearly we shan't be looking at that here.   However there was some irregular snapping going on over the two days which we can publish without fear, so here's another selection for you.   Some foreign stock in these as well, so a bit of variety for the regular reader.

 

 

1125 was new at Harrogate but I wasn't able to photograph it there.  Here it has just brought a steel 5 set into Platform 5.  This is an SEF kit with Bachmann tender.

 

 

Staying at this end of the layout and with the principal photographer distracted in the background, 3276 (DJH) waiting to go off shed.  That lamp won't get far.  

 

 

3523 (LRM) about to step onto the turntable as a High Dyke  - Scunthorpe train rolls past in the background and one of the shed staff sneaks a crafty smoke.

 

 

We almost always see 4151 about to take a goods south to Peterborough in front of the Maltings.   Here it's queued behind 3276 and looks as though it's going north for a change.  This is a Ks kit with the original (incorrect) tender.

 

 

4040 (LRM) is also a newish arrival - I built this one because there's a picture in one of Dick Hardy's books of him and a colleague on the footplate of this engine at Grantham in 1940.   I also like the antique look the Stirling cab gives it.

 

 

Just behind 4040 (nice Stirling tender there), 706 (DJH) presumably awaiting a return north and 17 in need of a good clean.   17 is a Bachmann body with replacement wheels and chassis by Tony Wright.  He built it for Tom Foster who sold it to me unfinished.

 

 

Right at the back of the shed area, 2372.  This is a PDK kit built by Tony Wright and painted by Ian Rathbone for Tom Foster and now mine.

 

On Friday we had Dave Jobling with us.   He doesn't post in these pages but readers of my thread or the LNER Forum may be familiar with his excellent scratchbuilding work.   He brought a few of his more recent wagons for us to admire and run.

 

 

This is an ex-NBR Quint by either Hurst Nelson or Leeds Forge and I believe it has its origins in a Parkside Quad.

 

 

Quintuple Bolster, based on the Cambrian kit.

 

 

Parkside Quad finished more in the way the maker anticipated.

 

 

Trestrol C.   This is made from Triang parts and requires two or possibly three of the originals to make this accurate representation.

 

 

Dave has also done a loaded Trestrol so we ran that as a short special freight.

 

 

Fundamentally an NE Area modeller, he's also built an NER Stores train:

 

 

 

and his current, unfinished project, a Pooley weighbridge van.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by jwealleans

[jwealleans]

Photography Friday was followed by Running Saturday.    We mustered a full set of operators despite the rail strike, with new recruit Neil and a welcome return from Adam who hasn't operated with us since 2018.

 

 

There was some additional photography while we awaited Jamie's arrival from Ely.  You can tell Neil's new, he hasn't learned to assume the position yet.

 

Mr King's presence always means some stock worth looking at and here it was his 12 wheel Burger van.

 

 

His Iron Ore train made a welcome return as well.

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by jwealleans

[JamieR4489]

A very enjoyable day's operating and nattering.

 

Here are a few snaps I got while being Shedmaster.

 

5429, 3276 and 2580 wait to go off shed with 4498 now taking coal, having just arrived and been turned. Red Leader was hopping between Yard and South boxes at this stage and Jonathan is in his usual spot in South Fiddle.

Plenty of wagons to see, here, and no less than 3 C1s. Adam was manning North Box in the afternoon while Neil and Graeme worked North Fiddle.

 

Jamie

 

[drmditch]

Well done, Grantham continues to look splendid.

When is the next (Newcastle ?) show please?

I need to get it into my diary and warn my immune system that it has to be recovered by then!

[jwealleans]

... and just like that it was gone again.

 

 

The next show is indeed Newcastle, over Remembrance weekend.    Next year you can see us at York and Bristol.

 

 

 

[Chuffer Davies]

47 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

... and just like that it was gone again.

 

 

The next show is indeed Newcastle, over Remembrance weekend.    Next year you can see us at York and Bristol.

 

 

 

Interesting venue! Was it as open to the elements as it looks?

Frank

 

[jwealleans]

Hopefully not as I rent it out as undercover storage.   There is translucent sheeting round the two visible sides here which is weatherproof.   The Yorkshire boarding above does let rain in to 3-4 feet from the end wall if it's coming in at the right angle, but is sheltered from the prevailing wind.   When we were photographing a week gone Saturday with the roller door shut I was surprised at how little air movement there was despite the open boarding.

[Chuffer Davies]

7 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

Hopefully not as I rent it out as undercover storage.   There is translucent sheeting round the two visible sides here which is weatherproof.   The Yorkshire boarding above does let rain in to 3-4 feet from the end wall if it's coming in at the right angle, but is sheltered from the prevailing wind.   When we were photographing a week gone Saturday with the roller door shut I was surprised at how little air movement there was despite the open boarding.

Ah I see.  I thought that was the exhibition hall you’d been exhibiting at, sorry.

[LNER4479]

Hope everyone's having a good festive season?

 

We haven't had a travelogue for quite some time, so how about some images from our just-returned-from Christmas escape?

 

 

Having successfully dodged a wildcat strike affecting Eurotunnel, we stayed local to our base on our first day out there, for a day of:

 

Planes ...

 

Trains ...

 

... and ... er ... Ships!

 

Perhaps not too difficult to guess where we went? If still struggling, perhaps this one might give it away:

 

 

Next - the sun comes out and the scenery delivers.

 

[cbeagleowner]

Is that Luzern? Looks lovely!

[lezz01]

Not sure about the rest but the last one is for sure.

Regards Lez.

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Hope everyone's having a good festive season?

 

We haven't had a travelogue for quite some time, so how about some images from our just-returned-from Christmas escape?

 

 

Having successfully dodged a wildcat strike affecting Eurotunnel, we stayed local to our base on our first day out there, for a day of:

 

Planes ...

 

Trains ...

 

... and ... er ... Ships!

 

Perhaps not too difficult to guess where we went? If still struggling, perhaps this one might give it away:

 

 

Next - the sun comes out and the scenery delivers.

 

Definitely Luzern/Lucerne. Haven't been since 1982 - time for a return trip perhaps...

[richard i]

I wondered why we had not had a marathon speed build this year. Trip answers that question. Unless it was taken with you to complete in your down time.

richard 

[LNER4479]

19 hours ago, cbeagleowner said:

Is that Luzern? Looks lovely!

 

17 hours ago, lezz01 said:

Not sure about the rest but the last one is for sure.

 

17 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Definitely Luzern/Lucerne.

Yep. Thought it wasn't too difficult.

 

First pic main station, interesting in that it has metre gauge platforms (pictured) and standard platforms, all consecutively numbered.

Second pic is the excellent Swiss Transport Museum - with an excellent entrance price to match(!) But an absorbing day's entertainment for a transport enthusiast nonetheless; unfortunately, Mrs4479 was flagging a little by the time we reached the train hall so no pix there.

Rather pleasant way to return after our visit, catching the boat across the lake (4th pic). How very Swiss.

For completeness, third pic was taken at Schwyz.

 

More coming up ...

 

[LNER4479]

Several posts coming up, as file sizes quite big:

 

Day 2 (23rd) based in Luzern saw us take the also rather excellent Zentralbahn Panoramic Express service on the metre gauge to somewhere you might have heard of ...

 

These 7-car sets include a full-blown restaurant car. Not over expensive and not over patronised - what's not to like?

 

And with tempting views across lake Brienz, anticipating fine conditions for the scenery to come.

 

Change at Interlaken (Ost) for the fab BOB trains. It's looking good.

Edited December 31, 2023 by LNER4479

[LNER4479]

Further change at Grindelwald for the Wengeralpbahn and the dramatic hill climbing (and descending!) ahead. You can see the route ahead of this remarkable cog railway, snaking up the hillside in the distance; also the new Jungfrau express cable car run (Grindelwald Terminal to Eiger Glacier).

 

Well above the snow line now, as we skirt the side of the Eiger with ski run beside us.

 

The 'classic' view at Kleine Scheidegg as a Jungfrau train rolls in.

We'd kept an eye on the weather forecast and held off going the day before. A good call, as it turned out, being greeted with conditions like this😎

 

Edited December 31, 2023 by LNER4479

[LNER4479]

You might have thought we'd have gone the whole hog and gone up the Jungfrau on a day like this ... but our timings didn't allow.

 

Instead, we had the train down the other side to ourselves, making good use of the pully-down windows. 20 mins of pure Alpine perfection. They hardly need captions.

 

 

Ice station Zebra? That's the Junfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station, perfectly silhouetted against the clear blue sky.

 

Looking in the Wengen direction, the mountainside village visible centre left is actually Mürren, on the opposite of the Lauterbrunnen valley. Presiding over it, towards the centre is the 007 Schilthorn summit. Last went up there in 2018. Also no time for that today - but perfectly happy just to have been in such fab conditions.

 

My fave Swiss destination is actually canton Graübunden and the incomparable Rhätischebahn. But when conditions in the Bernese Oberland are like this, it is pretty special.

 

[LNER4479]

7 hours ago, richard i said:

I wondered why we had not had a marathon speed build this year. Trip answers that question. Unless it was taken with you to complete in your down time.

richard 

Well spotted!

I hope to be tackling something tomorrow, as a New Year's Day challenge instead. Will be on the Hills of the North thread, if so.