Grantham - the Streamliner years

[DaveF]

12 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Clearly today's HSB is much modernised, well-polished etc. But I stick to my guns in saying that it's a working railway, not a preserved one. I can only experience this version of 'real' steam as it is in the 21st Century. Envious of anyone who was able to visit the railway in more workaday times.

 

In 1991 most of the passengers were quite local still using the train as everyday transport plus people from the former West Germany living near the border just exploring places they knew of but had never seen.  Foreign cars were few, in villages children used to gather round to see my car from England.  The line to the Brocken had not been reopened when I was there, that came in September 1991.

 

By 1992 there were a lot more tourists, organised car parking and so on.  The Brocken line was very busy but again many passengers were Germans from the former West.  There were still some Russian soldiers about at the summit., the last ones left in 1994.

 

David

Edited March 26 by DaveF

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, LNER4479 said:

Still impressive enough though?

Oh yes, we were on a heavily loaded 8 coach train with 222 doing the standing start, absolutely fabulous!

 

 

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Alexisbad is as far as the steam diagram runs in the morning. It is another junction station on the network, demonstrated by the railcar from Nordhausen making a connection, also reversing here to serve the short branchline to Harzgerode.

I rather like that squashed-in railcar.

[jwealleans]

On 26/03/2024 at 22:37, St Enodoc said:

I rather like that squashed-in railcar.

 

Unlike this country, the drivers don't mind you watching where they're going either:

 

 

Photo Dave Jobling

Edited April 4 by jwealleans
Picture credit.

[LNER4479]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I rather like that squashed-in railcar.

Now you really shouldn't go around saying things like that; it only prompts me to post even more photos ...

 

Here's a slightly more three-quarter view of the thing. They are not without their charm, although the older, more rounded examples are more aesthetically pleasing.

 

One of these days, we'll configure a trip so as to have at least an overnight in Nordhausen, where the HSB rails form one tentacle of the town's tram system. Have done it once before but it's over 10 years ago now. Only one steam working being the main disincentive!

 

[31A]

3 hours ago, jwealleans said:

(Not my photo - Steve Pearce?)

 

Not guilty m'Lud. 

[Mallard60022]

That is wonderful Graham (and Co). Thank you. Looks like a really good time of year to go with fewer folk swarming around? The Towns look wonderful; I shall show my Son and his German partner, at the weekend. Her Stepfather has had a lot of experience with the German Railways in that he has always worked for the sort of ACAS they have in Germany. He would love this sort of excursion I'm sure.

Have a great York.

Phil

[jwealleans]

It's been disturbed again...

 

 

... and now downstairs awaiting the van.

 

 

 

[LNER4479]

And a perfect cue for some pix of mine ...

 

Here it is all in the back of the van.

 

Backed up for unloading.

 

This is how close we were to the unloading point. Those familiar with the venue will know where we are.

 

Set up proceeds steadily.

[LNER4479]

And now with the full circuit up, stock set out in full swing.

 

Not quite sure what happened here with the camfone?! Instinct was to delete it but decided it was a bit arty-farty so here it is. It was really intended to show the stage at which main layout is up but with front depot boards still to add (they are over on the right hand side)

 

See you tomorrow 🙂

 

[Ollie K]

Great to see Grantham doing what it was built to do today. From the ‘civilian’ side of the barrier you hear an awful lot of murmured compliments along the onlookers:

 

”Cor, haven’t they don’t a good job of these buildings?”

 

“This must’ve taken years to build, and a good while to set up this morning!”

 

“See look how good this stuff looks when it’s properly weathered up.”

 

“I’ve never seen Grantham station look this good..!” and so on.

 

Thanks to the chaps who had chance for a chat, was well worth the 4hr round trip to see the layout in action.

 

Candid camera:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 31 by Ollie K

[jwealleans]

Thanks, Ollie.   Good to see you and have a quick chat yesterday.   Very pleased to see a good shot of Mr King's Iron Ore train making its guest appearance as well.

[gr.king]

That's an image of the ironstone hoppers for my album. Few if any successful shots in my possession show anything like a broadside view, as it's usually difficult to find enough space to stand back far enough to get the whole train from a reasonable angle, well lit, against a decent background. I know that one isn't a true broadside, but it's better than most which tend to be very "frontal", showing the loco quite well and the wagons receding into the distance.

Edited April 1 by gr.king
added info

[grob1234]

Definitely one of my favourite layouts. Well done to all the crew.

[LNER4479]

SO .... Back home with the layout after being part of the York show.

 

No pictures from me, I'm afraid - I think a few others might be on the way - but the ever-excellent and prolific 'DCC125' graced the layout on Saturday afternoon (by the looks of it). That wasn't actually our best day but DCC125 has given us a nice record of the event nonetheless and has captured some of the more ordinary trains in the middle of the schedule, which makes a nice change:

 

 

Thanks - as ever - to all members of 'Team Grantham', those who stopped by to say 'hi'. And a special mention to @Clive Mortimore who kindly mucked in with the team during the thankless task of packing it all away after show time 😇

Edited April 1 by LNER4479

[Fishplate]

Hi Graham @LNER4479. Stopped by a few times on the Sunday. Grabbed a few words with @jwealleans 'round the back'. Each time I called by you were either very busy inside, at the loco shed panel, or sorting out errant road vehicles, so didn't like to interrupt you.

 

Layout and trains looked great. Nice spot for it as well. Had a bit of a chat with @Barry O on another layout.

 

Edited April 2 by Fishplate
Photo added

[LNER4479]

1 hour ago, Fishplate said:

Hi Graham @LNER4479. Stopped by a few times on the Sunday. Each time I called by you were either very busy inside, at the loco shed panel, or sorting out errant road vehicles, so didn't like to interrupt you.

Aargh - sorry to have missed you 😔 It’s very easy to ‘zone out’ in the middle of a show - priority is always on trying to put on a good show and keep things moving … a constant challenge on a layout like Grantham.

 

Glad you enjoyed your visit nonetheless and hope to catch up on a future occasion😉 Thanks for the photo.

[jwealleans]

Time for some photos from York.    I didn't take too many, being busy fiddling round the back, but here are a few of mine, then some borrowed (I hope he doesn't mind) from the excellent selection posted on Flickr by Chris H (Gilbert of this parish) which can be found here.

 

 

All very calm before the punters (and operators) turned up.  

 

 

Locked and loaded round the back, but not quite in starting position: the Stirling Single should be on the down ramp out of the Nottingham fiddle yard, the 1938 Scotsman set should be on the main line and someone's put a loco on the Leeds which needs to come off (the train includes the Cinema Car and is too long to allow the preceding Junior Scotsman to pass if fully made up.  The actual loco and cinema car are in Road 9, beside the Coronation and will couple up after the Junior Scotsman has left).

 

Some things, unfortunately, don't change, just get worse...

 

 

I blame the Convict for leaving his Beaver behind when he visited and then encouraging me to get it out and play with it.

Edited April 4 by jwealleans

[Gilbert]

Thanks for the credit....I took more on Monday...

 

[jwealleans]

Some action shots from Chris H on Day One:

 

 

Perhaps Steve and Graham can tell us what they're so intent on here.  It's not the A4 either coming onto or going off shed: an errant road vehicle or misbehaving signal?

 

 

Steve and Graham have moved, but the A4 hasn't.   We can now see that it's Union of South Africa.   Shedmaster Adam doesn't look too perturbed by its immobility.    The North End pilot (J54) has moved out of its usual berth into Platform 4 - that probably tells someone who takes more notice than me exactly what move we're on.   I appear to be completely AWOL here, which seems to be the case in an alarming number of layout photographs. 

 

 

I'm back and the A4 has made it right down to the far end of the depot.    The Quint set hasn't set off for Nottingham from Platform 5 yet, though.  

 

 

There's a J3 leaving the old shed to go off on some duty or other (possibly the Up goods Tom is shunting in the background), but more importantly in the background, Graham has just remembered he left the iron on.

 

 

 

Edited April 4 by jwealleans

[31A]

3 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

Perhaps Steve and Graham can tell us what they're so intent on here

 

The whole weekend was a blur to me, Jonathan!

 

[jwealleans]

We were honoured and very pleased to be loaned some locos for York by Eric Fry, series editor of the RCTS Green books and something of an LNER legend.    I took time on Monday to make sure we recorded them:

 

 

C1 4433, one of the four allocated to Leeds Copley Hill specifically for this working, on the up Queen of Scots.

 

 

 

This glorious pair of B16s - 2372 is also in my collection, but I was very happy to concede the place for the weekend.  

 

 

.. and this equally beautiful D20.   A more duplicitous photographer would have photoshopped that bogie wheel.   I'll just say that I had to move the loco so I could get the perspex screens out of shot and clearly I wasn't paying enough attention.

 

If I can find out any more about the origins of the models I'll update this post.

 

 

 

[jwealleans]

9 minutes ago, 31A said:

The whole weekend was a blur to me, Jonathan!

 

That's what going on holiday with El Jobbo will do to you.   Mind you, playing trains with Clive until all hours probably didn't help either.

[jwealleans]

For those whose patience hasn't been exhausted yet, Chris' photos from Day 3 at York, by which time we'd probably just about got the hang of it all again.  These must have been taken over a fairly extended stay in front of the layout as they cover several moves.   Hopefully I can remember what's supposed to be going on and you'll be able to follow.

 

 

 

One of the less expected stars of the show from an operating point of view was 3465, a NuCast O2/2 converted into an O1.   A fortuitous find at Pontefract Show in January, it had nothing more than a clean and service and was brought along on trial rather than with any real expectation.   It performed pretty well faultlessly over the dead frogs for a loco with no tender pickups (yet) and I suspect has leapt straight into the permanent roster.    It did see service on the down mineral empties, which is the usual working for locos I want to try out, but here is taking the Iron Ore empties back to High D y k e.

 

 

In Platform 4,  J5 3027 awaiting departure to Lincoln and Boston with a short train of older Howlden stock.    3027 is a London Road Models kit and one I very much enjoyed building.

 

 

On Platform 5 an arrival from Derby and Nottingham.   J39 1273 has just detached and will proceed to depot for turning and servicing.   This and the other Bachmann J39 we have never cease to amaze me - they still have their original split chassis mechanisms with no additional pickups and work reliably show after show.   They are thoroughly cleaned between shows and every so often I strip them right down and clean the axles and keeps.   I suspect that's probably why they still work so well, despite both being bought second hand.

 

 

Looking further right, towards London, an A3 waiting to relieve an Up express.   Beyond it the end of a goods for Peterborough, which I think means we're fairly well through the sequence here.   I can pick out C1 3251 in the old shed and bottom right is one of the High D y k e O4s, 6229 or 6246, having turned and getting ready to leave the shed and resume its journey north.

 

 

I included this picture not only for Graham's signals and North Box and part of Paul's townscape behind, but for the partial shot of the other Eric Fry loco we had on loan, the 'neverwazza' P10 2-8-2 tank engine.   It's identical to a V1/3 above the running plate but with very different frames and motion.   I believe this loco was built by the late David Steinle.  We didn't run it but had it on show for the duration.  It made an interesting contrast with the usual north end pilot, a J54 built for us by the late Caroline Middleditch.

 

 

Almost the same scene, but 1273 has now reversed out onto the viaduct and then returned down the shed road.    This was a Lincoln loco in the 1930s and I worked from a picture showing it well bulled up on shed.   It has yet to have the detailing which these Bachmann models benefit from and I do have to point out that after 10 years I still have not completed the 3500 gallon GS tender which it should tow.   Appalling lack of effort.

 

 

Down at the south end we can now see that the relieving engine is a local resident, Robert the Devil.   Tom Foster weathered this engine and made his usual outstanding job of it.   To the bottom of the picture, C12 4529 is south end pilot and across the bottom can be seen the loaded wagons from High D y k e, bound for Scunthorpe.

 

 

Back on the shed, but the new shed building, C1 4432 (DJH), A1 2550 Blink Bonny, a Grantham resident and beyond them K3 227 from York, identifiable by the Hulburd water treatment/heating gear it carried until about 1940.   This is a Bachmann model with an SEF tender.  4432 was a lockdown ebay buy with a very tatty paint job: it turned out to have a big Portescap and now repainted and packed with lead it will pull anything a Pacific will manage.   I have had up to 16 kit built carriages behind it, but that was probably just showing off.

 

 

Panning left to the old shed, 1273 is now almost turned and ready to return whence it came.   The incoming O4 on the High D y k e service can be seen.  There were no turning facilities on the branch, so engines went up chimney first and then returned tender first as far as Grantham, where they stopped and turned.   In this case it looks as though whatever unidentifiable O4 this is will be relieved.   An equally unidentifiable J6 (one of my NuCast ones) is just backing down to the coaling stage.  In the background 3465 is turning onto the Up relief road, so the up and down High D y k e workings are visible together.   The engine will run just past the Great North Road bridge at the south end and then stop to water.

 

 

1273 has turned and is now backing down to coal and water.

 

 

A wider view of the new shed, with C2 3254 (DJH, by Tony Wright) in evidence.   I was looking for this loco at the weekend as it managed to shuttle in and out of north fiddle without ever crossing my eyeline in the three days.   Behind it another J6, not one of mine so I can't identify it.    The A4 waiting to move back up the shed is Commonwealth of Australia, one of the two Coronation A4s we had for the weekend.    At the rear, where we started, the Up High D y k e which looks to be making its water stop.

Edited April 6 by jwealleans

[mullie]

My split chassis J39 ran superbly right up to the point where it had a Comet chassis in EM. I even had it converted to DCC with its original chassis. 

 

Martyn