Brisbane Road...A New Pig Lane

[Clive Mortimore]

Early dog walk, dash to Maplin's and off I go again.

[Dagworth]

Is Maplin open tomorrow?

Yes but they only sell silly solder not real stuff now.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Looking good Clive.

Hope you're going to include those typical ER sand hoppers.

Regarding fuelling, is the shed basically going to be for that, a la KX Loco Yard?  If the shed's for maintenance, isn't that going to tie-up refuelling activity on the depot?

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi Peter

 

Cheers.

 

There will be three sand hoppers in front of the shed as there were at Tinsley (low level), Shirebrook (when new), Frodingham, Wath, and Immingham. They will be new ones not hand me downs from Hanging Hill. Plus I want to put all the pipe work from the sand drier on them, the Hanging Hill ones are based on the Finsbury Park hoppers which had underground pipes. The sand hoppers at Finsbury Park, and Stratford were before the fuel points as are the ones on Hanging Hill. Norwich, Ipswich, Stratford (again) Cambridge and Doncaster had LNER steam loco sand hoppers, like the Bachmann effort. Hanging Hill has one of these as well but mine predates the Bachy one by years. Ripple lane had a very strange looking thing as its sand hopper. Colchester, Kings Lynn, Hitchin and Marsh Lane (Temple Mills) didn't seem to have them.

 

York had some sand hoppers of a similar design but a bit chunkier than the ER ones. I have not come across any others on the NER or any other regions.

 

The refuelling and other servicing will be done in the shed as it was at all the smaller sub depots. From my understanding only A exams were performed at these locations to start with (my era) and any light repairs that could be done while the loco was being serviced. Any major work and the loco would have to be sent to Hanging Hill.

 

The water tower is a problem, do I make a modern diesel era one or do I make a old GER one as it had been a steam depot? I think the GER one might win.

[Clive Mortimore]

Yes but they only sell silly solder not real stuff now.

As long as it glues the metal together I don't care.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Clive,<br />I'd go for the steam era water tower if your diesel depot is on the site of a former steam shed. These things seemd to be very long lasting in some locations. Like the idea of showing where the old turntable pit was - perhaps including the circular edging and maybe some old rails/short overgrown spurs.

[Clive Mortimore]

After doing the wiring looms and the control panel wires I cleared off the junk and tools for a quick photo session. Bisbane Road is packed as it is a bank holiday.

 

The BTH is over the old ash pit.

 

 

The control panel

[Clive Mortimore]

All the points have now had their push rods fitted, made from code 80 N gauge rail knocking about in the man shed. I have gone for insulfrog points, so that I do not need to have frog switches. With today’s locos picking up current on all wheels and the centre motor driving all axles insulfrog points are not a problem.  All the push rods are within reach when sitting down to operate.

 

The shed base board is fully wired. As are the corresponding sockets on the control panel.

 

Like the woodwork my wiring does its job so I will not be photographing it. All wires are labelled both ends and each wire is documented as to where it runs from and to. This is very important for fault finding or later modifications.

[Clive Mortimore]

All the soldering has been done.

 

The conectors mated.

 

Controller plugged in.

 

D5037 placed on the track.

 

The knob on the 100M slowly turned. 

 

Backwards goes the loco.

 

Screwdriver back into action and the two wires supplying the control panel with electrickery swapped over.

 

The knob again slowly turned.

 

YEAH!!!!! as our Sulzer Bo-Bo comes out the fiddle yard.

 

There were no faults on the first test run apart from going backwards. The Derby Type 2 traversed all the layout without a problem.

 

The next stage willl be to do a full operating session.

[Clive Mortimore]

One small problem I have notcied is that Peco slips do not seem to be self isolating like their points. I have a siding which will be a loco headshunt that can be used to stable a loco out the way while other locos are shunted around the depot. I will need to add another switch, its associated wires, and cut the rail so I can isolate a loco.  No big problem.

[Andrew P]

That looks really good so far, love the green diesels,

 

Andy

[Clive Mortimore]

Cheers Andy

 

 

I think I have my water tower.....a blow me it is here in Chelmsford. http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart166axe/3511066944/in/photostream/

[Clive Mortimore]

I feel a total pillock. Last night after adding the extra isolating section I thought I would check the wiring for the signal, one of those nice looking Train Tech double headed ones. I like the look of these as the LEDs are mounted on a PCB that passes through the signal post, no having to guess what wire is what, like on the Ekon signals. I made a bridge rectifier after realising that I needed DC not AC and the Guagemaster controller only gives uncontrolled 16 v AC. After wiring it all up I turned on the controller. It didn't 'alf make a funny noise. Locos worked OK but no signals. Unsolder this and that.......nothing. In my frustration I wrapped two wires around two rails and turned the knob on the controller so I had a DC current. Put one wire on the negative terminal on the signal PCB and one on a signal terminal . POP goes the LED, I should have stopped but in my frustration I had another two goes ....POP and POP. Then sense clicked in, "Why did you put those resistors in the circuit ?"   As you can see PILLOCK.

 

This morning I had a second look at the bridge rectifier. I had wired it up wrongly.  I had put the DC leads where the AC ones were meant to go. Again PILLOCK.

 

I have now swapped the wires over. The controller is quite, not shorting out every cycle and the one remaining LED signal light is green. I even had the switches wired up correctly.

 

Last night I did send an e-mail to Train Tech to see if they do replacement parts for silly people. I will let you know if they do.

[Andrew P]

I feel a total pillock. Last night after adding the extra isolating section I thought I would check the wiring for the signal, one of those nice looking Train Tech double headed ones. I like the look of these as the LEDs are mounted on a PCB that passes through the signal post, no having to guess what wire is what, like on the Ekon signals. I made a bridge rectifier after realising that I needed DC not AC and the Guagemaster controller only gives uncontrolled 16 v AC. After wiring it all up I turned on the controller. It didn't 'alf make a funny noise. Locos worked OK but no signals. Unsolder this and that.......nothing. In my frustration I wrapped two wires around two rails and turned the knob on the controller so I had a DC current. Put one wire on the negative terminal on the signal PCB and one on a signal terminal . POP goes the LED, I should have stopped but in my frustration I had another two goes ....POP and POP. Then sense clicked in, "Why did you put those resistors in the circuit ?"   As you can see PILLOCK.

 

This morning I had a second look at the bridge rectifier. I had wired it up wrongly.  I had put the DC leads where the AC ones were meant to go. Again PILLOCK.

 

I have now swapped the wires over. The controller is quite, not shorting out every cycle and the one remaining LED signal light is green. I even had the switches wired up correctly.

 

Last night I did send an e-mail to Train Tech to see if they do replacement parts for silly people. I will let you know if they do.

The moto here is LOOK TWICE, CHECK TWICE AND do once!

 

We have all been there, and it can be costly, I had an LED play up on my control panel on the first day at the last show, so on the second morning I took the panel out to have a look, gave it a PROD WITH MY SCREWDRIVER WITH THE POWER STILL ON AND BLEW ANOTHER FIVE LED's. :no: Dohhhhhh

 

Bodgit

[Clive Mortimore]

Last night I did send an e-mail to Train Tech to see if they do replacement parts for silly people. I will let you know if they do.

 

Hi All

 

I had a nice e-mail back from Train Tech asking where to send the component the following morning and today I received a new PCB with LEDs on. What a great service.

[Deltic]

For those readers wishing to see BRISBANE ROAD - with its designer - then pop along to the Mid Essex MRC Exhibition at Shenfield High School on Saturday 21st September 2013. We also have Warren Lane, Shefe Street, and Canons Lane Scrapyard along with many other fine layouts for your enjoyment.

[Clive Mortimore]

Cheers Ken for the mention I will playing trains at Shenfield....better do some more work on the train set.

[Clive Mortimore]

I am painting the track. Last week I sprayed parts that are new track work with Railmatch dark rust and the older sidings with their sleeper grime. Very happy with the older sidings but the dark rust is almost a bright red. Today I brush painted the new laid track with Precision Paints track colour, wonderful compared to the rust colour.  Justtaking a break from painting the sleepers.

[Clive Mortimore]

Things are moving on the scenic side slowly.

 

The frame for the diesel shed has been made.

 

Filled in turntable is taking shape.

 

I had a large area at the front of the layout which needed a scenic feature that would not hide the locos. So I had a think, yes it did hurt, and came up with the floor (or part of) an old steam shed building. When finished it will be a parking area for the collection of BR parcels vans I seem to have aquired.

 

Ballasting has started, but only a limited area so far.

 

In keeping with Bisbane Road having only recently stopped servicing off region steam locos I have been building a disused coal hoist. These were fairly common around the ER. This one is based on the one at Kings Cross. It still needs a chute, housing for the lift motor, railings and ladder added. The pliers are to stop it falling over.

 

 

 

[Deltic]

Looking good, only a couple of months to go before we see it 'in the flesh' at Mid Essex. I could let you have a Deltic or 2 if you want some fine racehorses to grace this part of Leyton? Don't forget what I said about a parked bus - not seen anyone else model one in this condition. They don't do it now, they just put the hazard flashers on and await a mechanic - grease monkey - to get them on their way.

[Clive Mortimore]

Cheers Ken

 

I have been working on the sand hoppers and the coal hoist. The sand hoppers need their ladders and the pipe work to the sand and compressor house. The coal hoist its ladder.

 

Coal Hoist

 

I turned the hoist around to show the other side

 

There is an etched kit for a LNER coal hoist, my mate lent me the instructions and drawings. Trouble was I could not find which hoist it matched. Mine is based on the one at Kings Cross. The Kings Cross one was modified some time in the 50's, so was Brisbane Road's but not quite the same mods.

[steve1]

Coming along nicely Mr Mortimore!   

 

Showcase one day?

 

steve

[Clive Mortimore]

Coming along nicely Mr Mortimore! 

 

Showcase one day?

 

steve

Cheers Steve

 

More than happy to trundle it up to Burton.

[Clive Mortimore]

Work has started on the scenic break. To wind up those who hate buses on bridges I intend to have pull in bus stops along the side of the road, making it in effect 4 lanes. To give the depot some sort of connection with the rest of the railway system as sadly many depot layouts lack there will be a station building over the dummy mainline and an entrance to British Railways, Brisbane Road, Potato and Vegetable Market on the bridge. Well if Stratford can have a fruit and veg market so can Brisbane Road.

 

 

Approximately where the lorry is turning will be the entrance to the market.

 

The station building will be based on that of Maryland in the picture. In my alternative universe work had started on electrifying to Epping, hence the late 1930's LNER station but the war intervened and the line was not wired up.

 

[HillsideDepot]

Don't forget what I said about a parked bus - not seen anyone else model one in this condition. They don't do it now, they just put the hazard flashers on and await a mechanic - grease monkey - to get them on their way.

 

Do you mean a seat cushion leaning against the back of the bus? I last saw that with an RM a few years back at Imber in Wiltshire, but never seen it modelled. Around here they seem to tow buses rather than try to repair them at the roadside. . .