North East Model Railway (Trenholme Junction)

[dougattrenholmebar]

This is a series of video's made on the model railway, Trenholme Junction.
In this video we are looking at trains coming and going from the Main Station at the junction.
All the coaching stock in the video have close couplings fitted to them giving excellent running and appearance characteristics.
As mentioned in previous videos, many of the Mk1 rakes have had additional coaches added to make up prototypical lengths of ten or more vehicles.
At the scene from the end of the platform on the Lower East Station the rising gradient to the upper level has been removed in post production leaving the junction to appear to go off into the distance.
Two further scenes set out to add to the illusion of a much greater width than the layout actually has.
All these videos are a merging together of the model and the real world.
The layout is a very large two tier double oval and is 54 feet long (16.5 metres) and 15 feet wide (4.5 metres).
The layout was built with long distance shots in mind.
To give the impression of width and depth, the background is made from videos shot around where I live and are merged into the model using a video editor.
Using video gives another dimension to the static backgrounds usually seen on model railways.
The trees and grass are blowing in the breeze, birds are flying in the sky, insects buzzing around and the clouds are moving in the sky.
 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

Running session with Wrenn stock.
The wide tyred wheels on the Wrenn wagons on the layout short circuited all the plastic frogged points and crossings, causing the controller to trip and reset some makes of decoder.
They have been filling up the sidings ever since and unused in the production of the videos.
Although these wagons are over 60 years old, they are still very good models. With the old wheels replaced with new modern ones, some are making a debut in this video. Some unusual trains.
I bought twelve of the new generation of Hornby Pullman coaches when they were released about twenty years ago.
These coaches, although fabulous models to look at were the worst runners imaginable.
The mechanisms which draw the coaches away from each other on bends jammed continuously and derailed even on straight tracks. Couplings frequently snapped when used on long trains. No spares available.
Unreliable stock of any kind is no good when film making which is why there are very few on the layout.
I have bitten the bullet here this week and removed the mechanisms from five of the coaches and bolted NEM pockets directly to the bogies. Coupling is via Hornby/Roco close couplings. Superb runners now.
 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

 

This short video is all about Pullman coaches.
Quote from last weeks (running session 4) video notes.
' I bought twelve of the new generation of Hornby Pullman coaches when they were released about twenty years ago.
These coaches, although fabulous models to look at were the worst runners imaginable.
The mechanisms which draw the coaches away from each other on bends jammed continuously and derailed even on straight tracks. Couplings frequently snapped when used on long trains. No spares available.
I have bitten the bullet here this week and removed the mechanisms from five of the coaches and bolted NEM pockets directly to the bogies. Coupling is via Hornby/Roco close couplings. Superb runners now.'
Flushed with the success of the five coach set, I've now converted the remaining seven, with equally successful results. Never before have I managed to run all twelve at the same time and complete a video without any derailments!
In testing, I also coupled a five car Bachmann rake of Mark1's to the rear of the five set and it ran perfectly. I also have reversed both rakes over a medium radius crossover without incident.
More Wrenn wagon conversions next week.
 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

 

I spoke briefly about Wrenn wagons on Trenholme Junction in '..Running Trains Session 4..' and some were included in that video.
The vast majority of the remaining Wrenn wagons have now been converted to fine scale wheels and most of the remaining unseen ones appear in this video, together with the fish train which has been seen before.
The fish train is one of my favourites, I spent a lot of time collecting the wagons only to find the wheels shorted out the DCC point work. This train reminds me of the Whitby fish train passing through Middlesbrough back in the day, although it was much dirtier than my model.
There's well over another 100 wagons which now can be used on the layout, all running superbly, a very worthwhile exercise.
 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

 

In this video, all the trains are equipped close couplings. The first train comprising Hornby ex-LNER coaches has a combination of Hornby Close Couplings and Roco Close Couplings. There is one of each type in between each coach which perfectly spaces the coaches so the gap on straight track is almost touching and the mechanism on the curves clears the connections allowing the sprung buffers on these coaches to just kiss and slightly compress. Notice how the coaches smoothly exit the carriage sidings and the gap closes up for the straight and again gently opening for the curve into the station and then closes up up again on the straight. Coaches have very little gap on the close up as the train leaves later in the video. The second train has a similar combination of couplings as the first, giving similar characteristics. The third train, however, is an entirely different animal. This train is composed of the superb Dapol Bogie Bolster wagons. For the first time I have used the three link couplings suppled with the wagons. They give perfect spacing and the buffers gently kiss on the bends. When reversing over crossovers the buffers do not lock, perfect. I have to give out a loud shout for these outstanding models, the under frames are a masterpiece. I’ve bought thirty three and are making up a loaded set and an empty set to bring back memories of the empties passing through South Bank station and the loaded ones coming back from the steel works. I was eight years old. If anyone can tell me where to get H beam loads from I would be very grateful. The last train has mainly Roco couplings, the vehicles are very close together and the buffers almost fully compress on the tightest of bends. Close couplings, when videoing gives a super look, no more toy like eight foot gaps between the coaches.

 

 

 

[peterm1]

I've just stumbled across your post and what a good one it is. I've book marked it so that I can go through the whole lot... eventually. Thanks for all the videos.

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

kind regards,

Doug W.

[dougattrenholmebar]

Around the Lower East Station watching the trains passing through a similar scene I saw back in the sixties at South Bank station near Middlesbrough.
The coaches are all close coupled as are the wagons on the engineers train.
The Black 5 is hauling the rest of the Wrenn wagons which have been converted to fine scale wheels.
The DMU is there because I like DMU's from this period.
 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

 

In this video we are still around the Lower East Station watching the trains passing through a similar scene I saw back in the sixties at South Bank station near Middlesbrough.
This scene is the straightest continuous run on the layout at about 50 feet and gives a chance to watch the trains appear and disappear from a distance.
It is also the longest straight section to view the goods trains as they rumble slowly past and give a good view of their train composition.
Last year was the year to update the coaching stock rakes, which is now complete, this year its about the goods stock and loco's.
Nothing like a fast express to start off with followed by the second rake of Dapol bogie bolsters to arrive at the junction.
This second rake is loaded with rails, coming away from the steelworks, the first, (see last weeks) is the empties returning.
A 47 flies through the junction with a rake of Gresley steel coaches.
A 'Rat' appears from the southern end of Trenholme Junction with a train of bogie Well wagons, some have been used a camera cars in the past and have now been re-instated back to there former glory and make a splendid sight.
Finally a short train of Blue Circle Cement wagons built from Airfix kits in about 1968 by myself leaves the headshunt and disappears south. New wheels and couplings, not bad for 55 year old models...
 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

There are five new locomotives at Trenholme Junction.
An early liveried Class 37 is on a fast Passenger Train
The Class 45 on Parcels is a recent addition and has appeared a couple of weeks ago.
Next, a weathered Class 17 Clayton ambles through with a mixed goods train.
A second Class 37 with the small warning panels is on tanker duty.
Another Clayton passes through with an empty coaching stock movement.
Finally, a not so new Class 24 with a Race Day train of Horse Boxes passes by. Not new, but love the train....
 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

 

Sitting on the end of the Lower East station watching an 08 shunter assembling a train in the Lower Marshalling Yard for the Class 37 to take onward. A typical scene back in the 60’s through my eyes as an eight year old.

 

 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

When I started this project back in the early 2000’s I bought the available Bachmann loco’s, quite a lot were western region. I had in mind the layout was going to be western because of the wide availability of items which were being produced at the time. After some serious disappointing experiences the absolute rubbish Hornby were producing, the new kid on the block, Bachmann, were producing some pretty serious stuff. I did, however, decided to lean toward my own area, the North East, and this was the basis of my layout as more and more ‘standard’ BR rolling stack became available, and, Hornby woke up and started producing some decent stuff at last. I’ve spent a great deal of time attempting to add smoke to my videos with only limited success. It’s a time consuming process with only relatively convincing results, so unless artificial intelligence can come to the rescue I’ve decided to not pursue this avenue for the time being. I know this may be a long pre-amble, but, I want the layout to produce a realistic a view as possible and diesels do not produce ‘much’ smoke, so you can get away from the problem of producing it while still giving a realistic view in the videos. I’ve sold most of my collection of Western loco’s and used he funds to buy early diesels and rolling stock abound in the local area and that’s the focus of the near future videos. In this video we are viewing from the southern end of the Main Station where we open with a view of a very dirty Class 45 thundering through the passenger lines with a fish train followed by a much cleaner stable mate on an express passenger through train. A very sedate 37 than ambles through the station with a lengthy train of bogie bolsters. Another 37 appears at the east tunnel with a train of plate wagons and traverses no less than 13 points and crossings (without a stutter, well done super Bachmann). For the record, the new 37’s are fitted with the new Plex22 decoders, absolutely brilliant. Finally, a rat appears with an engineers train to conclude a thoroughly enjoyable running session.

 

 

[dougattrenholmebar]

Another new arrival at Trenholme Junction is Peak D57.
In this video the train is shown travelling around the entire lower level of the junction.
This Heljan locomotive is weathered by TMC of Whitby and is powered by a Zen black decoder with stay alive giving a super smooth performance.
Just drifting back to the sixties......