HSB

While superficially similar the smaller wheels, lower running boards and differently shaped cab roof gave the TOPS Class 11 a slightly squatter appearance than the 08. Also, from a purely personal perspective, I spotted several of the 1945 twin-motored class but none of the earlier jack-shaft ones.

While the jack-shaft drive shunters were very distinctive I think I would go for the twin-motored LMS shunters introduced in 1945 and which continued in production under BR until the introduction of the 08. These were more numerous than the single-engine jack-shaft versions and some later passed into industrial use.

It has occurred to me that an alternative route between the two stations might be to use the Maryport & Carlisle Railway's harbour branch:-

And speaking of which we did a bit of work on the fiddleyard this afternoon and we now have a bit more track pinned down and a couple more points wired up. Following on from my last post I have now redrawn the Maryport end of the branch. The line now follows the LNWR harbour branch for a short distance before cutting off to a station behind the harbour and then continuing along the coast to Ramchester. A line from the ex-M&C station curves round sharply to join the branch just south of the harbour station. Of course, this is all rather academic but I feel it helps to give a framework for developing a credible sequence of operations for the layout.

The idea of a through station with the line extending up the coast to Silloth had occurred to me as something we could do when Rod wins the Lotto and extends the shed!!! In a more practical vein I have been revisiting the Mk2 version of the route which I mentioned in my last post and after studying a couple of maps I now think it would be possible to have a line connecting the southern end of the M&C station with the southern end of a fictitious harbourside LNWR station using a curve of around 10 chains and a short tunnel.This would mean trains from Carlisle would run through Maryport before continuing to Ramchester which I think is a scenario which we could both be fairly happy with and Rod would still have his turning triangle! Unfortunately I appear to have deleted my original map so will have to draw another one which I'll post here shortly.

Below is my Mk3 version of the route to Ramchester which assumes that Maryport station was enlarged to accomodate LNWR trains to Ramchester. LNWR trains would have to run along the M&C for a short distance before branching off towards the coast. In the original Mk1 concept trains would have run along the M&C to Bullgill before branching off although some might have run up the long defunct M&C line between Brigham and Bullgill. I added triangular junctions in both these plans at Rod's insistence so trains could run directly to Carlisle. Personally, I think such a connection would have been highly unlikely and trains to and from Carlisle would have simply reversed at Maryport or Bullgill. There were several examples of passenger trains having to reverse somewhere enroute The Bradford to Paignton 'Devonian' had to reverse at Leeds, for example, and the M&C once ran a service from Maryport to Cockermouth which reversed twice at Bullgill and Brigham. In real life the LNWR made an end-on junction with the M&C just south of Maryport station and in my Mk2 concept the Ramchester line would have branched off just before there to a station near the harbour and then along the base of the cliffs and up the coast to the supposed location of Ramchester. Adding a triangular junction to this route would have involved a very sharp curve through a tunnel! When I suggested putting a turntable in the fiddleyard I was really thinking in terms of tender engines either running light or with empty coaching stock back to the depot at Workington.

Hi CME, I have fitted Hornby medium width couplers between one of my Mk1s and an SR parcels van and run them through the S curve into track two without any problems so they are one possibility. I have since discovered they also do a narrower coupler the same width as the Bachmann ones but on a flexible neck which I will experiment with after I get back from my hols.

We started modifying the fiddleyard today as per my last post. We have had to take up some of the track we only recently relaid but the new configuration is taken shape fairly rapidly with the first point now back down only requiring the microswitch wiring up. The next two points (on the right in the picture) have just been placed in position ready to connect up next time. I have also been experimenting with various types of Hornby coupler for possible use on parcels and passenger stock in place of the Bachmann ones.

Is that the Rivarossi model, Brian? It looks to be very well detailed.

We had a short session this afternoon in which we explored the best ways to get over the problem of the Bachmann couplers causing derailments on some of the longer vehicles when going through the two S bends in the fiddleyard. I have been experimenting with the wider Hornby couplers which I think will solve the problem when running in to track 2 but not the other S which will probably require the modifying of the track layout to allow the insertion of a length of straight track as per the diagram below:- Ironically, it would mean the five rearmost tracks will be more-or-less back in their original configuration except for the addition of the three-way point! The exact layout of the kick-back sidings has yet to be decided.

Here are some pics I took of the same locos. Contrary to what Rod posted earlier the model of 10000 was actually scratch-built apart from the bogie sideframes (JLTRT).

As Rod says we now have another point and a seventh siding laid with a temporary wiring lash-up until I can install a microswitch. The problem with the couplers is due to the rather wide swing on long vehicles running through the two S curves being too far for these couplers to cope with leading to some vehicles derailing. We may have to find an alternative coupler for the vehicles affected.

We had another session on the layout this afternoon. Unfortunately I found I had made a boo-boo yesterday when I thought I could get away with moving one of the points so I could get that fifth track down quickly. Today I discovered the new configuration wasn't going to work as it would result in a large gap between tracks five and six so I had to remove part of track five so I could install the point where it should have gone in the first place! The good news is that we now have that point installed and working and the fiddleyard now has six tracks.

'Split washers' refers to the practice of cutting a slit in the side of a washer so it can be pushed over the end of an axle without removing the wheelset from the wagon or coach.

Rod has finished extending the fiddleyard baseboard and today he has stuck down most of the new underlay. Meanwhile I have now got five sidings down and wired up plus a temporary short sixth siding in place.

I will watch this with interest. Although the Bachmann models have been available for some time I have yet to see a layout making use of them.

We did a bit more this afternoon and have now fitted a microswitch to one of the PECO points coming off the 3-way so we now have the rear four sidings in the foddle fiddleyard usable. There wasn't room to fit the microswitch right next to the point so I have used a wire-and-tube arrangement to put it on the other side of the yet to be laid adjacent point.

You started it! - (If not intentionally!) I must have had those GEM point levers I used for getting on for half a century! (God, I suddenly feel old!!). I have two more of a different design which I must have bought a year or so earlier which are priced at 2/4 (that's just under 12p to you young whippersnappers).

You can't beat a good hand-operated foddle!

Here is a picture of our progress to date with the four rearmost tracks now in place. We have yet to decide how we are going to operate the points in the fiddleyard - whether to keep the previous point motors or go for some kind of manual control incorporating micro-switches. We haven't been entirely happy with the reliability of the PECO solenoids and accessory switches we have been using.

We started relaying the track in the fiddleyard today although Rod hasn't yet widened the baseboard as he wanted to double-check the amount of extra width needed first. The three-way point has gone in and things are looking good so far!

Further to Rod's description of our coupler height gauges here are a couple of pics I took earlier in response to a PM from CME. This is for setting the height of the top of the loop of the Bachmann couplers.

This is the scheme I've drawn up for the fiddleyard although the spacing between the tracks will be increased to allow easier access for uncoupling, etc. While Rod has started work on widening the fiddleyard baseboard I have done a little more work on the station building.

The fiddleyard could be widened and is something under consideration. With regards to the middle of the room we are just tossing ideas around at present.

Indeed it was!