HeatonLodge40

As some will know, I’m a big fan of grids. 

Today no less than 41 I’d ordered ages ago landed from Denmark. Don’t ask. I

can’t really fit 41 on the layout so I’ll be letting a few go.

In fact I’ll be naming & numbering a batch before giving them a subtle weathering before offering them for sale.

Spent an enjoyable few hours making a track based plinth for this Tinsley example 56099 which is going to a mate for his 50th.

On 21/04/2022 at 15:21, T0ny said:

Even if the layout is not going to exhibited, I hope we continue to hear and see it on here in the future. It really is an awsome achievement.

Tony

Thanks & thanks to all for the kind comments!

Im about to start reassembling it in the basement & looking at ways to get it back out in the future.

I will update when modelling recommences probably with converting the fiddle yard into a marshalling yard & the cooling towers/power station mini project.

Whilst I’m aware I’m probably a bit over sensitive to criticism,  as I said earlier, I’m fully aware of every constructive comment regarding fitted stock at the front, tail lamps, stopping distances of trains and acceleration etc, as let’s face it I’ve tried not to skimp on detail at any point during this 7 year project. 

The point is, with over 1000 droppers from the tracks themselves all talking to 5 mini computers & 1 big one  plus the hours and hours of work that goes into programming speed curves, braking and stopping distances on each individual loco so they work automatically, plus factoring in the weight of the trains they pull - there is only so much I and Jonathan who works on the automation can do.  
If people want exact stopping distances, tax discs in car windscreens, fitted stock marshalling at the front, tail lamps on every end vehicle, 2 drivers in the cab, all lines working constantly and I can carry on for 10 minutes then I suggest they go and stand next to the real thing for a few hours. 
Cos I’ve given it my best shot! 🙂
 

On 09/04/2022 at 20:12, PaulRhB said:

Well enjoyed the show this weekend, purely from a work aspect is it possible to stop trains closer to the signals though? I was there and chatting to an assortment of drivers I’ve worked with who drove in the period plus one who worked the area and the thing that stood out was drivers are always wanting the shortest possible walk to the signal if it doesn’t come off after three minutes

Before GSMR you could always hear the loco in the background when they called you up on the spt and I guess the computer control sections dictate some margin of error but everything seemed to stop 4-5ft short which is 170+ feet away   Just something to tweak and push it a bit closer to reality when time allows. 
 

Backscene works very well 

 

 

Additionally the fitted stuff needs to be at the front on some trains and the unfitted stuff followed by a van  I know it’s still under development but something to throw into the plan. 

One of our shunter members here may be able to assist better than I can on formations of various braked stock. 

 

 

 

This sounded great!

 

 

 

Certainly a festival of blue we enjoyed and the supporting layouts were top class too. Well worth a twelve quid on the door or a tenner advance ticket if you’re in the locality. 

Thanks for the comments all of which I’m very aware of, but what you don’t factor in is the constant changing of stock that has to be made when issues occur with rolling stock running constantly for days at a time.

I and others have worked tirelessly for months on this sort of thing, so when I get comments from BR ex drivers (as on Saturday) with absolutely nothing positive to say apart from tail lamps missing (for the same reasons as above) it’s pretty demoralising.
 

On a general note I understand the show went down well, but given the rocketing cost of fuel and other rising costs I very much doubt HLJ will be out again so I hope it was enjoyed by those who saw it. 
 

Simon 
 

In other news I’ve been working on getting the Red Bank running reliably. It never appeared at Wakefield as because of the sheer weight of 20 Full Brakes & GUV’s - the coupling kept snapping.

So over a few evening last year I fitted Kadees.
However I made a hash of these as even on sweeping corners they seemed to be causing buffer lock and kept hitting the tops of the bogies.

So off these came last week, beefed up standard coupling re-fitted & after oiling axles (and butchering anything that looked like it would cause friction) the whole rake now runs beautifully. 
40179 & 40199 are synchronised together & allocated for this diagram 

I’ve come to the conclusion that working mostly on my own for years has definitely affected my judgment.

I say this as with all the fuel prices rocketing the price for shifting Heaton Lodge Junction on 2 x 240 mile trips with 3 artics and an 18 ton rigid (this is just for the trestles) to Bath and back is now approaching 5 figures. 
In fact I’ve just been told this is about the cost of transporting a full size Pacific Loco and tender the same distance.
I sure hope this next exhibition is well attended! 
 

Anyway as a recap, since the last exhibition in Wakefield the diesel depot & DMU stabling is now complete and working. Jonathan & Rob the software gurus have written the code necessary to see locos automatically moving at walking pace through fuel and washing plants.
DMU’s come and go and now don’t use up a 40ft siding leaving space for another big heavy freight!

Plus working synchronised ground signals by DCC Concepts work well too.

All the scenic work is still to do but it’s all up and running.
 

Since Wakefield a fleet of 40’s & 47’s have arrived meaning prototypical Trans Pennines will constantly run in both directions. 
Additionally I’ve completed the following..

: All trains now have working tail lamps (brake lights to me)

: The 15 Motorail wagons has been rewheeled and modified to make them run better. (There’s still no tax discs in the windscreens however)

: A 40 hauling 45 VEA’s will be doing the rounds

: 2 more MGR’s with 36 x HAA’s hauled by screaming Heljan ‘56’s 

: Another 2 x 30 16T & HUO hoppers make up two more heavy coal trains

: An A2 will join the 9F doing steam charters

: Good chance the 124 Trans-Pennine will be operational this time.

 I’ve also been cleaning 10 wagon wheels a night for months now so If anyone knows of an automated wheel cleaner for O gauge wagons please let me know.

Problem is the gunk that comes off them has to be seen to be believed. I’m sure someone could design one. 

I’ve been fitting the Modellers Mecca corridor connectors when servicing the coaches.

Said it before but can’t believe the difference they make.

Back to wagon cleaning now.

Thanks for that Steven - superb pics! 
 

My new Chinese coal grinder produced about 4kgs of ground coal today. Despite the fact it clearly doesn’t comply with any safety restrictions and produced so much coal dust I thought it would set off the fire alarm, it did do the job.

I’m sure the lack of the two humps in the coal loads on the HAA’s won’t go unnoticed but that’s the best it’s going to get for now!

Wagons wagons wagons again..

Found this rare Dapol BR brake van on ebay so spent a couple hours fitting a tail lamp, weathering it & adding a bit of detail.

A guard will cover the wires to the tail lamp.

All this has had is roof dirt, frame dirt, dirty black and Vallejo oil spills on the axle boxes. 
 

Before it goes into service like all other new wagons given the amount of mileage they cover it’ll get a dab of oil on the axle ends and I snip a connecting rod underneath. This enables the brake shoes to be slightly pushed away from the wheels. It’s been a problem causing way more friction than it should on some recent wagon releases. 
 

Some years ago I built 27 TTA tanks from JLTRT kits. At Wakefield they formed their own train but alas the train never ran totally reliably. I’ve weeded out some of the culprits  and decided to repaint 15 of the others into 3 different liveries. 

5 will be getting BP green/yellow

5 others ICI Petrochemical & Plastics Division livery 

5 others Total livery.

Thinking is I can run these sets in 3 Speedlink trains so adding a bit of variety 

As above, I gave the Cargowaggens ‘toilet tarpaulin’ a coat of Tamiya khaki this morning.

Chains are now fitted, pleased with it overall. 
 

Still weathering dozens of 16T mineral wagons & Accurascale HUO’s.
My Chinese coal grinder was delivered today (complete with a Chinese plug) and I reckon I need about 4/5kgs of powdered coal to fill all these wagons. 
I’m planning on running 2 x 37’s pulling at least 55 of the HUO’s/16T’s.

Does anyone know how many wagons a very heavy partially fitted coal train had in the early ‘80’s?

More of the same, wiring point motors & stuff this week. 
About the only interesting aspect has been more weathering.

A Class 50, 03 & two 47’s have been in the paint booth today. Once again, these have only had a dusting of dirty black and a lick of frame dirt on the bogies. 
‘Ajax’ runs a 12 coach charter with the other 50 ‘Sir Edward Elgar’, so trying not to make this one too filthy.

The layout is back up and running in the basement again now after a smallish flood last week meant spending half a day vaccing up water. Most of it was at the far side of the dungeon though and not near the trestles.
I say the layout is up and running - only part of it is - since on reassembling it took a few short cuts measurements wise in my haste to get the fiddle yard up. Needless to say the tracks wouldn’t fit at one end and I found out soon enough the alignments of the dive under lines was way out. 
Goes to show that skip a step or two on assembly can result in disaster. Thank goodness it’s not a show set up.
Lesson learnt 

A couple hundred yards west from the pic of the 47 (above) and I’ve been relaying track panels to smooth out rough joints. 

Must be a couple years since I ballasted track, it’s oddly quite therapeutic 

This section is awaiting some light weathering