HillsideDepot

With the major closure of Box Tunnel looming https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/travel-updates/2015/bath-2015-eletrification-work I was rather surprised yesterday to note 4 lengths of CWR laid in the four-foot of the up road from the western portal of the tunnel into the darkness. This seems a little odd given the whole track bed is about to be lowered by 1.5 metres, but I'm a layman. It had been assumed that the second phase of the blockade was to lower the track in Sydney Gardens, but I'm told the work is actually to increase clearance at Dundas Aqueduct in the Avon Valley. Apparently NR are very nervous about the Sydney Gardens work. Not the engineering aspect of it, but the possibility of uncovering Roman remains. If that happens the heavy plant will be ushered off the site and be replaced by archaeologists with toothbrushes! Nothing much else to report from Wiltshire (at least not that I've seen), apart from on-going bridge reconstruction, and the work to electrically link the railway at Thingley to the National Grid at Beanacre.

Lunch time. The Hymek we saw earlier with the vans for Fry's has now picked up empty timber pulp wagons at Marsh Pond and taken them through to Portishead for loading. At Portishead it picked up a loaded wood pulp train and is now running round it at Mortimore's Yard before the final run down to Marsh Pond. The baker and confectioner's shop on the corner of the street (based on a combination of premises own by my maternal grand parents) is a popular spot for workers from Westinghouse, many of whom still cycle (push bikes, or mopeds) to and from work. It's still the era when many men return home for lunch (my father did, right across Chippenham on his moped), but for one MG owner the baker's shop provides the ideal stop for lunch while enjoying a drive with the hood down; perhaps there is a secretary to impress!

Thanks Kevin, I was looking at the plan of West Depot, and working off the 15' x 15' room dimensions as my guide. I think I have done similar to that document though and made the diagram fit the words rather than the room sizes; my rough pencil sketch plan has proportionately less length given over to the mess room. I suppose some people would just build the building as big as the space available on the layout, but I like to work out what would fit where, if only to help locate windows and doors. I've not done any work on the model since my last post; I'm on leave from work so took the opportunity yesterday to hike with friends, and today I went scuba diving at Vobster (just north of Whatley, in railway terms) and to keep things on topic I actually found a very short off cut of rail 10 metres down. My dive buddy was thinking "Ooh, fish", I was thinking "railway!". It seemed to be a lightweight flat bottom rail, I'm guessing something to do with the quarry workings, but as a novice diver there is quite a lot to get used to without attempting to analyse rusty track profiles! Kayaking is on the menu for tomorrow, so the work bench will have to wait a little longer.

I think that I am now happy with the layout of the new staff building for the mini extension. The exact sizes are still being finalised, and I have got as far as cutting the walls without deciding how big the building will be, although, obviously I can only go smaller! I have worked out likely office sizes, but I think I will end up with a compromise using "selective compression". Six mill off an office might make all the difference to the fit of the building on the layout, and who is going to know the office is 18 inches on the small side (apart from everyone on RMWeb!)? I think the layout of the building will be [can't find the original photo following the 2022 server problems, this is as close as I have, but the plan referred to is in the background]: with the front of the building facing the stop blocks. My thinking is that the GWR would have only run the water main and sewage pipes as far as necessary, hence the WC being nearest the yard entrance gate. Next comes the locker room/kitchen area again to keep the pipework to the sink to a minimum. Then a room for the shunters, and finally an office for the boss. As the WC doesn't need the full depth of the building, there is space for a storeroom. The back of the building will be set into the rising ground (continuing the rising contour from the bridge) so the storeroom will need a roof light. The dotted line at the right hand end of the building is a retaining wall, as the land rises behind the building.

Thanks Neal, it may well make an appearance at Chippenham or back at Calne at some time in the future. As plans for the mini extension have progressed it seems likely that there will be a few changes on the existing board, nothing radical, just a few adjustments to make the extra length "fit" better. But given my slow rate of working it may be a while until the layout is complete again - not that I've even completely decided what I'm changing yet! The building certainly has character, and I know the layout benefits from following the idiosyncrasies of the real thing; there is now way I could have designed a building to look as varied and interesting without copying something real, even though I make no claims to it being correctly to scale (I think it's close).

Thank you for the compliments, Edwin. The operation of the layout has always been important to me, by first "proper" layout, Hillside Depot, had a full working timetable, with some trains running on specific days of the week and various ways of deciding if various "as required" trains were running or not and where Hillside had to service, stable or provide power. Life got really interesting when a "motive power shortage" meant lower powered locos started turning up on things! The Chapeltown Loop series was a great inspiration to progress beyond a rough idea of traffics to a full blown set of workings which are currently being developed. I haven't decided exactly how to work the system, but eventually the number of wagons on each flow each day will be dictated by some sort of card system. I can't promise rapid progress, but things will slowly develop at Mortimore's Yard, in amongst numerous other "distractions"!

Not a review, but a very tasty looking photo of maroon D865 taken at DEMU Showcase appears in the latest Rail Express Modeller which postie brought today.

Thanks for all the "likes" - it's good to know others see something in my little world of make believe. As mentioned in post #28 I have been thinking for a while of building a small extension beyond the stops so that the layout includes the railway boundary, and a hint of what is beyond. One driver for this mini extension is to provide a better photographic background for shots that way. I'm still playing with designs, with ideas, adjusting sizes and gradually developing the scene. It reminds me of the very beginnings of Mortimore's when the plans cluttered up my floor for several weeks as I made sure I was completely happy with what I had. I have drawn up the end 6 inches of the existing layout as that is was intended to stay the same (apart from the Peco stops being replaced by Lanarkshire Models versions). But as I have continued to play with ideas I have decided that a small track extension will open up new opportunities, not least in the photograph department. The real motivation for the track extension was to try to get the scene to look believable. As well as drawing up the end of the current layout, and adding the proposed extension I have also added an area of paper covering the land in front of the layout and slightly beyond the end. Although this won't be modelled I feel that I need to know something of what exists beyond the baseboard to get angles correct and so different aspects of the scene fit together. My current pondering revolves around what the layout will look like with a "slice" through the terrain I have imagined. Will the items towards the edge of the baseboard make sense to the viewer without the next few inches also being modelled. I am also not sure about the rear corner of the layout and how I will blend together the aspects I want to include. But it is slowly coming together, there might even be some three dimensional construction work soon. I'm just starting a fortnight summer holiday, but rather than going away I am planning a series of day activities. So if the weather stays as it currently is the extension is likely to make progress, if it dries up I will think about the layout whilst hiking, cycling, kayaking and scuba diving. Well, possibly not much thinking time scuba diving; that's all new to me so I'll probably have enough to do remembering all the instructor said! "A picture?" you say - oh, go on then... (but don't read too much in to some of what is shown!)

As well as the Shocvans loaded with tinplate for export the morning trip also brought in these hoppers of foundry sand for Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company. Temporarily left on No.1 siding while the class 08 working as No. 2 Pilot collects a brake van these hoppers will shortly be tripped the very short distance to the Pew Hill Sidings of Westinghouse and be handed over to their shunting tractor. With the brake van now attached to the rear the class 08 is ready to deliver the sand to the customer. In just a few minutes the Pilot will return with the brake van. A quick shunt onto the vans of tinplate and then time for a brew in the cabin before departing for New Cut Goods to satisfy another customer. Note to self - get on and paint those vac pipes!!

Class 47 No. 1723 brought in a number of Shocvans loaded with tinplate for export via New Cut Goods Depot and here we see the class 08 working as No.2 Pilot placing the vans on No.2 siding before dealing with the rest of the train. The 08 will later work these vans through to their destination.

The main morning trip working which serves Mortimore's Yard and it's customers around the docks network is the 0808 from Queensland Road (which I had down as 8T80, based on the style of numbering in a 1960's Trip Working book, but further information received this week - thanks Kevin - suggest the T should be a B in the '70s, but I need to properly study the new data). Here Brush type 4 1723 creeps to the head shunt while No.2 Pilot works at the other end of the train shunting the wagons into the sidings for onward delivery.

I'm looking forward to seeing Acacia Avenue tomorrow - very much my sort of layout, a BR blue backwater in (probably) terminal decline. These latest photos really prove the trip from Wiltshire will be worth it.

No.1 Pilot today is green "celebrity" 03382. This turn has to be a 203h.p. loco (TOPS codes still aren't universal amongst staff; old habits die hard) as there is a severe restriction on axle weights over a bridge on the Hotwells Branch. Once the Pilot has shuffled some wagons in the yard it will set off along the Hotwells Branch with the daily trip, This serves Herber Denty's timber yard at Baltic Wharf, Holms Sand & Gravel Ltd at Pooles Wharf and Charles Hill & Sons Ltd shipyard right at the end of the remaining line. But neither Denty's or Hill's see much traffic now, the branch surviving to serve Holms'.

(I wasn't going to post this one as the depth of field is awful, and the focus dodgy, but as it's relevant....) Guess who was at Mortimore's Yard as I walked past the gates at lunchtime. Thank you for the continuing additions to my knowledge base, I hope I can use them to enhance the layout and its operation. The plans for the small scenic extension have been dusted off this afternoon and various ideas are being tried, certainly that project has a new impetus and direction now.

Thank you Kevin, that's very useful information. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that I am planning a small scenic extension to the layout, about 9 inches or so beyond the stop blocks which will include another "cabin", and having information on staffing levels will allow me to plan that building more realistically. I'll also be able to provide a suitable level of staff transport, few cars in the early '70s, but probably another motorbike, perhaps a scooter and some bicycles. All part of setting a convincing scene. Your notes also help me better understand how the various flows would be worked. I did know about wagon pools, but it hadn't registered with me that even relatively small, but regular, flows would have their own wagons. A point now noted and ready for application to the schedule and operation. At the moment (and things are still under development) I have a morning trip arriving at 0850 with the loco heading off light for its next working. This will bring in the main wagon load traffic. There is a second trip in the late morning which works through to New Cut Goods Depot, but can drop wagons at Mortimore's. This returns via Mortimore's Yard in the early afternoon, running back to Queensland Road. There is a late afternoon trip to Mortimore's Yard working out and back from Stoke Gifford (or would STJ be a more likely destination?) to give connections to the north and along the South Wales main line in both directions, with an early evening pick-up for North Depot which I imagine as a sort-of "sweep up" of, in the main, empty wagons as it's probably a bit late for long distance connections. This might be over provision, I've been trying to work it so wagons need to go on certain trips to make their connections rather than having a "catch all", which would be a bit boring to operate. It's been a while since I did the bulk of the work on the timetable and detail of the Calvert brick traffic has emerged since the current draft, so that is currently not provided for - unless it hitches a lift on the 0850 trip. In many ways scheduling 160 buses and 300 drivers (which I used to do for employment) was easy as there were set limitations. Working up a believable set of workings for Mortimore's Yard is harder as there are so many chicken or egg situations. But each piece of information is a step closer to the goal, even if I have to unpick some of the work to make things more realistic. So thank you once again for sharing your knowledge, and even taking the time to apply it to my fictional world.

This thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/99543-leaving-goods-brake-vans-unattended/&do=findComment&comment=1902027 is yielding useful information about the use of brake vans in the era which Mortimore's Yard is set. I had already scheduled brake vans to arrive and depart for the local Pilot loco trips to use each day (thereby avoiding the "burned out brake van" model), but what would be left at a yard such as Mortimore's over night and at weekends? The hours for the signalman would likely be 0545-1345 Monday to Saturday inclusive and 1330-2130 Monday to Friday (i.e. no Saturday afternoon shift). Presumably yard staff (shunter? supervisor?) would work similar hours, leaving the yard unmanned overnight and after Saturday lunchtime at weekends. I have read that loaded coal hoppers left at Ashton Meadows too long would have their doors dropped, and I remember the air-braked vans of chocolate being kept on Middle Siding at Temple Meads at weekends, so would I be looking just at empty wagons left unattended? Or would less "attractive" loads be left there? As well theft and vandalism, of course this is the era when TOPS was having an impact. Would that mean that the yard was cleared daily to allow wagons to take up their next duties? Or at least moved to be available at a bigger yard? My yard isn't big, so I wouldn't see it having space to store surplus wagons, but would wagons on the less frequent flows hang around for a few days awaiting the call to work? Might there be a couple of sand hoppers, for example, standing-by for a larger than usual demand from Holms? Or would they be brought in from further afield? Lots of questions I know, and some are probably in the "how long is a piece of string" category, but any advice would be appreciated.

An couple of early morning shots from the attic window of a house in Tugela Road. D7042 arrives slowly into the Reception Road with 9B09, the 0704 trip from Westonmouth South Depot to Somerdale Works conveying empty 12t Vanfits for Fry's. The vans have come from a variety of locations across the country being formed up at South Depot having been dropped off by various long distance freights which have called during the small hours. Having unhooked D7042 now runs round its train of empties before heading back up the branch at 0750 to access the Somerdale Branch which has a facing connection in the Up direction. The Hymek will later return to Mortimore's Yard running DBV (diesel [engine] and brake van), drop the brake in the yard for local trip work, and proceed LD (light diesel) to Marsh Pond to begin the first of three round trips on the wood pulp circuit for St Anne's Board Mills. Strangely, photos of these working are extremely illusive (and will remain so until Cambrian produce their promised kit for the distinctive wagons ).

The traffic flows listed in the previous post are the result of a long period of research, based primarily on traffic flows in the Bristol area in the early to mid 1970s, but also with an eye on the available model wagon types. I am gradually building a collection of Working Time Tables for the period (and a number of public ones too) by regular searching on eBay. There are two types of Working Time Table in this era, Mandatory and Conditional. In very simple terms that means "must run" and "might run". Besides the Working Time Table there were also local books of trip working and pilot locomotives. These are very hard to come by, but Kevin Redwood has kindly posted extracts in his threads, such as here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_05_2014/post-7081-0-03935200-1401382781.jpg I then slowly go through the timetables and record the times every freight train arrives, passes or departs the relevant Bristol locations. This process can be quite slow where trains pass between Up and Down sections of the book, and where they stop for various reasons and reappear several pages later. But I don't mind admitting that I find these old timetables fascinating. True, they often raise as many questions as they solve, but finding such delights as a Light Diesel running between Bath Road Depot and Malago Vale Carriage Sidings with the note "Runs only when Diesel Pullman Train is not available" is wonderful. Having found the real trains, I then worked the Mortimore's Yard traffic into the scheme, connecting into and out of the relevant longer distance workings. Bagged china clay in Vanfits for the board mills arrives via 7B11, the 0250 Exeter Riverside to Avonmouth, while the empty vans return to the Duchy via 7B30, the 1855 Avonmouth to Ponsandane (FX)/Drump Lane (FO). Based on the 1974 time table, (but now I have the complete 1975 version likely to be amended) I produced this table of possible flows. 1974 Bristol Freights.xlsx This forms the basis of my own Working Time Table for Mortimore's Yard and it's associated terminals. Once that is set (I still have a few conflicts over the single line to Ashley Junction), I will be able to produce a "simplifier" for the yard itself. In reference to another thread on here, I have probably just proved my credentials as a nerd! But a very happy and content nerd.

Mortimore’s Yard is located within the city’s docks complex, and although traffic has declined significantly in recent years and continues to do so, the sidings have seen a considerable increase in traffic following a landslip which rendered the direct route to many of the terminals usable. Whether BR will fund repairs or whether this slip and the consequent complication of traffic operation will hasten the demise of these freight terminals remains to be seen. For now Mortimore’s Yard is enjoying an Indian Summer of activity. The main yards in the city of Westonmouth are: South Depot Queensland Road North Depot Increasingly used by the Civil Engineers as revenue earning traffic declines The Docks Branch, working from its connection with the mainline to the south west of England serves the following locations: Docks Branch Ashley Road, Bird Group Outwards scrap metal in 16t unfitted minerals Pew Hill, Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co Ltd Inwards foundry sand in Covhops Occasional inwards industrial coal in 21t Minfits Outwards engineering products in VB opens Mortimore’s yard, F.C. Mortimore Inwards household coal 16t unfitted minerals Somerdale Branch Blaise Sidings, Esso Petroleum Inwards petroleum products in tank wagons Somerdale Works, Fry's Outwards chocolate products in 16t Vanfits Redcliffe Branch New Cut Goods Depot NCL “smalls” traffic received and despatched overnight in CovAB Inwards house bricks in 12t Tubes Inwards tinplate (for export) in Shocvans Inwards bagged china clay in 16t Vanfits Redcliffe Wharf, B.O.C.M Inwards seasonal animal feedstuffs (beet nuts) in 16t Vanfits Redcliffe Back Mills, Hovis Inwards grain in Covhops Hotwells Branch – only accessible to class 03 locomotives Baltic Wharf, Herber Denty Timber Very occasional timber on bolster wagons and various open wagons Poole’s Wharf, Holms Sand & Gravel Outwards sand and gravel traffic in 13t hoppers, 13t sand tipplers and 27t tipplers Albion Ship Yard, Charles Hill & Sons Inwards occasional steel plates Newfoundland Branch Marsh Pond, St Anne’s Board Mills Inwards wood pulp in Timber Ps Wapping Quay, Lowell Baldwin Ltd Inwards house coal in 21t Hoppers, with addition peak loads in 21t Minfits Avon Street, ACPM (Blue Circle) Inwards cement in PO Presflos

Superbly put - and it was scenes like those so eloquently described here which are what the railway is all about, what captured my attention. Yes standing on the platform as an express roars past is great, seeing and hearing a loco struggle with a heavy freight is all good, but getting up close and personal, watching the rails bend, the railway men at work, that to me is what is so special. Thank you for the photo, but equally importantly the words, it brings it all back!

The photo of 50032 in post #9 is taken at an unusual location so far as the railway between Chippenham and Bath is concerned as the line is at the natural level of the, indeed the road here is in a cutting under the line as it crosses the top of the hill. To the left hand side (west) of the loco of the loco, but out of shot and actually behind me as I took the photo is a narrow lane through the trees which leads up to Lowden Manor (one the GWR missed off its list). Needless to say, this also inspired a feature on Mortimore's Yard, but in version of reality(!) this track leads up amongst the trees to the premises of Mortimore & Son. It's high summer and little is doing at the coal yard, but a local spinster, proud owner of an immaculate convertible Morris Minor, calls at Mortimore's to order coal for the winter, taking full advantage of the lower prices offered by merchants when business is slow. Just below the bridge in post #9 is a little gate which opens on to some steep brick steps. This path was used by postmen to access the mail exchange apparatus, where TPOs would pick-up and set-down mail bags at speed. Or alternatively this little gate into the woods offers the ideal spot to laze away the afternoon watching the shunting and hoping a Western will appear, as booked, on 8B05, the 1110 trip from Stoke Gifford (it will if I'm working the fiddle yard!).

Pretty much! Well, it was to keep the corridor along the same side of the train throughout, so compartments facing the coast at Dawlish? More likely the GWR would face the compartments to the north side to save the sun fading the fabrics!

Five years might be a long wait (I'm not worried, it'll be along when it's ready, and I for one don't want it until it is really ready) but go back say 10 years and who would have thought we'd have D95xx, several types of 4 wheel railbus, Baby Warships etc all available RTR. But we do. These aren't "mainstream", they were well outside where I thought RTR would take me, but the manufacturers have had the courage/foresight to produce them in what must be a marginal market. So, we are still waiting for the D6xx, is it really a problem? There never were many real ones, they didn't last long, nor did they roam very far for most of their lives, so any layout which realistically justifies one will have a whole list of alternative locos on the roster until it arrives. Sure, I'd like to add one to my fleet as much as anyone, but its hardly up there with the likes of a Hall, 57xx, D10xx or D15xx in terms of being the critical item of stock for a layout. Chris, Dave and anyone else involved in this project, keep at it, I don't doubt that it'll be a superb model when it arrives. Thank you for taking it on, and more especially keeping going when the difficulties arose (and as Phil suggests above we probably don't know half of the problems there have been!).

The area of embankment behind the "cabin" is bit of a dumping ground, although it's often hard to decide what has come down from the yard and what has come over the fence. I really must pluck up courage and tackle the wires on the GWR lineside fencing.....

Thanks Kevin, that's praise indeed, coming from someone with your inside knowledge of railway working. The layout has been shown around the Bristol region over the last few years, Calne, Cheltenham, Nailsea, Clevedon, Bradford-on-Avon and Taunton all featuring (I think those are all correct, going from memory as I can't find the folder at the moment), so you may well have seen it at some point. Indeed the internal documents which you have shared in various topics here and on Flickr have been very important influences in creating the right "feel" to the operation of the layout, so much so that I have created a series of facsimiles for Mortimore's Yard and the locations served from there. They are still a work in progress, along with a Working Time Table, but I hope to post them here when they are finished.