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barrowroad

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  1. barrowroad
    I have done some research on the type of buffer stops used on the shed and have identified three different types in five positions:-
     
    The first type is found on the headshunt alongside the coaling tower and has been difficult to identify as photos of this area have usually have a 16 ton mineral wagon blocking the view. I have managed to find a couple of useful shots one of which is courtesy of Patrick O'Brien on his flickr site:-
    http://www.flickr.co...157625157165429
    The buffer stop is to the right of the 16ton mineral.
     
    This buffer is made of lengths of rail and one of the same type is also to be found on one of the long wagon roads used for loaded and empty wagons for the coaling tower.
     

     
    The nearest buffer stop in this photo is of the same type as that found on the headshunt.
     
    The second type is also seen in this photo and I can best describe this as rail fabricated, using plates that are riveted and/or bolted together using horizontal pieces of rail to form the actual beam.
    This buffer stop is similar, if not identical, to that found on Pete Harveys [PHD] website
    http://www.phd-desig...ffer/Buffer.htm
     
    The third and final buffer stop is to be found at the end of the track which leads to the south exit of the shed alongside the four sidings.

     
    I have placed an order from Pete for a couple of his etches and in the meantime have borrowed an excellent rail bending tool, which I understand was available from the Scalefour Society stores. A quick check however shows no sign of it on the site - does anyone know it is still available as it is a most useful item.
     
    I then spent some time looking for suitable drawings for my type 1 buffer stop but gave up and made my own.
     
    During my research I did come across an article by Mick Moore in MRJ 121 which proved ideal for information on how fabricate a" Midland Bufffer Stop in 4mm". Mick's article has the benefit that the Midland bufferstop is of the type found at the shed south exit mentioned above.
     
    Now to the task of fabrication.
     
    The first photo shows the selection of tools I used to fabricate the buffers. It shows the jig I made for soldering up lengths of bent rail which are to be used to fabricate the main vertical supports.

     
     
    A close up of the simple jig:-

     
     
    The bending tool is also seen in the first photo and a close up is in the next photo.

     
    Finally this is what I am aiming for.

     
     
    This is completed model of a Midland Buffer Stop which used to be sold by "Puffers". This has been borrowed from a friend to use as a guide. Unfortunately I was not able to persuade him to part with it. Does anyone have one or two they no longer require?
     
    To be continued..............................................
  2. barrowroad

    Bristol Barrow Road - ' The Devonian '

    By barrowroad,


    Bristol Barrow Road - The Devonian
    It's been a while since I posted anything on this blog however I have been very busy on the layout during the past year completing several small buildings in and around the shed yard and cladding the Barrow Road viaduct with Wills Coarse Stone sheet and making all the scenery along the front of the layout.
    My latest completed project is the conversion of 11 Bachmann mk1 coaches to P4 using Bill Bedford sprung bogies with MJT frames; Masokits gangway connectors plus other detailing.
    Here is a video of Barrow Road Jubilee 45577 Bengal passing the shed with the southbound Devonian with the 11 converted coaches. In the foreground is the new scenery.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOevUys7E28
  3. barrowroad
    With the layout now fully erected again following the Christmas and New Year break - the room doubles up as accommodation for guests - I have now had the opportunity to test fit the first of the roof pitches on the roundhouse girders.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    In the meantime I have managed to build another 14 trusses so hopefully the second pitch is not too far away from completion.
  4. barrowroad
    It has been a while since I did any work on the roundhouse roof so I recently added the smoke hood support wires, 4 to each hood, to the 22 that are inside the shed.
    The roof is entirely scratchbuilt from brass section and nickel silver wire.
    The smoke hoods are of two types - 3 older wooden types which are ex Midland/LMS in origin which I scratchbuilt from plasticard and brass angle, and 19 'asbestos/concrete' units which are cast in resin by my Friend Morgan from a 3D printed master. Morgan also produced the etched supports on the lower edge of the units.
    I have used Markits WD handrail knobs - 4 per unit - as hood anchor points for the nickel silver wire supports.
     

     

     
     
    Once finished I sprayed the complete roof with Halfords grey primer.
     

  5. barrowroad
    I attended an interesting talk in Bristol last night given by the Barton Hill History Group on the 50th anniversary of the closure of Barrow Road Shed. It was surprisingly well attended - around 200 - with a lot of former railway employees in attendance.
    As my own commemoration to that day here are my own colour photos taken at the shed around that time. Those showing 1420, 6435 and 7029 are from the 17th October 1965 as I believe are the others.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    A couple of the above photos have recently appeared in the November edition of Steam Days in an article by Steve Bartlett entitled Bristol's Barrow Road Shed and it's duties - 1959 to 1965.
    Well worth a read.
     
     
    Edit - added for John aka Killybegs and Mike G a photo of 70021 Morning Star taken at an earlier date probably 1964.
     

  6. barrowroad
    It has been a while since my last post this being due to a move of house last year and the consequent storage of the layout and stock. Earlier this year I took delivery of a kit of parts to build a new home for the layout.

     
    Over the past few months with the help of friends the shed is now finished and yesterday I moved Barrow Road into it's new home appropriately christened 'The Engine Shed'. The intention is to make the layout a continuous run for the main line complete with a fiddle year down one side of the building.
     
    Here are a few photos taken yesterday showing the layout on it's transport trolleys and then erected inside the shed.
     

     

     

     

     

  7. barrowroad
    Since receiving the model of the Coaling Tower from Peter Leyland I have been collecting research material on the operation of the tower with the intention of making the coaler operational.
    Whether this results in full operation, with the wagon tipper operational, or whether the wagon hoist is just raised under the hood, remains to be seen.
     

     
    Recently I obtained permission from West Coast Railways to visit their Carnforth Site in order to photograph the Coal & Ash Plants as part of this research. The most difficult part of the research was to identify the tipping mechanism of the plant which is obscured by the 'hood' at the top of the hoist.
    For those officionados of mechanical coaling plants here are a few close up photos taken with a telephoto lens. Unfortunately the plant has concrete cancer and for the usual health & safety reasons [ I did ask] I was not able to climb the plant [ sounds like Jack i the Beanstalk]. The other reason being the bottom 20ft of the access ladder had been cut off!
     





     
    I have other photos of details on both the Coal & Ash plants if anyone is interested.
    West Coast Railways kindly gave me a guided tour of the site where amongst other locos present I saw Scots Guardsman and the completed chassis of Jubilee 'Galatea'. A pleasure to see another former Barrow Road loco in the process of restoration.
     
    A trip down to the East Lancs followed with the sighting of another ex Barrow Road Jubilee 'Leander' and a trip behind her to Rawtenstall & return.
     
    Today I visited the History Centre at Chippenham where I found the 1937 GA drawing of Bristol LMS - Locomotive Coaling Plant - Ref 2515/409/0719ms. Excellent drawings of the end and front elevation with the 'hood' removed.This drawing has eluded me on previous visits not least because it is not with the other Barrow Road material - it was with the GWR Bath Road shed material - now I do'nt recall that railway having modern coaling facilities!
     
    In the meantime I am pressing on with the 'very long' ash disposal pits. An update will follow in the next few days.
  8. barrowroad
    I thought it about time I added some track to the turntable pits so for the past week I have spent some time making up lengths of nickel sliver bullhead track adding M1 Exactocscale chairs and Palatine rail droppers. One length of track is then carefully positioned and fixed using Butanone. The second rail is then added using gauges.
     

     

     

     

     

     
    UPDATE 13th July 2016
     
    After adding around 1100 M1 chairs the 24 shed roads now have rail added.
     
    Here are a few photos.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  9. barrowroad
    I have just about recovered from a very busy but enjoyable weekend demonstrating at Scaleforum with two of my friends from the Glevum Area Group, Morgan and Paul.
    I took two of the boards to the demo - limited space at this years show prevented me taking any more - these being the roundhouse/workshop board and the sidings board alongside the shed.
    A selection of locos and rolling stock was on view together with research material. Thanks go to Morgan for demonstrating his CAD drawings of the 60ft Cowans Sheldon Turntable and the trackwork for Barrow Road on Templot. Despite a very busy weekend he even managed to fit in time to start making some adjustments to reposition the single slip on the mainline - I have decided to add and additional board at the rear of the shed to include Day's Road bridge. [ for those who have seen MRJ200 this is the bridge shown in the article].
    Thanks go to Paul for for also demonstrating Craig's superb wagon chassis kit and to Craig himself for also holding the fort whilst the team took their meal breaks.
    Thanks to all those RMwebbers who introduced themselves and for all the kind and encouraging comments the team received at the weekend.
    An excellent weekend all round.
    Sorry I only managed these 2 photos before the show opened - we were too busy for the rest of the weekend to add any more. The demo team Morgan - left & Paul right and yours truly behind the camera:rolleyes:


  10. barrowroad
    Those who know Barrow Road Shed will be aware of the stand out feature namely the 13 arch viaduct that bisected the shed site. This allowed excellent views of the coaling and ash plants on the north side and the yard and roundhouse on the south. There was a gate in the viaduct that led down into the yard via a flight of concrete steps.
     

    Photo from top of coaling tower 1966.
     
    On Saturday I went to the Wigan Show and collected a model of part of the Barrow Road viaduct - the main line bridge and six arches - from Chris Dening of 3DCD. The spec for this model required assembly of the shell with overlays for the arch keystones and the skew brickwork on the underside of the arches. Chris, as requested, has also produced a set of overlays for use when I model the stonework of the viaduct. This will enable me to model this in sections on a flat surface prior to fixing onto the model.
     
    Any way enough rambling here are some photos:-
     

    With acknowledgement to Ivo Peters photo - Patriot for Jubilee
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Note the brickwork on the underside of the arch - superb - thanks Chris.
     
     
    Some additional photos for Peter - Coaling Tower and Gerry - The two Bristol buses in Tilling Green
    The 236 - Old Market, Barton Hill, Brislington until 13/9/58 then extended to Ashley Down and Filton.
    The 36 - Old Market, Baton Hill, Brislington and Knowle.
     
    Ash Plant temporarily moved for photos of viaduct.
     

     

     

     

     
     
    A few more photos added for friday:-
     

     

     

     

     

    A view from the top of the steps.....................
     

     

  11. barrowroad
    Bristol Barrow Road now has a full set of baseboards - 21 in total - to enable the layout to operate as a continuous circuit with Up and Down main lines and a 20ft plus fiddle yard.
    All the baseboard construction is the work of my friend Chris Yates who has made all the additional boards over the past 12 months. The curved boards at both ends of the layout have proved to be an interesting exercise the sides formed from three layers of 3mm ply glued and clamped around former jigs. Board 19 lifts out to enable access without the need to perform a limbo dance under the layout.
     
    Here are some photos:-
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Edit:-
    I've been looking for underlay for the new boards and discovered some black self adhesive wood floor underlay, 2mm thick, in B&Q. Bit expensive @ £50 for 10m x 1m but I found the equivalent on ebay for £17.
    This afternoon I fixed some to Board 21 - first cut to shape using a Stanley knife and then fix by pealing off the backing - voila job done.
     

     
    The trackwork is the turnout for the siding that held the banker engine - usually a 4F - used to assist trains up the 1 in 60 gradient ( max ) to the summit at Fishponds Station.
     

  12. barrowroad
    By way of a change I have spent some time assembling the two kits of laser cut parts for the boiler house and the stores at the rear of the shed these being the last of the buildings provided by York Modelmaking back in 2010. Both buildings are made from 2mm laser cut mdf with hard plastic [Rowmark] for the window frames and brick details which I glue to the mdf. Each building was given a coat of grey primer and coloured using Faber polychromos crayons. The tiles are also from York and are self adhesive strips. Both buildings have extra detailing added.
     
    First the boiler house at the rear of the workshop.
     

     

     

     

     

     
    The stores at the rear of the roundhouse.
     

     

     

  13. barrowroad
    Both C12 crossovers are now built, one for each end. Starting at the Lawrence Hill Junction end of the layout I have now extended the hand built track onto the first storage yard board to join up with the C12 crossover at that end. The first B7L turnout from the Up Main to the storage sidings is also built and is test positioned in the following photos. I have built the end curves using ply and rivet construction to make sure the gauge widening is correct. All the straight track in the storage sidings will be C&L flexitrack.
     

     

     

     

     

    A few close up pics of the C12 crossover at the request of Dave,
     

     

     

     

     

  14. barrowroad
    Having spent some time recently converting RTR models to P4 I decided I needed a change so here is a bit of scratchbuilding.
    The office for the shed foreman was situated in front of the roundhouse entrance. Looking at the maps and the photographs in my collection, I noticed a discrepancy in size of the shed and realised that around 1949 the length of the building doubled.  This being confirmed by an aerial photograph in my collection.
    n.
     
    Using photographs I produced a scale drawing.

     
    Followed by a set of parts made out of plasticard.

     
     
     
    Assembly followed.
     

     

     
    With added detail. Heater chimney and vent pipe.
    il.
     
    Guttering is filed down tube whilst the downpipe uses a pair of Modelu  holderbats.
     

     
    Some photos on the layout.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    The roof is not permanently fixed at present and I am aware some of the photos show a gap between it and the end wall.
     
     
     
     
     
  15. barrowroad
    I have just finished fitting the 22 smoke hoods and chimneys to the roundhouse roof trusses. In order to enable future maintainence I decided I needed a method that allowed easy removal and chose to use two lengths of 0.8mm nickel silver wire to fix and support the piece brass tube used for the chimney section of each unit. These can been seen in the attached photos.
     
    I also needed a suitable height jig to postion each unit at the correct height and orientation in order to mark the position for the support wires. By chance I found that the Ballast Spreader marketed by Greenscenes http://www.green-scene.co.uk/ proved to be ideal. Not only is it the correct height but when inverted I could use the grooves for the rail as a guide for aligning the chimney hoods to each road of the turntable.
     
    The 8 octagonal support columns have been temporarily fitted in order to assist supporting the weight of the roof trusses. These are from Alan Gibson and are cast white metal - originally produced by AG for Bath Green Park Station. They have been modified for Barrow Road with turned bases and a length of 3mm brass rod inserted into the top to slot into the roof girder. This work was kindly carried out for me by Morgan Gilbert - thanks Morgan.
     
    Here are some photos.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    You will note that some of the resin smokehoods are temporarily fixed using masking tape. This will be replaced by nickel silver wire.
    Each smokehood will also have handrail knobs - Markits WD variety - fitted to the 4 corners in order to attach 0.6mm wire for additional support.
  16. barrowroad
    To the north of Bristol Barrow Road shed and Lawrence Hill Junction there is an incline on an 1 in 60 gradient to Fishponds Station in the NE of Bristol. The gradient starts at 1 in 89 immediately under Barrow Road Arches, which is the road which bisects the shed yard. The working timetable limits the number of wagons descending this incline to 30. With this in mind I have just finished converting 15 Bachmann 16T minerals to P4 to add to some Parkside wagons to give a rake of 30.
    Here is a video. I will give details of the conversion later.
    https://youtu.be/oUMnIFhPAL8 
     
    As promised here are details of the conversion using a Bachmann 16T mineral as an example. 
    This photo shows a completed wagon fitted with P4 wheels. It is one in the rake of wagons in the video.
     

     
    The principal tool used for conversion is the Knowle Wagon Works - 2mm Brass Bearing Tool.
    In this photo the tool is bottom left.
    First remove the 00 wheel sets followed by the couplings.
    Then remove the body  by unscrewing the two self tappers on the underside.
    The photo shows the selection of tools and items used for the conversion. Shown are four flangeless bearings, two 26mm pin point axles plus a back to back gauge, file tweezers and a chisel knife.
    The Brassmasters gauge at the bottom is to ensure the axles are square and level.

     
    The first task is to remove the two ribs at the back of the W Iron using the chisel knife. You will also need to remove plastic below the ribs in order to gain width for the replacement P4 wheel sets.
    Next drill out the holes in the rear of the wagon W irons. This task is done using the Knowle tool. You will need to measure the width and depth of the bearings you are using and set the drill in the tool using the grub screws and the allen key. 
    This photo shows the rear of the W Iron after the plastic has been cut away. It also shows a new bearing fitted after drilling.
     

     
    The Knowle Tool in position for cutting deeper bearing holes in the W Iron. The tool can be turned using fingers, a tweezer or an 8mm spanner. 
     

     
    Once all four holes have been drilled out insert the new bearings and hold in position using the two 26mm pin point axles. 
    If you have the depth correct the W Irons should be parallel and vertical. Use the Brassmasters gauge to set the axles ensuring they are square and parallel.

     

     
    Once satisfied use a dab of Butanone to fix the bearings in place.
     
    Refix the body to the chassis and fit the P4 wheels after checking the back to back using the gauge. You may need to file some material off the brake shoes to gain clearance.

     
     
     
     
  17. barrowroad
    After a great deal of thought I've finally decided on a track plan for the fiddle yard - well the main bits anyway. There will be five storage sidings to the side of each of the up and down main running lines which will run through the middle of the sidings. The sixth track will be a run around loop for locos etc. This also has a pair of turnouts for additional storage into the four corners in order to maximize use of the space available. I am considering putting one or more loco turntables in the corners next to the wall.
    Having finally "mastered" Templot - well sufficient to produce the plans in the attached photos - the entrance/exit at each end is via a pair of C12 scissor crossovers. These are on a 1600mm curve and are at 50mm centres. I went for the C12 as the minimum radius on the inner crossover is 44.4". The use of the scissors will give maximum flexibility.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Gluing the printed A4 sheets together was an interesting exercise!
  18. barrowroad
    I have been at Railex all weekend helping to operate our S4 group layout Brinkley. One of the highlights of my weekend was collecting the Turntable Pit for the 60ft Cowens Sheldon turntable used in the roundhouse.
     
    Thanks are due to Morgan Gilbert for all his hard work with the design and the CAD modelling and to Phil Hutfield for producing the turntable pit on a CNC machine out of an acrylic polymer - [brand with-held].
     
    I have attached some photgraphs which show the pit in position. Of note are the series of steps in the pit floor which fall from the perimeter and the centre to a drainage channel. Laser cut 10thou card overlays will form the pit floor of circular rings of engineering bricks and another overlay will also form the vertical wall of the perimeter.
     
    Also of note is the10mm cut out in the pit wall - on the prototype this is used as an access point to inspect between the plate girders of the turntable bridge. The method adopted involved a member of the shed maintenance staff squatting in this recess and waiting for the bridge to be turned and positioned with end of the bridge girders either side of the recess - he could then climb out and carry out any inspection and maintenance work to the inside of the plate girders.
     
    This photo shows the access recess between shed roads 4 and 5.
     

     
    Anyway here are the photos;-
     
    This is the underside of the turntable pit.
     

     
    and the top:-
     

     
    and with the inspection pits in position:-
     

     

     

  19. barrowroad
    After a call out this morning to sort out my son's car, I managed to do some more on the box this afternoon.
     
    Both ends are now assembled and have been test fitted against the front elevation. The corners interlock very well with the front elevation and are a stepped design to form an overlap with the four laminated layers of each piece.
     




     
    Next the rear elevation......
  20. barrowroad
    I've been a bit busy on DIY this past week decorating the bathroom - my regime has been decorating in the morning modelling in the afternoon.
    Remembering I promised some photos of the Shed in situ here are a few.
    Keep safe,
    Robin

     

     

     

     

     
     

     

     
     

     
    Repainted the darker patch on the door wall as the photo shows it up as too dark.
     

     

  21. barrowroad
    Following the Scalefour Society AGM I have had a short break from modelling - no I haven't been away, I've spent the past 4 days up and down a 6.7m tower scaffold painting the gable end wall of the house.
    Now that job is finished I have made a start on the shed workshop which is at the rear of the shed.
    The workshop is a feature of most Midland railway roundhouses and was used to repair the small Midland railway locos up until grouping and continued to do so through LMS days - although by then major jobs went to the works.
    During Midland days they were known as 'outstations' and carried out work similar to a main works - here is a photo of the 8 bay workshop at Grimesthorpe Sheffield to give you an idea of the interior.

    The workshop at Bristol was a 4 bay version - I have only found one photo taken inside showing a Sentinel - either 47190 or 47191 - these engines were used on the Avonside branch as were the L&Y Pugs.

     
    Here then is the latest work on the Workshop. You will note I have made two sets of doors open and intend to make them operational - these are on bays 2 & 4.
    [ These are temporarily fixed with masking tape in their closed position]
    During BR days bays 1 & 3 had their rail access removed - the 20ft loco turntables were removed - leaving rail access via bays 2 & 4. At least this means I only need to model 2 turntables!
     
    During the post war II period the Workshop carried out minor repair work but latterly had a wheel lathe so that wheels sets removed on the wheel drop could be rolled into the workshop for turning.




     
    I have added an internal wall to the building as I have since discovered there was a seperate smith's shop at the roundhouse end of the buidling.
     
    The colouring process is now under way - here are two photos showing the two 'opening doors' and the front wall part finished.


  22. barrowroad
    Another Jubilee is now allocated to Bristol Barrow Road having just completed another P4 conversion of a Bachmann RTR model.
    Saskatchewan - 45561- is the latest added to 45577 Bengal and 45662 Kempenfelt which I have converted in addition to Patriot 45506 as shown in my last post.
    The other Jubilee 45572 Eire is on loan from David Clarke.
     
     
     

     
     

  23. barrowroad
    I have now completed most of the trackwork on the existing boards with only the South Exit turnout to finish the second phase of templot. The latest build consists of 8 turnouts, a Double Slip, 3 Way turnout and a catch point. Phase 3 will be the 2 new boards - to be constructed - one at each end of the layout which will form the scenic breaks. One will be Lawrence Hill Junction itself, with the road overbridge and the other Days Road Bridge at the rear of the shed.
     
    Lawrence Hill Junction signal box is now positioned on the layout - it is still removable - and I have constructed a model of the timber framed earth bank which protects the rear of the signal box - the surface has yet to be detailed.
     
    Here are a few photos:-
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  24. barrowroad
    The next building on my list is the brick built shed next to the ash plant which I believe housed the plant control equipment.
     
    The model is made from plasticard with overlays of Slaters english bond brickwork. The ladder rom the ground to the roof of the building together with the longer one to the platform on the ash plant are scratchbuilt using 1mm x 0.3mm nickel silver strip whilst the steps are 0.45mm wire. The mortar course is a wash of black acrylic which is then sand back to leave the a nice finish for the bricks.
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Photo Copyright  Robin Whittle
     
     
     
     
    Robin
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  25. barrowroad
    The kit of parts from York Modelmaking included a set of their self adhesive tiles of the type I used on the shed sand dryer and office complex. I could have used them again on the box but using at the available photos to measure the size of the prototype tiles I found they were 9 or 10in wide, whereas the self adhesive version are a scale 12in.
    I decided to use my tried and tested method using 5thou plasticard and set about making a plasticard jig to assist cutting individual tiles to a consistent length. This jig is shown in the first photos below and consists of two pieces of plastic strip glued 3mm apart onto a piece of 30thou plasticard. Strips of 5thou of 3mm width are placed into the jig and cut into 4mm lengths to give a supply for the roof. Using a bottle of Plastiweld and a very thin brush the task of tiling got underway. It is essential not to overload the brush as the tiles need the minimum to fix them into position. I am pleased with the results.
    One of the benefits of using individual tiles is the ability to carefully position them to include 'slipped' and broken tiles. An further benefit with the signal box is the ability to accurately position tiles at the ends of the hipped roof. The adjoining tiles need to be accurately positioned with a thin gap between them and this would have been more difficult using 'strips' of plasticard or the self adhesive tiles.
    So far I have managed to complete six rows of tiles so about half way there now......... a night on the tiles to finish them - I don't think so, it is News Years Eve after all.
     
    Wishing all readers of this blog an excellent New Year and will sign off the old one with a few pics....





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