GWR/LMS OO Gauge DCC RR&Co

Doug

Fantastic John. :doublethumb Granby just goes from strength to strength with all the extra additions/changes you are making.

Cheers, Gary.

It's great to see a Granby update John.  An interesting solution to improve the corner and a superb job on the Warehouse as usual. I wouldn't worry about the platform being adjacent to the crossover it doesn't look out of place.


I really enjoyed seeing the photos showing the wider area of the railway room, is it possible to show more?

Thanks for all the nice comments guys…….much appreciated:cheers:cheers

I particularly appreciated the card from Bisto as his owner, Doug, was the guy who weaned me off  (well almost off) plastic some three years ago……although he failed to convince me of the merits of cornflakes so I have to buy the card that I use :lol:

Thank for the card Doug its good to hear from you and I am glad that Bisto appears to be in good spirits


pnwood wrote:

It's  great to see a Granby update John.  An interesting solution to improve  the corner and a superb job on the Warehouse as usual. I wouldn't worry  about the platform being adjacent to the crossover it doesn't look out  of place.


I really enjoyed seeing the photos showing the wider area of the railway room, is it possible to show more?

Thanks Nick…….good point about the overall view…..I guess I am guilty of focussing too closely on the current project and assuming all readers can immediately visualise the overall layout…….I will try some wider shots next update

Regards from Vancouver

I guess this is a wrap up of my modelling year…….we are off to Amsterdam for a Rhine Cruise on Saturday and then we will be sailing in a somewhat smaller boat for the rest of the summer……..wifi access will be intermittent

The siding connecting to the Warehouse at the entrance to the Railway Room is now done albeit without people…….they will be painted on the boat

First an overall view




The canal, viaduct and siding are in the foreground………on the right hand side above the lower level branch are the storage sidings, TT and carriage siding

Regular readers may recall the catalyst for this project was to extend the carriage siding to accommodate 4 coaches

Here is an under construction before





Now comfortably accommodating 4 coaches without fouling the TT entry point







A Coopercraft Platelayers hut fits into the space at the end of the siding






At the siding level a manually operated level crossing allows access to both the halt and, through the tunnel, the dairy (to be built!)







As a child I lived close to the Liverpool-Southport line…….there were many crossings there and I have tried to incorporate some of my distant memories………one thing bothers me…….this kit came with red discs to be attached to the gates…..and I have seen many photos of crossings with discs but I am near certain they were not there in 1947…….if anyone has any idea when they
were introduced please let me know.  As you would imagine I have a very critical and knowledgeable audience in Vancouver:lol:

One thing I vividly recall is the plethora of cast iron signs



The Southport line started as the Liverpool-Southport Rly Co which became part of the Lancs and Yorks Rly Co followed by the LNWR followed by the LMS followed by British Rail……..the legal and warning signs for each company protecting a minor right of way were all still firmly embedded in 1958!

The GWR had a less colourful history but as one would expect the Granby-Chester Rly Co signs are still in place at Brymbo Halt


Here is another "before" shot…….this time of the halt itself





and after a lot of hacking:




I have crammed a fair bit of detail in an attempt to show a quintessential feature of GWR Branch Lines

Halts were introduced in the 20s and 30s in an attempt to compete with the rapidly expanding local bus services (some of which were actually owned and operated by the big four railway companies)

The platforms were either ash covered and quite low…..hence the the retractable steps on autotrains or of wooden construction as shown above…..the ramps had horizontal battens to stop passengers slipping and there was no fancy wrought iron or wood paling fencing……just posts and wire.

Lighting was provided by Tilly Lamps (Paraffin) which were hauled up to the top of a 20' pole where a reflector allegedly created a much wider spread of light than gas lamps.  






I always try to suggest there is life beyond the base board……hence the level crossing and naming the halt Brymbo Canal Street thus linking it with the canal to the left..


There was, in fact, a Brymbo branch near Wrexham (Granby)


Finally another Black and White showing the Warehouse yard with assorted STOP and " No loco beyond this point" signs……although as in the prototype Panniers have to enter the Warehouse yard to clear the Xover points!

Thanks for the overall shot John and the summary of your modelling year.

Regarding the red disc on the crossing gates, I looked and can't find (yet) a definitive reference for a year of introduction but it looks likely that they were introduced in the early 1960's. I'll keep looking and googling to see what I can find out more.

Enjoy your summer cruise and sailing.

Outstanding modelling John, I've really enjoyed following the progress you've made with Granby. I hope you enjoy your trip on the Rhine, we did. As you can imagine there are some fantastic views to be seen. Looking forward to seeing further posts. Safe journey!

regarding red discs on crossing gates,they were a requirement by the board of trade as a stop sign for road traffic,which means they must be from the 1940s on, I certainly remember them from 70 yrs ago, hope this helps
:thumbs;-):cool:

Thanks for the nice comments and good wishes guys…..much appreciated and the advice, albeit conflicting:lol:,  on the crossing discs:



pnwood wrote:

Regarding the red disc on the crossing gates, I looked and can't find  (yet) a definitive reference for a year of introduction but it looks  likely that they were introduced in the early 1960's. I'll keep looking  and googling to see what I can find out more.
 

Silver fox wrote:

regarding  red discs on crossing gates,they were a requirement by the board of  trade as a stop sign for road traffic,which means they must be from the  1940s on, I certainly remember them from 70 yrs ago, hope this helps
:thumbs;-):cool:

I had the same sense as Nick that the Red Disc was a Sixties innovation on gates but Owen is absolutely correct about the use of the disc (surmounted by an inverted triangle) as a mandatory road sign……..maybe the North West was a bit slow in adopting them on gates……..or could it have been LNER practice?

Its one of those relatively unimportant bits of detail (in all honesty who cares in Vancouver?) the solving of which makes this hobby so fascinating.

If Nick's googling doesnt come up with a result maybe I should post a general query when I get back.

I am gone tomorrow…..hopefully after England beat the All Blacks…..but I will try and pop in from time to time

If you want even more conflicting views on the red discs John, post your query up on RMweb  

I haven't turned up anything definitive yet.

I've a Midland Railway drawing (from Midland Record 15 I think) showing a red diamond in the center of the gate.  In the photo accompanying the article I can just make out the diamond.


John

I hadnt realised how much time has passed since my last update…….I guess a big clue would be leaves on the ground and temperatures hovering around zero……..sure seems a long time since the lazy hazy days of summer…….the only connecting feature is that England still havent beaten the All Blacks

This winter my aim is to complete the last major piece of landscaping on  Granby. Of course it is actually "streetscaping" rather than  landscaping!

There will always be other projects to complete or improve but this is undoubtedly the beginning of the end.

The area involved is about 12' long and between 6" and 2' wide, running in front of the main station area.

I apologise for the varying light balance in the photos some of which I have dug up from the archives.



The keystone of the project will be the main station building and the completion of the last module of the overall roof.





At the lower level are storage sidings for the branch which will be covered over


The next shot taken from the opposite side shows the completed North end  of the roof and the site of the station building at the far end



  This is a run round loop involving an ill chosen insulfrog double slip  (less than ideal for a covered area!)  which provides a run round  facility for the branch B Set .

The double slip leads on to 2 storage sidings…..one for the B Set and the other for the Autotrain



All the trains on Granby run automatically with RR&Co……no  problems for the autotrain and diesel railcar but a bit more problematic  for the BSet which involves the loco uncoupling and running around the  carriages before coupling and backing into the storage siding

I have run the routine many many times and its now very reliable but  better safe than sorry…..the coverings will be removeable and have  some observation windows…….just in case the loco doesnt stop over  the kadee magnet

:):)Lovely Station and all those other great developments John.

Granby really looks an excellent railway viewed in its home setting.

Many thanks for shareing.

Derek.

 Totally agree with Derek John,

 This is a wonderful railway and it is a credit to you…..well done!!

:cheers  Gormo

Hi Derek and Gormo

Thank you very much for your kind comments. Having seen examples of the joinery skills of both of you I rather suspect you will be qualifying the compliments when you see my attempts to cover the low level track!:roll:

Cheers

I'm looking forward to this development John.  No doubt you will have some more superb ideas up your sleeve to complete this area.  Your earlier "streetscaping" has been something to behold. :thumbs:thumbs:thumbs

It sounds as if, like me, you're lamenting the shift from summer into winter …………….only another 5 months or so and the warm weather will be back.   Not too sure about England beating the All Blacks though :roll::roll::roll:

I never tire of seeing pictures of your wonderful Granby layout John and am really looking forward to seeing how you tackle that area in front of the station. It might give me some ideas for my own layout.  :lol:

Thanks Peter and Trevor…….I will try and keep the updates posted on a regular basis this time!:oops:

I have now made the covers for the lower level using a reinforced L  shape of MDF board. The carpentry aint great but hopefully the bodging  will not be too obvious when its clad with scenery and the vertical  surfaces are spray painted.

The covers are in three removable sections

This is the first……..a long (6') skinny (5") section leading up to the Parcels Depot  



Here is a close up of one of the viewing peepholes.




As the project unfolds you will see that I am taking great pains to  ensure that the covers can easily removed. Having said that I am hoping  that, with these check windows, cover removal will be quite rare.


I have found that a single siding leading to the Parcels Depot is quite  restrictive so as part of this project I am going to insert a point  serving a second siding which will use up the 3" wide undeveloped strip  on the baseboard proper. I will resite the depot on the new siding



Here is the much battered (and cannabilised) parcels depot…….its a relic from Granby II where it was used as a goods shed




Lots of repair work to do plus I plan to add a couple of ancillary buildings.

The remainder of the strip will be occupied by some Scalescene terraced houses


Looking from the opposite angle there is a short ramp section, which  leads the street from track level to platform level, and thence to  Station Square





Here is the main station building roughly in position



Its one of John Wiffens more complex designs with lots of three dimensional detail

I did most of the cutting out during the summer and assembled it when I  got home….this is the first time I have been able to put it in  position.




Although the building itself is quite impressive to me it isnt quite  right……perhaps its too ornate for its size…….. I think Petermac hit the nail on the head when he remarked elsewhere that the building itself looks out of proportion in relation to both the tower and particularly the overall roof. At one stage I contemplated building a second floor …..but chickened out and I also remember a conversation with Trevor (Chinahand) who was going to build a second tower….in N! My more modest plan is to  add a couple of annexes/ wings in an L shape.
.
One of my favourite hobby horses is the tendency of modellers of this  period to forget just how labour intensive the railways were. Not just  footplate men, shed workers and station porters but also the veritable  army of clerical staff (they even had their own union) shuffling the  reams of paper involved in running the railway…….these guys had to  be housed somewhere.

Moving beyond the station……..I found that when operating loco  exchanges the absence of a storage siding off the up main made the operation  quite cumbersome.



Now seems a good time to put that right (sorry about the picture quality)





And finally I have to address this issue






Its the unfinished   (obviously :))     back of the canal warehouse …….its been like this for almost 4  years while I ponder about a solution………sadly I am still pondering  but I have a load of work to do before I eventually get to this part of  the project!

You can't beat a good 'ponder' eh, John?


From the Latin 'ponderare', to weigh. The weight fixed on the end of a crane line is called a 'ponder ball'. Too frequently
missed out completely in modelling, they often contained a swivelling mechanism for the hook.

I was going to suggest a canal boat workshop but maybe not feasible there?

Doug

Thanks Doug.

I had no idea that was the root of the word…….I find it fascinating the extent to which latin influenced the development of the english language…….mind you my knowledge was somewhat curtailed (:lol:) ……Latin 'O' level  1953 (failed)

It would be a tad high for a workshop…..the canal will be at least a scale 20' below. I shall continue to weigh my options

Regards