GWR/LMS OO Gauge DCC RR&Co

Another great set of photo's. Now all we need are some videos.  ;-)

Hi John,

they are an amazing set of shots which you produced during a week when you've good reasons to do very little at all with your railway.
I'll continue elsewhere as otherwise I'll lead things O/T  :It's a no no

Regards,

Colin 

Loving all those photos of the little nooks and crannies!
The rusty Girder bridge over the cut and the little hideaway pub in particular are very evocative and reminiscent of the Manchester area in the 50s.
Beautiful work.

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

Another great set of photo's. Now all we need are some videos.  ;-)

Thanks Pete…….a video is working its way up the list:roll: â€¦â€¦.hopefully before Xmas!

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

Another great set of photo's. Now all we need are some videos.  ;-)

Thanks Pete…….a video is working its way up the list:roll: â€¦â€¦.hopefully before Xmas!

I've noticed that you've not said which Christmas.  :)

[user=2170]Colin W[/user] wrote:

Hi John,

they are an amazing set of shots which you produced during a week when you've good reasons to do very little at all with your railway.
I'll continue elsewhere as otherwise I'll lead things O/T  :It's a no no

Regards,

Colin 

Thanks Colin thats very kind of you. I really didnt pay enough attention to planning viewing angles on the layout ( something you might want to add to your list! ) so its sometimes a bit of a struggle to put together a coherent sequence of shots when I am trying to describe a routine. One of these days I will splurge and get a smaller camera and a remote arm.

[user=201]georgejacksongenius[/user] wrote:

Loving all those photos of the little nooks and crannies!
The rusty Girder bridge over the cut and the little hideaway pub in particular are very evocative and reminiscent of the Manchester area in the 50s.
Beautiful work.

Cheers,John.B.:thumbs

Thanks John. I must confess that most of the scenery stems from the time I worked in Oldham rather than memories of holidays/cadet camps in North Wales!

Best wishes

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

Another great set of photo's. Now all we need are some videos.  ;-)

Thanks Pete…….a video is working its way up the list:roll: â€¦â€¦.hopefully before Xmas!

I've noticed that you've not said which Christmas.  :)

Fabulous sequence of photos John. 
I can picture the signalman keeping an eye on the clock, and listening to his bells, as he throws the levers to allow the shunt across the down main.

Keep it coming.

[user=19]Marty[/user] wrote:

Fabulous sequence of photos John. 
I can picture the signalman keeping an eye on the clock, and listening to his bells, as he throws the levers to allow the shunt across the down main.

Keep it coming.

Thanks Marty…glad you liked the photos.

Setting the route for the shunt across the main was one of the few occasions when I did not regret the absence of working signals! Fortunately with RR&Co, I can protect the route by closing the exit from adjoining blocks at the start of the schedule and re opening at the finish.

Best wishes

This is the second part of the routine I am developing for the Down Parcels. Last week covered the Pilot shunting outbound vans in readiness for the imminent arrival of the Parcels Train.

I have modified the routine so that there will now be a loco exchange at the head of the train while the Pilot replaces a LMS Brake with a Siphon H at the rear of the train

Here is the train headed by 6818 Hardwick Grange approaching Granby Platform 5. Under the roof you can just see the Pilot waiting at the exit from Platform 6



On the right you can see there has been a little more progress with the Warehouse extension……more on this in a separate post.

Over the years, GWR modellers have been blessed with models of just about every loco of any significance along with a reasonable selection of coaching stock ……but not a single Passenger Brake Van! The Hawkesworth vans used on this train were certainly not around in 1948. The GW crests are a Granby addition…but needs must.

Having arrived, Hardwick Grange immediately uncouples



Pulls forward and reverse to the Shed entry road



In real life, the relief loco 6877 Llanfair Grange would then immediately move off the loop and couple with the train. As you are about to see to detach and add vans at the rear the pilot has to shunt the entire train to position it over the uncoupler…….so the relief will couple at the end of the sequence

My apologies for the quality of the next sequence of shots. To tell the tale I had to stand on a foot stool and hand shoot using flash through the overall roof…….Shooting the video will be challenging!

Back to the routine:

The moment Hardwick Grange stopped in Platform 5 the Pilot reverses from Platform 6 light engine, the outbound van remaining in P6



The Pilot clears the entry points and advances into P5


Where it couples with the LMS van :



Then uncouples the van from the train and reverses back to clear the entry points







and thence into Platform 6



Where it couples with the siphon and reverses back again



Clears the points and re enters P 5 where it couples the siphon to the rear of the train



The pilot then has to push the entire train forward a van length so that it and the LMS van can be uncoupled from the train.


Executing this movement automatically with varying  van lengths will be  very challenging. Hopefully I can work through the  logic without having to revert to a fixed van length.

Once the pilot and van are clear Llanfair Grange can move from the loop



Couple with the train



and head off to Birkenhead



Once clear, the pilot propels the LMS van across the main line to be unloaded at King St Parcels Depot



Which is where we came in!

My apologies for such a lengthy post…….I tried to be ruthless with editing but it was quite difficult without making the sequence even more incoherent.

Next week something quite different……and much shorter.

Executing this movement automatically with varying  van lengths will be   very challenging. Hopefully I can work through the  logic without  having to revert to a fixed van length.



That will test out your grey cells John…..( & no doubt your choice of words from any language when things don't quite work out initially…)

  Hi John,
 
Great photos as usual. Your joint company parcels rake looks most workmanlike and that Hawksworth full brake really looks the business. A shame it’s just outside my period, although I’ve just took the plunge and ordered a Hattons 6 wheel full brake for the 1920s branch. I know it’s generic, but the detail and rendition of the GWR livery looks so superb, that resistance was futile!
 
Looking forward to something completely different next week  ;-)
 
Best,
 
Bill

HI John

A really nice sequence, irrespective of the compromises required to get uncoupling done!  This sort of activity, in my opinion, seperates the model railways from the models of railways.

Barry

[user=606]Sol[/user] wrote:

Executing this movement automatically with varying  van lengths will be   very challenging. Hopefully I can work through the  logic without  having to revert to a fixed van length.



That will test out your grey cells John…..( & no doubt your choice of words from any language when things don't quite work out initially…)

  They say that Patience is a virtue……..we shall see!

[user=1814]Longchap[/user] wrote:

 Hi John,
 
Great photos as usual. Your joint company parcels rake looks most workmanlike and that Hawksworth full brake really looks the business. A shame it’s just outside my period, although I’ve just took the plunge and ordered a Hattons 6 wheel full brake for the 1920s branch. I know it’s generic, but the detail and rendition of the GWR livery looks so superb, that resistance was futile!
 
Looking forward to something completely different next week  ;-)
 
Best,
 
Bill

Hi Bill

Thank you for the kind comments. I have one of those Hattons vans on order as well……..I was thinking of using it as a second BV on the Milk Train……..one of the issues with Out and Back as opposed to Roundy Roundy is dealing with brake vans……..its ok to top and tail with passenger rakes but more difficuly with Class C like Milk and Parcels…….thats why I have Hawksworth at either end of the Parcels….just have to change the loco. Milk is more difficult.

Hope all is going well for you in Normandy……….looking forward to reading about more progress on your layout.

[user=2006]Barry Miltenburg[/user] wrote:

HI John

A really nice sequence, irrespective of the compromises required to get uncoupling done!  This sort of activity, in my opinion, seperates the model railways from the models of railways.

Barry

Hi Barry

That is very kind of you and much appreciated.

Automatic uncoupling with RR&Co and Kadees is very satisfying although the magnets are unsightly and can be restrictive. It takes a surprising amount of time putting these routines together so they actually work and sort of conform to prototype practice!

Best wishes

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

Automatic uncoupling with RR&Co and Kadees is very satisfying although the magnets are unsightly and can be restrictive. It takes a surprising amount of time putting these routines together so they actually work and sort of conform to prototype practice!

Best wishes

John, one way to get rid of the unsightly uncoupling magnets but with a lot of work is to replace them with #309 electromagnets controlled via decoders driving relays to switch the power on/off & so by RR& Co.

[user=606]Sol[/user] wrote:

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

Automatic uncoupling with RR&Co and Kadees is very satisfying although the magnets are unsightly and can be restrictive. It takes a surprising amount of time putting these routines together so they actually work and sort of conform to prototype practice!

Best wishes

John, one way to get rid of the unsightly uncoupling magnets but with a lot of work is to replace them with #309 electromagnets controlled via decoders driving relays to switch the power on/off & so by RR& Co.

Thanks Ron……I have thought about it a lot but as you say it would involve a lot of work……..if I am going to excavate the baseboards I think it will be for working signals!

Best wishes