GRANBY JUNCTION - Shunting Siphons for the Up Parcels with a Manor!

[john dew]

John milk trains were run en-block, tankers were from the same dairy which is a pity as they are a nice splash of colour, unless of course rule 1 is invoked. 

Your dairy is very good they seem to be popular on GWR layouts I will be posting up my dairy complex soon I'm just waiting for the garage to warm up a bit.

 

Glad you like the Dairy.......I look forward to seeing your complex when  "the garage warms up"........hadnt realised it was so cold in the uk......its a balmy 70o here!

 

Like MIB I am pretty comfortable that the way I am operating my milk train with a coupe of tankers from one branch dairy joining an existing milk train is prototypically correct for 1947.........http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gansg/7-fops/fo-milk.htm........

 

I may be on less certain ground regarding the mixed Dairy Company liveries........you would certainly expect to see different liveries on the same train in 1947 because the Milk Marketing Board took over responsibility for Milk collection in 1942 and they changed their livery a couple of times in addition to continuing to use the Dairy Companies liveried tankers........I wonder how that worked with the rail company owning the "wheels" and the dairy company the actual tank?

 

I probably do have to invoke Rule 1 for having my dairy independently owned.......but I rather like the habit of naming Granby's buildings after internet friends!

 

Kind regards from Vancouver

 

John

[john dew]

A quick update on the ancillary buildings for the Dairy

 

You may recall that the plan was to convert this Ratio Timber Merchants into a steam clean shed for the returning empty milk tankers

 

This is quite a versatile kit......I used it on both Granby II and III before I decided to have a dairy rather than a timber yard......operational traffic is far more interesting with a dairy/creamery!

Its a useful building but I dont need the road side platform and it is both too wide and too long

I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to strip it down

 

 

Saw the girders down a bit and close the road side bay with some Will's cladding and Bob's your uncle

 

 

 

I am very uncertain about how the interior of a steam wash shed should actually look.........fortunately my ignorance will not be too obvious because this lineside view will almost always have a tanker in front of the platform.
 

 

 

..........and its pretty dark anywayhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif

The side you can see will be adjacent to the Boilerhouse......I may connect the two buildings with a pipe.

Here is a view of the other side

 

 

I deliberately chose to weather theses ancillary buildings more heavily than the main dairy building. It seemed quite plausible that in late 1947 the main building could have been repainted and whitewashed and the other buildings left until more materials became available and cash flow improved. (Not sure if they had cashflow in 1947 but the principle would still hold true)

So I used the same paint shade, French Blue, but mixed in some pale grey to give a sunbleached look and then added some light dirt washes.

Not sure if Dai Thomas the regular shunting driver always observes the sign reading  "STOP No Engine beyond this point "http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

This is the rear of the building......continuing to use up leftovers........ the ventilator is a spare from an old Ratio Engine shed kit.

 

 

 

This will be the most obvious view as it will back directly on to the branch line.

 

Perhaps a word about my weathering philosophy.......I think its a balancing act to avoid it being garish and overdone but at the same time recognising its going to be viewed from three feet in an artificially lit room......there has to be an element of theatrical make up in the composition 

 

These closeups were taken outdoors in very bright sunlight.........a bit like seeing the stars of Downton Abbey off set! 

Next week the boiler house and water tank......... which are turning out to be not quite so simple!
 

Edited November 9, 2022 by john dew
8/11/22 Photos

[M.I.B]

John

 

Have you considered surrounding the track at the stream wash with concrete like you did so well on the Shed area?  With a drain  or two to take away the wash?

 

I get the feeling that someone with a steam lance climbed on top of the tank, and waved a lance around inside via the top hatch, letting the wash come out of the foot valves or bottom of the tank.  Before dismounting he would close the top hatch, and perhaps the bottom one was done by his "lad", or left open to drain on the way back out to the countryside and was closed before refill started?

 

If there was a steam lance, I would like to think it was hose fed on a swinging arm mounted in the shed somewhere.  Bit like a water crane there would be a chain on the arm to pull it over to the tank top, and then it was pushed away before he climbed down.  On the end of the arm I see a hose and lance, which perhaps hung on the end of the jib when not in use.

 

That's how it works in my mind - but it's your trainset as they say............

 

Thanks for the mental stimulation.

Edited May 11, 2016 by M.I.B

[john dew]

Hi MIB

 

I did wonder where the water would go and actually contemplated an infill but it some how fell off the list! You are are absolutely correct though......its exactly what I should do.

 

I suspect you are correct about the way the steam lance would be rigged........I will need to see exactly how much can be seen once the unit is in place.

 

Thanks again for nudging me in the right direction....much appreciated

 

Hope the trip is going well

 

Best Wishes

 

John 

[M.I.B]

Very well thanks John.  Moving again tomorrow.  Being mobile makes the time fly.  So does being busy.  I do very long days 7 days a week, but the rewards are good.

 

And I get great entertainment from Granby and Brent.

[Edwardian]

John, this just gets better and better.  More excellence on the way. 

 

If you were, upon reaching a suitable stage in your current projects, minded to post a few up to date general views of the layout, I would esteem it a favour.  

[john dew]

John, this just gets better and better.  More excellence on the way. 

 

If you were, upon reaching a suitable stage in your current projects, minded to post a few up to date general views of the layout, I would esteem it a favour.

 

Hi James

 

Thank you for the kind words.....once the dairy buildings are in place I intended to take some "placing" shots......I will take some more general views at the same time

 

Kind regards

 

John

[john dew]

The boiler house,water tank and chimney are finished, so all the buildings are now ready to place on the site

I forgot to to take progress shotshttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif  but this gives some idea of the process
 

 

 

The walls are made from two layers of medium card laminated to create rebates for the corners with Slaters Brick plasticard glued to the exterior.

The door is made from Wills Clapboard and the window came from a Wills kit. Plastic strip for the Door Frame and Lintel


This is how I clad the Metcalfe Chimney

 

 

 

and the finished result

 

 

The water tank is scratch built from Wills Girder units.....another really versatile kit

The corrugated roof is from their Asbestos sheet......although it is transparent it paints up easily and is extremly flexible......I have used it a lot for corrugated roofing on Granby

 

 

 

Some rather cruel close ups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get the weathering consistent on all sides.........then took a moment off to look at real life!   http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif Weathering is never consistent it depends on exposure to sun and prevailing wind and rain...........so thats it for now.....I will probably add a bit more when in position.
 

 

 

So there it is......ready to plonk .......all I have to do is put some cobblestones down and add some detail!

Next post should be the Dairy wrap..........not before time some may say!

 

Best wishes from a cloudy but warm Vancouver

 

John

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by john dew
8/11/22 Photos

[Edwardian]

Excellent.  Bags of character.  The paintwork on the doors and windows is a very convincing shade of "industrial blue", the roof on the water-tank is a great idea and the rust effect is very good; not too much, not too little.  You certainly have an "eye", John.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Edwardian

[M.I.B]

Fantastic building work and excellent weathering.

 

You are right - weathinging differs depending on the elements - a tinge more green moss on the North sides and none on the South, unless it's in permanent shade.

[john dew]

Excellent.  Bags of character.  The paintwork on the doors and windows is a very convincing shade of "industrial blue", the roof on the water-tank is a great idea and the rust effect is very good; not too much, not too little.  You certainly have an "eye", John.

 

Thank you James........your continued presence on this thread is amazingly good for morale!

 

Best Wishes

 

John

[john dew]

You are right - weathinging differs depending on the elements - a tinge more green moss on the North sides and none on the South, unless it's in permanent shade.

 

Thanks MIB.........I have feeling I learned that bit when I took CCF Certificate A Fieldcraft.........knew it would come in handy eventually

 

Cheers

 

John

[M.I.B]

Shape Shine Shadow Silhouette Sound and Movement.......... 

[Edwardian]

Shape Shine Shadow Silhouette Sound and Movement.......... 

 

You have mastered the art:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifmRgQX82O4

Edited May 19, 2016 by Edwardian

[M.I.B]

That's me - third from the right, kneeling.

[john dew]

But where is your little tank?

[M.I.B]

No 14XXs at North Cranford

 

Lots of panniers tho

 

[john dew]

The dairy is now completed. The buildings in position, the yard paved, grass laid and assorted detailing added.

 

By way of an introduction here is an overall view of the railway room

 

 

 

To the left are glimpses of the main station building and Newyd Engine shed. On the right are the storage sheds and the viaduct leading to Granby. On the lower level is the Cynwyd branch which serves the dairy......the chimney of which can just be seen beyond the viaduct.

 

Here is the empty site in February

 

 

 

 

Aerial view of the canal and dairy buildings

 

 

 

 The yard is paved with Wills granite setts.........they are more difficult to handle and lay but so much more realistic than printed setts.

 

 

 

Some Montys models workers and a coal pile added alongside the boilerhouse. There is a concrete infill and drainage for the steamwash but it is barely visible.

 

Here is a reminder of how narrow and awkward the site was

 

 

 

 

The buildings make it look even narrower!

 

 

 

 

Its probably a bit too crowded ......but it does fit into the cramped Victorian industrial look that I have created around the canal.

 

The GWR have re asserted their ownership of the surrounding land with boundary fencing, siding gates and legal notices

 

I have previously spent a lot of time discussing how the the processed milk got shipped to the bottling plant in Birkenhead........two 3,000 gallon tankers daily. A not untypical output for a branch creamery like this.......an out put of 6000 gallons requires a matching input or actually something in excess of that because of wastage and the assorted by products..........I have guessed (and it is a sheer guess) at 10% more.....6,600 gallons.......thats a lot of 10 gallon churns each day! http://modelrailcommand.com/images/emoticons/rolleyes.gif

 

Some will arrive by rail

 

 

 

.

 

This venerable Siphon C will trundle around the branch once a day collecting churns from the local stations, halts and even lineside loading platforms. The siphons were built with slatted sides to provide rudimentary ventilation. This version was built in 1906 and continued to operate for the next 45 years

 

I still havent worked out the capacity of the Siphon......I am guessing about 100 churns......1000 gallons

 

Churns also came in by road

 

 

 

 

Bedford drop side lorries were quite typical. There is a splendid photo of the dairy at Seaton showing row after row of these vehicles.......initially I couldnt understand why there were so many.....it was only after doing the input calculations that the penny dropped......a single lorries capacity would be about 30 churns.....300 gallons

 

Unfortunately there are no suitable RTR models available. I hit on the happy compromise of using Oxford Models Royal Navy Bedford........I deliberately painted out the RN rather crudely....what could be more realistic in 1947 than the dairy owner a canny Scot from Yorkshire buying some Admiralty surplus from Birkenhead?

 

I couldnt come up with quite such a convincing legend for the Leeds Corporation Scammel you can see in this shot......so I stuck a mechanic in front of the logo!

 

If you have been doing any mental arithmetic you will know I am a long way short of my daily input target!

 

Problem solved........

 

 

 

By 1947 more and more road tankers were being used to collect milk from the farms and delivering the unprocessed milk to local creameries

 

Well thats it.......I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings about Milk Distribution immediately after WWII

 

 

 

 

 

Next time something completely different albeit with a faint milk connection!

 

Regards to all from Vancouver

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by john dew
8/11/22 Photos

[TerrySVR]

Stunning

[Edwardian]

Just brilliant, and good to see the updated long-shots along with the close-up.  A real visual feast!

[M.I.B]

Brilliant.  I even like the two skivers behing the building having a "break".

 

Brilliant work there once again John.

Edited May 24, 2016 by M.I.B

[phil.c]

There's so much going on with your layout John that it takes a while before it all sinks in, there are so many cameo's of lots of scenes and situations, there is a story in every one and they all look like they belong!

 

Excellent modelling throughout.

 

I have commented on this as you know on another forum but worth another here!

 

One of my favourite pics.

 

Phil

 

Edited May 27, 2016 by phil.c

[john dew]

Thank you for all the comments and likes guys......my apologies for not responding sooner......some old friends from the UK are about to visit us and Mrs D has initiated a frenzy of gardening and house cleaning.......there are even rumours of vacuuming the railway room floor......shock horror.......all those vital bits I might eventually find will be lost forever!

 

I see I now have 50 "followers" which pales in comparison with John Flann's Hintock and GWRrobs ANTB but for an elderly solitary modeller in Vancouver it is very gratifying.......thank you!

 

Brilliant.  I even like the two skivers behing the building having a "break".

 

 

Thanks MIB.....I guess you mean the guys in Phil's reply below? They are both Monty's models......I particularly like the leaning guy.....he has a mug of tea in the other hand and a newspaper stuffed in his jacket pocket......probably the Mirror open at the racing pages.

 

I must try and get a close up 

 

 

There's so much going on with your layout John that it takes a while before it all sinks in, there are so many cameo's of lots of scenes and situations, there is a story in every one and they all look like they belong!

 

Excellent modelling throughout.

 

I have commented on this as you know on another forum but worth another here!

 

 pics.

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil

 

I hadnt realised that you were on here. Pen y Bryn has a new follower! Comments like those above from a modeller of your standard make my day!

 

 

Regards to all from a very wet Vancouver (at least that put paid to the gardening detail!)

 

John

[john dew]

In my last update I promised something new but retaining some connection with Milk.

This is a shot of the daily Milk train from Shrewsbury to Birkenhead, approaching Granby where it will pick up two more tankers from the Cynwyd creamery. It was previously in Black and White but this version has been cropped a bit and represents my first attempt at Sepia tones. (Thank you Rob and Colin!)

 

 

 

When I first posted the shot I muttered about the absence of suitable Ready to run GWR Brake Vans. In this train I was using a Ratio 4 Wheel Coach modified with Shirescene sides

 

 

 

But it just doesnt seem right with all those 6 wheel tankers.

What I really needed was this:

 

 

 

 

This splendid K42  van was built by Gwrrob of ANTB fame using Comet parts. Rather than building the entire kit from scratch  (far beyond my skill level http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif) Rob suggested I build the K40 bow ended version which would enable me to apply Comet brass sides to a suitable (surplus) donor coach.....an ex airfix/Dapol/Hornby BSet being perfect............great idea but on reflection still beyond my skill level.

 

The problem I find is that the standard of RTR coaches is so good nowadays that any of my home made efforts tend to look very amateurish in comparison. The four wheeler above being a case in point.http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif

So I reconciled myself to having to make do with the four wheeler until Hornby released a Brake Van to go with their Collet Bow Ended range*.

Then someone else flew to my rescue............Mallard (or Mr Duck) of SOSJ fame......another must read thread. For me ANTB and SOSJ are required morning reading.....useful information alternating with hilarious one liners.

 

Mr Duck suggested that if I supplied the parts and the donor coach he would do the heavy lifting .....all the plastic surgery and then grafting the brass sides on http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif.....leaving me to do the fiddly bits and the paintinghttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif. There was an element of horsetrading involved but it was an extremely generous offer.

Little details like he lives in Nottingham UK and I live in Vancouver where swiftly swept aside courtesy of Canada Post, the Royal Mail and Andrew at Wizard Models (now owners of Comet). The brass sides and assorted detail packs were mailed direct from Comet to Nottingham to await the arrival of the donor coach..


Last seen on Granby before acquiring an award for the most air miles ever achieved by an 00 coach

Hong Kong-North Wales (Dapol) North Wales-Liverpool (Hattons) Liverpool-Vancouver Vancouver-Nottingham......and return

I know there was probably an easier solution.....but it was surplus!

 

 

 

Safely arrived in Nottingham....

 

Here are some progress shots supplied by Phil (Mr Duck)

 

The first of the plastic surgery

 

 

 

Brass coach sides offered up and (I am told)  almost a perfect match.....very litte fettling

 

 

Bolecticons soldered in place
 

 

 

We had some discussion about hinges and as Comet didnt bother we decided to do the same. Ever the perfectionist Phil decided it didnt look right

 

Hinges ......all 42 of them.....individually soldered in place
 

 

 

 

Abracadabra and here she is back home in Vancouver

 

 

I have already acknowledged Phil's kindness and craftmanship on ANTB but I wanted to use Granby to record the build from start to finish so my apologies for some repetition.

 

The next few posts will track whether I am capable of turning his cygnet into a swan.....time will tell

Cheers from a very sunny Vancouver

 

 

* PS  The bookmakers are no longer taking bets on the next Hornby coach release

 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by john dew
8/11/22 Photos

[M.I.B]

You can still keep the Shires Scenes sided Ratio in the centre - and have the K40 bringing up the rear.

 

And a race special with  the K40 behind some horseboxes........

 

I look forward to getting my remaining brass-side projects finished.