Camden Shed

[92220]

I think I owe 46239 the courtesy of a video with all wheels attached.  That can be tomorrow’s job. 

 

A little more:

Turntable exit roads aligned and laid:

 

 

Couldn’t resist….

 

 

And then this thing - started 10 years ago and half finished but a useful placeholder since (a) its basis was built exactly to scale from the drawings with a few extra Camden details, and (b) the ash pit road alignment needed the building or at the very least the exact dimensions, before the jigsaw was wielded.  Anyway, this is going to get finished now,  I built a completely new dummy cover for the skip lifting mechanism - at various times part of this had unbolted steel plates exposing small sections of the mechanism inside, but that sounded like a step too far, so I chose to model it in its complete form.  I hope nobody now comes up with definitive proof that on no date between 1959 and 1962 was it complete……

 

Also on the E side there was a series of bolted plates to cover the lower half of the structure, which I’ve modelled slightly heavy-handedly.  A bit the same with the two plates at the arch apex.  Anyway.  I’ve modelled the ash release mechanism but not taken a photo - will remember to do so next time. 
 

The handrails or indeed the apology for such, would frighten the life out of me in real life, so flimsy were they. Not, however, as scary as the ladder to get up there.  I suppose the lifting mech operator or engineer got used to it.

 

 

 

Iain

 

 

[92220]

The only visible part of the lifting mech, according to the drawings (although no photo could ever have been taken without a drone which were pretty rare in 1960) should be this bit:

 

 

The stubs of ns wire enable it to be securely attached to the inside of the dummy cover:

 

 

And in place:

 

 

Detail of the ash hopper discharge apparatus:

 

 

Iain

 

 

 

 

 

 

[92220]

A fair bit more complete now, with only the through siding off shed road no.5 and all the various buffers and stops to fit. Plus the final pieces inside the shed area itself.  
 

 

 

The area under the coaler I figured was probably concrete with chairs, although I don’t know for certain, it’s not clearly visible and to be honest I challenge anyone to tell anyway, so covered in coal debris was it.  You can just about see the rail head and the top of the odd chair.  So why bother?   The coal truck road next to is certainly had a concrete base either side of the lift itself, and under the sprinkler which was to the turntable side of it.

 

 

And, as promised, here is 46239 City of Chester with the requisite number of wheels (and cleaned too, so it’s a bit smoother than last time).  Hornby body, Comet frames, Markits drivers, High Level box, Mashima 1628, Gibson bogie wheels, a fair bit of detailing and a load of lead.  
 

Iain

 

 

 

 

 

[LNER4479]

Wow Iain!

 

Just enjoyed having a catch up. Fantastic burst of progress - have you had some time off for good behaviour?(!)

 

But please, leave us in suspenders no longer - does the Mark 3 version of the north end formation now work to your satisfaction?!!!

[92220]

Thank you, Graham. Mark 3 is acceptable, yes.   It runs without derailment although, even at a medium state of self-criticism, I would concede it’s not perfectly smooth.  I’ll try to do a video hopefully later today or tomorrow.

Hope all well with you.

Iain 

 

[1BCamden]

Hi Iain,

The ash plant, is so well captured, and while the steel cladding around the lift was never my favourite, the level of detail is impressive.

The north end yard looks amazing, what a view. It will be a pity to paint that water tank, however I included a jpeg that shows its state (colour) within your timeframe, plus check the polish on the shoes !!

These views and so many more of this skilfully captured layout has created a real problem for me, I have nearly all the track, points etc for the complete visual part of the layout, but now your craftsmanship, together with Templot 3D printing by Martin Wynne has raised the bar, so what to do with all this Tillig Elite........ 🤣 gotta love this undertaking.

Yes, the coaling plant roads are a challenge, but you are right, ash and debris was the order of the day. A number of general arrangement drawings show a finished level at top of rail height, and when new (1034.jpeg) you can make out the edge of the concrete pad. I think you would be correct in saying the pad extended under the "sprinkler" on the coal wagon road. But it's all pretty well lost beneath years of ash and clinker.

 

What fantastic footage, love the smooth running is definitely the norm' on this layout.

 

Why bother ? because you have come so far, and it would keep you up at night not to get it right !!!

 

Very best regards

 

Edited July 16 by 1BCamden

[92220]

Thank you, Stanley.  Much appreciate the support as always.  I’ve seen each of those photos but it’s in the background that certain details lie and having them pointed out is so helpful.

 

As promised, a quick video of the north yard diamonds in operation.   I’ve tried several locos through here on all the routes and none have derailed yet, so I’m sticking with it.  It’s worth noting that the majority of moves would be tender first, especially from  the engine line coming onto shed from Euston, when they would be all tender first as far as I can ascertain.

 

 

I still haven’t replaced 46251’s step, but will do so.

 

Iain

[92220]

Not content with building Camden Shed, I decided this morning to build Crewe North 5A as well.

 

And I finished it by coffee time.

 

Here you are:

 

 

 

OK, so I grant you it’s slightly simplified.  But it serves the same purpose on the model.

 

All down trains will disappear under Regents Park Road bridge and in real life would have headed off up the WCML whether to Crewe or wherever, where they would be coaled, watered and turned, most of them to return south to Euston at some point.

 

On the model, down locos will be detached from their train when they reach the far end of the down storage sidings, from where they will reverse through no.8, the central road, to arrive at my plywood Crewe North, which sits over the exit to the up storage, where they will be turned and stored via loco lift before returning on an up service at some point in the future.  
 

Locos on up trains arriving are of course reversed onto shed and dealt with usually by this route:

 

 

The turntable is now motorised since I did this sequence.

 

Some locos on shorter routes were apparently turned quickly at Euston and returned to their original shed without needing coal, just a water stop.  So that will provide some variety of operation.

 

Iain

Edited July 17 by 92220

[1BCamden]

Hi Iain,

Crewe North, now there’s a thought 😉

 

Two hourly expresses to/from Birmingham and Wolverhampton were regularly turned on the Euston turntable.

 

Great video clip too

 

best tegards

[Dragonboy]

Absolutely outstanding Iain. Really loving following your progress but while watching you positioning locos under the coaling plant it struck me that coaling something like a 3F must have been incredibly difficult given the small target area of their bunkers. Thinking back over pictures I’ve seen over the years it always seems to be tender locos which feature. Would 3F’s be coaled differently do you know?

 

Brian

[BMacdermott]

Hello Iain

 

Lovely video!

 

You have had my cine film on a disc some time ago but - seeing the two 'dead end' roads in the video - reminded me of the footage.

 

Attached are three screen grabs. One is a general view whilst the other two show my trainspotting pal, 'Cheeb', in the cab of a stored loco, then walking past a Black 5 (with the obligatory duffle bag of the period).

 

Grainy, blurred and instinct but a pure gold memory of the occasion for me!🙂

 

Brian

 

 

[92220]

Good morning Brian and Brian. Thank you for your kind words and those wonderful stills.

 

I imagined that Camden’s allocation of 3F tanks would be coaled in the same fashion.  They mainly seemed to have the normal 2 rail bunker but with a deflection plate in the rear centre, which was probably needed to direct some of the lumps when being coaled.  The photo that Stanley posted above shows a 3F on the coaling road and I’ve seen another similar one too.  The LMS publicity video:

 

 
shows from about 3:00 in the 3 position method of coaling a Stanier tender, which I guess demonstrates that there was sufficient precision in the jigger feed and chute to coal a small tank engine bunker.  The Camden no.1 type coaling tower had 85’ between chutes to enable 2 locos to be coaled simultaneously.  As I understand, at times one of the 2 bunkers was filled with coke to reduce start up smoke in the affluent neighbourhood, which sometimes backfired in that locos might not develop enough steam to haul their train up the bank.  
 

Iain
 

 

Edited July 18 by 92220

[dggar]

Iain

 

I’m really enjoying the videos you are posting. It would be interesting to see some more of the behind the scenes layout and workings.

 

A couple of years ago I came across this site which shows

the LMR timetable for Summer 1958.

 

https://timetableworld.com/ttw-viewer.php?token=1987099b-01c5-47f7-a8dd-ba173774ceb5

 

You may already be aware of it.

 

Named trains are shown on the 3rd row. I think I’m correct in saying that for the 1958 summer table only, there was an early morning and late afternoon Caledonian train.

 

I believe there was a major easing of the timings for the following winter timetable as preparation for the electrification work on the WCML kicked in, starting with the

 Crewe to Liverpool and Crewe to Manchester branches.

 

I’ve listed the arrival and departure times at Euston of the named trains should you ever wish to approximate the daily operations.

All the best

David Garnett.

1958

 

 

 

Edited July 18 by dggar

[92220]

Thank you, David.  Greatly appreciate your interest, support and encouragement.   I have a carriage working notice (I think it is summer 1960 but I can’t quite remember) via Robert Carroll’s group hadn’t yet got around to creating a timetable.  Your file won’t allow me to download though?  I’m very interested to read it.
 

Any operations are currently only embryonic - partly because I hadn’t got a timetable from which to make my own somewhat reduced version, and partly as I’ve been more focussed on trying to get the layout constructed and working.  However, I have been thinking about how it would operate in order to inform construction and especially wiring.

 

A definite job on the horizon is to start creating some rakes that would represent trains reasonably accurately. 

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Iain

[dggar]

sorry that the link won't open for you.

 

here is a screen shot of how it appears on my computer.

 

 

[92220]

Thank you David.  The link was fine, but the attached file that you’d created wasn’t working yesterday.  I can see now that it works:

 

 

Very useful - thank you very much!

 

Iain

[dggar]

Iain

I just created this text , but I see it's not need now.

 

Google

Timetableworld

Select

                        Timetable Search

 

Scroll to the bottom of the page and you should see

something like “page 1 0f 16 ,display 50 items”

 

Click on the DOUBLE ARROW to select page 4.

 

The entry for the 1958 Table is about 36 entries from the top of the page.

 

Click on the Image (far left of the screen) to open it up.

 

If you wish to purchase it Click on the PDF icon.

 

( on page 3 there are entries for LMR 1961 and 1963)

[dggar]

Just out of interest, have you created a rake of the DC Electrics ?

My initial impression is that they ran in and out about every 20 minutes up to Watfird Junction.

[Dragonboy]

Many thanks for posting that video Iain. Very interesting indeed. Every day is a school day as they say.

 

Brian

[92220]

35 minutes ago, dggar said:

Just out of interest, have you created a rake of the DC Electrics ?

My initial impression is that they ran in and out about every 20 minutes up to Watfird Junction.

No, not yet, but it is a project I’m looking forward to one day hopefully soon.  Keir Hardy’s 501s on Hornsey Broadway are a good inspiration, using Bachmann 2EPBs as a basis.  I am planning on making just one 6 car set to begin with, and allowing that to represent all the services in both directions until I can make another!  That’s probably anathema to the EMU fraternity but it’s just expedient.

 

Iain

[prtrainman]

Coming along nicely Iain. There are some great b&w photos of Camden in the Atlantic booklet 'Steam Shed Portrait' by H.G.Forsythe, including one of the loco roster board for Wednesday 12th August 1959. If you don't already have a copy, let me know & I would be happy to donate it to your project.

Philip

[92220]

Thanks Philip.  Very kind.  That little booklet and some of the photos (that also appeared in the Scot servicing feature in the G. Freeman Allen book Modern railways the world over) have been most useful resources.  I have a fair library but there are always things I’ve not found yet.  
 

 

Iain

[92220]

Ready for cleaning, priming and painting:

 

 

 

 

The access ladder from ground level will be added when I’ve bought and built it (MSE jig built ladder with an added scratch built handrail).  It can be painted and added separately.  As will be the dummy lights.  Conduits, which I imagine have to be either for lighting or control of the lifting mechanism, were added from 0.45 ns wire bent to shape, with 5A fuse wire twisted and soldered to form mounting brackets.  The window and frame I’ve made separately and it will be added after painting but before weathering.

 

Iain

 

 

[cornish trains jez]

12 hours ago, 92220 said:

Ready for cleaning, priming and painting:

 

 

 

 

The access ladder from ground level will be added when I’ve bought and built it (MSE jig built ladder with an added scratch built handrail).  It can be painted and added separately.  As will be the dummy lights.  Conduits, which I imagine have to be either for lighting or control of the lifting mechanism, were added from 0.45 ns wire bent to shape, with 5A fuse wire twisted and soldered to form mounting brackets.  The window and frame I’ve made separately and it will be added after painting but before weathering.

 

Iain

 

 

Thats an impressive bit of scratch building! Very nice!

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

 

[92220]

Before I put the back on the shed control panel - hopefully for a good long time - I thought I’d take a picture.

 

In here there are copperclad soldered connections to +12v and -12v for the tortoises, and then common return and live for each of the 2 controllers on the panel.

So each turnout switch sends either + or - 12 v to the correct tortoise(s) (since crossovers are paired), and each section switch sends controller output to that section when on.  

 

which translates to a front like this:

 

 

Which isn’t in fact finished.   In my excitement, I haven’t completed the wiring for the rough stores road.  Plus I’ve run out of “toggle toppers” which give a much needed idea of what each switch does.  When completed:

 

uncovered are tortoise turnout switches.  Up for normal and down for reverse

Green are section switches.  Down for on, up for off.

Yellow are for special purposes - the one on here at the moment is the turntable operation, and I may or may not add a flicker under the ash pits.  
 

The key to the plan is that the left hand controller controls everything in black, while the right hand controller everything in red.  I know that is not the best way, and probably not the simplest, but it is understandable.   If anyone says DCC and 2 wires, I would, after swearing, reply “£2-5k in decoders, and that’s before I build any more locos”.  If I do decide at some stage to do that, I can just turn all the section switches on.  But I Iike the DC set up anyway.  
 

Ashplant in the paint shop……
 

Iain