National Coal Board - Royd Hall Drift & Royal Oak Sidings.

[Down_Under]

Because I wanted an engine shed and there would still be an open space against the shed wall to fill if there was no engine shed.

 

From a prototype operating perspective a shed is required for crews to perform maintenance tasks in bad weather and to secure it from vandalism or theft on a site that isn't secure and doesn't have an 24-hour on-site staff presence.

 

The new loco under construction.

 

PHOTO UNAVAILABLE THANKS TO PHOTOBUCKET MUPPETS

It started out this morning as a Tower Models British Rail class 02 diesel-hydraulic but it's now well on its way to becoming a Yorkshire Engine Co. diesel-electric.

Hey Ruston - looks like a nice little conversion you are doing there. Any particular prototype in mind? Looks similar to the Closterworth Yorkshire Engine Co 0-6-0 at Rutland. Do you have any other details or links to drawings you are working off here?

 

Top job.

 

J

Edited August 11, 2017 by Ruston

[Ruston]

I'm working from just one photo of Stanton No.44, in Adrian Booth's Pictorial Survey Of Standard Gauge Industrial Diesels. I think it's going to be one of those models that you don't look too closely at.

[Ruston]

I decided that the tippler loco shed area needed an extra stores building and as every layout I have built so far has featured a grounded van body, this one was to be no exception. I bought the Parkside Dundas North British 8-ton van kit as this is suitably aged and would have been long out of service by the layout's period. This kit also has the advantage of having a short (9-ft.) wheelbase, which meant I could make use of the underframes.

 

The body, grounded. It looks better in real life than in the photo. I roughly sanded the planks and painted the whole lot with a wash of black in an attempt to make it look like aged bare wood; the paint having flaked off long ago, and with metalwork painted and powder-weathered as rusty.

 

The wagon. With the addition of a floor and sides made from plywood, and metalwork from plasticard, I made it into a generic fixed single plank open, based on a photo of a Hull & Barnsley wagon with a similar brake arrangment. It is now the PW/Tool/re-railing wagon.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Ruston

[Barry O]

Have you tried a bit of silver dry brushing (or in my case inking) to give the grounded wagon body a bit of wood effect?

[Stubby47]

Would the grounded van be on blocks ?

[Ruston]

Have you tried a bit of silver dry brushing (or in my case inking) to give the grounded wagon body a bit of wood effect?

No. I haven't tried that. How do you mean, exactly?

 

 

Would the grounded van be on blocks ?

I suppose it could be but most of the grounded vans I've seen are straight onto the ground.

[Ruston]

This morning I planted the screens building in its final position and wired up the two hoppers (two more yet to build and fit) to the control panel.

 

This enabled me to have the first ever full and proper operating session with this railway. It's taken three years but I've finally got there!

 

The sequence of operations begins with a loco (today Manning Wardle class H, Jervis) despatched from Royd Hall shed to collect the paddy train and take it to the fiddle yard.

 

A second locomotive (Manning Wardle class H, Pellew) moves off shed to take on water. With DCC sound this is more than just moving the loco to the water tower and waiting - pressing F12 gives the sound of the tank being opened and the 'bag' being put in and water flowing, followed by the filler lid clanging shut again. And, of course F11 gives the sound of the handbrake being wound on once stopped (remember to press F11 again for the sound of it being wound off again before moving off!). This loco then moves on to a rake of wagons at the screens and propels them under to commence loading.

 

The tippler loco (in this case the Fowler diesel, today) is started up (DCC sound of donkey engine cranked and started, followed by main engine start). After idling a while to build up air pressure, the klaxon is sounded and it moves off to the fiddle yard to collect a train of full mineral wagons that have previously been left. Bur first it is used to release the paddy train loco from the dead-end siding and allow the paddy train loco to take the paddy train back to the mine.

 

Paddy train arrives at the mine, loco runs round and shunts the train off the loop.

 

Back at the tippler the Fowler shunts and empties the 4 mineral wagons and then propels them to the fiddle yard.

 

At the mine, the other rake of wagons are filled at the screens and are hauled out under the arch bridge and reversed to be propelled slowly over the weighbridge. Once weighed a lamp is hung from the drawhook of the last wagon and the train sets off for the fiddle yard.

 

On arrival at the fiddleyard the train engine is released by the tippler loco and then couples on to the waiting empties to return to the mine, whilst the tippler loco empties the fulls and so on...

 

When operations are to finish the locos return to their sheds, the diesel is switched off (a nice running down sound to the engine). One steam loco is taken over the ash pit whilst the other takes on water. One moves directly off the pit to the shed and the other moves onto the pit before going to the shed.

 

All of that took about 1 1/2 hours and it takes quite a bit of concentration to run three trains, work the tippler and fill the wagons with coal without it overflowing! I also ran a second coal train but loaded with larger lumps of coal. The third hopper will be for the smaller size coal and the fourth (if I ever get around to it) will be for waste, to load the Hudson tipper wagons.

 

 

 

 

John Fowler 040DM peering out of the tippler loco shed.

 

Jervis at the water tank.

 

 

Edited August 10, 2017 by Ruston

[Barry O]

No. I haven't tried that. How do you mean, exactly

 

I use a paint brush to put some water down silver ink onto the wood then "work" at it with a piece of foam sponge to give the wood a "used" appearance. I don't use a lot of ink and use it in patches where the paint has fallen off

 

 

Example of an On3 American box car

[Ruston]

A couple more...

 

Instead of having to keep calling it "the tippler loco" and "the tippler shed", I've decided this side of the layout is to be Royal Oak sidings, from the real NCBOE sidings and disposal point at British Oak, near Crigglestone. Royal Oak also fits in with the naval theme for my loco names.

 

The tippler, now with guard rails.

 

Edited August 10, 2017 by Ruston

[Newtz1981]

Benches and clutter for the inside of the locomotive shed. Benches based on those at Marley Hill shed on the Tanfield Railway. This is the part of building a layout that I really like and why 7mm scores over the smaller scales.

 

 

 

 

These look amazing!!

 

Where did you get them? I've been looking for items like this for ages.

Edited August 10, 2017 by Ruston

[Ruston]

These look amazing!!

 

Where did you get them? I've been looking for items like this for ages.

Thanks.

 

The benches are scratch-built and the tools, oil cans etc. are from various sources - Duncan Models, Severn Models, Skytrex, Ixion, Phoenix etc.

[Narrow Gauge Jordan]

Hi Dave, 

 

Just caught up with this thread, the layouts looking awesome but i'm particularly interested with your YEC 0-4-0 DH, I know the owner of 2, although they don't have the fuel tanks on the running boards. They are very nice locos and I can't wait to see yours finished. I have a fondness for YEC locos as working in Scunthorpe Steelworks I got to see a fleet of YEC Janus locos roaming around the works on a daily basis and then working on YEC 1382 with the Industrial Diesel & Railway Preservation Group on weekends

 

Hey Ruston - looks like a nice little conversion you are doing there. Any particular prototype in mind? Looks similar to the Closterworth Yorkshire Engine Co 0-6-0 at Rutland. Do you have any other details or links to drawings you are working off here?

Top job.

J

 

The loco you are referring to J is YEC 0-6-0DE 'Half Janus' 1382, it is currently at the Geoffrey Briddon Building at Peak rail undergoing restoration by the Industrial Diesel & Railway Preservation Group, If you go to their Facebook page it will show you the current progress. 

 

Jordan

[Ruston]

I have made some progress on the Yorkshire diesel. Engine compartment doors now have overlays, made from plasticard. The rods and brake gear are on and most of the handrails have been made and fitted. The front and rear handrails that come with the kit are truly awful things and are more suited to Scarborough seafront than a locomotive. The cab has been glazed using thick clear plastic from an Oxford diecast car box. I had tried putting thin plastic on the inside and building it up with "glue 'n' glaze" but it was a complete disaster.

 

The chassis/frames on this kit are a simple fold-up affair but are very narrow. So narrow that whitemetal spacers are provided to fit over the axles before fitting the wheels. I have built the width of the frames up using thick plasticard overlays.

 

PHOTO UNAVAILABLE THANKS TO PHOTOBUCKET MUPPETS

 

The rear handrails need to be made and fitted, the engine compartment door handles ditto. The originals were cast on to the body and had to be filed off before I could fit the overlays. Sandpipes to add too and then a light weathering.

 

The tippler now has a set of controls and an operator, complete with brake stick and bothy. I don't know if brake sticks are something you just don't notice because they're so small, or if no one ever models them?

 

PHOTO UNAVAILABLE THANKS TO PHOTOBUCKET MUPPETS

Edited August 11, 2017 by Ruston

[Ruston]

The Yorkshire is finished, sound-chipped, and has entered service as National Coal Board North Eastern Division Area No.6, loco 15.

 

Propelling 21-tonners toward the weighbridge.

 

Ready to depart for the exchange sidings.

 

Arriving at the exchange sidings.

 

it's slightly noisy but I'm hoping that will go with running-in. The fold-up chassis, being rigid, and my trackwork being prototypically rough, means I am going to fit a keep-alive. There is one particular set of points that it cuts out on. No other loco has problems on this and I put it down to the weight of this thing - it's flippin' heavy, being whitemetal!

Edited August 10, 2017 by Ruston

[Ruston]

Nice stuff, and nice photos.

Isn't that the point?

I meant mechanical noise. There's some grating with the worm and gear at higher speeds. I wonder if grinding paste, the sort you used to lap valves into car cylinder heads, would help?

[wagonbasher]

I know.

I also should know that deadpan humour really doesn't come across well on-line!

Also if the loco is noisy it is not obvious on the photographs.

 

Andy

[Ian Smeeton]

Tooth paste was mentioned in another recent post to help reduce noise between worm and gear.

 

I am sorry that I can't remember where exactly on the forum that it was.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[rope runner]

That's lovely Dave, one wonders if the DJH 02 model can be similarly modified!

 

Paul A. 

[Ruston]

That's lovely Dave, one wonders if the DJH 02 model can be similarly modified!

 

Paul A. 

Would that be the 4mm kit? I don't see why not. I began the conversion, for River Don Works, on a loco that I built years ago. It's still in bits though and will now probably never be finished.

[Andrew Young]

Very nice job on the 'yellow peril' Ruston. They're distinctive looking locos and fits the scene perfectly. Remember being captivated by the NRM's ex BR version on one of my youthful visits to York.

 

Thanks for posting the overall view of the shed, shows what can be achieved in a modest space. Using DCC, do you find that the sound travels through the tunnel connecting the two halves? If so, must heighten the experience of standing at a location hearing a train approach long before you can see it.

 

The rural industrial look you've achieved does remind me of Foxfield, though no doubt there were plenty more examples of the ilk in days gone by.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[Ruston]

Using DCC, do you find that the sound travels through the tunnel connecting the two halves? If so, must heighten the experience of standing at a location hearing a train approach long before you can see it.

 

 

The sound definitely travels through the tunnel but it's difficult to tell how far the train has got. Sounding the horn (or whistle) helps.

[Ruston]

Yesterday I built the final hopper to fit inside the screens building. The design of these has been evolving and on this latest one I did away with the springs, thinking that if it is fixed then the motor/weight would shake just the spout and so be more efficient. It does seem to work better but the downside is that it shakes the entire building and makes the next hopper discharge its load! It's firmly fixed in place and I can't be bothered to take it out now so it will have to be used to load wagons only when the adjacent hopper has been emptied.

 

With the hopper for waste also operational I now have all four roads capable of loading wagons, and with all the buildings constructed and in place and the tippler fully working, the layout is in a state of near completion. There is still work to be done on details and additional greenery, and the possible construction of a low sleeper-built platform for the paddy train.

 

The next big thing will be to build up a collection of private owner wagons so different time periods can be operated by switching BR stock for PO's, changing/removing road vehicles and by using the less modern steam locos and no diesels. I'm thinking Second World War so PO's can be used from any company and region.

[5050]

Tooth paste was mentioned in another recent post to help reduce noise between worm and gear.

 

I am sorry that I can't remember where exactly on the forum that it was.

 

Regards

 

Ian

I use it on new metal gears with some oil or grease as a running in aid.  When it's been bench run for a while I clean it off and then lubricate as normal.

[Ruston]

I've been thinking about the loco coaling facilities at Royd Hall shed and how a bloke with a couple of buckets isn't a very good way of coaling some of the larger locos, such as the 15-inch Hunslets. So I bought a die-cast Fordson Major, at Leeds exhibition, last week.

 

I've scratched the hydraulics, arms and bucket from card and plasticard. I wonder if a tractor such as this, with a loader, ought to have a counterweight attached to the 3-point linkage at the rear?

Edited February 15, 2023 by Ruston

[Guest Isambarduk]

" I wonder if a tractor such as this, with a loader, ought to have a counterweight attached to the 3-point linkage at the rear?"

 

Well, it would certainly be a good idea; it would make steering a lot easier and it would improve the stability to have more weight on the rear wheels (the front axle being pivoted for compensation only).  From my experience on farms, the rear counter weight was usually just a 50 gallon drum, or an old water tank, filled with concrete and an arrangement made for some pins to fit the three-point linkage.  Either of these would be a simple exercise for a master modeller!  :-)

 

David