john dew

Thanks Bob.........I had forgotten all about that......had to check the layout when I first read your post! Regards John

Don't know about inspiration.......I got most of my weathering ideas from you and Tony. So it's very encouraging that you both approve.....many thanks for the comments John

Work stained 56xx 6694 on its way from Bersham Colliery to Granby

You may recall that a few weeks ago I relaid the branch junction by the goods yard. It was painted and ballasted but the ballast was not glued down until I had thoroughly tested it. The last test was to run the long coal trains to and from the colliery. Here is the up train headed by 56 xx 0-6-2T approaching the junction On the other track two panniers (specially for Tony) wait to assist the train up Cynwyd bank. They have a while to wait......in model terms its quite a long train.....over 7' which is about the longest I can manage on a 20'x10' layout. Before running the train it got the weathering treatment I am rather pleased with the result........I think I have captured the work worn look that you expect to see on a loco that spends its day running to and from a colliery. Apart, that is, from lamps that are far too clean and the rather wobbly spare! This is another veteran from Granby II. Started life some 20 years ago as 5667. When ordering engraved plates Modelmaster didnt stock that number. No bad thing really because 5667, like most of the class, spent its life in South Wales. 6694, on the other hand was shedded at Croes Newyd (Wrexham) in 1950 .......success! I have tried to convey a sense of the length of the train with the following shots Fnally the Brake van emerges from the tunnel Meanwhile on the other side of the layout the empties train travels slowly past Granby Goods shed on its way back to the colliery. This is the same length as the Up train. My wide angle isnt quite up to the task! Here are some more interesting close ups 6698 (used to be 6600) was also shedded at Croes Newyd and sadly also has an over clean wobbly spare lamp Both trains successfully travelled more than once over the new point. I had a bit of a scare in the facing direction when one wagon derailed......but it turned out to be out of gauge and easily fixed. So all is well and I can fix the ballast and move on to the next stage of track relaying........riveting exciting shots next week! As an aside you may have noticed in recent weeks, but been too polite to mention it, the quality of my photography has deteriorated. Fortunately Phil C, of this parish was less polite, on another forum he bluntly told me he liked the locos but the photos were too grainy. I really appreciated the comment ............it made me re check my camera settings. I use a moderately expensive but, like its owner, ancient Pentax. It has a myriad of settings which I rarely use (or understand). I either point and shoot on green or set it on a tripod with a remote and set aperture priority at F22. Earlier this year I set ISO to auto. Not realising meant that in aperture priority mode the camera defaulted to a high ISO level, one assumes to keep exposure time to a minimum http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif. Once I set ISO at 100 the camera had to set a longer exposure to match the poor lighting and F22 aperture........some of the shots above took 6 seconds but do, I think, represent a distinct improvement on previous offerings. I will leave you with perhaps my favourite of this batch which hopefully captures the spirit of Granby !

Hi Robin Great photos...as always. I do wish you would stop having such good ideas......yet another job to add to Granby's ever lengthening to do list! P. Lagarist in Vancouver

Glad to see I am not alone in having all manner of projects on the go.......I guess it is part of the charm of the hobby........I will just have to curb my impatience at my inability to finish some of them in a timely fashion That was a great idea of yours Tinker to mix matt black and metallic paint (I used greasy steel) to get a heat sheen effect on the smoke box and chimney.....hopefully you can see it on some of the pannier shots.......I just tried it on the steam pipes and cylinders of a prairie... looks great....thank you. The temperature has continued to rise here (albeit not to your levels John)......35o forecast for today.....I may develop my own heat sheen . There are horrific forest fires in the interior and the smoke which has been evident for some days is now very noticeable.......its just like the thick smog I remember from Oldham and Manchester in the sixties......not nice at all Regards from a foggy Vancouver

Thanks for all the likes ........its always gratifying to know that my scribblings are appreciated This post is all about Panniers........its dedicated to Tony my internet friend and fellow northerner......albeit he now lives in Brisbane I am afraid I have developed an irritating habit of flitting like a butterfly from one project to another ........leaving a series of unfinished work in my wake. Am I alone in this I wonder? I have been detailing and weathering my Panniers off and on since January but somehow never got around to completing everything. We have had gorgeous weather here throughout July......too nice really to spend time in the railway room. So I packed up the paints and panniers and set up outside Like the prototype, Bachman's panniers are very versatile and ultra reliable. They have always been fully employed on Granby......no sitting around on display or on the shed sidings. In fairness there is one under the wheel drop but its not resting .....its very dead....one of the earlier split chassis versions. The automatic coupling and uncoupling sequences I run require very precise consistent stopping. Its surprising how the performance of identical locos can vary......even with same chip and cv settings .Rather than use a variety of locos, each routne has specfic locos allocated. The arrival of the 14xxs and the prairies finally being adapted to couple consistently meant some panniers were displaced and needed re allocating. So in addition to weathering, adding fire irons, engraved plates and coal I had to do some re- lamping. I also had to do some repositioning of crew .......I am afraid in the past I have cheated by only inserting one crew member into the viewing side of the pannier......murphy's law dictated that the re allocation meant some locos reversed their progress round the layout I have tried to make each pannier weathering unique, not from a production line, but at the same time clearly all acquired in the same locale. Here are some examples I have used assorted locos as the station pilot, Prairie,Collet and Dukedog have all been tried. I have finally settled on a Pannier...... 5771. This is my attempt at light weathering......I visualise the pilot being the shed pet. Previously I have coded the station pilot with white and red lamps at the ends of both buffer beams I am the proud owner of a 1933 (reprint 1945) GWR rule book and it makes fascinating reading! Rule 123 specifies a single red light at the centre of each buffer beam .......a detail hardly of great importance but it keeps me and hopefully Stationmaster Mike happy By way of contrast here is a heavily work stained 9643. It is destined to haul a short coal train on the lower level once I have completed the relay of the hidden sidings 5778 is the goods yard shunter. The shunters truck is permanently hooked up. The infill in the yard leaves a lot to be desired.The truck (now re branded Granby) has had pick ups added and a stay alive concealed in the tool box. And now two for the price of one Quite the contrast.......6757 is one of the most recent panniers whereas 7714 is my last operational split chassis......I guess it must be 15+ years old. So old that Modelmaster didnt stock engraved plates for its original # 7768.........so it was renumbered to 7714 (still have to do the buffer beams) which was shedded at Birkenhead in 1950. I dont insist that all locos on Granby should have a local connection but when I am obliged to renumber/rename I try and select numbers that were shedded in the North West. Guess who punched in 7714 without changing the Cv and wondered why it remained motionless These two are set up as a consist (very easy with RR&Co) and act as bankers for the trains from Bersham Colliery when they climb the fearsome incline from the lower level Finally a parade (or a pride?) of panniers........all done and dusted (literally) Regards from Vancouver where it is forecast to hit 30o today.........the old Fahrenheit conversion of doubling Centigrade and adding 30 makes it very hot indeed

Took the words out of my mouth.....that's exactly what I was about to write

That's a great idea to reproduce heat sheen.......I use Vallejo acrylics so I will experiment with Matt black and a smaller proportion of steel. What do you recommend for the cylinder casings (not sure if that is correct) Regards

That is very kind of you Tony. As you know one can never have too many Panniers, but I know you are a sensitive soul so I didn't bother with focus stacking! Cheers

Progress indeed Mr Duck........looks great. You must be very pleased. Best wishes

I returned to live in Formby for a few years and I used the service a couple of times in the early sixties......amazing it was still running. "Back side of Liverpool" is a good description. Once It left the electrified line at Bankhall (?) it was a very tortuous route through tunnels and grimy sandstone cuttings. Once again you are very kind about Granby....thank you Best wishes John

To start here is a shot of the autocoach being propelled over the dodgy point........success! http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/thumbsup1.gif The derailing problem problem was not caused solely by the poor rail connection (now corrected). It was cleverly situated over the junction of three baseboards......none of which aligned quite as precisely as one might wish http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif. I did mention this was one of my earlier attempts at track laying! A considerable amount of time was spent shimming and attempting to create smoother gradients. In consequence the under board peco motor was replaced by yet another surface mounted motor......connected to a DCC Concepts polarity switcher so I could retain the existing wired up electrofrog .......I would have been infuriated if I had been forced to substitute an insulfrog turnout. Signal Box stored in yard while track and sleepers were painted. The entire section is now ballasted but not yet PVAd. I want to give it time to settle while I try all the branch locos over both turnout directions.........so far so good but I want to run the long coal trains through the junction before finalising. There is a slight rattle and roll but nothing too horrific.......it is, after all, a hardworking secondary branch line. Last week I mentioned the LMS Granby-Birkenhead service which has been a bit neglected of late. Here is the three car non corridor set approaching Platform 3. Its hauled by 1202 Ivatt 2-6-2. Its an original split chassis which I have had for nearly 20 years now..........total pain to convert to DCC but a brilliant runner. As a boy most of my train travelling was on the Liverpool-Southport electric line. So great excitement when twice a day the Ivatt used to haul the "London train" (a couple of caches I recall) to and from Southport to Liverpool Edgehill where it hooked up to the Lime Street-Euston train Weathering is the hot topic of the year on Granby but I am ashamed to admit the subtle covering of dust on the Ivatt had nothing to do with me......other than neglect. By way of contrast to the Ivatt introduced in 1946, the relief loco in the foreground is an ex Lancashire and Yorkshire 2-4-2T built between 1889 and 1911! More nostalgia one of these apparently ran on the Wirral Railway.......before coming to Canada we lived about 400 yards from the old track bed.......long since converted to the Wirral Way. I have to bite the bullet and paint these coach roofs......I have done the corridor stock so these guys really stand out. I do wish Hornby would produce non corridor GWR stock of a similar standard. The only non corridor GWR RTR coaches are B Sets. The difference is so great I try and avoid running them together! Having completed a loco exchange the Lanky tank heads back to Birkenhead.........actual the storage sidings where there is a duplicate train which is leaving for Granby. The two trains pass at the entrance to the sidings.....it was quite a complicated routine to set up with RR&Co......I keep threatening to do a video http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/scratchchin.gif In the relief road my latest acquisition an ex LNWR 0-6-2 Coal Tank built 1891-7! Quite authentic for Granby ...they ran out of Wrexham (less certain about the Lanky tank but nostalgia rules) Although designed to haul coal trains their performance was deemed inadequate for such heavy trains and they became general maids of all work including short haul ordinary passenger trips. I dont really need another LMS loco let alone a tank but I couldnt resist this one. I find them quite fascinating. There is no doubt Bachmann have mastered the art of producing highly detailed LMS work horses. There was some doubt about the pick ups fouling points but there is no problem with mine. She is run in,chipped, RR&Co profiled and ready to go. My second Ivatt will have a well earned rest and 7841 will soon be a regular performer on the Birkenhead run Hope you enjoyed this post......thought I would finish with this

You were in Canada ........Hope you had a great time. Cheers John

Hi Phil I need to get my head around the DCC BUS set up too as well as I really should create districts, or whatever they are called, with short protection. DCC Specialities PSX1 circuit breakers.......https://tonystrains.com/product/dcc-specialties-psx1-circuit-breaker/ ......are brilliant (no connection).......I am sure they are available in the UK although Tonys prices look pretty good I put mine in, in 2008 when I was learning about DCC and they have saved me a fortune! Now when I am older and wiser they still save the occasional expensive mistake and tons of time whenever a loco unexpectedly stops. Power Districts are useful (I have four each with a dedicated PSX1) but whatever you decide you really should have one reliable circuit breaker installed before running any locos. So pleased to see the layout progressing. Best wishes John

I should have let you know how I got on.....I am sorry......I guess I was waiting for perfection first.......It's a huge improvement but still not 100% reliable hence the "fine tuning"..... I was adding more weight and adjusting the position when the rear axle went. Now I am tempted to move it back up the list Kind regards

Glad you like the LMS Mogul Tinker......its on the list for weathering but it is a rather long list ..........I have far too many locos! I actually have two GWR split chassis moguls but one is in the workshop and the other in the display cabinet having been cannabalised to keep the other going. Sadly the pony truck on the "working" one derails on facing points all too frequently....I am not alone, there is a separate thread on the subject. 81C, of this parish, suggested I replace the truck with one from the SE Finecast Prairie kit. This was one of the goodies my family brought back from the UK and is now installed. There was a noticeable improvement and I was in the process of fine tuning when the plastic axle on the rear wheel went. I think I can replace it by robbing the display case loco...... but I finally saw the wood for the trees......I was spending far too much time on one marginal loco rather than weathering and operating all the other locos that run superbly..........so it is now on the might do list. Meantime I content myself by looking on with envy on ANTB as Robin's Mogul trundles around Brent and hoping against hope that Bachmann will eventually announce both a new Mogul and a Manor! Best wishes

Hi Tony Good to hear from you. I am afraid you are right about grime that seems to envelope Granby. Definitely not a case of "how green was my valley"! Apart, that is, from all the green shiny locos still waiting to be weathered! Once I had weathered a few panniers (still a a lot to do...you can never have too many panniers ), I realised how incongruous my pristine locos looked in the middle of Granby's grime. I have to say that your thread continues to be an invaluable resource for my loco weathering project (albeit not to your standard)...... many thanks Best wishes John

Last week I promised something completely different so you may be a bit confused by yet another shot of the low level branch http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif This is one of my "mea culpa" posts. After all I have always claimed this is a warts and all thread. The turnout in the centre was laid some 8 years ago.........before I realised the vital importance of at least 2-3 inches of straight connecting track! http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif The RH track leads to the canal bridge I showed last week. Its only used by Coal trains to and from Bersham and the Autotrain. There is an ugly jerk and wobble as these trains transit the point but provided the autocoach is propelled towards Cynwyd (as shown last week) all is well...sort of. If it is pulled however it derails. http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_twisted.gifhttp://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_eek.gif. Embarrassing perhaps but not really a problem until recently With the arrival of the Hattons 14xx I no longer need to hardwire the loco to the autocoach and a very large stay alive. So now I want to reverse the train orientation so the autcoach is pulled into Cynwyd where it can be backed into the trailing bay. Between trips, as per the prototype the 14xx, can be uncoupled and shunt the yard. So after 8 years of turning a blind eye.....the point has to be fixed. There is also another reason for doing this The LH branch of the turnout leads round to the other side of the layout where there are two storage sidings under Granby station Underneath the Pub and double decker buses there is a Code 100 ( insulfrog) doubleslip..........hence all the observation ports.........enabling all sorts of loco exchanges and shunting operations. It seemed like a good idea at the time but In reality it proved far too complicated under cover, particularly with a dodgy exit turnout. So the use of over 8 feet of track (x2) has been confined to a Lima Rail Car which ,fitted with a stay alive and proper bogies, will go almost anywhere! Time to adopt the KISS principle. Once the turnout is fixed the slip will go and I will set up a simple low covered circuit which will add to the branch traffic even if it is roundy roundy.........fortunately I had the common sense to make the street scene moveable. http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_surprised.gif First things first......remove a decent section of the track either side of the point Watch this space for progress reports! Meantime for something really different. I may have mentioned that I recently had what is deemed to be a significant birthday. My family clubbed together and bought me this rather splendid addition to Granby's LMS roster The elderly split chassis LMS 4-6-0s have all been retired for some time now. After a diet of suburban tanks and a 3F at last the trainspotters at the end of platform 3 have something to get excited about: Bachmann's LMS Stanier Mogul.............I guess if I have to keep waiting for a new GWR mogul this is a pretty acceptable substitute. http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/small.gif LMS activity at Granby is now mostly freight and suburban services but I do run one secondary express service ....perfect for my new loco Best wishes from Vancouver

Wow! I am quite breathless after that stream of updates. You have been busy. I do admire your display case.......I have one but it is not wide enough Cheers John

Congratulations on the " promotion ".......I had a few of those. Mind you, your new office must be an improvement on a shipping container? Cheers John

http://modelrailcommand.com/images/emoticons/beaver.gifhttp://modelrailcommand.com/images/emoticons/moose.gifhttp://modelrailcommand.com/images/emoticons/beaver.gif HAPPY CANADA DAY I thought I would celebrate Canada's 150th birthday by wrapping up my 14xx posts......showing the auto train on its regular journey from Cynwyd to Brymbo Canal St Halt. Rolling past Cynwyd coal yard Thence past the Cynwyd goods yard The eagle eyed will note that with headlamp and driver the train now appears to be heading back to Cynwyd http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_redface.gif......for the sake of the story just ignore it.....I rather like the shot and it shows that after 15 years I have finally got round to painting over the bell. Having picked up the token the train now squeezes between the Creamery and Ivor Price's Woolen Mill. and then over the Shropshire Union Canal Past Richard's Wharf and into the tunnel to Bersham Colliery. Apology..... any resemblance between my place names and the area around Wrexham is quite accidental http://yourmodelrailway.net/images/emoticons/icon_lol.gif. Hopefully the next shots from the other side of the duck under put the journey into context with the main layout. In the foreground, on the viaduct, a BSet from Ruabon approaches Granby on the main line, while below the auto train enters Bersham tunnel which is situated below Granby Shed and Carriage sidings. Bersham is actually a hidden kickback storage siding which enables me to put Canal St Halt in a dead corner at the entrance to the train room 1407 is now propelling the auto coach back over the locks to the Halt. The kickback journey may appear unrealistic but I believe there were a number of precedents on the prototype. It certainly suits my purpose because it is an ideal introduction to the railway for visitors . The routine runs completely automatically and shuttles back and forth while more exotic trains are running above on the main lines Hope you enjoyed this.....next post something completely different

Millicast do a 1/76 Comet kit for 14.50 GBP which looks promising

Millicast do a 1/76 Comet kit for 14.50 GBP which looks promising

Thanks Sierd That's very useful............Comets had completely slipped under my radar. Unfortunately the Revel model doesn't seem to be available. There is quite a dearth of WW II tanks it seems Some of the Cromwells were kept in service after the war as "funnies".......flails for mineclearing or bridge layingetc with RE Assault Squadrons....first and only time I drove a tank as a teenage cadet at Arrowe Park. It's all getting a bit of a faff......I really want something ready to plonk.....I will keep digging. Thanks again for the info Regards John