Brettell Road - Shuffling and testing

myoxall
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby myoxall » Tue Apr 10, 2018 2:50 pm

Hi,

What about a sign or name board painted on the brickwork of the building on the opposite side of the road with only half of it showing due to the gates being open? It may give some idea of depth. Possibly someone appearing to wait outside of the gates on the opposite side of the road. Just a thought.

Regards,

Martin

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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Tue Apr 10, 2018 2:55 pm

I wasn't all that happy with the positioning of the yard lamps shown last time. The one on the right masked the tail lights on the lorry (as several people didn't notice them) and it didn't do enough to light up the entrance to the yard. Leading a couple of people to enquire how the lorries actually got in. So I've had a bit of a fiddle.
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I've moved the light further along so that the back of the lorry is in shade. This on its own didn't do enough to illuminate the gate area so...
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I've added headlights to the lorry. (this picture was taken on a phone). They are much to bright really but you can't see them from the front of the layout anyway.
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Here is what I was aiming for. Again its too bright for a lorry of that era but I'm happy with a bit of artistic licence for effect. You can see the difference when the headlights are blocked (on the left).

I have also been busy with more AK interactive wet effects fluid. Below are a few overviews that give a better hint of the rain.
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Finally another video, time for another cuppa and a biscuit!
Jim Smith-Wright

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Over thinking often leads to under doing!

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Noel
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby Noel » Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:10 pm

Very impressive, Jim. I can only admire your artistry. However, may I suggest that you might wish to have a word with the guard about his lights ;) ?
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Noel

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Knuckles
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby Knuckles » Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:21 pm

Can never get get bored of seeing your updates. Everything to my eye is always as perfect as a model can be, many pictures, especially night shots genuinely look like photographs of a real railway. Atmosphere oozes.

I aspire to this type of look and effect.

Just enjoyed watching your Co-Bo wombling along too. All 17+ minutes of it.

Great stuff. :)
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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Tue Apr 10, 2018 8:26 pm

Noel wrote:Very impressive, Jim. I can only admire your artistry. However, may I suggest that you might wish to have a word with the guard about his lights ;) ?


It’s a quandary isn’t it? It’s not so bad in this scenario but as most trains change direction tail lamps are a bit awkward. I know you can get modelu ones that fit lamp irons but how practical are they at an exhibition?

Regards

Jim
Jim Smith-Wright

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Over thinking often leads to under doing!

Terry Bendall
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby Terry Bendall » Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:31 am

Noel wrote:However, may I suggest that you might wish to have a word with the guard about his lights


I noticed that but was too polite to say so. :) If it is a through layout then the brake van can be turned round in the fiddle yard at each end but if it is a terminus type then you are faced with the problem of the lamps being the wrong way round for half the time. Removable lamps is one solution but then the big hand from the sky comes in which may not be wanted.

On Elcot Road we have lamps fitted (and red blinds on the EMUs which are correct for the outward journey. On Longcarse West we assume that the tail lamps are fitted just "off stage" before the train leaves the yard.

Terry Bendall

BrockleyAndrew
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby BrockleyAndrew » Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:42 pm

Hello Jim

The photos look great. The way the (artificially) wet surfaces reflect the light really adds to the realistic look of the photographs.

Just a quick question about headlamps. I've nearly finished a 1930s saloon and am now interested in lighting the headlamps, but they are suspended externally on a wire frame....possible to light? I have looked up model car headlight lighting on the internet but the search terms are either too general or specific - this by way of apology for asking you! Best suppliers of lighting seemed to be dolls house suppliers?

Many thanks

Andrew

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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:21 am

Hi Andrew.

I think I know what you mean. What’s the vehicle you are modelling? I have an idea but want to see the actual vehicle first.

Cheers

Jim
Jim Smith-Wright

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Over thinking often leads to under doing!

BrockleyAndrew
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby BrockleyAndrew » Sat Apr 21, 2018 11:55 am

Hi Jim

It's a Scalelink 1/72 Riley Monaco saloon 1934. So the lamps sit on a wire in front of the radiator.

Thanks very much

Andrew

BrockleyAndrew
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby BrockleyAndrew » Sat Apr 21, 2018 5:39 pm

1934_Riley_Nine_open_4-seater.jpg


This sort of thing. I gather that, like the coachwork, your headlamps were reasonably bespoke and so there are various sizes, configurations etc.
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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Sun Apr 22, 2018 10:14 am

can you feed a 0.5mm fibre optic up the back of the wheel and through the fender into the lamp? That would be my approach.

On the subject of lighting...



I appreciate what Terry was saying about drivers wouldn't leave the lights on but again, a bit more artistic licence, This is again fibre optics.
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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Thu Apr 26, 2018 6:44 pm

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This is the view of the real inspiration behind Brettell Road. This is taken from Moor Street bridge looking towards Brettell Lane/Stourbridge. The remains of the sidings can just be made out to the right of the running lines. There is nothing to show it now but this location was, in 1858. the site of what was, at the time, Britain's worst rail disaster.

The story starts on the morning of the 23rd of August and the <span class="fw_sanitized">The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Company (which was known as the worse and worse, a nickname it never lost) had organised a day trip for Sunday School children from Wolverhampton to Worcester. In the event the ticket offices mostly ignored the instruction that the trip was for school kids and many sold the tickets to anyone. The train set out from Wolverhampton made up of a tender loco, 24 4 wheel coaches and a guards van (info is sketchy it seems that the guards van was a good van although apparently some guards coaches were included in the train).

It picked up passengers and vehicles along the way as by the time it arrived at Worcester it was made up of 2 locomotives, 42 coaches and at least 2 brake vans. The outward journey hadn't been without incident as they had coupling failures at Brettell Lane, Hagley, and Droitwich. It was estimated that there were between 1500 and 2000 passengers on board when it got to Worcester. The train was examined by the inspector of rolling stock at Worcester, the repaired or replaced side chains were replaced by four-link goods couplings before the return journey, but no attempt was made to repair or replace failed centre couplings as the inspector considered that a re-made screw coupling was weaker than the goods couplings.

For the return trip the train was divided into 2, the first being made up 2 tender engines, 28 carriages, and 2 brake Vans (one at each end). The other was made up one tender engine, 14 carriages and a brake van. The second train followed the first 15 minutes behind. The line was worked on the interval system, in which trains were allowed to follow the previous train without positive confirmation that it had reached the next station, relying instead on it having been an adequate time interval ahead at the last station. The guard on the first train was a man called Frederick Cook who it was alledged had allowed passengers into the brake van and even let them operate the brake while he played cards and drank with them. He was normally tasked with being the guard on freight trains and might not have been all that suited to passenger work.


The line from Brettell lane rises on a 1 in 75 gradient towards round oak so the second train had an additional engine added to cope with this at Stourbridge. It was after 8pm when the first train arrived at Round Oak, the second arriving at Brettell lane at about the same time. Reports say it was dark and there was a lot of smoke blowing across the tracks from the local factories. The train of the first crew hadn't spotted that another coupling had broken and 17 coaches and the brake van, with about 450 people on board were now rolling back towards Brettell lane. A porter tried to chase the carriages but they soon became to fast for him. The last hope was that the guard would stop the train. Frederick Cook was not on the train though, he was on the platform.

A telegraph message was sent the staff at Brettell Lane to warn them. Unfortunately the second train was actually departing the station at the time and the telegraph was missed. The second train was struggling with the incline and when the driver did spot the runaway, very late, he slammed on the brakes. Hit train slowing to 2mph at the point of impact. The free coaches were doing about 16 mph but construction at the time meant that the brake van and 2 coaches as good as disintegrated. 12 people died in the crash, 150 were injured of which 2 would pass away later. All of the victims were on the first train. The driver of the second was said to be 'shaken'. His loco had its buffers ripped off but was otherwise not too badly damaged.

Amazingly several hours later the track was cleared and the 2 trains carried on their journeys to Wolverhampton. Some of the injured getting back onboard as they just wanted to go home.

Frederick Cook claimed at inquest that he never left the train, that the brake hadn't held the train and he had jumped for his life at the last moment. He changed his testimony when it was established the brakes were off and he looked remarkably clean and uninjured for someone who had apparently jumped from a train doing 16 mph! Tests showed the brake would have held the train and he was charged with manslaughter but acquitted. Some alledge the jury was bribed.
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The view looking towards Round Oak/ Wolverhampton
Jim Smith-Wright

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Colin Parks

Re: Brettell Road

Postby Colin Parks » Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:07 pm

Thanks for sharing that tragic story with us Jim.

It does remind us of the human side of (railway) history.

All the best

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Andy W
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby Andy W » Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:01 am

Interesting and tragic story. Strange to hear of people taking day trips to Worcester - I spent my adolescence trying to escape from there!
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Noel
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby Noel » Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:06 am

It may well have been the farthest from home the great majority of the passengers had ever been...
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Noel

kelham
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby kelham » Wed May 02, 2018 6:50 pm

I suspect that if you lived in mid-19th century Wolverhampton then Worcester would seem like Paradise. Probably not a lot changed in relative salubriousness since!

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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Fri May 25, 2018 1:55 pm

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The point of the above picture is nothing more than the drainpipe. Yeah so what? you are no doubt thinking, we've seen this stuff before! Well you would be right but modelling this sort of stuff is now a lot easier thanks to some useful bits from Alan at Modelu. See https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product-cate ... -fittings/
I still need to add the actual gutters yet.
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Speaking of Modelu a couple of Alan's figures discuss the latest delivery of real ale to the pub. The chaps umbrella is actually a parasol intended for Z gauge. The lights and indicator on the lorry do work as can be seen in this little video of a wander around the layout.

For those who like to see things, here's a daylight version too!


Finally a couple of images starting with Brettell road trying to impersonate a small depot somewhere!
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Jim Smith-Wright

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Over thinking often leads to under doing!

Andrew Ullyott
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby Andrew Ullyott » Fri May 25, 2018 2:45 pm

Very nice Jim.
I've just noticed you're modelling the signal wires and rodding too. Very neat!
What did you use for the signal wires?

Terry Bendall
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby Terry Bendall » Sat May 26, 2018 8:06 am

Simply brilliant. :thumb

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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Sat May 26, 2018 1:03 pm

Andrew Ullyott wrote:Very nice Jim.
I've just noticed you're modelling the signal wires and rodding too. Very neat!
What did you use for the signal wires?


Just ezline https://www.modelscenerysupplies.co.uk/ ... -Line-Rust

HTH

Jim
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Over thinking often leads to under doing!

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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Thu May 31, 2018 8:04 pm

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Originally I wasn't going to really have 'through trains' on Brettell Road - the through line was only going to be used by the industrial shunter but like most of the plans for this layout it all went a bit wrong. So now that the branch is used by BR as well it made sense to have a short parcels train. I had already done a LMS GUV from the Lima model but in another hark back to my childhood train set I always liked my Lima Siphon G as well. I'm not quite sure what happened to the original one I had but I found a bashed up one on Ebay for a few quid and set to work.
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The Lima body has had the lower vents added from the cooper craft (ex blacksmiths) etch. Kindly picked up for me from Scalefour southwest last year by our own Steve Carter. The bogies are MJT on the brassmasters frames, as are the buffers, with small steps from the Frogmore Confederacy Range. The gangway is a Hornby DMU one which I cut into from the bottom and glued back together to give that characteristic drooped look.
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The other side with some of the vents left open.
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In terms of somewhere for the guard to sit, the good old Mainline LMS BG. just new handrails, glazing and underframe bits on this one.

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A couple of RTR wagons from Bachmann. The grain wagon has had its axleboxes replaces with Parkside spares and the brakes moved to line up with the wheels.
Finally below just a few images of my Jinty pottering about.
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Jim Smith-Wright

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Over thinking often leads to under doing!

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CDGFife
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby CDGFife » Fri Jun 01, 2018 1:56 pm

Ahh, the loco that started it all...….

Great stuff as ever Jim

Chris

Colin Parks

Re: Brettell Road

Postby Colin Parks » Fri Jun 01, 2018 2:54 pm

Really like the photos Jim.

The old Lima Siphon body does look very nice and the drooping Hornby gangway just adds that extra toach of realism. They had a good tool maker for the bodies of Lima products in those days. Mainline's tool maker however, seems to have been working to a slightly larger scale!

All the best,

Colin

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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Sat Jun 02, 2018 11:23 am

Lima’s tool makers certainly had something about them. They seemed to understand how to get the look even if all the dimensions are off. The class 117 DMU being a case in point. Looks like a 117 but pretty much everything is wrong or in the wrong place. Interestingly they fixed an awful lot of stuff when they did the 121
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Over thinking often leads to under doing!

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jim s-w
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Re: Brettell Road

Postby jim s-w » Sat Jun 30, 2018 5:12 pm

Afraid there's nothing new in this post, just tweaks of things already seen.
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Ok so you can't see this one really but in testing the parcels stock shown last time, this point wasn't as reliable as I liked. I have a view that all stock should go everywhere and while the parcels stuff probably wont run over this point at shows. it did show up the problem. To be honest its always been not quite right so having tracked down the problem to the nearest point blade the old one was removed and a new one filed up and put in its place. The old one and a few dead chairs can be seen in the ballast and I thought why not let the layout have a bit of its own history, so they are now firmly glued there.
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Looking the other way nothing more than a bit of oily track. After the initial coats of track grime and gunmetal I treated it with AK interactive wet effect and engine oil.
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At the recent Derby Show (where we were showing Moor Street) my friend and fellow layout operator Paul pointed out that railcar 14 had lamp irons on the nose. I dunno how I missed this. So given that I hadn't sorted the horns either (should be 4 not 2) I have set to work. I also found that there were cab end handrails and Dapol had missed the double door handrails as well.
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Another small tweak that I've been meaning to do is to sort out the cab side windows on the class 20. The original Bachmann ones slid open and like most RTR gimmicks were a bit naff. So using a spare pair of window frames from Extreme Etches that I had lying around I've fixed this little bug bear.
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My Derby lightweight was always a bit of a rush job for Scaleforum. The gap between the vehicles being much too big was the main eyesore!
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Closed up and a masokits gangway fitted.
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Another problem was that the on board lights lit up the cab. Some simple blinds from black paper resolved that.
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Moving on to the warehouse. I've finished the guttering and added a low handrail along the top of the wall. Although Brettell Road is set well before the health and safety culture we have now there was still a reasonable chance of a driver falling off the wall!
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A bit of the gutter has fallen off at some point. So some water stains and higher weeds below are the results.
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Jim Smith-Wright

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Over thinking often leads to under doing!


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