Blakeney: A M&GNJR never was

[john coffin]

well, at least one train went up to scotland, whilst another went into the Midlands.

Extra traffic possibilities at no cost!!!!!!!!

[jwealleans]

Does anyone have the loading information for the ESL showing how many wagons 3-5 trains might represent?

[john coffin]

Right, to add a little more light from Clark's book of 1967.

fishing traffic started on MGN from around 1891, this mainly for Herrings.
extra to the year round 3.30 from Yarmouth, was a special during the herring season at 6.55. By 1896 the 3.30
was called the Fast Fish and connected to GNR at Peterborough. Limit was 28 wagons.
From 1890's Cromer sent a train at 19.10 to Melton and South Lynn. 8 or less wagons were generally attached to 17.00 passenger
9 or more, left as a proper fish train, after 1896 it left at 20.15 for local areas only. Fish going further was attached to the
19.15 passenger for Melton.
After the turn of the century, fish trains left Lowestoft. By 1914 15.30, 17.37 and 19.00 first for York and Scotland. Called A class
train and with GNR vacuum vans. During WW1 7 trains a day in the season.
by 1920's 15.10 and 17.30 left Lowestoft, plus two from Yarmouth at the same time, whilst the Lowestoft train picked up any
vans left at Yarmouth. They were marshalled for Gloucester and Birmingham, next to the engine, then Manchester and Liverpool
next came vans for GNR destinations, Peterborough, York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick and Scotland. The train stopped at
Peterborough-Wisbech sidings to allow MR vans to be routed there, whilst the residue went on to Peterborough GNR.

By 1933 road traffic had impacted quite dramatically so the trains were reduced to only the 15.10 from Lowestoft and sometimes
a 17.30 from Yarmouth. After WW2 less than 6 vans were attached to the 18.15 passenger train from Yarmouth Beach, if more a special No 1
braked train Class C left Yarmouth at 18.45 in to Peterborough by 23.05.
From 1947 to 1950 2 class C rated trains, so probably at least 9 vans, left at 14.27 from Yarmouth, 16.08 from Lowestoft. The Yarmouth train
took LMS traffic via Peterborough. The second was also an LMS job, generally hauled by a 4F.
After 1951, it seems there was a policy of depleting the traffic on the MGN, so only GNR section trains left form Nottingham, Grantham and Grimsby,.

There was of course the return traffic of empty vans/wagons, the following day. Later there was also large quantities of fish boxes barrels and train loads of steam coal for the Herring fleet. Also there were Fish Worker Specials when the season was going on. Many from the Scottish railways.
so Highland, North British and GNS sponsored, but no details on type of rolling stock. Trains also came from the Caledonian via Little Bytham.
At the end of the season, up to 5 trains a day at the end of the season from Monday to Friday. These trains would include Highland carriages,
others GNS, Caledonian and Glasgow traffic too.

HTH

Paul

[Jim de Griz]

Thanks John, that is really interesting, I suspect I could definitely add a few more fish vans, probably older models. A dedicated fish train might be a step too far, but I'm not going to rule it out! I have an old Airfix 4F, maybe it needs a new job.

I've been refitting the signals with new mechanisms. Old Gaugemaster seep motors are out and DCC Concepts Cobalt SS motors are in.

The motors are now permanently attached to the signals with the whole assembly lifting out. Its a little less neat that I'd aim for in a new build, but functionally this is a replacement job.

These have proven to be quite easy to adjust to get the signal movement correct and their nature as plug and play devices was a big draw given that I will regularly need to remove the signals from the baseboard

Control boxes under the board, this was the power on test, I forgot to take a photo after I'd finished wiring everything up.

5 out of 6 signals are now working (the sixth keeps jamming) but critically all the station signals are now working again for the first time in 18 months. Working on camouflaging the joints currently.

It is remarkable how much the ability to properly dispatch trains with working signals improves my enjoyment of running the layout.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

Not new additions, but new life into old coaches

As mentioned elsewhere I've been experimenting with close coupling mechanisms. For the local sets, the Porterhouse pivoting magnets have been my choice as they are fairly easy to retrofit.

First up my ex-Midland coaches.

Whilst I had been aiming for a bit closer, the 2nd radius curves at the end of my layout dictated differently! These were my worst running coaches, also the first kit coaches I built, facts that are not coincidental! They now run smoothly though 90% of my point work and can actually be shunted around the station, which they wouldn't previously put up with. I'm fairly confident that once I sort out the problem point at the entrance to the carriage sidings they will comfortably be storable in there as well.

Guess that settles the question of why they were running poorly, my bad implementation of the Ratio/Parkside couplings.

I've given the same treatment to my ex-Triang Clerestories. These have never given me any bother in terms of derailments and fingers crossed continue to do so. The curved ends let them sit pretty close together which I admit to finding quite pleasing.

Behind them you can see the ex-LNWR 'Leicester Set'. They have been refitted as well, though I didn't bother with a picture as visually you can't tell the difference when they are in the station, the Ratio couplings already had them fairly close together. They look better on the move though as they don't separate anywhere near as much.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

Its obviously time for the station contest as the porter has been detailed to sort out the station 'rockery'.

It is a touch large, its primary purpose being to hide two point motors, but it certainly adds a dash of colour. Maybe a little too much colour, I'm definitely going to have to add some planters on the platform so it sticks out a little less.

Though the porter will be in trouble once the station master notices that the words are visible from a coach, but are pretty obscured by the flowers from platform level.

I was lucky enough to spot this potted flowers on a second hand stall so they have been added to one of the cottages to try and make the 'rockery' less conspicuous as the only 'planted' flowers on the layout.

Longer term I intended to add a few vegetable gardens (particularly for the signalman) and other signs of people actually living in the houses.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

As I've not had the time to work on my locomotives, I've been working on scenery.

All four cottages now have planted gardens, with a mixture of vegetables and flowers. The greenhouse and cold boxes are all kit bashed from a Parkside kit, the original models being far to big for the gardens they were going into. A little old company loyalty going on there as the wooden green house has been painted in the M&GNJR station colours.

The signalman is also getting in on the act, two planters are being prepared for a small vegetable plot, the station master is very firm that these will be painted in the new corporate colours, so they will need to be painted green. I'm wondering if I should take the opportunity to replace the ash path with a boardwalk as those seemed fairly common, but I think I'd need to give a bit more thought as to where the signalman would be walking before I do that. I'd also need to consider how I'd want them to cross the point rodding and indeed the points themselves.

Interesting the photo shows up all sorts of issues with the point rodding that simply isn't visible to the naked eye. Before I took that picture I thought there was one rod that needed fettling to get back into alignment, apparently there are a few that need adjustment....a certain level of practicality will be applied where I honestly cannot see the misalignments without a magnifying glass.

I'm also looking at adding some planters on the platform so I can add more flowers. One snag is I cannot find any pictures of such planters on M&GNJR platforms. I'm still looking, but I'm not sure it was M&GNJR practice, though I know it was on other railways.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

Planters are in.

I'm fairly pleased, but the more I look at the scene the more I'm realising I'm not 100% happy with how this looks, the original plan had been to put a planter on either side of the footpath running away from the signal box, but it occurred to me that the lower set would be in the way of the signalman as he handled single line tokens. Moving all the boxes above the path solves that problem, but leaves the scene looking unbalanced. (I'm also not sure that having two of the planters so close to the headhunt would be a good idea in practice)

I could add a 4th box to balance out the scene, but I think I need to work out what infrastructure and paths I need to add before adding extra details.
Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

I decided to set myself a bit of a challenge and build a Whitaker Tablet Apparatus from scratch.

Why?

A: Because they are a distinctively feature of the M&GNJR, but also
B: Because no-one seems to make a M&GNJR version in OO (There is a S&D version available)

....I also may have seen this on a recent visit to the North Norfolk

Any idea how I rotate that, it is showing upright on my computer and I promise I wasn't lying down when I took it!

Fortunately the LMS Society has not only published drawings on their website of the Whitaker Apparatus, along with pictures of its use on the S&D, they have also published pictures of its use on the M&GNJR. Those have been a great help.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

I choose 0.9mm brass rod as the base material. It looked the closest to the size I needed and I figured it would be a good opportunity to practice soldering.

Only two attempts to get to that point, a marked improvement for me.

The tapered cylinders were unused components from a Parkside cattle dock. Originally they were solid, so I drilled holes for the brass rod to pass through.

I then needed to build up the cast base with its distinctive fins. 0.25mm plasticard was cut to shape and then glued to the rod. This took quite a bit of fettling and notably two of fins in the below photograph were replaced before I was satisfied.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

Catching mechanism and counter weight/hand mechanism to do.

These are all tiny (the tablet holder is about 4mm across, the catcher 6mm long) and I can't say plasticard was the ideal material. But, lacking the tools to use brass, needs must.

The catcher took a few attempts to get the shape right. I decided to make it out of one piece, bent to shape and then glued to the lower arm after flattening the brass rod to create a receiving surface. (The blue marks are from the marker I used to gauge the distances, it is sufficiently small that the width of the marker was a suitable unit of measure)

I had hoped to build up the catcher from three parts (as per the prototype), but the result was too thick, so had to settle for one piece cut to a presentative shape. I did add separate counter weight pieces at the back to improve the outline.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

Hand mechanism turned out to be fairly straight forward.

My original plan was to use a spare counter weight from a signal kit, but those turned out to be too large.

Fortunately I had some ratio single rail stanchions in my stores bin (for another project). The stanchions themselves are far too small, but the injection points on the sprue (I assume that is what they are) between the stanchions were almost perfect for my purposes once cut down and cleaned up.,

The current state of play is below.

Now to decided which colour it should be painted.

The existing example is a very striking maroon and white, which I admit to be very tempted to copy. B&W imagery from the era suggests a two tone approach might well be appropriate, but the contrast between the two parts doesn't suggest maroon and white to me....

As I'm aiming for 1936-38, Green might be a safe bet, but pure green doesn't seem to be backed up my the (limited) evidence.

[Edit] Digby's Guide to the M&GNJR has the post red and the moving apparatus white. This is also shown in BR days in the M&GNJR in Colour books (abet with the gears etc black as per the image from the North Norfolk) The colour images also suggest this apparatus gets rather dirty in service, which might explain the lack of contrast in the black and white images.

One final problem will be positioning. The best position would be tricky for the signalman to reach, I've identified a more reasonable location, but that might not be outside the loading gauge. Bit of careful experimentation needed here.

Jim de Griz.

[Jim de Griz]

Apparatus is complete

Final location isn't really satisfactory, but is the only place I could put it that would be accessible by the signalman and still be 'effective' in doings its job of collecting tablets.

Jim de Griz

[Jim de Griz]

At the same time I've been working on adding wooden walkways and covers for point rodding. The M&GNJR seemed very hot on that later in particular, I've only seen one picture of rodding not getting a cover when it goes under the track and I have to assume that is the exception.

I'm considering darkening the wood a bit, looks too new and clean, but I do like the effect. I feel the walkways help tell more of a story with an obvious path leading from the workers cottages to the signal box and engine shed.

My concern is the area in front of the signal box is starting to look too cluttered, too congested. Ultimately, the signal box is too close to tracks and could do with being moved further back and a little to the right. Problem is, the rest of the scenery is fitted around the signal box and I'd have to move all of that as well.....I'll think on it, but there are probably higher priority jobs to do. (The station being first and foremost now)

Jim de Griz