The Heybridge Railway, 1889 to 1913
- Thread starter Richard Gawler
- Start date
adrian
Flying Squad
An intriguing industrial chassis there. I was going to comment on the point of the compensated axles when the coupling rods were solid but then realised that the centre wheels are just free wheeling, but then bolted in hornblock plates!
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
Here is a closer look at the chassis. We can see how the builder changed the design part way through the build.
The vendor told me, it proved too difficult to arrange articulation in the side rods with such a compact wheelbase.
Anyway, it runs really well with all six wheels planted firmly on the track all the time.
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
I have marked a centre wheel with a felt pen and I can confirm, the axle is rotating not sliding.
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
I wanted a photo to send to the person who sold me the C53.
I had explained, I had managed only one wagon build last year so I wanted to show the two together.
I tried a second photo with the running-in board removed (because this casts such a shadow) but the first attempt was better. Thank goodness for digital photography, I could never manage anything like this with film.
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Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
I took the C53 to NEEGOG this morning.
The group's test track has the tiniest of gradients and the loco managed to get round with six wagons but not seven.
The loco does however manage a fair turn of speed which is not practical at home.
There is room to put some lead inside the model and I am sure this would increase its hauling capacity, but six wagons is more than enough at home so I expect I will leave well alone.
My thanks again to the youngest member of the group, still a teenager and with nimble fingers able to couple this lot up far quicker than I can manage.
Ian@StEnochs
Western Thunderer
Only add enough weight to enable the loco to pull its required load. No sense carting extra weight around and incurring additional wear.
Ian.
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
Returning home I have discovered the loco can propel barely 1.5 times its own weight on level track. I suggest, the chassis compensation is placing a chunk of the locomotive's weight onto the unpowered central axle where it does nothing useful. The chassis would produce more traction if the leading axle rocked and the centre axle was lightly sprung. This would put more of the weight of the model onto the two driven axles.
simond
Western Thunderer
That’s likely true, Richard, but if four wagons weigh less than your loco…
I’m sure you’ve checked that the free axle is turning freely, and is adequately lubricated.
Whilst Ian’s comment above makes perfect sense, I tend to a different criterion, the sine qua non is that the loco should not be so weighted that it cannot always spin its wheels at max throttle when driven up to the buffers., or something similarly immobile.
This probably matters more for DCC fitted locos where the decoder will ramp up the power to try to maintain speed, than for DC where the hand tends to be on the throttle.
I’m sure you’ve checked that the free axle is turning freely, and is adequately lubricated.
Whilst Ian’s comment above makes perfect sense, I tend to a different criterion, the sine qua non is that the loco should not be so weighted that it cannot always spin its wheels at max throttle when driven up to the buffers., or something similarly immobile.
This probably matters more for DCC fitted locos where the decoder will ramp up the power to try to maintain speed, than for DC where the hand tends to be on the throttle.
Ian@StEnochs
Western Thunderer
I couldn’t agree more re spinning wheels/motor protection.
However as a builder of, mostly, smaller prototypes, I have never managed to find enough space for weight to overcome the power of the motor. Even with a portly whitemetal crew and well weighted tender front bearing down on the rear, my lead packed, big boilered, 240 class 4-4-0 still spins her wheels.
Ian.
You don’t directly say, but I’m presuming from your comments the issue is slipping? So not lack of power, lack of adhesion.
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
Oh yes, the problem is slipping not stalling. The model has a Buhler motor, there is masses of power on tap.
The loco runs really well. The suspension is keeping all six wheels on the track and there is no hesitation on crossings; and the performance is enough for the short trains on the Heybridge Railway. Yes taking the model to a group meeting and watching it haul twenty wagons would be a tick in a box but won't bring me any long-term benefit.
I see this loco as representing a short-term replacement for 'Blackwater' or 'Heybridge' during their maintenance off-site. So I will keep its analogue control to match what they have. There is only room on the layout to run one of these at a time. Of course, operations can readily demand its appearance far more often than any historical basis might have really required
The loco runs really well. The suspension is keeping all six wheels on the track and there is no hesitation on crossings; and the performance is enough for the short trains on the Heybridge Railway. Yes taking the model to a group meeting and watching it haul twenty wagons would be a tick in a box but won't bring me any long-term benefit.
I see this loco as representing a short-term replacement for 'Blackwater' or 'Heybridge' during their maintenance off-site. So I will keep its analogue control to match what they have. There is only room on the layout to run one of these at a time. Of course, operations can readily demand its appearance far more often than any historical basis might have really required
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
Three weeks ago I had ordered some solder paste to try out with the RSU.
The solder paste didn’t turn up, so I ballasted Heybridge Basin.
The layout looked so much better I mocked-up a farrier's building to hide the exit to the fiddle yard.
This would look better if the end of the backdrop board was fixed not hanging in mid-air, so I made an end cheek for the fiddle yard and fixed up the backdrop.
This worked out so well I made a similar assembly for the other end of the fiddle yard (I’ve spared everyone from this so far).
Looking at the ballasted layout I really needed to have a stab at a lighting rig to confirm the colouring. Lighting equipment was duly ordered and tried out. The order was incomplete and the shortfalls arrived last week, but I probably don’t need them. This is also too incomplete to post.
Along the way the GER C15 was advertised and I snapped it up because I’d already had two wagons from the same source. I would love to build one myself, and its predecessor the G15 too, but they are so far down my list of priorities it is really useful to be able to buy one ready-made to jump the queue.
Since then I’ve been thinking about the structure of the lighting rig, and I have forgotten to telephone a supplier of aluminium sections for over a week.
“So what?” you might be thinking. Well, I have mentioned an idea of “serious” modellers in correspondence but I am sure this was the wrong word. The word I wanted was “focussed”.
This is not focussed. This is in fact impossible to use. I have had a tidy up, and this week might be more focussed
The solder paste didn’t turn up, so I ballasted Heybridge Basin.
The layout looked so much better I mocked-up a farrier's building to hide the exit to the fiddle yard.
This would look better if the end of the backdrop board was fixed not hanging in mid-air, so I made an end cheek for the fiddle yard and fixed up the backdrop.
This worked out so well I made a similar assembly for the other end of the fiddle yard (I’ve spared everyone from this so far).
Looking at the ballasted layout I really needed to have a stab at a lighting rig to confirm the colouring. Lighting equipment was duly ordered and tried out. The order was incomplete and the shortfalls arrived last week, but I probably don’t need them. This is also too incomplete to post.
Along the way the GER C15 was advertised and I snapped it up because I’d already had two wagons from the same source. I would love to build one myself, and its predecessor the G15 too, but they are so far down my list of priorities it is really useful to be able to buy one ready-made to jump the queue.
Since then I’ve been thinking about the structure of the lighting rig, and I have forgotten to telephone a supplier of aluminium sections for over a week.
“So what?” you might be thinking. Well, I have mentioned an idea of “serious” modellers in correspondence but I am sure this was the wrong word. The word I wanted was “focussed”.
This is not focussed. This is in fact impossible to use. I have had a tidy up, and this week might be more focussed
The Beast of Heybridge
New
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
Ahem! The head office of the Heybridge and Langford Light Railway was within the campus of E H Bentall, a successful engineering company. There is nothing in the factual background nor the fictional history of the railway to imply anything decrepit about its infrastructure. Only the internal-user wagons were superannuated. Remember, the GER ran thorugh trains over the line.
Nevertheless, the EHBrail (capitalisation still uncertain) franchise is of great interest; a major success story of British railway privatisation. By the 1980s, the timber viaducts at Wickham Bishops were in a very poor state of repair. The residents of Heybridge were delighted with their new bypass but the residents of Langford were most definitely not. EH Bentall continued to prosper but the winding B1018/9 was inadequate for the UK part of their European logistics operations. Private capital funded the removal of the timber viaducts and their reinstatement at the East Anglian Railway Museum; also construction of new embankments and a modern railway bridge in their place. The new Witham to Heybridge railway operation, known as Heybridge Railway(1984) Limited, provided a direct rail link from Heybridge to Witham and, through the reinstated north-facing chord line, to Felixstowe and Harwich. This strictly freight-only operation continued to prosper after the opening of the Channel Tunnel and the loss of the Harwich train ferry service. Indeed, we can expect to see this unique train waiting in the loop at Beaulieu Park sometime next year, taking a brief pause on its journey to Dollands Moor.
So be careful what you wish for. I have a Class 66 apparently on hire from GBRf, a class 11 from Harry Needle and some smaller "terminal pilot" traction to hand. A project just needs a repaint on two or three bogie ferry wagons, and even more tolerance from our congregation
It's not very scary is it?
If I ever have a go at Heybridge Railway (1984) Limited then I'll include the Di-8 they hired in from British Steel Scunthorpe. This can be the works shunter
The Norwegian State Railways disposed of these because they were too small. Posed here in front of GBRf 66747 which would be working the Heybridge to Dollands Moor shuttle.
But I digress, again.
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
With WT back up and running after its weekend absence it is wonderful to read updates from people who have actually done some modelling. Conversely, I have nothing to show for the whole of last week.
We were supposed to be going on holiday today so I spent the week catching up on chores. I casually ran an airline over Heybridge Basin to remove the dust and blew six holes in the ballast, just like a real P&T machine really. Repairs glued in. I sorted through photos from the last ten years and freed up some space. I even washed the car.
Marion (the real one not Lady Marion) took a tumble on Friday evening at much the same time as WT went down, then some complications appeared early Saturday. We spent all the day in A&E. Got her back home and discovered she had lost her house keys. Got her indoors and discovered they had left the cannula in her arm.
So yesterday, a nurse who is a friend of my neighbour took out the offending device. Today we returned to the NHS for what they called a “clinic” and what turned out to be an indeterminate sequence of scans and tests. I had the presence of mind to return to A&E to see if anyone had handed in a set of keys and lo and behold, these were waiting for me there!
The adventure concluded with us collecting a prescription, which took an hour and a half to dispense, and finally a visit to the local GP practice where I can only guess they do not liaise with hospitals as a matter of corporate policy. All of the receptionists are new. Today is Monday and it feels like a Friday.
We were supposed to be going on holiday today so I spent the week catching up on chores. I casually ran an airline over Heybridge Basin to remove the dust and blew six holes in the ballast, just like a real P&T machine really. Repairs glued in. I sorted through photos from the last ten years and freed up some space. I even washed the car.
Marion (the real one not Lady Marion) took a tumble on Friday evening at much the same time as WT went down, then some complications appeared early Saturday. We spent all the day in A&E. Got her back home and discovered she had lost her house keys. Got her indoors and discovered they had left the cannula in her arm.
So yesterday, a nurse who is a friend of my neighbour took out the offending device. Today we returned to the NHS for what they called a “clinic” and what turned out to be an indeterminate sequence of scans and tests. I had the presence of mind to return to A&E to see if anyone had handed in a set of keys and lo and behold, these were waiting for me there!
The adventure concluded with us collecting a prescription, which took an hour and a half to dispense, and finally a visit to the local GP practice where I can only guess they do not liaise with hospitals as a matter of corporate policy. All of the receptionists are new. Today is Monday and it feels like a Friday.
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