The civil engineer took possession of the station limits at San Fernandez Veinte Veinte this morning while the turntable was being rewired using a DPDT switch to avoid using the awkward to reach two pin plug located under the baseboard.
Quite amazingly the work was completed early and the station handed back to traffic before noon so the afternoon trains can run as normal instead of being diverted to Norte.
Which is a shame because the passengers don’t know about this yet.
It’s not just the real railway that has issues with timekeeping.
The parcel arrived this afternoon, it’s only a day late, a mere nothing by FCPyF standards!
Six of the coaches will have their bogies removed for future use on the FCPyF. Two of the suburbans have been rescued to make my Tri-ang EMU into a four car set.
I haven’t got a clue what a BR(S) third rail electric train is doing in Sierra Oculta.
That just leaves one more out of the job lot. This is actually of no use to me, because its bogies have a shorter wheelbase, but a member of the NGRM forum has asked if he can have it.
It is puzzling the staff at San Fernandez works for now.
The timetable for April’s operating session was amended yesterday with doodlebug 26 working trains 3 and 4. This gives the operator at San Fernandez more to do because No.26 will need to be turned and run round its train on arrival at Veinte Veinte.
In additional to this a direct (not via Grande) service will run from Cuarto to San Fernandez and back. Trains 101 and 102 will need to be either a double ended railcar or two singles coupled back to back so the driver can change ends at Paño Cucina. This service is not something I’d thought much about but the guest operator at the March session routed a dispatcher’s extra this way using railcar 305.
Train 3 from Grande to San Fernandez and train 102 from San Fernandez to Cuarto pass each other between San Fernandez Junction and Casablanca. In theory the northbound train has priority but in practice whichever arrives first will have to stop and wait. Train 3 is routed via the main and train 102 takes the siding.
It occurred to me late last night that the doodlebug’s trains would look better running mixed (mail, freight and passenger). By the time train 3 arrives at San Fernandez the railcar and trailer to work train 6 will have been stood in the bay platform for most of the day.
It makes sense to assume train 6 has been already been loaded and is ready to depart. Train 3’s vans, on the other hand, will need unloading before they can be returned to Grande.
Thus train 4 becomes the last southbound service of the day.
As well as having trains 4 and 6 switched round, and the new Cuarto – San Fernandez direct trains added, the timetable diagram has been flipped so north is now at the top for both the San Fernandez and Cuarto lines. Convention has it things are that way up so it makes the diagram easier to follow.
Train 6 will have turned, visited the goods shed and stabled in the carriage shed by the time train 4 gets to Grande.
The station pilot will deal with the incoming vans, ensuring they are spotted in the right order at the goods shed so train 1’s loco can collect the boxcar for its train in the morning.
The sequence will be run through in advance of the April ops session to ensure that both timetable and motive power work properly. The trains provisionally selected to work on the day have been spotted at their starting positions in readiness for the trail runs.
Loco 42, to work train 1, Grande loco shed (plus boxcar from goods shed and combine from carriage shed).
Loco 7, to work train 2, San Fernandez staging track.
Railcar 26, to work trains 3 and 4, Grande loco shed (plus vans from goods shed).
Railbus 31 and trailer, to work trains 5 and 6, Grande carriage shed.
Loco 19, to work trains 7 and 8, Perejil staging track.
Railcar 22, to work trains 51 and 52, Cuarto de Pulgada station siding.
Railcar 20 and trailer, to work trains 53 and 54, Grande loco shed.
Loco 9 or 14, to work trains 55 and 56, Cuarto loco shed (plus hoppers from the mine).
Railbuses 36 and 37, to work trains 101 and 102, Cuarto holding siding.
Loco 77, Grande station pilot.
Spare railcars, 38 and 305.
The Derrotado and Esquina del Fuego layouts are not included in the timetable diagram but they may be operated at will. Railcar 310 has been assigned to Derrotado for the April ops session, everything else on the two small layouts is puppet rod powered.
Scania set, Derrotado branch passenger train.
Alternative stock for the Derrotado branch.
Drewry Car and other assorted other puppetry for use at Esquina del Fuego.
I spent some time clearing the flangeways in Grande loco shed this morning, mainly on track 6 but they all needed doing. The shed area now works a lot better than it did.
I then had a look at Sentinel No.14. This used to be a good runner but seemed to have become a complete failure. Taking it apart revealed that the motor had twisted round slightly in the chassis. No.14 is built on a Bachmann Plymouth mechanism, split chassis, no loose wiring. The chassis was free rolling with the motor removed and the motor turned freely when test leads were attached. I suspect the failure was due to the metal case of the motor coming into contact with both sides of the chassis, causing a short circuit.
With the motor wrapped in adhesive parcels tape and the loco reassembled it ran well in the yard at Grande. It also ran smoothly over the upper switchback points at Paño Cucina. After returning light engine to Grande No.14 hauled an empty mineral train up the hill to Cuarto with no issues so it will be assigned to the upper terminus as a spare engine.
Meanwhile, on the main line, doodlebug 26 was tested with a trailer coach. I’m thinking this may be used in lieu of the two car class 80 set during the April operating session. As a single car it can be berthed in the loco shed instead of on the carriage siding. Using the doodlebug for the afternoon passenger train from Grande will give the operator at San Fernandez something a bit more interesting to do.
The train will arrive at the main platform and uncouple its trailer before being turned then run round and set back into the station to await departure time. Whereas a class 80 just runs in, stops, and runs out again.
Derrotado is will lose the through train to/from Grande for the next operating session. The low level micro layout can still be run independently using a combination of conventional and puppet rod powered trains. As the branch terminus has lost its turntable double ended railcars and back to back singles will be the order of the day for passenger trains. Freight will be handled by a dummy loco, propelling towards the terminus, because this gives much better slow running when shunting.
The main line mineral trains will be rerouted via Perejil, in other words they will start and finish on the hidden siding behind Colina Rosa. This is why the through train from Derrotado has been withdrawn.
The rerouting of the minerals means the international train can be run via San Fernandez, giving loco hauled passenger trains across the full length of the main line. The southbound train will start from San Fernandez hidden siding, reverse at the junction to back into Veinte Veinte for a station stop.
The northbound international will pass the southbound between Casablanca and San Fernandez. It will run into Veinte Veinte to make its station stop then back out to the junction before heading into the hidden siding.
The mineral trains on the Cuarto line will be steam hauled. They, along with the main line minerals, and both international passenger workings, will mean there are a total of six steam hauled trains during the day.
The morning class 80 set’s trip from Grande to San Fernandez and back will not be needed because “El Internacional” will provide trains 1 and 2, the DMU will still run as the afternoon trains, 3 and 4, though and the late evening/early morning railbus will also still be required. Between them these provide three daily passenger trains in each direction, plus the minerals between Grande and Perejil.
Railcar services on the Cuarto line will be the same as they were for the March session, giving two passenger trains in each direction, plus the minerals.
This (in)frequency of trains may seem lacking to people used to an hourly or half hourly interval service but you should bear in mind that the FCPyF serves a remote area high in the Andes so two or three trains a day is actually pretty generous. There are places where two or three trains a week is seen as extravagance! Read on to see what takes place at Grande and you’ll probably not wish for more.
A new pathing diagram is required to reflect the main line service changes. Shown above with the trains listed as numbered pairs, 1 and 2 alternate daily the other pairs end up back at their starting points. The diagram is repeated below, this time with the trains listed sequentially for each line.
In this form it is of use to the operators at Cuarto de Pulgada and San Fernandez. The pathing diagram is repeated for a third time, here is has the trains from both lines listed sequentially as they arrive and depart at Grande.
What is still not shown is the local shunting required to keep the run round loop, turntable access and station platform clear as and when required… This is where the fun starts, I’ll need to give it a test run before the timetable can be confirmed as workable.
The DMU will need to shunt clear of the carriage shed while train 1’s loco collects its stock then return to the shed siding afterwards. The railcar from train 52 needs to be held on the loop during this time then shunt to the loco shed to occupy the berth vacated by train 1’s loco. Train 2 needs to run round on arrival and shunt to the end of track while the railcar to work train 53 shunts from the loco shed. Train 2’s loco can then shunt to the loco shed and the DMU is released from the carriage shed siding to work train 3.The stock from train 2 will then need shunting, using the station pilot, to the carriage shed siding before train 8 arrives. The railcar from train 54 should hold at the end of track while train 4 arrives and the DMU shunts to the carriage shed siding. It can shunt to the loco shed when a berth is available after train 51 has departed.
Phew!Any volunteers for the job of stationmaster at Grande?
Perhaps the best position for a trainee operator would be San Fernandez. The loco and stock workings here do not need to run round as they back in or out between the junction and Veinte Veinte, the DMU is also a straight in and out working. The only shunting within the station is turning the railcar and trailer then parking it in the bay platform. When not occupied with his own trains the operator at San Fernandez is ideally located to watch the activity on the other side of the aisle at Grande.
Second step on the ladder would be Cuarto de Pulgada. The mineral train needs to run round on its downhill trip but it’s just a matter of backing onto the mine spur when the empties return from Grande. Some of the railcars used on the Cuarto line need to use the turntable between arrival and departure. When not on his feet working at Cuarto the operator here can sit down to watch trains passing through Colina Rosa on the main line or operate Derrotado, a chance to experiment with puppet rods or just run the railcars in and out at random.
The April operating session will be held mid month, exact date yet to be arranged. Guests are welcome by prior arrangement and it is a lot easier operating the layout with assistance than doing it by myself.
oscalemodeller@aol.co.uk
The FCPyF is in Wheelock, served by D&G Buses 37 (Crewe/Sandbach/Winsford/Northwich) and 38 (Crewe/Sandbach/Congleton/Macclesfield), a few minutes drive from junction 17 on the M6.
Two of the coaches used for the international tourist trains have been replaced.
The train shown above has Kadee couplers throughout. Drawn from the FCPyF’s “Welsh” stock, the coaches shown below have the adaptability of dual couplers.
In the second photo they have Kadees at the outer ends and tension locks in the middle. When photographed at Grande they were arranged the other way round with the tension locks at the outer ends to match the loco assigned to today’s eastbound tourist train.
The passengers wondered what they were getting themselves into when they saw No.65 on the front of their train! What could possibly justify such a choice of motive power?
After another blitz of cleaning this loco was left to run freely for 20 minutes while upside down in the wheel cleaning cradle this morning. You’d think this would have warmed up the mechanism sufficiently but it still needed occasional prodding when given a run in the yard at Grande. The FCPyF doesn’t actually need another shunting engine, it’s just that I see it as a challenge to get the bl**dy thing working properly.
If nothing else this photo is an interesting comparison of Model Power’s Conrail livery alongside Lima’s BR banger blue, both on Plymouths that are neither prototypical nor the right scale for their intended HO and OO markets.
Modellers tend to put taller cabs on these, and similar, shunters when converting them to O scale narrow gauge, as with No.6, but the real things were designed for the driver to be seated and don’t have nearly enough headroom to stand in the cab.
I don’t often sit and watch eBay bids but I made an exception for this one. As it was I needn’t have because my bid wasn’t challenged and the lot came in cheaper than my offer.
The two highlighted green suburbans will not be harmed, they will make my prized Southern EMU into a four car set. The rest of the coaches have been bought purely for their for their running gear as part of a planned upgrade of the FCPyF’s mineral wagon fleet.
Tri-ang and Gnomy, mass destruction of collectable items!
I reported yesterday that the turntable at Derrotado hade been taken out of use, it doesn’t take long for nature to invade abandoned spaces in Sierra Oculta!
A short freight turned up this morning with the “Derrotado Shoving Platform” leading.
This vehicle is way past retirement age, during its career it has been a railcar, a railcar trailer, grounded as a station shelter and now it is back on the rails again.
Equally bizarre is the freight’s motive power. Probably least said about this the better.
The loco collected the shoving platform before departing as a caboose hop.
Two passengers were asked if they wanted a lift but declined the offer.
It is not just rolling stock that evolves over time.
Originally built as a branch terminus.
Through station after the branch became part of the San Fernandez deviation route. The turntable had been removed and extended for use at the new Veinte Veinte station.
Station building cascaded from Cuarto where the first of the Sarissa buildings had taken its place.
Branch terminus again after the deviation route was shortened, Sarissa station building.
Turntable pit cleared and a new table built to replace the one that went to Veinte Veinte.
Preservation era, goods shed replaced by toilet block and water tower. The siding became a loop.
Part of the national network again, water tower moved, goods shed reinstated.
Present day, turntable abandoned. The tracks are still in place under the grass but not in use beyond the level crossing. The wiring is still intact at the turntable end but disconnected where it reaches the fiddleyard.
Trials with various locos during the latter half of this week have mainly been disappointing, some were not up to the job. Some were but didn’t look the part and one, which was not on the initial list of candidates, did the job admirably.
No.15 showed promise until it got to Paño Cucina, where it derailed on the points. It was this set of points (then at Bodjio) which were the reason why 15 was withdrawn from service.
However, now the troublesome turnout is no longer on the main line out of Grande the big diesel may see a return to service on trains to San Fernandez.
Back to the mineral trains, No.9’s reassignment to the FCO in neighbouring Bolivia turned out to be quite short. The 040TT is almost perfect for the job.
I say almost perfect because No.9 and its motorised tender draw too much power for the cheap train set controller used for local shunting at Cuarto, more on this later.
No.74 is being tested as a replacement for No.9 on the international passenger trains. Don’t even think about asking why both of these are in Grande yard at the same time.
“I don’t know, I only work here.” was a good answer when I was a railwayman.
FCO7’s “Fat Boy” boiler actually looks quite slim compared to FCPyF 74.
Back to No.9’s current draw and the controller at Cuarto, here lies the cue for the second part of this post. Some controllers have been reassigned. A Gaugemaster unit, formerly used with the Ferronor micro layouts and for wheel cleaning purposes, has been installed at San Fernandez. The second knob on this unit is for inertia, which is not very helpful when shunting so it is switched out of use.
The controller displaced from San Fernandez is now powering Cuarto de Pulgada and Derrotado
It is a dual controller so it can be hard wired into the layout with connections to both stations instead of the leads needing to be swapped between the two as was required previously. This means the wires can be neatly out of sight, unlike previously!
The controller formerly at Cuarto/Derrotado, which had issues with No.9’s current draw, has been removed and will now be used with the Ferronor micro layouts.
Finally, there is a spare variable voltage DC output from the Grande controller, this will have leads attached so it can be used for wheel cleaning.
Having discussed the first (motive power) and second (electrical) aspects of this post’s title we come to the third, absolute power. It is my railway, for home use, so I do not have to answer to club members or exhibition audiences.
As part of the controller exchanges Derrotado needed a new controller to layout connection. The existing wiring was awkward to adapt so the turntable has been withdrawn from use and branch trains will have to be operated by double ended railcars (or paired singles).
The assumption is that something has broken under the turntable and the railway cannot get spare parts for it. Branch freight will revert to backing up moves, caboose leading, when rare wagon load traffic is involved or a mixed pair of railcars for more common LCL traffic.
Why not rewire the turntable with the rest of the micro layout?
Partly because I can’t be bothered to but mainly because it will revert Derrotado’s track plan to that of its namesake, Daphetid, a simple tuning fork.
I had a guest operator present for the FCPyF’s monthly operating session yesterday. The track and motive power wheels had been cleaned on Monday, which helped reliability, but there was still some finger-prodding needed.
My guest did not come empty handed, he had with him an absolutely gorgeous model of a famous Australian steam railcar, which had an excursion on the layout.
These “Coffee Pot” models were made some years ago, I would have very much liked to own one but they were seriously not cheap and I could not have justified the expenditure back in those days.
Ah well, at least there are now photos of one of them visiting the FCPyF.
The Coffee Pot photos are by David Travis (DTSteam on NGRM), used with kind permission.
During the course of the day one of the FCPyF’s locomotives proved to be disappointing, No.17 on the Cuarto minerals turn needed more than its fair share of prodding. It will be withdrawn for servicing and replaced in the next monthly session, scheduled for mid May. There are a few locomotives I have in mind for the job and these will be the subjects of intensive test running with the hopper wagons during the next week or so. They are listed below in order of preference.
The shunt engines currently assigned to Cuarto (2) and Grande (77) will be tested on the hopper trains first. While they are small by main line standards the gradients are in favour of the loads so as long as they can haul the empties up the hill they will be high on the list of candidates. Their low profile cabs make them look as if designed for working under the tipples at the mine.
No.2 is a Bachmann gas-mech with the cab altered. No.77 is a Life-Like ready to run model. These were marketed as HO scale but are better suited for On30, the image above is a real life Plymouth DDT.
Not much larger than 77, though with a taller cab and an extra axle, No.6 is a Unit Models cab kit on a Bachmann HO Plymouth. As such it is a very familiar shape to O scale narrow gauge modellers, and not unlike countless N to HOe/OO9 conversions, but has the advantage of being an excellent smooth runner. I have just noticed that it has lost its exhaust pipe, I’ll make it a new one before testing takes place.
No.10 is another common sight on O scale narrow gauge railways, a repainted Fleischmann Magic Train diesel, but again it has the advantage of being a smooth runner and the connecting rods add visual interest.
No.46 suffers from the same instant recognition as does No.10. Then again, this familiarity gives it the credence that is sometimes lacking from freelance models. The tank engine also shares the advantage of good running due to the sliding picks up giving reliable contact with the rails.
No.3 is on a Lima chassis and may need some work to get it to run smoothly. In fact, it’s a bucket of bolts. On the plus side it is very definitely not run of the mill with its combination of Golden Bear cab and Athearn bonnet. Additionally in its favour, I like the jackshaft drive. The addition of a brake tender to provide extra current collection might help to improve its performance.
A rank outsider in the list of candidates is No.78. This loco has additional current collectors on the tender, and a die cast body gives it good tractive effort but its Hornby Smokey Joe chassis and is not very controllable at low speeds. This may improve with cleaning and oiling though so it will take part in the trials.
Nursing a sore foot after having trod on something sharp yesterday, I’ve been taking it easy while waiting for a grocery delivery. A heavy thud on the hall floor announced the arrival of today’s post and in it the bodywork for Lyddlow Mill’s puppet rod loco.
After being introduced to my hacksaw then temporarily reassembled it was parked on the exchange siding at Grande to pose for a few photos. Works shunter No.5, also a Ruston, was there to provide a comparison of size.
I’m of sufficient age to remember an article in the Railway Modeller showing how to convert a Tri-ang dock shunter to O scale narrow gauge by using the rear of the cab as the front windscreen. Old school bodging still cuts the mustard for me. It’s possibly a bit too tall at the moment, trimming the cab front will lower the roof level slightly if I decide it needs doing.
I can see it getting borrowed by the FCPyF and parked here when not in use at Lyddlow Mill!
Here are two facts you probably didn’t know that you didn’t know.
Firstly, an old style Tri-ang split axle wheel moulding is a push fit on a piece of wire coat hanger.
Stunning news, eh?
Secondly, if you file the Tri-ang wagon’s axleboxes so they’re more or less flush with the solebars, then cut the stub axles flush with the inside face of the wheels before fitting them on the bits of coat hanger you end up with inside frame O gauge chassis.
I’m guessing you’re gobsmacked now, and my lifetime ban from the Tri-ang Society has been increased from double to treble, with the sentences to run consecutively.
Having created a rolling chassis for the O scale standard gauge puppet rod loco I borrowed the body shell from my On30 Ruston to compare it with a standard gauge wagon.
It should ride a bit lower than this, the On30 loco’s couplers and cab access step are preventing it from sitting where I want it on the chassis. The photoshopped image below looks more like what I have in mind.
Sharp-eyed readers will have noticed that the Rusty I bought on eBay yesterday differs from the Ertl toy used to make FCPyF No.3. The magnetic couplers suggest that it is designed to be compatible with Brio wooden toy trains, which will make it about the same size as Ertl’s Rusty.
It seems to have a higher bonnet and chunkier appearance so, when the cab roof is raised slightly, it should look similar to the German loco in the prototype photo. I shouldn’t have long to wait before finding out, it is due for delivery later this week
Some things are so far past being just ugly that they come out of the other side.
It’s not all fun fun fun in the sun sun sun though.
Locomotives 17, 19, 77 and FCO 7 have had their wheels cleaned this afternoon. When I’d finished them railcars 20, 27, 31, 37, 71 and 89 also had their wheels cleaned, and then the track was wiped, swept and vacuumed throughout. The locos and railcars were then replaced in their starting positions ready for tomorrow’s operating session.
There, that didn’t take long, did it? Only about two hours in all.
Playing Trains 
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