Banbury Connections
Banbury Connections British 00 Scale Model Railway
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Operations
  • Videos
  • Gallery
  • Gosport Tramway
  • Birkenhead Connection
  • 50 years on
  • Blog
  • Rolling Stock Update
  • Special Traffic Notices
  • Resources & Publications
  • The Prototype
  • Links
  • Contact Us

Unusual workings

25/5/2023

0 Comments

 
The sheer number of different trains operating on Banbury Connections can make train identification problematic. In this month's post, I've photographed a couple of unusual workings spotted across the past few months.

The first is an ex-GWR King hauling two parcels vans from Chester at Shrewsbury. These vans were part of the London-Aberystwyth parcels train and supposed to be detached at Birmingham Snow Hill. This train is readily confused with the London-Birkenhead parcels.

The second photograph shows a BR Standard 3MT tank locomotive on the Birmingham Snow Hill - Chester General cross country service. This train is normally pulled by medium power tender locomotives such as Granges, Halls and Counties but was accidentally run through to Birkenhead Woodside. This was due to confusion with the Chester-Birkenhead local service which is also comprised of four maroon carriages. 
Picture
King at Shrewsbury
Picture
3MT on the Chester-Birmingham train having just done an off scheduled run to Birkenhead!
0 Comments

You never really own Banbury Connections. You merely look after it for the next generation.

29/4/2023

0 Comments

 
The big news for this month was the birth of James Day; the third generation of Banbury Connections operator. 
Below are a few pictures of James in the model railway room.
Picture
Picture
Picture
James with his new "James" locomotive courtesy of David, the SM for Bradford, Gosport, Winchester and Cleethorpes.
Picture
We all look a bit intimidated and confused by the control panels at first!
Picture
It isn't too bad with a bit of practice!
0 Comments

Sheffield Catenary

23/3/2023

0 Comments

 
This month I've included an interesting view of Sheffield Victoria's northern throat taken from the train room wall whilst doing some repair work. It is nice seeing all the catenary coming into the station with the adjoining electrified sidings. Unfortunately, some of the Tri-ang masts have been giving us some grief as they tend to move which causes the pantograph to get caught. This will likely result in the construction of some brass masts on the section between Sheffield and Manchester. 
Picture
0 Comments

Marylebone Trainshed

10/2/2023

0 Comments

 
An article describing construction of Banbury Connection's new train shed at London Marylebone appeared in the Railway Modeller this month (February 2023 edition).
Picture
Picture
Picture
Looking towards Marylebone.
Picture
Inside the shed.
Picture
Brick arches of the trainshed with West Bromwich in the cutting.
0 Comments

Dairy traffic

6/1/2023

0 Comments

 
Banbury Connections has run a milk train from Aberystwyth to Birkenhead for several years now. The train leave Aberystwyth with two milk marketing board tankers and a Mk1 full brake and picks up three insulated milk vans from the siding at Machynlleth. These insulated milk vans were one of the last pieces of rolling stock to evade our quest to remove all pre-nationalisation liveries from the layout! Two of the vans were original Triang versions (which needed replacement ladders) whilst one was a fairly modern (probably about 15 years old now) Hornby reproduction in maroon LMS livery rather than the original white livery.

Following inspiration from a van which has been repainted in Hattons second hand department, the decision was made to repaint all three milk vans in British Railways Maroon and renumber them all with correct numbers and markings. 

A photograph of our efforts is reproduced below. The wagons are now comparatively quite boring in prototypical early 1960's livery with a touch of weathering!
Picture
0 Comments

A Big Christmas

14/12/2022

0 Comments

 
For Christmas, we brushed the dust off our old Bachmann Big Hauler set and put it around the Christmas Tree. Being American, Katie appears to be particularly fond of it! 
The locomotive is amazing considering it was very cheap, is about 20 years old now despite receiving limited running opportunities and is fitted with radio control and sound.

I've attached a photograph and short video of the 'Big Hauler' in action.
Picture
0 Comments

Melbourne Trams and Adelaide Trains

24/11/2022

0 Comments

 
Rail operations on Banbury Connections continue to tick along. A couple of locomotives needed repair over the last month or so and the point between the loops and Wellington has been causing trouble. In the latter case, we have exchanged the Triang lever solenoid point swtich to a Marklin one which is working much better. 

I've attached a few photographs from recent travels in Melbourne, which hosts the world's largest tram network, and Adelaide, which has recently electrified the northern line to Gawler.  
Picture
Adelaide DMU at Belair in the Adelaide Hills
Picture
Adelaide tram in the seaside suburb of Glenelg
Picture
New Bombardier/Alstom EMU at Gawler, north of Adelaide
Picture
Original Melbourne W Class Tram. Banbury Connections has a model one on the Gosport Tramway!
Picture
Melbourne's new E Class Tram
Picture
Interstate XPT at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne bound for Sydney. The XPT was modelled off the British HST.
Picture
Silo art in rural South Australia. South Australia's railways have suffered from significant closures. Old grain elevators have been painted with artworks in a few instances. This one is at Wirrabara.
0 Comments

The shape of things to come?

9/10/2022

0 Comments

 
At today's special Sunday operating session, an original Hornby APT was spotted rounding the curve into Banbury. We presume it was using battery power given the absence of catenary!
Picture
0 Comments

Sheffield Shed Capacity Boost

6/9/2022

0 Comments

 
Following the recent rebuild of Sheffield Loco to make space for two electrified sidings, a second major track rearrangement has been undertaken. This has made way for three diesel storage roads in the diesel depot, up from two, and the addition of a third electrified siding. 

An increase in capacity creates space for the new Class 31 (rebuilt from a mazrot chassis but a story for another time), and other locomotives allocated to the recently introduced Gosport to Sheffield parcels service.
It also allows the addition of another electric locomotive on the Woodhead Line to Manchester.

A picture of the new track arrangement is below. The new Class 31 is in the centre road of the diesel shed and the Heljan EM2 is in the short electrified siding. 
Picture
0 Comments

Chester Brick Enhancements

22/8/2022

0 Comments

 
A new brick wall has been erected between the Chester General brick siding and control panel to protect any rolling stock in the siding from being accidentally knocked onto the ground.
Picture
0 Comments

Facing up to a facing point at Banbury

7/7/2022

0 Comments

 
Following derailments by locomotives reversing into the horse siding at Banbury, the facing point on the Western DOWN main has been removed and replaced with a point on the Great Central UP main. This has resulted in much improved reliability. Pictures of the operation are below:
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

A Grand Project

11/6/2022

0 Comments

 
I recently completed repainting a 5 carriage HST in Grand Central's second livery.

Following the acquisition of a pair of cheap GNER power cars from our local hobby store, 5 Lima Mk3s were acquired to create a Grand Central rake. Decals were obtained from Railtec Transfers. The decals were fairly difficult to apply, given their length, but the end result was excellent.

Unfortunately, my Humbrol Clear varnish decided to dry with a white glaze. This was rather disappointing and required the carriages to be carefully repainted in gloss black to hide the effects.

With this rectified, I finally thought we had an operable train. However, the Lima Mk3s I had, had their wheels changed which created excess axle play. This caused the train to derail. I have temporarily rectified this with bogies from another Lima XPT rake.

​Pictures of the train are below.
Picture
Power cars repainted in gloss black.
Picture
Finished train at Marylebone
0 Comments

Machynlleth Lower Level Track Plan Alteration

11/6/2022

0 Comments

 
To improve railway reliability, the three way point at Machynlleth lower level was recently replaced with two conventional points.

Given that the station's electrical wiring partially went through the three way point, we were somewhat perplexed as to why nothing would operate immediately following the rebuild. This was rectified by attaching new power leads to the track in question and disconnecting the original leads from the point motor.

I attach a picture of the new arrangement below. The three way was replaced by the two points in the top right.
Picture
0 Comments

New Sheffield Electric Siding

2/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Owing to the previous shortage of electric locomotive storage at Sheffield, delays to the UP Manchester to London could create an operational lock up at Sheffield Victoria when the DOWN train had already reached Sheffield. What would happen is that the electric loco on the UP train wasn't able to run around to the other end as the track was blocked by the DOWN train.

The new siding has enabled the addition of another electric locomotive, thereby rectifying this problem.

The picture below shows two EM2s side by side at Sheffield Victoria. The original siding is on the left whilst the new one is on the right. Addition of the new siding required modifications to the station's overhead in a number of places.
Picture
0 Comments

Rolling stock update added following delivery of 9F

29/4/2022

0 Comments

 
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Banbury Connections General Blog

    The Banbury Connections blog looks at issues of significant interest involving the railway and its staff.

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.