December 5, 2024 2:14 pm
Now that I have a staging area for Bydemill – my 7mm Great Western Railway layout – I’m enjoying running proper operating sessions. First on the line today was a short passenger train behind GWR 3011 Greyhound – a Dean Single. The consist included a PACO horse box and a PYTHON enclosed transporter, so there was a bit of shunting to complicate what’s normally an out-and-back operation…
The down train from Swindon announced its arrival with a whistle as it emerged from under the road overpass and climbed a short grade into the Bydemill terminal:
The first order of business is a pause at the platform to allow arriving passengers to detrain:
The crew uncoupled Greyhound and ran around the train. Here, it’s backing past the consist on the loop:
Greyhound waits for its switch at the entrance to Bydemill so it can complete its run-around. The home signal is at stop, preventing other trains from entering the terminal:
The PACO is propelled down the main track and spotted at the livestock dock. At Bydemill (as at Highworth), the dock is located directly on the switch, which means the horse box will block the loop:
Greyhound pulls the coaches back to the platform, then uncouples the PYTHON. Note the catch point has been set against the horsebox to prevent it from rolling back down the main onto the passenger train:
PYTHON transporters were designed to maximize their interior space, and it barely squeezes under the loading gauge in the goods yard as the crew prepares to shove it into the ramp track. Those full-height end doors made them useful for transporting anything from road carriages to theatre sets:
Greyhound propels the PYTHON past the goods shed and spots it at the end of the ramp track. There’s a slight dip in the track at the end to bring wagon floors down to the station platform level:
Their work completed, the crew of Greyhound couple up to their three-coach train. On their time, the driver whistles a long blast to call for the starter signal – and once given, wastes no time departing. With a quick pip of the whistle, Greyhound is off – heading back up the branch to Swindon:
It’s unusual to see high-stepping mainline power like a Dean Single in Bydemill. It’s likely that Greyhound has recently been through Swindon for an overhaul and has been assigned to the short branch as a break-in run.
Posted by Trevor
Categories: Great Western Railway in 7mm scale, GWR Bydemill (Highworth), Layout Tour, Layouts I have designed or built, Operations
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