'Millsbridge' 2mm Finescale N Gauge Model Railway

Filmed at the 2023 Spalding Model Railway Exhibition.

From the layouts website;
MILLSBRIDGE - 2mm FS and N gauge layout Millsbridge is based on the Milnsbridge area of Huddersfield, 2 miles west of the town centre, in the Colne Valley, through which runs the Leeds/Huddersfield/Manchester rail line.
We chose to model this area in the early ‘60’s steam/diesel transition period, when the line was 4 track and the goods yard still operating. It is Milnsbridge – but not quite – hence MILLSBRIDGE.
A number of modifications to the Ordance Survey plan had to be made, these included the shortening of Milnsbridge viaduct by a few arches, to fit our original plan for a car transportable layout (we now need a van!) and the compacting of Longwood Goods Yard.
Scar Lane over bridge gave a natural break to the left of the layout, the right side was a little more problematic, the station was moved nearer the viaduct and replaced by the nearby Golcar station which has an over bridge hiding the exit of trains.

[peterlittle]

Stunning atmospheric layout. The subtle blending of foreground to background is excellent

[brianbs]

this is one of my favourite layouts and Copenhagen fields the back scene is realistic compared to so many otheres

[railwaymechanicalengineer]

BR WAGONS & SOME BASIC OPERATIONAL RULES !!!
Very nice layout. But you are obviously unfamiliar with the hundreds of operational rules relating to freight trains, in the era you have chosen !!!! BR painted "Unfitted"wagons grey. Meaning they had NO train brakes (so no connecting brake hoses), only a Hand brake.
BR painted "Fitted" wagons brown. Meaning these wagons had a vacuum train brake with the necessary vacuum cylinder & connecting hoses, as well as a hand brake.

The positioning of wagons in any freight train therefore becomes CRITICAL to the safe operation of EVERY freight train !!!
There were therefore three main types of freight train:
1: UNFITTED TRAINS (all grey wagons) no train brakes only hand brakes, and by 1955 limited to 40mph
2: PART FITTED TRAINS. Some brown vacuum braked wagons coupled behind the locomotive. The percentage of "fitted" wagons behind the loco meant there were three categories of "Partly Fitted Freights" with speeds of 45/50/55mph.
3: FULLY FITTED TRAINS. All wagons having vacuum brakes allowed a maximum of 60mph.
ALL THE ABOVE FREIGHT TRAINS HAD DIFFERENT LAMP OR FOUR CHARACTER HEADCODES.

So Brown wagons (fitted) & any other "Fitted" wagons HAD TO BE coupled behind the loco, to add braking force to that provided by the locomotive.
Any Grey wagons (unfitted) therefore HAD TO GO BEHIND all the brown ones, as these Grey wagons were dangerous, because they had NO train brake, and of course no connecting vacuum hoses, so could not assist in stopping the train.

YOUR FREIGHT
So the freight train seen approaching at 3:40, would in reality never have been allowed to leave its starting point ! Why? Because it has only 2 Brown wagons coupled behind the locomotive, which the loco could control, via the connecting brake hoses. The 3rd wagon is grey, and as it has NO train brakes (or hoses) the locomotive cannot control it, or ANY wagons behind it ! The Cement tanks behind the grey wagon are brown, so have vacuum brakes, but they cannot be used because the grey wagon in between, has NO connecting hoses. Meaning your train has NOT been correctly marshalled so would NOT be allowed to leave its starting point !!!

MARKINGS SOME EXAMPLES.
Further many of the markings on wagons in BR days gave further indications about the wagon and of course RULES connected with the operation of such wagons. EXAMPLES: The BR (grey) 16 ton mineral wagons have a diagonal white stripe revealing that end of the wagon had an end opening door. Three white vertical bars marked on the wagon corners, indicates the wagon is a "Shock Wagon", designed to take fragile loads. Both open & covered (van type) Shock Wagons existed.

POSITIONING EXAMPLES: Wagons carrying dangerous loads such as tank cars full of chemicals or petroleum spirits (all of which had vacuum brakes) had to go at the front of a mixed or fully fitted freight. But separated from the loco normally by TWO brown wagons acting as spacers for safety reasons. Heavy vehicles such as Cranes (all of which had vacuum brakes) also had to go DIRECTLY BEHIND the loco, for a number of Safety reasons

XP WAGONS
Wagons marked "XP" (meaning "express passenger") were of course ALL vacuum fitted. They could as a result be added to passenger trains between the loco & carriages. A maximum of three was allowed, but because they were wagons, this also meant the train was now limited to a maximum of 60mph !!! So obviously they wouldn't add them to the "Elizabethan" or "Royal Scot"

WAGONS THAT ARE NOT WAGONS !!!!
Milk tank cars (mostly 6 wheelers), Horse Boxes, Prize Cattle wagons, (& one or two other types) effectively came in the Parcels van category. So were NOT wagons, and not normally allowed to be added to freight trains. Milk tanks were usually Glass lined, so fragile, & usually operated in special Milk trains, where the loco crew understood they had to be careful how the brakes were used !!
Horse boxes & Prize cattle wagons had a compartment for accompanying Horse or Cattle handlers. As such these were passengers, so these vehicles could be added in Passenger trains as the vehicles were also marked "XP", but again this limited the trains speed to 60mph. .

SHUNTING !
All the hundreds of rules concerning various wagon types & their loads, and where they should be positioned in any train. Now reveals the reason why so much SHUNTING was required at virtually EVERY goods yard in Britain. And why the railways built so many Marshalling Yards, near strategic junctions, so freight trains could be re-marshalled into different orders for various routes.

FREIGHT GUARDS
Freight trains due to all the rules covering wagons, meant there were "Freight Guards" specially trained for the purpose. They could also act as Passenger Guards when necessary. But Passenger Guards were not allowed to work Freight trains !

Hope the Above helps bring your freight train operation up to the same high standards of your finescale layout !!!

Happy Modelling.