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Point levers on Inset Industrial track


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Apologies if this should really be in the prototype questions thread, but here goes

 

How were points operated on trackwork inset into setts/concrete/tarmac in a cramped industrial environment?  I'm assuming that conventional point levers would be vulnerable to damage by road vehicles - even in the era of horse-dawn carts.

 

Was the practice for loco crews to carry their own point lever that fitted in a socket, as happened on municipal tramways, or something else?

 

I'm thinking of starting the Scalescenes Industrial Boxfile layout...

 

Thanks.

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Apologies if this should really be in the prototype questions thread, but here goes

 

How were points operated on trackwork inset into setts/concrete/tarmac in a cramped industrial environment?  I'm assuming that conventional point levers would be vulnerable to damage by road vehicles - even in the era of horse-dawn carts.

 

Was the practice for loco crews to carry their own point lever that fitted in a socket, as happened on municipal tramways, or something else?

 

I'm thinking of starting the Scalescenes Industrial Boxfile layout...

 

Thanks.

Just looking at one of my stocking fillers: Yorkshire's last days of colliery steam. Photo taken at Newmarket colliery shows the shunter walking ahead of the train carrying what appears to be a point lever, as it is too short to be a conventional shunting pole.

Colliery sites were often vast unpoliced playgrounds especially on weekends. The temptation to change a remote set of points might have expensive or even tragic consequences onthe next working day.

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Canadian version, downtown Kitchener.

There was a device like the old Wrenn hand throw (but more compact) mounted between the points and below the surface level. Some sort of cover over so cars could drive (this was in the middle of a main street) -- I'm picturing T shape but + would be more practical.  This all disappeared about 50 years ago.

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Modeled examples can be found in articles in MRJ 258 Canada Street inlaid track by Peter Johnson and MRJ 262 Modelling road surfaces by Gordon Gravett. Both very useful IMO as they deal with a variety of surfaces.

 

HTH

 

David

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At Devonport Dockyard they were (are) a real menace to maintain as they always were filling up with silt and other rubbish (I am of course referring to the prototype!).  The shunter ended up ignoring the lever and used a flat ended bar to push the point-blade over.

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As an excursion, I've neve seen the "self-reversing two-way" lever in North America. In fact, I first saw it in The Great St. Trinians Train Robbery and wondered for years what was happening. N.A. uses either the Wrenn* style or a vertical pole with a quadrant.

 

* also used on Hornby Dublo 3-rail, I think.

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Many thanks for all your replies, especially Gordon A for the pictures of Bristol Docks.

 

Gordon, do you have versions of the 1st three photos without the dimensions?  If so, I can probably just scale those, print out and stick onto the "concrete" in the appropriate place.

 

Thanks again

 

David

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Many thanks for all your replies, especially Gordon A for the pictures of Bristol Docks.

 

Gordon, do you have versions of the 1st three photos without the dimensions?  If so, I can probably just scale those, print out and stick onto the "concrete" in the appropriate place.

 

Thanks again

 

David

 

Hello David,

 

I will have a look through my pictures on my older computer.

 

Gordon A

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is an Edgar Allen cast iron inset track point lever cover. 

Just in case you wanted something a bit more decorative. It is 11cm x 119cm.

 

 

Right, as requested some pictures without dimensions:

 

attachicon.gifP1010521.JPG

 

attachicon.gifP1010522A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010523A.jpg

 

The toe end of the point:

attachicon.gifP1010529A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010530A.jpg

 

Gordon A

 

 

Now some pictures of an infilled double slip, also at Bristol Docks:

 

attachicon.gifP1010512.JPG

 

attachicon.gifP1010513A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010514A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010515A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010516A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010517A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010517A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010518A.jpg

 

attachicon.gifP1010519A.jpg

 

Gordon A

 

 Many thanks pb and Gordon A.  They will be very useful, I shall get on with the boxfile soon. 

 

Thanks

David

 

As an aside, the Feb Model Rail magazine has an article about the Scalescenes boxfile layout, although they have used conventionally ballasted track.

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