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Complex Point Design Query


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I attach part of the track layout for Nottingham London Road station in the days before most passenger traffic was transferred to Victoria. It is a single slip and right-hand point combined. I would very much like to have a go at building a P4 version, as a test piece to hone my track-building skills.

 

Unfortunately, I have no information to go on apart from the map. Does anyone have and ideas on how to work it all out, or even have a drawing or photo of a similar formation I could work from? I guess it dates originally to when London Road was opened in the 1850s, but survived until the first decade of the 20th century. It is not on the main line - the right hand tracks lead to the loco shed and the left-hand tracks to a couple of loading bays.

 

A colleague has already valiantly tried to do something in Templot for me, but had problems getting everything to work out. I guess it is quite a challenge - and must have been for the designers of the real thing, I would imagine. Getting everything aligned to allow room for the point blades to swing and the check rails to do their job would probably require a real genius.

 

The map is to 1:500 scale, so I would imagine the layout of the track is represented fairly well. Measuring the map, the slip is about 1:8 and the crossing on the RH point about 1:10 - though I appreciate that modern concepts of track design only developed far later than when this one came off the drawing board.

 

Any help or advice would be gratefully appreciated - apart from "don't do it", that is :laugh:.

post-11053-0-80360200-1306319667_thumb.jpg

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Thanks for that advice - Unfortunately, I have decided that I have far too little information to make the project viable, so I will not go ahead with it.

 

I have found another idea with a reasonable plan and a photograph to work from, so I feel far more confident that I am building something that looks prototypical.

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Here are 2 options. The first sticks to your 1:8 and 1:10, the second is 1:8 & 1:9. I think that either may have been built pre 1860, in those days it was quite acceptable for flanges to run on their flanges or wheels to not be properly supported.

 

post-6743-0-56090200-1306523225_thumb.jpg

 

post-6743-0-92584000-1306523268_thumb.jpg

 

Not all the checkrails and vees are drawn properly, but it gives you an idea.

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Many thanks - that is really helpful, but unfortunately, the difficult bit is missing - the diamond should actually be a single slip, with a connection between the 2 upper roads. Getting the point blades in for the RH end of the slip was what caused all the problems.

 

Best wishes

 

Richard.

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I built a single turnout with crossing superimposed for Manchester Central Station approach in 4mm scale (00 gauge copy of prototype) -

 

Upper part of this photo -

 

post-10633-0-94937600-1306576347_thumb.jpg

 

The template was produced in Templot. Rails/timbers, etc. by C+L, Check rail chairs by Exactoscale

 

Gauging is a must and clearances critical

 

Ron

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Thanks for that inspiration, Ron - unfortunately my idea requires a single slip, not a simple diamond - see plaan at the top of the thread.

 

Best wishes

 

Richard

There is a slip route through the top bit of P+C Ron showed.. Very nice it is too!

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I have looked again and don't quite see the slip - I can only see point blades at one end of the formation. Nevertheless, sincere apologies to Ron if I am wrong

 

Best wishes

 

Richard

 

Hi, Richard

 

You are quite right, there is no slip only a crossing through the turnout

 

Cheers

 

Ron

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Phew - glad I was not wrong on that one! It is still a very nice piece of track, Ron.

 

I am making a bit of progress - here is a photo of something like what the top right end of my formation might have looked like. This is the main line at Kings Cross in the early 1930s! I just have to fit in another track curving off to the right and I'm halfway there!

 

Richard

post-11053-0-66017600-1306930395_thumb.jpg

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