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Third Rail Experiments


HAB
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Third rail or no third rail, that's a beautiful chunk of track you've got there.

 

Jim

 

Having seen this board in the flesh, I can vouch that it is indeed a very fine bit of work.

 

Working point rodding too, details of whcih you can find if you follow Howard's link.  I am still not sold on doing that myself though Howard!

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Howard,

 

I have just found your topic through a link.  The opening photo is quite astounding.  I was given to understand from our conversation last year at Derby that the layout was basically based on a Minories-type track plan. However, i do not think Mr C J Freezer would have  come up with anything like this.

 

The third rail section looks very convincing and has the side-entry ramps which only look right on prototypical pointwork.  I tried them on 3 ft radius points and the geometry just doesn't work.

 

More pictures please!

 

All the best,

 

Colin

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Many thanks for the kind words Colin!  Hopefully, this is giving you ideas for the New-Newhaven!

 

Although I did some compression of CJF's layout, it is nonetheless exactly the same concept.  Of course, P4 requires MUCH less space than the equivalent 00 trackwork.!!

 

Best wishes,

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Hi Howard,

 

Yes. the way you have arranged the pointwork does take up less space: a scissors crossing combining with a double slip and tandem points - all on a gentle curve.  Presumably the third rail will have to be installed across the formation  too.  That will be a challenge.

 

As for inspiration, it certainly is inspiring!

 

All the best,

 

Colin

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 Presumably the third rail will have to be installed across the formation  too.  That will be a challenge.

 

 

Absolutely - will update progress in due course.   I did plan out the third rail before I laid the track - hence you can see that all the under-rail trunking is in place ready for the cable connections to the rail.  I am currently looking at getting some etches done for things like two bolt fishplates,rail-cable connections and for hook switches.

 

Progress has been a bit slow of late because "somebody" inspired me to overcome my phobia of plastic and get on with some buildings....

 

post-11380-0-74175200-1377079707_thumb.jpg

 

Hope Berlin was good BTW!

 

Best wishes,

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Hi Howard,

 

I have just caught up with your latest post, having been on the way home yesterday.

 

That is a very nice signal box (mostly plastic I presume?!) and the 2 EPB looks mighty fine going over that point work too. The parts you describe that are to be custom-etched are mostly ones I didn't know existed or have ignored when modelling the third rail infrastructure. (OK, the 2-bolt fishplates are self-explanatory, but what are hook switches for?)

 

All the best,

 

Colin

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Hi Rod,

 

Many thanks for the kind words!

 

No, the ramps are home made, but I cheated more than a bit - they are actually fret waste from the Scalefour Society Lever frame kit.  The tapered bit of waste between the levers is, coincidentally, exactly the right shape, just needing the end to be bent down. Since my frame has 30 levers, I will probably have enough ramps...

 

I know that is not a very helpful answer unless you also need a mechanical lever frame!  Sorry about that.

 

I am not aware that the society sells Side ramps - they do sell end ramps, but I think that these are the LU forged pattern rather than the bent-rail SR pattern.  They look very nice - if you are modelling LU!!

 

C&L do something similar - http://www.finescale.org.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=346_347_360

 

Sorry I can't be more helpful on this one.

 

Cheers,

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 but what are hook switches for?)

 

 

Hi Colin,

 

Thanks for the kind words - and yes it is all plastic apart from the York Modelmaking slates - hope I am getting the hang of it though I notice that one or two glazing bars have come unstuck.

 

Hook switches are used for local isolation of sections.  They were operated (under instruction from Control) using a "hook switch pole" which had (presumably still has!) a hook on the end for operating the switch and a long wooden handle which insulated the operator from the juice (unless it was raining!)

 

 

There is a close up of one here:-

 

http://patrickoneill204.smugmug.com/Other/Southern-Area-2012/21870427_spDK8D/1895187519_NfHn5VZ#!i=1895187519&k=NfHn5VZ

 

This is a modern one but they have not changed much!  You can see they are quite chunky things - well at least to me they are!

 

Edit: - The same page also shows track circuit spiders - I need to do something about that also!

 

Best wishes,

 

Howard.

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No, the ramps are home made, but I cheated more than a bit - they are actually fret waste from the Scalefour Society Lever frame kit.  The tapered bit of waste between the levers is, coincidentally, exactly the right shape, just needing the end to be bent down. Since my frame has 30 levers, I will probably have enough ramps...

 

I know that is not a very helpful answer unless you also need a mechanical lever frame!  Sorry about that.

 

I am not aware that the society sells Side ramps - they do sell end ramps, but I think that these are the LU forged pattern rather than the bent-rail SR pattern.  They look very nice - if you are modelling LU!!

 

 

 

Thanks Howard, useful tip about the Society lever frame kit, of which I have one!  I did buy a couple of the LU end ramps for experimenting with but yours seems a better solution.

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Thanks Howard, useful tip about the Society lever frame kit, of which I have one!  I did buy a couple of the LU end ramps for experimenting with but yours seems a better solution.

 

 

Well you are in business then!  As soon as you look at it next time, the bits I an referring to will jump out at you!

 

There is just one other point to mention which no one has asked about - the colour of the rail.

 

I pre-curved the rail, soldered the side ramps where needed, bent the end ramps then polished up the rail with a glass fibre brush.  I then blackened the rail chemically and the way I did this was to dampen a piece of cloth in the blackening solution, then draw the rail repeatedly through the cloth whilst applying finger pressure. Gradually the rail darkens whilst retaining a polish.  Finish off by drawing it through a cloth containing only water.  At this stage it is a bit black and shiny, but my theory is that a mere dusting from the airbrush with the gunge mix followed by a wipe over the contact surface should finish the job. the result should look like sirty sides with an oily top.   Not got quite that far yet but will post a pic in due course.

 

I should add that I am limiting the lengths of individual rails to about 18" because I am paranoid about expansion.

 

Hope that is useful,

 

Cheers,

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  • 1 year later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Some hook switches are normally open, most are normally closed. Every EMU cab (and 33 and 73) has a hook switch pole in case the driver needs to do an emergency isolation under instruction from the electrical control room.

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Been awhile,  since the O/P last posted,    

 

 

David,

 

How right you are - sorry about that!

 

Other things (only some of which are model railway related!) have got in the way so progress on matters third rail has been less than hoped, but here are a couple quick snaps (from about 6 months ago) of the some slightly more recent work - apologies for the long unsupported joint in the foreground - I must see if I can slip another pot in there somewhere...

 

 

post-11380-0-89523700-1423129729_thumb.jpg

 

post-11380-0-55448800-1423129754_thumb.jpg

 

 

Best wishes,

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Thank you for the kind words.

 

Just to (hopefully) show that it is not just "looks" - here is a youtube vid of some high speed shunting.  Just for those who say you "must" compensate wagons in P4, I would point out that only one of these wagons is compensated - who can spot which one?

 


 

 

Sorry about the fluff about 1/3 the way in where the clown pulling the levers got in a muddle...

 

EDIT:- remis of me not to mention that the wagons are the work of Colin Parks of this parish - and an excellent job they are as well.

 

Cheers,

Edited by HAB
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