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Bristol Barrow Road - Hitting the Buffers


barrowroad

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I have done some research on the type of buffer stops used on the shed and have identified three different types in five positions:-

 

The first type is found on the headshunt alongside the coaling tower and has been difficult to identify as photos of this area have usually have a 16 ton mineral wagon blocking the view. I have managed to find a couple of useful shots one of which is courtesy of Patrick O'Brien on his flickr site:-

http://www.flickr.co...157625157165429

The buffer stop is to the right of the 16ton mineral.

 

This buffer is made of lengths of rail and one of the same type is also to be found on one of the long wagon roads used for loaded and empty wagons for the coaling tower.

 

blogentry-6970-0-94753200-1334476237.jpg

 

The nearest buffer stop in this photo is of the same type as that found on the headshunt.

 

The second type is also seen in this photo and I can best describe this as rail fabricated, using plates that are riveted and/or bolted together using horizontal pieces of rail to form the actual beam.

This buffer stop is similar, if not identical, to that found on Pete Harveys [PHD] website

http://www.phd-desig...ffer/Buffer.htm

 

The third and final buffer stop is to be found at the end of the track which leads to the south exit of the shed alongside the four sidings.

blogentry-6970-0-97395800-1334476722.jpg

 

I have placed an order from Pete for a couple of his etches and in the meantime have borrowed an excellent rail bending tool, which I understand was available from the Scalefour Society stores. A quick check however shows no sign of it on the site - does anyone know it is still available as it is a most useful item.

 

I then spent some time looking for suitable drawings for my type 1 buffer stop but gave up and made my own.

 

During my research I did come across an article by Mick Moore in MRJ 121 which proved ideal for information on how fabricate a" Midland Bufffer Stop in 4mm". Mick's article has the benefit that the Midland bufferstop is of the type found at the shed south exit mentioned above.

 

Now to the task of fabrication.

 

The first photo shows the selection of tools I used to fabricate the buffers. It shows the jig I made for soldering up lengths of bent rail which are to be used to fabricate the main vertical supports.

blogentry-6970-0-69042700-1334477437_thumb.jpg

 

 

A close up of the simple jig:-

blogentry-6970-0-94134500-1334477780_thumb.jpg

 

 

The bending tool is also seen in the first photo and a close up is in the next photo.

blogentry-6970-0-94641000-1334477692_thumb.jpg

 

Finally this is what I am aiming for.

blogentry-6970-0-96603800-1334478862_thumb.jpg

 

 

This is completed model of a Midland Buffer Stop which used to be sold by "Puffers". This has been borrowed from a friend to use as a guide. Unfortunately I was not able to persuade him to part with it. Does anyone have one or two they no longer require?

 

To be continued..............................................

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Hi Robin, the first type looks like most of those found at Rose Grove. I suspect that they were installed when the shed yard was re-modelled in the mid thirties by the LMS and are of a lighter weight / cheaper than the older LNWR & L&Y etc. standard designs. We managed to find enough photographs to enable a reasonably accurate drawing to be made, and Pete Bettany of the Leamington & Warwick MRS made a couple of jigs to enable the front and rear 'legs' to be formed from softened steel rail. However it looks like they are too late for you as you have managed to form them from that bending tool!

I think that the old Studiolith firm made a similar bending device many years ago.

Cheers,

Steve

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Aghh, you have the Studilithe rail bending tool. Can I put in a request to borrow this at some point?

 

A quick suggestion, if I may. Mount the faceplates on the very thin (about 0.4mm) copper clad sheet that Eileen's Emporium now sell. This will enable you to keep this electrically isolated from the rails. If you do not, if you run a loco/item of stock upto the buffers (and you are bound to on an MPD layout) you will get an electrical short circuit. If you do not know what has caused it, then you will have a melt down on the layout!

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Thanks for the info chaps. I've just had a chat with Danny about the bending tool and my reference to the S4 Society being the possible source. We agree it is more than likely to be Studiolith. Maybe the Society might arrange to produce some if there is an interest...hint :rolleyes:

 

Mark - the tool belongs to Tony in the Glevum Group and is on extended loan, however I am sure I could persuade him to let use use it at some point.

Thanks also for the tip re insulation, however I have opted to make the buffer stop as a unit with it's own length of track, which is then joined to the siding using a pair of exactoscale plastic fishplates.

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I bet Max Williams at Lawrence Hill had something like that in stock.

 

His was a most fantastic Model Shop for the scratch builder, right next

to the railway bridge on Stapelton Road.

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Robin,

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We should have all bought bucketfulls of the Puffers buffers when they were around. I seem to recall that they were very reasonably priced. How were we to know that they would soon disappear for ever!

 

John

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Excellent work Robin!

 

Out of interest, does anyone know of any published drawings for rail built buffer stops?

 

Paul

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Robin,

 

Hint has been received and we are looking into the practicalities of things. Sale no 1 is me, do I assume you are sale no 2?

 

I still think you ought to isolate the buffing plate from the stanchions? Won't there be a risk of a loco crossing onto the isolated piece of track and creating the short circuit. As the base of the stancions are quite long, the will be the best part of a wagon length of track that forms the base for the buffer stop?

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Robin,Hint has been received and we are looking into the practicalities of things. Sale no 1 is me, do I assume you are sale no 2?I still think you ought to isolate the buffing plate from the stanchions? Won't there be a risk of a loco crossing onto the isolated piece of track and creating the short circuit. As the base of the stancions are quite long, the will be the best part of a wagon length of track that forms the base for the buffer stop?

 

Mark, I do take your point about a short circuit but unfortunately I have now built and painted two of the buffer stops and one has been installed on the layout. The good thing is that one, from photos, seems to have a 16ton mineral permanently positioned against it, whilst the other is only for full or empty coal wagons. I shall have to fully test them out and put in an additional rail break. I shall make sure I incorporate your idea in the remaining three.

 

Robin

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Robin,

 

I've got a number of the "Puffers" type you can have (7 in total, including one which is broken into two pieces). I bought them years ago but decided to use the Mainly Trains cast brass versions for "Delph" - although it turns out that these aren't quite right for ex-LNWR locations, being the ex-GWR/BR standard type. However, they're close and with the bottom section burried in debris and grass will do the job.

Let me know if you still want any.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave.

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Robin,In this shot of 44753, the buffer by the coaling tower can be glimpsed through the metal ladder of the signal. The mineral wagon was not right up against the buffer. I wondered why my photo of 7900 had suddenly become so popular !http://www.flickr.co...157625157165429Patrick

 

Hi Patrick, Thanks for the link - I have a copy of this photo and was unable to find it in my collection so I opted to use 7900 instead. It is a much better shot of the buffer and I will post some photos shortly of my completed model installed on the layout. Keep up the good work with your Flickr collection.

 

Robin

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Robin,I've got a number of the "Puffers" type you can have (7 in total, including one which is broken into two pieces). I bought them years ago but decided to use the Mainly Trains cast brass versions for "Delph" - although it turns out that these aren't quite right for ex-LNWR locations, being the ex-GWR/BR standard type. However, they're close and with the bottom section burried in debris and grass will do the job.Let me know if you still want any.Cheers,Dave.

 

Thanks Dave - Hope to see you at Scaleforum..........................

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  • RMweb Gold

I remember walking in to Puffers on the day of the MRJ exhibition in London (which I had abandoned when I saw the size of the queue), and buying the last three OO versions of those buffer stops. I don't recall if he had any in EM or P4 remaining, but I know where those last three OO ones are now...!

 

Lovely work, btw Robin!

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Very late to be adding a comment, but as I have researched and produced 2mm etchings of all three bufferstop types, I can clear up their origin at least in part.

 

Type 1 is the LMS wartime design, which went on to widespread use on BR. There was a drawing of this in an HMRS article.

 

Type 2 is what is often known as the straight rail design. There are examples known of it on the LNWR, but it was also used by the GNR, LNER (York division), SR and as observed is still produced today, there is a nice new one outside St Pancras on HS1. In addition to the PHD etch, BIll Bedford does one of the GNR variant. There is a drawing of an example from Oxford Rewley Road in Precision 1973.

 

Type 3 is also a LNWR design, and dates originally from 1879. I have an original drawing and article by David Hanson, although I forgot from where.

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Hi Robin, nice to see the Barrowroad project making good progress, unfortunately I'm a bit late in producing buffer stops which you could have used, never mind. In my research on buffer stops this project seems to come up regularly in internet searches so I thought I would say Hi and carry on with the good work. 

The Midland way is the best way...

 

All the best,

Dave Franks

www.lanarkshiremodels.com

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Hi Robin, nice to see the Barrowroad project making good progress, unfortunately I'm a bit late in producing buffer stops which you could have used, never mind. In my research on buffer stops this project seems to come up regularly in internet searches so I thought I would say Hi and carry on with the good work. 

The Midland way is the best way...

 

All the best,

Dave Franks

www.lanarkshiremodels.com

Hi Dave,

 

Your new buffers look really good and would have saved me a bit of work. I made up two Midland buffers using the old Puffers units as the starter - two others are from Pete Harvey Design. Shame I only need five buffers on the scenic side of the layout but I know where to come if I need any more.

I must build one of your chassis kits that are sitting on the workbench - the WD looks favourite.

All the best,

 

Robin

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Hi Robin, yes, the bufferstop kits will save me a lot of work too although I still have to make the masters so everyone can enjoy them.

I've got two WDs fitted with the tender chassis and they run beautifully. The locos can reverse a train of 40 minerals through a curved point, then a slip and a three way all at great speed or walking pace and never show a bump or wobble, unlike the real thing I suppose...

 

All the best,

Dave Franks

www.lanarkshiremodels.com

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Hi Robin, yes, the bufferstop kits will save me a lot of work too although I still have to make the masters so everyone can enjoy them.

I've got two WDs fitted with the tender chassis and they run beautifully. The locos can reverse a train of 40 minerals through a curved point, then a slip and a three way all at great speed or walking pace and never show a bump or wobble, unlike the real thing I suppose...

 

All the best,

Dave Franks

www.lanarkshiremodels.com

Hi Dave,

Are you going to S4N by any chance - Barrow Road will be there.

 

All the best,

 

Robin

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Hi Robin, yes I'm hoping to be there, I'm meeting up with a few people and have a lunch date with some. Hope they don't expect a free lunch.... 

 

See you and Barrow Road,

 

Dave Franks

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