Ron Heggs

One of the models required for the Sri Lankan railway project is accurate HO scale road/rail vertical lift crossing barriers with electrical operation triggered by track sensors with fixed lever operation and adjustable operating time Existing turnout/point motors could have been used with the required lever throw, but they do not have adjustable timing The model barrier lever locus needed a 7mm vertical throw from horizontal closed position to fully open position, and a time of between 7 and 10 seconds Power off should leave the barriers in the fully open position In most cases the barriers are installed in pairs. There are exceptions where three barriers are required operating in sync The crossings are provided in each case with roadside flashing lamp warning signs for each barrier. The three barrier set only has a single flashing warning sign After much thought and research into the necessary operational design, it was decided that 12v DC 60 rpm motors with a 55mm long x M4 threaded linear screw would be used. A M4 brass screw would travel 0.7mm per second along the shaft. That would mean a 7mm travel would take 10 seconds Limit switches would be needed to control the actual throw, and these would need to be operated via the 4mm brass nut. The nut is 2.9mm thick with the limit switches mounted on opposite sides of the nut. This would need the limit switches spacing a further 2.9mm apart to retain the same 10 second run-time Electrically the limit switches isolate the motor supply at the end of each travel, which causes a problem when the motor is required to re-start and in the reverse direction. This meant that small DPDT relays were required to switch the supply to the motor, but there was still a requirement to circumvent the limit switch isolation. In the end the design was changed so that the limit switches don't isolate the supply, but switch one of the supply lines to both sides of the motor, effectively providing a zero voltage across the motor, and then the DPDT relay only needs to switch the opposite supply line to the correct motor terminal for it to start in reverse The track sensor is used to switch the DPDT relay at the appropraite moment for the barriers to move up and down. In the fully up/open position the flashing warning signs switch off. The flashing LED used for the warning sign derives its supply via the motor control circuit and the upper limit switch via second DPDT realy which switches the supply voltage to the LED to ensure it flashes continuously whilst the barrier is being operated and in the closed position Only one barrier in a pair or trio, needs the motor/LED control board, as the other barrier/s in the set operate at the same time and only require slaving off the actual motor connections, and the LED supply connections Wiring Diagram with supply connections for a full operation sequence - PCB layout - Temporary typical set-up - The Red LEDs are SMD type with an integral on-chip flashing circuit which provides a one second flash rate. The warning sign is made from 1mm dia brass tube drilled with a 0.5mm hole behind the LED location. The +ve LED supply using magnet wire is fed through the hole and down the tube. The tube is soldered to the LED -ve terminal, and acts as the conductor for -ve LED supply. Each LED is supplied with a 560 ohm resistor, so they can be driven from the 12v DC supply These signs are still in the build stage, all the LED connections, etc. have been tested and are working correctly without any short circuits

Fantastic, a big reflection on Spanish culture. I think a few more generations will need to pass before more recent history becomes an attraction, and something that they will really get involved in. At present it is just a mild curiosity, except for the few I will have to come up for a visit, probably in November, and also if possible view your modelling activities Ron

Best days to phone are Tuesdays & Wednesdays. The main problem is any calls to his mobile, etc. may be lost as he is in a poor reception area Ron

I found the biggest problems with C+L chairs is the amount of flash under the chair base, and the inconsistency in the opening for the rail causing problems with 'threading' on non-switch rails Thickness of the C+L chair base under the rail is also a lot thinner than is the case with Exactoscale chairs which can cause vertical misalgnment if both brands of chair are used on adjacent sleepers/timbers either side of enjoined rails

Thanks for the post Duke7100 There small pockets of craftsmanship everywhere - it would be great to see this extend to create a larger railway modelling fraternity, and not just be looked on as a niche endeavor by a dedicated few Your training workshops are good step in this direction What I would say to all those still with doubt in their abilities - Don't let this expression of talent pass you by, anyone can achieve this level of creativity, just get stuck in, try and don't give up Ron

That gentleman wouldn't be Gerald Wingrove by any chance? Ron

From my location and perspective your observations are almost spot-on. It is a good job I scratchbuild almost everything, and virtually all my materials are imported from the UK, with notable exceptions such as Evergreen plastics which are cheaper in Spain than the UK, and there are very good discounts available on Redutex resin coverings. I have favourite model shop located in Torrelavega, Cantabria and who also have a good website One has to work with what is available wherever you are, and wherever you can find models and modelling materials to meet your own requirements. Sometimes it works out fine, at other times it can be a bit of a pain, but we all push on with our projects regardless, because we are who we are Happy modelling here in Spain in spite of the problems Cheers Ron

Just been having thoughts about the number of chairs needed to complete the main trackwork on the layout. With approximately 85 metres of track at 200 chairs per metre, that is 17,000 chairs. At a nominal £27.50 per 500 C+L chairs that is almost £1000. As almost everything on the layout is being scratchbuilt, that is a lot of money which could be better spent on electrics and rolling stock The sleepers/timbers will number about about 8,500, at 750 per sheet of 310mm x 310mm ply, that works out at approx 12 sheets. I still have 8 in stock, so the extra cost is minimal I was wondering if there is a more cost effective way of making the chairs , still sticking with ply sleepers. Will be back with some possible solutions

That's typical cat behaviour - early curiousity soon turns into ownership of the house

Was in Barcelona last week delivering the latest package for Sri Lanka to the freight shippers. It was a little crowded in the city centre with a lot of the main streets closed to traffic Always interested in the political scene in both countries, how democracy is practiced and how it may affect us

Cut and stained another 1500+ sleepers, but run out of chairs. Await a further delivery of 1000+ chairs from C+L, at least I can still stick the sleepers and timbers to the printouts

It is now, since our siamese female cat died in July aged 17. It is where he has his meals, instead of causing problems in the kitchen. The room is approx. 3m x 2.6m, and was originally a third smaller bedroom

Will be over 85 metres of track without the carriage sidings, loco servicing area and return loops around the garden. Couldn't really produce hand built turnouts and use flex track inbetween, not after scratch building everything else Ron

Having decided to start trackwork build, the next decision was where to build it and on what. Could not in all honesty build it in-situ, as it would involve some at arms length stretching. No room on any of the three work tables in the railway room, as they are already in use for electrical works, painting and research space Dining table is out, as it is already taken up with electrical work (crossing barriers and flashing warning lights) for Sri Lanka The only place left is the cat's room. So the picnic table was installed and covered with two 610mm wide x 2 metre lengths of 30mm thick foam insulation boards With a number of A4 prints off the Templot layouts laid on the boards, it was time to make a start - The first areas of track to be built are the approach tracks into platforms 8 & 9 with the corresponding central service road, followed by the adjacent track into Bay Platform 7, and the tracks into Platforms 5 & 6 with their service road The tracks to the left are the roads into platforms 8 & 9 built except for the tie bars, and connections to the tracks in the platforms which have already been built On the right are some of the sleepers and timbers laid for the tracks into platforms 5 & centre service road View looking from the opposite direction A quick reminder of the trackwork for the layout excluding lines over and beyond the Castlefield Viaducts - The present trackwork build is starting at the bottom and working towards the left and upwards

The Sri Lankan Project is still ongoing, just a little quiet time at the moment whilst Christo is busy with his business expansion Cheers Ron

Even I'm not that quick - I reckon on at least the end of this year I think the layout needs a good dusting off as well, as it is well over 12 months since any work was done on it Cheers Ron

Now have 1500+ sleepers and 76 x 4mm x 310mm long timbers cut, and in a container soaking in Wengue wood stain for 15 minutes. Then dry in the Sun. Will print off a few sheets of trackwork from the Templot track layout, and start the trackwork build this evening. Will work away from the Train Shed towards the Great Northern Junction and Castlefield Viaducts Checked out the layout build against a number of enlarged OS maps of the area, and found the overall change in direction from the Train Shed to the Viaducts was 2.6 degrees out. So have had a couple of nights revising the Templot trackwork, and glad to say that all is ok now, and shouldn't end up with trackwork clashing with the approach brickwork viaduct walls Will post pictures of the track builds when sufficient progress is made Ron

Package arrived this morning with 10 sheets of 1mm ply approx 300mm x 300mm. Each sheet should be good for at least 750 sleepers or circa 500-600 timbers. So that will keep me busy cutting tonight Also now have a stock 200+ x 450mm lengths of bullhead NS rail, a few!! chairs and a couple cans of MEK. So making tracks is not far off Ron

Yes you are correct - The inner layers will need to be 20thou shorter at each end, and the end pieces just 20 thou shorter at the front edge You may have a problem cutting the embossed sheets. First, there may be a issue with holding the sheet to the cutting mat due to the smaller area being in contact with the mat, and the increased movement potential involving the blade repeatedly hitting the raised parts of the embossing. If you wish to do a trial, it may be better to cut the sheet from the reverse side Ron

Yes, I am still tied up with the Sri Lankan project. I was hoping to get started on the Manchester Central approach trackwork which has already been drawn in Templot, but C+L Finescale has been off-line for a few weeks whilst the business is being re-organised. I understand that the on-line shop is now open, so I can make a few purchases of rail and chairs for the track build. This should not cause any problem with the continuing Sri Lankan project, as all those builds are for structures which happily can be kept separate from MC trackwork builds. Just need to engineer a 48 hour day Cheers Ron

The transformers need to have an output of at least 9v, as the motors need that voltage as a minimum. The SPDT switches use the full +-9v to switch the polarities to the motors

Definitely a Simca. Meccano used to make Dinky Toy models for the French Toy market back in the 1950-60's, and this was one of the models they produced

or try these http://www.microfastenings.com/tri-plas.aspx

Tried 40 thou awhile ago, even though it is just beyond the limits of the machine even without a mat. The two rollers don't grip equally, so the sheet moves about as soon as the blade applies any pressure Now use 20 thou laminated when 40 thou is required to be cut, and hand cutting is not really the better option Cheers Ron PS. It's definitely hot today here in Spain