Stephen Freeman

Sorry I have seen these photos before but thanks anyway. Now, in the last one if only the photographer had turned round, he might have seen the up branch starter. Those in the photos are down branch starter and branch home.

I have now completed (hopefully) all the designs for the projects and just have to wait now for PPD now.

PPD etches are about 5 to 6 weeks away at the moment so am concentrating on doing various Southern signals in 4mm at the moment. I( wasn't happy with the height of the dolls so they are being revised at the moment.

Getting there hopefully. I will be fitting the arms next, which are already done. After that the bits to make it work (servos) I do have another one at least to make and possibly one in 7mm scale too.

I have at last found a photo on Yelverton Roundabout Facebook group which shows the bracket signal I referred to. An old photo it is true but probably didn't get updated and at least it's something to go on.

Hi, If you mean the main up starter, there is a photo in "The Great Western in South Devon", which shows it to a tubular post signal. On the other hand if you mean the up Branch starter, I am not so sure. The only photo with a clear view of it I have seen is an early one. It could even be of the same design as the Down Branch Starter, which was a concrete post job. IO shall keep looking.

Entirely (well almost) unrelated to ththis topic but I have an interest in the signalling arrangements for this station. At the moment I am struggling to find any photos of the Down Branch Home/up main inner home bracket signal and the up branch main advance starter/shunt or a decent photo of the up branch starter. At the moment I am assuming that the up branch main advance starter/shunt was the same design as the down main starter and shunt (photo in The Great Western in South Devon book). I have searched in the usual places (Internet, Vaughan etc) and some not so usual but has anybody got anything photographic on these? I have enough info on all the others. Period 1950s with working branch to Princetown.

Not so, I think you will find that Exactoscale also produce a 2 bolt chair, the C&L version has rounded plates as opposed to the rectangular ones of the Exactoscales. A quick flick through GWR Switch and Crossing Practice will reveal you can mix the two though quite easily but remember that unlike 3 and 4 bolt track the checkrail chairs were also 2 bolt. As far as I know neither produce 2 bolt slide chairs but you can obtain them from Modelu. Of course there is always Masokits if you really want to....

Just in case no-one has seen it on my thread, arecent arrival from PPD

Just a quick note to say that anyone else fancy having a go at the Carmarthen signal referred to might like to know that S008/3 from Wizard Models is probably closer to the prototype bracket, just needs some minor modification.

A recent arrival from PPD. A 7mm scale version is under way.

Here are a couple of photos: A few details: The arms are MSE as is the ladder, balance weight arm and backblinder, the finial and lamps are Modelu, the post is in etched brass. Operating wire 0.33mm Nickel Silver.

Whilst I am waiting on PPD to process my order for cosmetic fishplates, I have been busy building signals, just for a change. I have prepared some GWR Ground Signals (the disc bearings aren't quite in the right place on the casting, which makes the spectacles line up incorrectly with the lamp lense) for a small diorama and also completed some CAD files ready for the etchers. The diorama will contain one "normal" signal, I say normal as it is not quite GWR in that I believe the post, ladder and safety hoop are probably of Cambrian origin, as the hoop is not standard GWR issue and the location is definitely Cambrian. The signal also features that bete-noir of modelmakers the distant arm, in this case fixed, in addition to the normal stop arm. I have tried transfers and painting them but am now of the opinion that Matt Vinyl paper gives the best results. I now have enough on one A4 sheet to last me several lifetimes in both 4mm and 7mm scales. I did some stop ones whilst I was at it. I found it it relatively easy to do in Turbocad, colour matching was the hardest part. The first time I used the medium was for some time ago for LBSCR arms of rather ancient design. I have done the sheet to 7mm scale but have also re-scaled it to 4mm scale (might need to make a slight modification or two), which should hopefully fill a hole in the provision of Stevens Brackets, posts and arms, especially relevant to a certain well known station on the LSWR. At the moment PPD are working on 4 to 6 weeks delivery, so hopefully sometime in August if the design doesn't need amendment. Some photos will follow shortly.

Just received the Southern Infrastructure Vol2 book. Good info on Seaton Junction and Branch, but most pre-WW2 and pre-modernisation. Busy preparing Southern related S&T CAD files at the moment - hopefully something of interest in the Autumn..

At present I am waiting on the production of some 7mm scale etched brass cosmetic ones (0.6mm sheet thickness) from PPD, hopefully they will come out OK.