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Jon Fitness' average 7mm signals workbench.


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John,

 

A few queries regarding some of the colours you have used.

 

I have not come across the spectacle plates been painted the same colour as the arm before or the blinders being white?  Whilst I have seen brackets and gantries in grey before, I had thought this was a fairly recent paint scheme?

 

Can you enlighten me when these colours are appropiate?

 

 

Mark

Hi Mark, fairly standard LMS/ BR(M) colour schemes according to my books. The spectacle plates were enamelled as well as the arms but they seemed to get dirty/weathered/corroded quicker than the blades which were generally kept cleaner by the signal technichians. This may make them appear black in pictures.

 The grey for gantries is an LMS colour although which of the fifty shades is correct is beyond me! I think it was a mettalic grey, similar to that used for painting bridges although I'm willing to be corrected on that! Lattice brackets and the welded stem brackets were also grey but sometimes the front face of the main post was painted white for visibility.

LMS/BR(M) back blinders were mostly white and only very occasionally black or grey.

Heres' a standard upper quadrant arm at ground level.

post-7179-0-09976100-1534792685_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-40428000-1534792723_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

Jon, do you know anyone making  GWR/BR( WR) ground signals in 7mm? ( kit or other wise ) 

regards

 

Dave 

 

Jon built mine for Fourgig East - starts around here in this very topic :) http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/11497-jon-fitness-average-7mm-signals-workbench/?p=1328694

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  • 3 weeks later...

Jon, do you know anyone making  GWR/BR( WR) ground signals in 7mm? ( kit or other wise ) 

regards

 

Dave 

Hi Dave, depends which type of ground signal you need! The early cast pattern ones are available from bothe MSE and SSS but no-one as yet does one of the later tubular posted GW/BR(W) types. I'm hoping that Alan Buttler of Modelu will get the cance to scan one sometime and produce it as a 3D print. I have made my own castings to represent them but I think I need to improve on them!

JF

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Time for a quick update methinks!

 

 post-7179-0-09001800-1536927007_thumb.jpg

 

The gantry has been installed in its new home and I have done a few more simpler signals to relax!

Here's a GW centre balanced stop signal. Tubular post, LED lit and servo operated.

 

post-7179-0-78518800-1536926192_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-62900500-1536926222_thumb.jpg

 

A GWR co acting/slipping coach distant using SSS arms, a Borg Rail etched brass "wooden" post, LED lit and servo operated.

 

post-7179-0-62643400-1536926286_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-61777700-1536926253_thumb.jpg

 

An LMS 2 arm shunt signal, same sources as above!

 

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I'm now on to some signals for Bath Green Park shed layout (not mine!). This one is a bit weird, being an almost totally BR(W) structure with upper quadrant arms. It will even have GW pattern lamp cases and weightbars. All my GW lamps and finials are now from the excellent Modelu 3D printed range.

 

post-7179-0-52515400-1536926071_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-77534700-1536926046_thumb.jpg

 

More soon

JF

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  • RMweb Gold

Lovely stuff as always John but one point about the GWR short arms. They were not centre balance but were centre pivot and didn't need a balance weight in order for the arm to return to danger as the weight of the spectacle plate and a metal strip commonly found on these arms would return them to danger if the down rod broke.   If I put a rod through the pivot on the one I own the arm will become vertical due to the weight of the spectacle end.

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Lovely stuff as always John but one point about the GWR short arms. They were not centre balance but were centre pivot and didn't need a balance weight in order for the arm to return to danger as the weight of the spectacle plate and a metal strip commonly found on these arms would return them to danger if the down rod broke.   If I put a rod through the pivot on the one I own the arm will become vertical due to the weight of the spectacle end.

Thanks Mike, informative as always! I must confess that I didn't copy the mechanical configuration of the real signal!

Cheers

Jon F

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  • 4 weeks later...

The MR signal is now complete and very much in need of some serious weathering.

post-7179-0-78671400-1540075816_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-05878700-1540075874_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-82868300-1540075946_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-24537500-1540076004_thumb.jpg

I have several more signals to make in this batch so I'll weather them all together at the end.

The little structure on the staging is in lieu of a ladder for the lampman and there are a couple of telegraph wire "pots" on a small bar fixed to the smaller doll. It also has a "D" sign indicating that the signal is fitted with a firemans call plunger that the fireman of any train detained there pressed to indicate the train's presence to the signalbox.

 Those and the slightly curious layout of the black and white are all gleaned from photos of the actual signal near Bath Green Park shed.

More soon

JF

Edited by Jon Fitness
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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks Rich. Trying to raise my game but I'm having mixed success..!

I’d have thought you were near the top!! In what way are you having “mixed success”? Is this with your own etches?

 

Rich

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  • RMweb Gold

Yes, lots to learn about thickness and hole sizes and fold lines. And layers!

 

Practise makes perfect you know!

 

And my mechanical linkages just don't seem to get any better either. Tried quite a few different methods but they still end up clunky.

 

 

They certainly don't look chunky on the pictures you post on here!!

 

Rich

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  • RMweb Gold

And my mechanical linkages just don't seem to get any better either. Tried quite a few different methods but they still end up clunky.

You can only scale wire and rod down so far before it becomes unfit for purpose.

 

In the linkages you build, you have to make them 'frictionless' otherwise they'd not work, or would bind so much as to start bending out of shape.

 

'Frictionless' also translates into oversized clearances.  Which will give you 'clunky' as the various cranks and push rods move one at a time rather than all together (Think a loose coupled freight moving off), even though it only takes a second or two.

 

If I could achieve 50% of the standard you manage to get with  your signals, I'd be over the moon!

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  • 1 month later...

Time for an update methinks...

 

As the end of our first full year on the island approaches, it's probably time to take stock of where I'm up to. Happy as I am on the Isle of Wight, a certain element of frustration has oozed into my life. I now have a bigger backlog of jobs since I retired and am trying to enjoy one or three other distractions (building my O gauge garden railway, volunteering at both the Bus Museum and Steam Railway!) I also still have to finish my own bus restoration and revitalise an old motorcycle too!

All problems of my own making of course but I think the model signal building biz is going to take a back seat for a year or so while I catch up. I still have a couple of months of signal work to do before I take my break. There are other factors too; my rather scatterbrained approach to modelling hasn't helped and whilst looking for something I thought I'd lost the other day, I unearthed a couple of scribbled notes from prospective customers who I'd managed to completely forget about amongst other things!

One of my recent builds has produced some signals for someone who tragically never got to see them before he passed away. I also have two rather nice GWR signals for someone who paid me a deposit and is now, due to my not keeping proper records proving difficult to contact. (msb12 on here, wherever he is!)

 Anyway, grumble over....

 

For Bath Green Park...a strange combination of BRW structure and fittings with Upper Quadrant arms. It uses a BRW bracket etch I did the artwork for, Modelu lamps and finials and Scale Signal Supply arms. It is Servo operated and LED lit.

 

post-7179-0-73409900-1544122339_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-60428700-1544122316_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-94228900-1544122288_thumb.jpg

 

A GWR earlier pattern ground signal with Modelu lamp case (huge improvement!) and is set up for manual operation and unlit.

 

post-7179-0-24235600-1544123649_thumb.jpg

 

A GWR early type balanced bracket signal. The bracket is scratchbuilt and the signal is fitted with Modelu lamps and finials. For manual operation and unlit.

 

post-7179-0-48926800-1544123769_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-91758800-1544123744_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-72129500-1544123706_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-95136900-1544123675_thumb.jpg

 

Painted and Weathered..

 

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And a rather ficticious but characterful GWR colour light gantry. Mostly scratchbuilt plus some rather nice etched brackets left over from a previous job and a couple of very nice 3D printed signal heads.post-7179-0-80615000-1544124507_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-18581500-1544124474_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-37495500-1544124441_thumb.jpgpost-7179-0-09630600-1544124408_thumb.jpg

 

Just started on some SR bracket signals, more of which next time!

 

Pip Pip!

 

JF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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You are a busy man Jon, enjoy your 'Gap' year but dont be a stranger on here, in fact put up some pics of the Bus restoration I saw a few at Telford very nice project.

 

ATB

John.

I've still quite a bit of signal work to do so hopefully I'll keep updating here.

Not sure here is the right place for bus pics though!!

JF

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