Countess off to a new home and a great steam up today

[artfull dodger]

Went to a small steam up at a railroad museum not far from home.  Just a static museum with signals, a restored depot and a HO scale model railroad.  We normaly set up our groups portable layout outside, but chilly temps and a howling wind pushed us indoors in the old baggage room with poor lighting, so no pics of the steam up this time.  Was just a few of us there, I picked up my blue Roundhouse Bertie from a fellow steamer that I purchased from him a few days ago.  I was running my Countess with her two Brandbright Pickering coaches and 2 LGB brown Zillertalbahn coaches.  He just had to have it, I named my price, same that I had been asking for them, and he started making offers, then asked if there was anything in the excess stuff behind the cabooses I liked.  I ended up with a complete set of crossing flasher lights with pole, mounting base casting, even a bell on top, along with the proper glass bottomed relay to make them alternate back and fourth.  These are really hard to come by with everything but the concrete base in the ground.   And not cheap when you do.  We managed to scrounge up some wrenches to take it all apart and stuff it all in my friends truck for the trip home.   PIcs tomorrow, was well after dark when we got home.   Will be a bit before I set them back up in my back garden, have to make a base with 4 bolts sticking up to bolt it down.   Cheers  Mike

[artfull dodger]

Here are some pics of the crossing flasher signal and its relay that actually makes them work.   I will put it all back together when I am able to erect the pole in my back garden.  Its all alum, so not real heavy.  Very early models in the USA were cast iron and extremely heavy!    Mike

Here is the warning bell, it goes on top of the pole

 

Here is the pole, the base is at the far end

 

Here are the 4 light heads and mounting "spider"

 

And here is the huge relay that alternates the lights.