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Abbotswood and Norton Junctions - layout build


Phil Bullock
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4 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:


Hi Cameron

 

I lay cork first…. 

 

Then put in a few temporary pins to establish line of track and to get flexi bent to something like correct alignment…. And also mark holes for feeds and point motors. Important to do this with correct rail joiners as it’s amazing how much the bit of plastic spacer in IRJs can alter alignment.
 

Then lift track , drill and cut holes as needed before applying glue along line of track, keeping away from point motor holes and tie bars, then feed point and frog feed wires through holes before final alignment and pinning down until glue is set. Can run glue between sleepers if careful but it’s a faff…
 

it’s a challenge finding decent drawing pins … as mentioned before this plywood is like iron and 50% self destruct when tapped in with hammer. So regard them as single use only. 

 

That makes more sense, I just saw there was some wet glue in the photos while the drawing pins were present. So they will have just been holding the alignment until the glue was dry?

 

Cameron

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1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Could I suggest that you have a word with your neighbour's about that snot coloured garage door. Maroon would bring a bit of class to the street.


Trouble is they have only just painted it!

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19 minutes ago, Mophead45143 said:

 

That makes more sense, I just saw there was some wet glue in the photos while the drawing pins were present. So they will have just been holding the alignment until the glue was dry?

 

Cameron


Yep … first job once glue is dry is to take them all out

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22 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:


Like avocado? 

In 1983, I bought a house in Portsmouth that had a sort of turquoise coloured bathroom suite. It was already unfashionable then and there has been no sign of it coming back in the intervening 38 years. So, when I say the colour of your neighbours door might become popular again, don't hold your breathe. That day might well be long beyond yours and my shelf life.  

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4 hours ago, RBAGE said:

In 1983, I bought a house in Portsmouth that had a sort of turquoise coloured bathroom suite. It was already unfashionable then and there has been no sign of it coming back in the intervening 38 years. So, when I say the colour of your neighbours door might become popular again, don't hold your breathe. That day might well be long beyond yours and my shelf life.  

Half of Portsmouth had their front doors painted Battleship Grey because they worked in the Dockyard.:laugh:

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17 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

About a mile from where we used to live there was a large detached house where a senior member of railway staff lived.  The woodwork and garage door were painted in a rather fetching, and somehow familiar, shade of Class 52 blue.


Chromatic? ;)

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Pre Christmas update … 

 

havent been able to work on layout for last two weeks due to family commitments so hope of a complete running loop by Christmas have gone am afraid.

 

Current state of play is I have amended the pointwork on fiddle yard board 1 to include access to down goods loop(s) … only one will be visible on scenic board but laying in a second will improve flexibility and create a convenient place to make up trains.Also added trailing crossover between up and down main lines so loops 2-6 can now be used to reverse trains when needed. As shown in photo….
 

Track laying then continued across the linking board on to scenic board 1 and has progressed on to boards 2 and 3. On these the goods loops are behind the back scene adjacent to the operating well and the main lines are in front of the backscene but will be hidden when the topography for Norton is added. Electrics now need tidying on fiddle board 1 and installing on link board and scenic boards 1 & 2 … should be a quick job on them.

 

Brought a large radius point to attempt curving to see if geometry at Abbotswood Junction can be improved, and other modelling has consisted of more work on banana vans - red panda chassis on Dapol bodies, 6 done, 3 more to finish building in first batch. 
 

So only remains to wish everyone on here a Very Merry Christmas…. Hope you can all have a good one in spite of current uncertainty. Here’s hoping the New Year brings Accurascale Deltic and Manor in addition to peace on Earth.

924CEE00-442C-4011-9092-7C8CCEBC40B4.jpeg

Edited by Phil Bullock
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  • 4 weeks later...
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Have caught up with wiring on all boards with track laid…. Do need to lay more track, hope weather might be good enough this afternoon.

 

Bashing continues however …. There’s project Coney Hall, see Here and coil J wagons ongoing.

 

Phase 1 (9 wagons) of project Banana is completed, thanks to Steve at @railtec-models for sorting the transfers

66C01EA6-1A0B-4FFE-BC45-72857CFE6088.jpeg

F1C78823-4168-45CC-B81A-45E65222FF28.jpeg

E8414E2B-D67F-4161-8ADE-04832016949D.jpeg

Edited by Phil Bullock
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Been finishing these off today with transfers from @railtec-models …. Far better than my paint work!
 

0EF0CBC6-75B6-41D6-9E87-53669CED6634.jpeg.878f8ebfbb3523ede5201aef7c1fabfd.jpeg


7B61A5F4-A139-4B28-AE79-6137FC4471FB.jpeg.5a1570a6b6b10ba9450f1a4c4946c24f.jpeg

 

Paradox is have discovered that as there was a distant on Norton’s starter on the Abbotswood curve they are wrong ! What I really need is this

 

8D4717F5-183B-42B9-9B7A-6963F07AB2AF.jpeg.d42d156406bcf750c34decc35ac959e9.jpeg

 

 

So back to the work bench! Hopefully have a customer for the ones which are wrong….

 

Think the count is up to 22 arms on the layout… 13 UQ for Abbotswood box and 9 LQ for Norton.…..

Edited by Phil Bullock
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51 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

Paradox is have discovered that as there was a distant on Norton’s starter on the Abbotswood curve they are wrong !

Oh dear.

What you have is right for post Gloucester resignalling, but that means no UQ at Abbotswood.

Bother!

Paul.

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Just now, 5BarVT said:

Oh dear.

What you have is right for post Gloucester resignalling, but that means no UQ at Abbotswood.

Bother!

Paul.


Spot on! Abbotswood box closed March 69 and all the UQ went …. Norton’s home bracket was resited further back from the bridge and acquired the distant which was motor driven from Gloucester. 
 

I just love watching semaphore signals clear for a train … that’s why we have postponed Gloucester MAS and installed an up goods loop. 

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Weather was kind enough today for track laying . This is south end of low level (B&G) fiddle yard  ….
 

1C2E16FA-D7DD-4BC1-A5E1-8B8C6740F2B2.jpeg.9cf0a4249dff4886287f009a3113aa46.jpeg

 

Tracks coming towards us L to R are B&G down main, up main and goods loop …. They will break through the back scene on the next board (scenic 9). Up grade starts from where track laying has now reached … has to rise 1” by the time it gets to Abbotswood Junction at 1 in 80. 
 

Going away from us the two left hand tracks are the entry and exit from the reversing loop … splits out in to 3 storage loops. The rest of the tracks are the start of down and up storage loops … 6 in each direction each of which should hold two trains. All loops have access to both up lines for flexibility… and the two short spurs in to the corner will allow us to feed short trains in when we are fiddling in the yard - light locos, DPU, route learner, breakdown train etc. 
 

Need to crack on can’t wait for first running session! 

Edited by Phil Bullock
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Haven’t been slacking …. Weather hasnt been good lately so have been mainly working on signals …. But with a couple of good days back out on the drive laying in the raised track bed on scenic sections. This is board 9 … Bridge will be at 90 degrees half way down the straight. Road bed is 3 ply on plywood risers filled with expanding foam for rigidity and lightness. Once this sets can sink screw heads and lay track on this section… 

 

230828A1-14B9-4388-A337-24BD5CB58D10.jpeg.057b3580eb1007e7865936170d96c5cd.jpeg

 

BE9B2957-A256-4EBC-AFD0-5CE9F6D1AA14.jpeg.dadd711cab72997f3bae4ac27d2c603b.jpeg

And keep getting distracted by new announcements, this weekend is costing me 2 Brush Type 2s from Accurascale plus 3 ferry vans and a Worcester branded Toad from Rapido….

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On 10/02/2022 at 20:58, Phil Bullock said:

Now that’s looking better for Norton Junctions home signals ….7870115C-83CC-474C-9CC7-4AE623D46AC2.jpeg.bdb84bf96757a88a99301a716ece22ee.jpeg

 

Just got to add details, servos and paint

That is much better Phil.  And if you add the distant arm (??) you could get it the right distance below the stop arm this time

https://www.roscalen.com/signals/Worcester/NortonJct.htm

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18 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

That is much better Phil.  And if you add the distant arm (??) you could get it the right distance below the stop arm this time

https://www.roscalen.com/signals/Worcester/NortonJct.htm


Cracking site that one Mike. But if I have it right the distant arm for Abbotswood on that bracket arrived with the implementation of Gloucester MAS …. There was a distant however on Norton’s starter , which was round the corner next to Norton’s home from the Abbotswood direction. 
 

Will put up a diagram once I have all the signals finished… thought I was there but broke one when fitting servos grrr…

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