Warren Branch

[Andrew P]

35 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

It's quality, not quantity, that counts.

And there certainly is a lot of QUALITY on here, just pity its not Quality Street, I am partial to a few of those..

[chuffinghell]

Following @Graham T’s Chuffnell Regis build has reminded me I need to look at the levers on the manually operated points before I do any more ballasting

 

In a effort to replicate something like this…

 

I’ve made a start

 

 

 

I don’t have any styrene strip the correct width or thickness so I’ve had to resort to laminating strips of cut down plasticard

 

This is just a mock up for now 

[Andrew P]

11 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

Following @Graham T’s Chuffnell Regis build has reminded me I need to look at the levers on the manually operated points before I do any more ballasting

 

In a effort to replicate something like this…

 

I’ve made a start

 

 

 

I don’t have any styrene strip the correct width or thickness so I’ve had to resort to laminating strips of cut down plasticard

 

This is just a mock up for now 

MOCK UP? That better than perfect in my book Chris.

[Crisis Rail]

18 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

Following @Graham T’s Chuffnell Regis build has reminded me I need to look at the levers on the manually operated points before I do any more ballasting

 

In a effort to replicate something like this…

 

I’ve made a start

 

 

 

I don’t have any styrene strip the correct width or thickness so I’ve had to resort to laminating strips of cut down plasticard

 

This is just a mock up for now 

 

Maybe you could've used spare matching cutoff sleepers? - and for the timber cover thin balsawood - it even has the woodgrain.

[Graham T]

11 minutes ago, Crisis Rail said:

... for the timber cover thin balsawood - it even has the woodgrain.

 

That's why I like using coffee stirrers to build things (and I've got a thousand of them!)

[Rowsley17D]

I stand to be corrected, Chris but I think the lever should "point" to other way so the person operating it is facing the oncoming train. Are those levers the ones from the Rep of Ireland?

[chuffinghell]

2 hours ago, Crisis Rail said:

Maybe you could've used spare matching cutoff sleepers? - and for the timber cover thin balsawood - it even has the woodgrain.

 

When you say cut off sleepers do you mean the bits I cut off with the slots in?…apologies in advance if I’ve misunderstood

 

I suppose I could use sleepers cut from scrap bits of track, glued two side by side and then trim down to match the wider sleepers either side of the tie bar

 

I don’t have any balsawood, it’s not a material I use, I didn’t even know you could get balsa as thin as 0.5mm

 

Taking on board what you have mentioned about wood grain I’ve had a look at scribing along the ‘planks’ with my knife

 

 

 

[chuffinghell]

2 hours ago, Rowsley17D said:

I stand to be corrected, Chris but I think the lever should "point" to other way so the person operating it is facing the oncoming train. Are those levers the ones from the Rep of Ireland?

I’m not sure to be honest, that was going to to be my next question because I’ve got two points back to back

 

 

I’ve not yet glued the lever in place so it can be changed if I’ve done it wrong

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

2 hours ago, Graham T said:

 

That's why I like using coffee stirrers to build things (and I've got a thousand of them!)

do you mean hand fulls of ‘paint stirrers’ liberated from Starbucks? 

[Graham T]

57 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

do you mean hand fulls of ‘paint stirrers’ liberated from Starbucks? 

 

That's one way of doing it of course - but there aren't many Starbucks in Austria...  So I bought myself a catering size pack

[Alister_G]

15 minutes ago, Graham T said:

but there aren't many Starbucks in Austria...

 

That's a definite plus point, right there!

 

Al.

[57xx]

3 hours ago, Rowsley17D said:

I stand to be corrected, Chris but I think the lever should "point" to other way so the person operating it is facing the oncoming train. Are those levers the ones from the Rep of Ireland?

 

Doesn't that depend on which direction the train is coming from?

[Nick C]

1 hour ago, chuffinghell said:

I’m not sure to be honest, that was going to to be my next question because I’ve got two points back to back

 

 

I’ve not yet glued the lever in place so it can be changed if I’ve done it wrong

 

Having a quick look at some prototype photos shows them either way around, about 60/40 in favour of pointing to the toe.

 

Nothing to do with the direction of travel, as the person operating them should be well clear by the time he authorised the movement to pass.

[chuffinghell]

14 minutes ago, 57xx said:

 

Doesn't that depend on which direction the train is coming from?

As well as the run-around loop it’s also part of the good/shunting so traffic would be travelling in either direction

 

9 minutes ago, Nick C said:

Having a quick look at some prototype photos shows them either way around, about 60/40 in favour of pointing to the toe.

 

Nothing to do with the direction of travel, as the person operating them should be well clear by the time he authorised the movement to pass.

I was struggling to find a definitive answer as photos I’ve looked at appear to show either way

 

So I’m not sure what to do to be honest but when you say pointing to the toe do you mean opposite to how I’ve currently got it?

[Nick C]

2 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

As well as the run-around loop it’s also part of the good/shunting so traffic would be travelling in either direction

 

I was struggling to find a definitive answer as photos I’ve looked at appear to show either way

 

So I’m not sure what to do to be honest but when you say pointing to the toe do you mean opposite to how I’ve currently got it?

Yep - but there's plenty showing them that way around as well. Whichever you think looks better! 

[Rowsley17D]

30 minutes ago, Nick C said:

Yep - but there's plenty showing them that way around as well. Whichever you think looks better! 

 

Where's Mike @Stationmaster when you need him?

[chuffinghell]

The other question would be if both levers would be facing the same way even though the points are facing opposite each other 

[Graham T]

I had the same situation with Chuffnell Regis, two points toe to toe, and thought a pair of separate levers would look a bit odd.  So I went for a small ground frame instead, like this:

 

[chuffinghell]

1 hour ago, Graham T said:

I had the same situation with Chuffnell Regis, two points toe to toe, and thought a pair of separate levers would look a bit odd.  So I went for a small ground frame instead, like this:

 

I don’t have enough room for a ground frame so I don’t really have a choice

 

I would imagine it would be easier for the guy operating them if all the levers faced the same way regardless of the point direction though?…maybe?

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by chuffinghell

[MrWolf]

From a purely practical point of view, I think that Chris's use of styrene throughout is perfectly sensible.  The more different materials that you use in construction, the more potential there is for problems with adhesion. 

The plastic used by Peco to make their sleepers is a particularly unhelpful material. 

I like to use coffee stirrers, but find that unless trimmed and painted  always look like coffee stirrers. Trimmed down to the right size and stamped with a piece of metal filed down to the shape of a rail chair, they make brilliant sleeper fencing. Mine were sourced from Wetherspoons, Miss R's friend is a waitress in one.

Yes, she too has a degree in something obscure....

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, Nick C said:

Having a quick look at some prototype photos shows them either way around, about 60/40 in favour of pointing to the toe.

 

Nothing to do with the direction of travel, as the person operating them should be well clear by the time he authorised the movement to pass.

Interesting. I was under the impression that the person operating the lever should be facing a train for which the person is setting the route.

 

The lever should also be far enough away from the rails to prevent the operator being hit - Chris might like to move his a bit further out. On the GWR that would be about 33mm from the track centre.

[Winslow Boy]

7 hours ago, MrWolf said:

From a purely practical point of view, I think that Chris's use of styrene throughout is perfectly sensible.  The more different materials that you use in construction, the more potential there is for problems with adhesion. 

The plastic used by Peco to make their sleepers is a particularly unhelpful material. 

I like to use coffee stirrers, but find that unless trimmed and painted  always look like coffee stirrers. Trimmed down to the right size and stamped with a piece of metal filed down to the shape of a rail chair, they make brilliant sleeper fencing. Mine were sourced from Wetherspoons, Miss R's friend is a waitress in one.

Yes, she too has a degree in something obscure....

 

It wouldn't happen to be post impressionist painting in the 16th Century would it?

[chuffinghell]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Interesting. I was under the impression that the person operating the lever should be facing a train for which the person is setting the route.

 

The lever should also be far enough away from the rails to prevent the operator being hit - Chris might like to move his a bit further out. On the GWR that would be about 33mm from the track centre.

best I can do due to limited space is to rotate the assembly 180 degrees

 

 

[St Enodoc]

55 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

best I can do due to limited space is to rotate the assembly 180 degrees

 

 

As long as your trains don't hit it, that will look fine.

[chuffinghell]

47 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

As long as your trains don't hit it, that will look fine.

I checked it with my 72xx which is my longest loco (without a tender) and it clears, had I not turned it around through 180 degrees it would have hit it so many thanks for pointing it out….much appreciated 

 

Edited September 20, 2021 by chuffinghell