Jump to content
 

Wentworth Junction


Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium
1 minute ago, Michael Edge said:

I think we are still using the same circuitry but the hardware has moved on a bit from Mike Cole's - wasn't it moulded from  salad cream jar?

Yes, wrapped in kitchen towel I believe.

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

The fiddle yard is filling up now but there's still room for another coal train (only 145 coal wagons on here now).

 

IMG_0586.jpg.7906ef1c12733b55232a2d0da037e798.jpg

 

Looking towards West Silkstone Junction, two bankers waiting to return from the original crossover with the new one in the foreground. It does occur to me that this new crossover will make a big difference when operating Herculaneum Dock as well. It means that all goods trains will be able to use the sidings at the front, leaving just the coal trains in the back loops, most of the loops can be just for passenger trains.

Here the occasional LCGB special, pulled by a D10 is parked in one of the kickback sidings and there are a few strange stock items (I'm running out!) such as a GW brake van and the 4F on coal empties.

 

IMG_0587.jpg.256748aef4601e4fe006cb227a108417.jpg

 

From the other end, far left is a 50 wagon train of empties (these will only fit in the first two loops), next a parcels train which I believe put in occasional appearances - even hauled by an EM2 in later years. Last up train here is the petrol tanker train which has to have an assisting engine attached to creep down the hill - at least until the EM1s appeared with regenerative braking.

On the down side a train of about 25 large capacity coal wagons with an O4, these should be loaded but most of these wagons haven't been used much fro a long time and need some maintenance. Next road is a "might have been" with an NER Bo+Bo  - these were kept until 1951 for use here but never worked again after the Shildon line was de-electrified in 1935. Next on a mixed train is another near miss - the solitary EB1 was intended to work here but went to Ilford in 1949 instead. Finally another O4 with a half train (30 loaded wagons) which is the longest I can attach a banker to at the junction. The last road and two of the kickback sidings might be left clear to run the colliery trains, I'm still waiting for the baseboards to go across the middle so these can't be run properly yet.

  • Like 18
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

After a weathering day yesterday some more small minerals, a coke hopper or 6 and some steel bolster wagons can be added to the totals.. will fet h these to the club next week.

 

Baz

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Since all the wiring for the points was in place I wired up to the switches in the control panel and removed the faintly ridiculous wander lead arrangement.

 

IMG_0596.JPG.9f04bd4be8a5434ebaf8524daf9efa76.JPG

 

Panel in place

 

IMG_0597.JPG.4fd049effbc6413aa6e113a4691b70a6.JPG

 

All the boards have been marked for positions of magnets, gaps, feeds and links across joints. Testing (playing?) now suspended for a while since the rest of the wiring will be done one board at a time in the warmth and comfort of the workshop - might interfere with work a bit though, some of these boards are quite big.

  • Like 12
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
17 hours ago, Paul_sterling said:

Hi Michael, 

 

The metal putty you have used doesn't contain iron filings does it? just wondering in case it is conductive. 

 

Thanks, Paul. 

No, despite the name it's completely insulating - I also use a smear of it as insulation on parts of locos where bogie wheels might touch something. The other main use for it is to add rivets (either forgotten or awkwardly placed ones) since it shrinks to a hemispherical shape as it cures - as long as you dab the same amount on each time you get a row of consistent rivet heads.

  • Agree 1
  • Thanks 1
  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Michael Edge said:

No, despite the name it's completely insulating - I also use a smear of it as insulation on parts of locos where bogie wheels might touch something. The other main use for it is to add rivets (either forgotten or awkwardly placed ones) since it shrinks to a hemispherical shape as it cures - as long as you dab the same amount on each time you get a row of consistent rivet heads.

 

Handy to know, thanks!

 

Could I be a trouble and ask what brand it is you use please?

 

Paul. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Plastic Padding Super Steel, there is another "super steel" from Loctite which is something completely different. Plastic Padding filler has now become "Teroson" but it's the same stuff, Super Steel (at least on Halfords shelves) is still branded as Plastic Padding.

  • Thanks 1
  • Informative/Useful 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • RMweb Premium

Some more loco testing on WJ.IMG_0654.JPG.847009c51fffaa0fe817207fbf08fdf8.JPG

A green EM1 attached to the front of the class A tank train for braking down the hill - they didn't really want to pin the brakes down on this one. The loco was built from one of the DC kits mouldings quite a few years ago, it has the prototype of the bogies I will use for the etched version.

IMG_0653.JPG.92f648e94166b33c1ec22c9c8b6cee05.JPG

One of the available Garratts has put in an appearance , seen here on the ashpit. Slight snag with this loco, the throwover on the leading coupler is so great (it's pivoted though) that it won't hook on to the train coming off the pit - so it will have to stay off this duty. It does have to go up to the pit (along with all the other steam bankers) for coaling though - it stayed out here all week, only returning to Mexborough for boiler washout on Sundays.

IMG_0651.JPG.14dbb6ef803308483a2edbf136b1f4e3.JPG

The magnet in the foreground is where the train of fulls from the pit is left for the banker to pick up and pull out on to the up main - it's on a very sharp curve.

 

  • Like 17
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Your Ratio bolster is on the front end of a long train of empty steels so it's doing even better than you imagined, your loco as well in this photo Baz.

Yes the bankers will be coupled on to the trains, they shouldn't be but the gradient stops at Silkstone No.2 tunnel on the layout. This should be the steepest part so it would look wrong if the bankers started to drop off here. 

The problem with the Garratt is picking up the train off the pit, the front coupling misses the one on the brake van - even though it is pivoted is is lightly sprung central. No problems with the trains on the main line but the curve into the colliery branch is about 30" radius and using a banker for this is essential. It was also as far as I know the way it was always done until the crash involving two EM1s which the signalman had forgotten about - at this time the two bankers would pull the 30 wagon MGR train out on to the up main (the wires went as far as the signal on my plan), diesel loco back on the front and the whole lot up the hill, which confusingly is the down line. 

According to Alan Whitehouse if running round was required the loco used the next crossover at Kendall Green (fiddle yard for us) but mostly the trains went towards Wath rather than Barnsley Junction. 

  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
4 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

Your Ratio bolster is on the front end of a long train of empty steels so it's doing even better than you imagined, your loco as well in this photo Baz.

Yes the bankers will be coupled on to the trains, they shouldn't be but the gradient stops at Silkstone No.2 tunnel on the layout. This should be the steepest part so it would look wrong if the bankers started to drop off here. 

The problem with the Garratt is picking up the train off the pit, the front coupling misses the one on the brake van - even though it is pivoted is is lightly sprung central. No problems with the trains on the main line but the curve into the colliery branch is about 30" radius and using a banker for this is essential. It was also as far as I know the way it was always done until the crash involving two EM1s which the signalman had forgotten about - at this time the two bankers would pull the 30 wagon MGR train out on to the up main (the wires went as far as the signal on my plan), diesel loco back on the front and the whole lot up the hill, which confusingly is the down line. 

According to Alan Whitehouse if running round was required the loco used the next crossover at Kendall Green (fiddle yard for us) but mostly the trains went towards Wath rather than Barnsley Junction. 

OK so here's an idea, if that's the way it always works. You could bias the Garratt coupling to one side so that it would mate with the one on the brake van.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
Just now, St Enodoc said:

OK so here's an idea, if that's the way it always works. You could bias the Garratt coupling to one side so that it would mate with the one on the brake van.

Another thought - if you need the coupling to be sprung to the centre for other situations, put an off-centre magnet up the pit road so that it pulls the coupling across when you need it to.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
3 hours ago, Barry O said:

Didn't one of the 2-6-2T have an extra wide phosphor bronze loop on it for use on Cwmavon? 

Baz

Yes but it didn't work very well and the idea was abandoned in favour of pivoted couplings. Not sure what an extra magnet would do here, there's only a brass hook on the loco. It shouldn't really be a problem, for the steam era the Garratt is unlikely to be on its own at the junction, there were usually about 5 or 6 bankers working here at any one time. For the later full electric period the EM1 and EB1 have no problem here - at this time no locos were kept at WJ, a loco would be sent out from Wath or Barnsley Junction to meet the colliery train.

There are going to be some other restrictions, for example the loco on the up class A tanks will have to have a full coupling (with loop) on the front to make sure that a banking loco can be attached to it for the descent.

  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Premium

Meanwhile the colliery branch is taking shape.

IMG_0662.JPG.209c6b69b107dab4f67665551d650be7.JPG

The branch starts off on an embankment, followed by a cutting. There is a stream in the dip in the middle and an occupation bridge across the cutting to make the scenic break before the fiddle yard.

IMG_0664.JPG.2fb299a658c2141e91a4c011ffd1352b.JPG

View from the other side, with the change in land levels this makes a rather deep baseboard.

IMG_0667.JPG.8ca7dcd9f891545d0c94b44356f0ae5b.JPG

This will be the view from the junction, the curve looks sharp but it's actually 38" radius - well above my minimum. The part with track on is supported by plywood longitudinals which should prevent any sagging, although seeing as this is a colliery branch subsidence wouldn't be unrealistic.

IMG_0665.JPG.9b15a8e702d02ea305887a669c73c710.JPG

This is the gap to the fiddle yard which will be filled with a simple lifting flap - access through here without ducking under anything is going to be essential.

1153713138_Fiddleyardcollierybranchpoints.JPG.9be3fbe47d97c2951c4212b026308b8f.JPG

This is a close up of the Templot drawing seen on the layout in the previous photo. It's a bit complicated since the track along this edge of the fiddle yard is my EM test track with the inner rails at 16.2mm and 18.2mm gauges.

I'm still not sure how to build this, I've just superimposed a length of EM plain track on the point template. The switch can be made as a partial stub point with one blade on the common rail and both the others moving with the tiebar - the EM gauge only has to run straight. The dual gauge frog might be a bit more difficult but I'll see how I get on while I'm building it. It's only fiddle yard track, it doesn't have to look prototypical but it does have to work reliably.

  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

I’m not a track builder, so may be barking etc.

Does it matter which side of the EM test track is the common rail?  If this is the only point in the dual gauge it would be much easier if the ‘lower’ rail were common.  

If the OO has to start with a common ‘upper’ rail, might it be easier to do a common rail swap to get the easier construction at the turnout.  (Melbourne Southern Cross had a set of switches to swap the side of the common rail.)

Paul.

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...