Arm or disc

[Ray H]

I'm about to commence the construction of the last few signals on my 4mm layout which has an underlying LNWR theme and is set in the early (nineteen) sixties.

 

The station for which the signals are still required has a single through platform face with a short terminal bay platform face at one end and on its other side. There is also a loop which provides access to and from the goods yard on the other side of the through platform track.

 

In one direction the home signal will control moves onto the (through) platform - to the left - and into the yard - to the right.

 

The home signal at the other end of the station does likewise with the addition of the route onto the bay platform track - to the right of the through track.

 

Would the route(s) into the loop normally have disc signals instead of arms and, if arms, would they be standard length or short arms? Can any disc signal be mounted on the ground rather than on the running signal's structure?

 

The bay platform has a kick-back connection onto private siding so there will the platform starting signals for the main platform (on the right when looking at the front of the signal) and the bay (on the left) plus the shunt signal into the siding (applicable to the bay road only).

 

I was intending to have the two running signals side by side on with a centre supporting post at the end of the platform. The bay's starting signal would be to the left of the supporting post and the main platform starter to the right. Then I added the through siding.

 

Would the disc shunt signal (controlling access to the siding) be on the platform (right) side of the bay track at the foot of the main signal's supporting post or would it be on the cess (left) side of the bay's track? Alternately, would each starting signals be on a dedicated post with the bay starting signal and shunt signal on the cess or platform side of the track?

 

Many thanks in advance for responses.

[The Stationmaster]

Routes into the loop would have miniature semaphore arms as per standard LMS/LMR practice.

 

Position of the disc for the move into the siding would depend as much as anything on siting - it might be on the bracket structure so it might even be ground mounted co-located with the main bracket structure upright or even placed on a small bracket off that main upright on the appropriate side.  The important thing about the disc is that it needs to be visible to the staff controlling the shunting move into the siding.

[Ray H]

Thanks Mike.

 

This is the view from the bay platform. The siding runs behind (and to the left of) the signal box. Having the siding's disc separate from the starter's bracket would be easier as I can keep the two with their associated servos separate.

 

The dolly on the right  controls the exit from the yard.

 

The home signal at this end of the layout will be behind the signal box to provide better siting for approaching trains as the come round the curve which is on the right and behind some of the trees.

 

All I need to do now is to find a way to have three arms on a single (home signal) post and get all three to work from servos and the baseboard. At least the other end of the station only requires two arms and I've installed them elsewhere so I've had previous practice for that one.

 

[Ray H]

19 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

. . . . .  The important thing about the disc is that it needs to be visible to the staff controlling the shunting move into the siding.

 

Wouldn't positioning the disc to the left of the track - with or without the station starter - better suit (some) driver positions? Any shunter or person acting in that role may well have crossed into the siding from the yard (from whence the engine would probably have come) and be looking at the back of the signal instead of the front.

 

See how I'm trying to avoid having the servos for the three signals all together !!

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, Ray H said:

 

Wouldn't positioning the disc to the left of the track - with or without the station starter - better suit (some) driver positions? Any shunter or person acting in that role may well have crossed into the siding from the yard (from whence the engine would probably have come) and be looking at the back of the signal instead of the front.

 

See how I'm trying to avoid having the servos for the three signals all together !!

I think it would be unusual, and potentially misleading, to have the disc so far separated from the other arms applying to that line.  Min d you could perehaps move the running arm to that side of the line as well although it wouldn't then be visible from the platform (which isn't the end of the world).

 

And - tomgue firmly in cheek - smaller servos?

[Ray H]

The bay is usually only used by a 2-car dmu although the platform is almost long enough for a third coach and loco so placing the signal on the left of the line wouldn't make it that difficult to see from a reasonable length of the platform. Another option could be to use a taller post for the bay starter but that might look odd unless I do likewise for the through platform. I'll have to take a closer look at the space available at the end of the platform to see if I can fit two servos side by side.

 

I have been using smaller servos for the signals and have managed to burn two of them out because the holes in the baseboard haven't been large enough for the servo horns to move freely to one or other position. That's a disadvantage of the small ones, the bigger ones (SG90s) are robust enough to actual lift the signal if necessary! It's also a disadvantage of installing signals from the top of the baseboard without (using) access from below. The baseboards can be lifted in extreme cases but I've built the layout with the intention of not doing so.

 

Thanks once again for your words of wisdom.