Barnstaple Junction in EM Gauge

[dessire_luvals]

EM Gauge conversion for the Hornby Bulleid short coaches. I used a method a member at one of the shows suggested. 

 

Removed the bogies, they just lever out, I used a 6” steel rule. Removed the Hornby wheels. Removed the brake gear which is one moulding. Not sure I needed to but to that I took the pimples off the locating lugs and they just lifted out.

 

I then cut the brake gear moulding in to three pieces, the sets of brake gear and the bolster across the bogie. I then cut the two brake sections of each bogie longitudinally down their centres so they could be opened out. A quick tidy up of all the cuts followed.

 

A quick touch of the DCC reamer to give the bearings slightly more play, then it was on to reassembly.

I glued the four parts of the brake mouldings first, using the half holes from the original location pips as a guide. About 1.5mm gap between the two. Glued the bolster back in between the two. Bogies then went back on the coach.

Only other upgrade was to swap the tension lock couplings inside the set for the short roco coupling, they are shorter than the ones supplied by Hornby.

[dessire_luvals]

I need to have a look at the buffer heights as there looks to be too much difference here. 

[dessire_luvals]

A little bit of progress around the junction. Not much considering the long Christmas break. 

[dessire_luvals]

Latest couple of snaps of the signal box. 

[dessire_luvals]

Roof to be covered in slate plasticatd

[dessire_luvals]

Taking shape. 

[Grampus]

Love the signal box.  Good skills - very nice indeed, as is the rest of it. 

 

Best wishes,

 

Paul

[dessire_luvals]

2 hours ago, Grampus said:

Love the signal box.  Good skills - very nice indeed, as is the rest of it. 

 

Best wishes,

 

Paul

Hi Paul,

 

Thanks but I can’t take credit for the window frames, they were a kit of parts from Stoneybridge.

 

Rgds 

 

Russell

[dessire_luvals]

Little bit of paint on the junction trackwork. I really need to spend some time in the shed. 

[t-b-g]

3 minutes ago, dessire_luvals said:

Little bit of paint on the junction trackwork. I really need to spend some time in the shed. 

 

That shot really does show up the lovely flowing lines of the trackwork nicely.

 

Views like that really show the benefit of pointwork made especially to suit a particular place, rather then designing a layout to use standard points.

 

I think you may have done something that I have done myself more than once and that is to miss off a check rail. The diamond between the Hymek and the camera seems to be short of one! I usually build and test my points without them and add them later. Well aligned track usually means that they are not strictly necessary. Sometimes, I forget.

[dessire_luvals]

22 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

That shot really does show up the lovely flowing lines of the trackwork nicely.

 

Views like that really show the benefit of pointwork made especially to suit a particular place, rather then designing a layout to use standard points.

 

I think you may have done something that I have done myself more than once and that is to miss off a check rail. The diamond between the Hymek and the camera seems to be short of one! I usually build and test my points without them and add them later. Well aligned track usually means that they are not strictly necessary. Sometimes, I forget

 

Well I never. You're absolutely right! 

 

Thanks for pointing that out and thanks for the kind comments. 

[dessire_luvals]

OK, the missing checkrail is in place. 

 

Hornby T9 EM conversion nearing completion. 

[dj_crisp]

Looking very special.... wonderful track 

Will

[Michael Edge]

On 03/04/2021 at 17:43, t-b-g said:

 

That shot really does show up the lovely flowing lines of the trackwork nicely.

 

Views like that really show the benefit of pointwork made especially to suit a particular place, rather then designing a layout to use standard points.

 

I think you may have done something that I have done myself more than once and that is to miss off a check rail. The diamond between the Hymek and the camera seems to be short of one! I usually build and test my points without them and add them later. Well aligned track usually means that they are not strictly necessary. Sometimes, I forget.

That's easily done, when I was re-wiring Cwmafon I discovered a checkrail which had been missing for more than 20 years through any number of exhibitions without anyone noticing.

[t-b-g]

55 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

That's easily done, when I was re-wiring Cwmafon I discovered a checkrail which had been missing for more than 20 years through any number of exhibitions without anyone noticing.

 

I never spotted that one!

 

I remember seeing Barry Norman's early layout Wyndlesham Cove in the Railway Modeller way back when. He had one missing too. It does prove that well made points, with good alignment through the crossings, can get away with it.

Edited April 7, 2021 by t-b-g
Change layout name to correct one

[ikcdab]

2 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

I never spotted that one!

 

I remember seeing Barry Norman's early layout Petherick in the Railway Modeller way back when. He had one missing too. It does prove that well made points, with good alignment through the crossings, can get away with it.

There much be more to it than that. Hornby setrack points are well made with good alignment. Not sure it they were work without check rails. And what about the prototype... Well made and with good alignment. Would they work without check rails? I also think it must come down to the track holding (hunting) of the stock and speed over the crossings. 

Ultimately, they are there for a purpose....

[t-b-g]

39 minutes ago, ikcdab said:

There much be more to it than that. Hornby setrack points are well made with good alignment. Not sure it they were work without check rails. And what about the prototype... Well made and with good alignment. Would they work without check rails? I also think it must come down to the track holding (hunting) of the stock and speed over the crossings. 

Ultimately, they are there for a purpose....

 

No doubt but I have built enough points and tested them before adding checkrails to know that it is possible to have a point that works perfectly well without them. I wouldn't fancy my chances propelling a long rake of 4 wheeled wagons through a facing point that doesn't have them though.

 

I am not advocating not bothering with them. Just saying that if you forget to put one in, it doesn't mean that you will be certain to get derailments.

 

There is some trackwork on Buckingham which was modified in situ from a plain crossover into a scissors crossing, on a continuous curve. The geometry was guessed and is slightly wrong and doesn't allow for a check rail where one should be needed without blocking a flangeway. Yet a wide range of different wheel standards go through it.

 

My intuition tells me that it shouldn't work but it does.

[H2O]

On ‎03‎/‎04‎/‎2021 at 18:07, dessire_luvals said:

 

Well I never. You're absolutely right! 

 

Thanks for pointing that out and thanks for the kind comments. 

There is something weird about that particular check rail. In the picture of the real location on this thread  (posted 31/12/17) the check rail next to the crossing is missing with another, unconnected, check rail a bit further towards the station.

I found another clearer picture that seems to confirm the design at:

 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc/items-added-on-19th-april-2017-those-added-most-recently-come-first

 

That picture is from 1971, by which time a buffer stop is stopping access to that route, but I'd guess the rails are original as it would be more work to change it at that stage.

 

I'm not sure when the pictured design was installed, perhaps this was an original oversight, corrected with the simple check rail shown?

[H2O]

Duplicate post.

Edited April 7, 2021 by H2O
Duplicate post

[Michael Edge]

1 hour ago, t-b-g said:

 

I never spotted that one!

 

I remember seeing Barry Norman's early layout Wyndlesham Cove in the Railway Modeller way back when. He had one missing too. It does prove that well made points, with good alignment through the crossings, can get away with it.

It was in the exchange loops at Cwmafon so it had seen a lot of shunting over it before I noticed it.

[t-b-g]

1 hour ago, H2O said:

There is something weird about that particular check rail. In the picture of the real location on this thread  (posted 31/12/17) the check rail next to the crossing is missing with another, unconnected, check rail a bit further towards the station.

I found another clearer picture that seems to confirm the design at:

 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc/items-added-on-19th-april-2017-those-added-most-recently-come-first

 

That picture is from 1971, by which time a buffer stop is stopping access to that route, but I'd guess the rails are original as it would be more work to change it at that stage.

 

I'm not sure when the pictured design was installed, perhaps this was an original oversight, corrected with the simple check rail shown?

 

What makes it look odd is the combination of continuous checkrails, due to the curvature, with some individual check rails where the curve is easier.

 

Looking at the prototype photos, they all seem to be there but where there are two long rails together, due to a continuous checkrail, it isn't always easy to pick it out in a photo.

[dessire_luvals]

Looks like I rushed without checking.

Edited April 7, 2021 by dessire_luvals

[Enterprisingwestern]

11 hours ago, dessire_luvals said:

Looks like I rushed without checking.

 

Confirmation of the oft quoted "model what you see not what you think should be seen"!

 

Mike.

[dessire_luvals]

It actually runs. Ready for some paint on the wheels and a good oil up.

[dessire_luvals]

T9 actually runs properly now.