Signals at Hessle Haven - ex-NER signal bridge

[mikemeg]

"one of" Mike? How many have you got?

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

Jim,

 

The lady partners are a serial process Jim, not parallel. At least they're not parallel as far as they are concerned, though truth to tell there has been the odd 'overlap'. And that's all I am prepared to say and will now plead the fifth amendment.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

So, how is this 0.33 mm wire handrail actually spliced? Well the key to doing it is a jig (what, yet another bloody jig?) which exactly fits inside the handrail, in this instance 123.5 mm x 13.3 mm. The jig is designed so that there is an access portion just slightly longer than the splice. The two sections of handrail are then fixed to the jig, using very finely worked and extremely intricate lumps of blu-tac.

 

With both parts of the splice tinned (which will be done on the morrow), then by placing the tip of a compass point behind the splice, just to keep the two ends of the splice over each other, the iron can be wiped along the splice.

 

Once out of the jig the splice is then lightly rubbed down until it is approximately 0.33 mm diameter, the diameter of the wire.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

So just to complete the description of the splicing of the .33 mm wire on the handrail. It's just past five in the morning, clear sky and the promise of another of those long and very warm days of late spring, so in the time before the sun heats up the workroom and workbench I've done this splice.

 

Just taper each side of the splice, tin each side very lightly, rub off almost all of the tinning then hold the two pieces together and wipe the iron and, bingo, I have a one piece handrail. So then out of the jig and very carefully rubbed down until the thickness of the splice is nominally that of the wire.

 

And if you don't believe this, then here's the photo.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[10800]

Very neat Mike, well done

 

I must say that your solutions to tricky detail soldering and use of jigs throughout is inspirational - I think I'll have a bit more confidence now in bespoke modelling next time I build some signals!

[mikemeg]

 

I must say that your solutions to tricky detail soldering and use of jigs throughout is inspirational - I think I'll have a bit more confidence now in bespoke modelling next time I build some signals!

 

Hi Rod,

 

Good to hear from you. In terms of these solutions, I always remember the words of one of the CEO's of one of the mega high tech companys, though can't remember who, possibly Steve Jobs of Apple. Anyway, he said 'if you can imagine it, then you can do it.'

 

As with all of these succinct and hugely significant 'one liners' there's not much to add.

 

I hate and would hate to preach but if I did, then I would simply say 'have a go, you'll be surprised what you can do' (generic you) for this is still only the fifth signal model I have ever made. And if there is one single 'message' from this thread, then it is that.

 

And perhaps (and this is something I did preach in business) always be prepared to replace or update old approaches, old techniques if something better can be found - newer, nearer scale size materials, substitution of plastics for metal, lighter construction methods, etc., etc.

 

Regards and cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

While I'm here at the keyboard can I offer one further thought? I see many posts on here with the most wonderful photos of models, either in progress or completed. Yet they are annotated with 'here's what I'm doing, more later'.

 

OK we're not all professional writers and, for many, time is short and precious but to derive maximum benefit, both for the writer and for those who may read the posts, some detail of how and why it was done this way, is the most beneficial aspect of the whole site.

 

It's just part of making this site and the incredible facilites it offers, more valuable and useful.

 

And here endeth this morning's .........

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

So with the handrail fitted and just a little levelling up to do, then I'm nearing the end of this build, Everything left to be done - ladders, hoops and the final painting has been covered before, so I'll post a picture of the final model, some time next week. It's time now to devote some time to the current lady partner.

 

This one is the last to be covered on this thread, any further signal models, and there will be at least one which is far larger and more complex than anything I have done to date - the signal bridge which stood by the roundhouse at Scarborough MPD, all one hundred plus feet span, twelve dolls and fourteen arms, all lower quadrant - will be on a new thread. I'll resort to the imaginative for the new thread; probably 'More signals at Hessle Haven and Scarborough'.

 

So thanks for reading, thanks for all of the comments, help, advice and encouragement.

 

See you on the next thread.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[the penguin of doom]

Are you going to get on with those B1's now then? I've got one waiting in "the shops" and need a bit of inspiration....

[mikemeg]

Are you going to get on with those B1's now then? I've got one waiting in "the shops" and need a bit of inspiration....

 

I am, indeed, going to get on with the B1's, though, given your recent activities I should say that these B1's are being converted only to B1's; I'm not in your league for making one class out of another. Have you thought of scratch building? From what I've seen you could certainly do a very good job on a scratch or kit build.

 

Received the washout plugs - many thanks and I shall use them though probably on the B16's.

 

I'm not sure that I can completely exorcise the signal building urge, so I will be doing yet more but as background jobs to the loco builds. At least that's the plan. I don't know if my modelling discipline is up to this kind of parallel activity - we'll see.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

Before I finally close this thread I would like to give a mention to Model Signal Engineering and Andrew Hartshorne, the proprietor. I have no connection, whatsoever, with this company, but have always found Andrew incredibly helpful and the mail order service first class; orders always despatched within a few days and most times, next day. We hear of many such companies where the service is patchy, at best, and sometimes downright awful; Andrew's is great.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

So on this one all of that brass and nickel silver has now been submerged beneath a couple of coats of white paint, representing the thing as it would have appeared just after painting. It's taken a long while this one, but this is a large and complex model but one which has been immensely enjoyable to build. And it is this one which has given me the confidence and techniques to build even larger models of signals.

 

Still the most satisfying aspect of this one is the fact that even with those very long wire runs, those arms will return to danger under their own weight; that and the use of very fine gauge wire for the wires to the arms.

 

So one last picture of this one; the section of railway, on which this will stand, still has to be built so it will stand, just like this, in the study for a few months.

 

So we live and learn, still, even at my advanced state of years!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[iak]

Exquisite Mike...

Seems a shame to stick it on the layoot

[mikemeg]

Here's something which I may have touched on before but which might warrant a little more explanation - signal ladders.

 

The first thing to say, and here I owe this tip to John Brighton of loco building fame, is that all signal ladder etches are extremely flimsy; so flimsy that they do not easily stay straight. So having cut each ladder to the appropriate length, I edge each of the styles with .3 mm wire.

 

Simply tin the style, remove almost all of the tinning, turn the ladder onto its edge and butt up the .3 mm wire which I normally cut oversize and hold down at each end with a blob of blu tac. Then just quickly run the iron along the wire and you have a very much stronger and much more realistic ladder. Finally, trim the edging wire to length.

 

The hoops are produced from .6 mm x .010" nickel silver strip and are rolled around a 5mm diameter rod. The nickel silver will not form the exact diameter of the rod; I normally settle on 6.5 mm diameter - that's around 19 and 1/2" of person squeezing into the hoop. Bend a couple of tails onto the hoop, which will be parallel when the two ends are pinched to around 4 mm separation, hold the hoop with blu tac, slide the ladder over it and just touch the ends with the iron, filing back any excess on the tails of the hoop.

 

On LNER ladders, especially where hoops were used, there was a small bracket arrangement at the top of the ladder. This to allow the ladder to be fixed to the doll and also to space the ladder from the doll.

 

For these I used pieces of .6 mm x .010" nickel silver, 5.5 mm long. The end piece is a piece of .8 mm 'L' angle soldered across the two nickel silver pieces - 4 mm long. And there you have the bracket arrangement.

 

Now ready for a dunk in chemical blackening and then fitting to the model.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

So that's about it for another one with the three ladders up to the arms now finished and attached.

 

I shortened the brackets, at the top of each ladder, to around 3.5 mm; comparing the ladder brackets, as originally made, with the photograph they held the ladder too far off the doll. And see what I mean about the ladders staying straight? This stands out like a sore thumb on some model signals, so edging them, to reinforce them, is well worth doing!

 

Just the ladder from the landing to the formation to fix and a final paint and weather and this one is ready to join that signal bridge and stand by Hessle Haven signal box.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

I've added a few postings, as have others, since I said that I was closing this thread. I don't want to be seen to be trying to monopolise this topic area so this is the close of this thread. If there is anything else to say on these three models - the down gantry, the up signal bridge and the up gantry - then I'll use the other thread to say it.

 

So this thread has seen three fairly complex signal models built. It has explored the use of jigs, bending 1.0 mm 'L' angle, soldering up the complex lattices, fixing the handrails in a much more prototypically correct way, using pulley wheels to activate the signals, using very fine gauge wire for operating wires and a few other things which will be used to make even bigger, and hopefully better, models of signals.

 

There are a whole raft of new techniques and approaches to be developed to deal with these much larger and more complex models and much of the enjoyment will be in dealing with these various challenges. That's a good place to stop this one so see you on 'More Signals at Hessle Haven and Scarborough'.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

So evening falls at Hessle Haven. A T1 waits for the road by the down gantry.

 

The bridge here is actually skewed 25 degrees from the perpendicular across the tracks which is why the gantry appears not to be parallel to the bridge, because it isn't; the gantry is perpendicular to the tracks though.

 

I think this re-creates the scene reasonably well.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[mikemeg]

And this is how I remember this place in those times. A shot like this makes all of this worthwhile.

 

Ah memories. And that really is the last thing I'll say on this thread.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[craigwelsh]

Have you covered the build of that bridge girder anywhere Mike? Just wondered how you fabricated the panelling. Apologies if i've missed it on your layout thread somewhere.

 

The last picture really is superb and I think it shows well why sometimes its worth going beyond the '6ft viewing' rule in 4mm with the detailing and fidelity. Everything just works in that shot.

 

Are you going to base the gantry into the board slightly or fit a fixing plate or something at the bottom of the lattice uprights?

[mikemeg]

Have you covered the build of that bridge girder anywhere Mike? Just wondered how you fabricated the panelling. Apologies if i've missed it on your layout thread somewhere.

 

The last picture really is superb and I think it shows well why sometimes its worth going beyond the '6ft viewing' rule in 4mm with the detailing and fidelity. Everything just works in that shot.

 

Are you going to base the gantry into the board slightly or fit a fixing plate or something at the bottom of the lattice uprights?

 

Craig,

 

So it's not the last thing I'll say on this thread, after all. There was a full thread, on the old RMWeb, about building this model, though it uses the same techniques as are detailed earlier in this thread and on the 'more signals at .......' thread. Lots of jigs for all sorts of things - I couldn't assemble to this accuracy without the use of specially designed jigs, which I make from old mdf offcuts and cardboard (cheap! Yorkshire through and through!).

 

No, each post has a piece of 1/16" tube fixed into it, with a 12 mm piece of 12BA screwed rod soldered into that. The signal stands in two pieces of 1/8" tube which are fixed into the basebaord (1/16" inside diameter) with a 12 BA nut and washer tightened up against the 1/8" tube. This holds the whole thing upright and tight and allows the thing to be very easily removed.

 

As to photos, I try and take pictures from the same viewing angles as one would with the prototype and just hope that the modelling holds up under such close scrutiny.

 

I, and many of my mates, spent many happy hours and days stood exactly where this photo is taken, just watching that never ending procession of trains which was the railway of the late 1950's and early 1960's, so the model is my dedication to that place and those times.

 

Many thanks for the comments; they are much appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

[7mm Mick]

Mike,

 

Although I have not posted before I have followed this thread for some time and have found it very inspiring, being I plan to build an O gauge model of a stretch of line a little further on around William Wright Dock/Alexandra Dock area. With this thread and help from a good friend, Mick Nicholson I shouldn't go far wrong with signalling. A fitting end to a great thread ( apart fom that very last bit after the last bit )

 

Best Regards Mick

[craigwelsh]

Craig,

 

So it's not the last thing I'll say on this thread, after all. There was a full thread, on the old RMWeb, about building this model, though it uses the same techniques as are detailed earlier in this thread and on the 'more signals at .......' thread. Lots of jigs for all sorts of things - I couldn't assemble to this accuracy without the use of specially designed jigs, which I make from old mdf offcuts and cardboard (cheap! Yorkshire through and through!).

 

Many thanks for the comments; they are much appreciated.

 

Cheers

Mike

I only found threads on building your signals on the old forum with only a small mention about lots of rivetting on that bridge in the main layout thread. I assume it is all metal then?

[mikemeg]

I only found threads on building your signals on the old forum with only a small mention about lots of rivetting on that bridge in the main layout thread. I assume it is all metal then?

 

Craig,

 

The bridge is actually all plasticard. The rivets are embossed into the card, using a disembodied compass point, slightly blunted so that it doesn't go through the .010" plasticard and using cardboard as the base on which this is done. By this means, the rivets actually appear as rivets rather than random indentations into the card. Again, I did a few 'experiments' to identify the best way to achieve the result I wanted. I scored the plasticard, very lightly with a straight line, to keep the rivets in line. I'm by no means a rivet counter but I did do a quick guess as to how many I put on the bridge simply to relieve the tedium of doing it.

 

Cheers

 

Mike