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Wright writes.....


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30 minutes ago, Edmund Kinder said:

I had a real push last year to build working Alan Gibson and MSE signals for my layout.  Some of the examples shown below.  I'd been sitting on most of these unmade kits for 15 years.

 

DSC00483.JPG

What splendid signals.

 

Thanks for showing us.

 

How have you made them work, please?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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2 minutes ago, 31A said:

Some signals at Finsbury Square:

 

P1020029.jpg.4e1d89e7b8ec897eadfebaced49651fa.jpgP1020214.jpg.1761f3758711c6a42be70cdcfddd75f9.jpgP1020543.jpg.c4cea5447c376908bc38f03e3b9d3777.jpgP1020968.jpg.3ce5cda37ad81041090e001a3dd6cff5.jpg

 

They all work, but not by electricity and have now been properly 'planted' as per the last two pictures.  This has been done by roughly cutting pieces of sandpaper to fit round the post & ladder and gluing them above the signal base plate, then painting to (try and) match the surrounding ground.  Almost as niggling as the lack of working signals, is exposed base plates in holes in the ballast!

 

I'm soon going to have to face up to making working discs ....

 

 

Great work, Steve.

 

'Almost as niggling as the lack of working signals, is exposed base plates in holes in the ballast!'

 

And, guilty as charged. However, until the Veissman motors have been proven not to fail (and it's being worked-on), we need to be able to remove the signals with ease.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

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Thank you, Tony.

 

They work by weighted cranks under the baseboard:

 

P1020537.jpg.d4c3d9eebeebf4717c28771c4207a1f7.jpg

 

The weighted arm of the crank is connected to a lever frame by braided fishing line; the "pull" includes a child spring (from an old ball pen will do); the short arm is connected to the signal arm.  If the proportions are correct the arms bounce nicely!  The one above was unfinished when I took the picture; the finished article includes 'on' and 'off' stops either side of the long arms so that any strain is taken by the mechanism rather than the signal itself.

 

It got a bit complicated for the six arms on the signal bridge:

 

P1020183.jpg.dc28c0945b1d7143fc08eaa05cc7913d.jpg

 

The idea behind covering the base with a piece of sandpaper is that it could be peeled off and replaced fairly easily if it were necessary to uproot the signal.  It is glued down with Woodland Scenics "Scenic Cement", which looks like a diluted form of PVA.  I sincerely hope it won't be necessary, however!

 

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24 minutes ago, 31A said:

Thank you, Tony.

 

They work by weighted cranks under the baseboard:

 

P1020537.jpg.d4c3d9eebeebf4717c28771c4207a1f7.jpg

 

The weighted arm of the crank is connected to a lever frame by braided fishing line; the "pull" includes a child spring (from an old ball pen will do); the short arm is connected to the signal arm.  If the proportions are correct the arms bounce nicely!  The one above was unfinished when I took the picture; the finished article includes 'on' and 'off' stops either side of the long arms so that any strain is taken by the mechanism rather than the signal itself.

 

It got a bit complicated for the six arms on the signal bridge:

 

P1020183.jpg.dc28c0945b1d7143fc08eaa05cc7913d.jpg

 

The idea behind covering the base with a piece of sandpaper is that it could be peeled off and replaced fairly easily if it were necessary to uproot the signal.  It is glued down with Woodland Scenics "Scenic Cement", which looks like a diluted form of PVA.  I sincerely hope it won't be necessary, however!

 

What a delightfully simple system, Steve.

 

Simple, yet in its way rather sophisticated. 

 

I think what I admire more than anything else about your approach to model-making is that you've done everything yourself. I wish I were more 'rounded', but I most enjoy building locos and stock. 

 

Tony Geary used lead pieces to give a 'bounce' to Stoke Summit's signals, but they were worked electrically.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

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1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Beautiful signals.

 

Thanks for showing us.

 

Have you had many (any) of the Seep solenoids fail? I've had over a dozen failures of them in as many years operating the fiddle yard points. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Not on the signals but a couple on the turnouts. Mind you, as an exhibition layout that was only out on the circuit three or four times a year over a twenty year period, it's not surprising that there weren't too many failures.

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2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

 

240948527_RMLittleBytham03.jpg.487f683f436112c7cdef98ca641c98f4.jpg

 

 

Hello Tony

 

Some 'wagon observations' to consider...

 

Those packing cases in the wagon in the middle foreground look precarious. And the same goes for the load in what looks like a Lowfit behind a Shocvan in the crane dock to the far right.

 

Brian

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2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

What a delightfully simple system, Steve.

 

Simple, yet in its way rather sophisticated. 

 

I think what I admire more than anything else about your approach to model-making is that you've done everything yourself. I wish I were more 'rounded', but I most enjoy building locos and stock. 

 

Tony Geary used lead pieces to give a 'bounce' to Stoke Summit's signals, but they were worked electrically.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

 

Thank you Tony!  I like making things (even if most of my locos come from China these days) and like to try and keep things simple, there seems to be a trend towards over-complication and fascination with tecchy gadgets these days; I'd like to think the way my signals work is in keeping with the real thing, even if the mechanism is underground.

 

Whether they bounce or not seems to depend on the relative lengths of the crank arms with the weight arm needing to be quite long relative to the other one; something I didn't appreciate at first but never mind - real signals don't always bounce and some say, shouldn't bounce.

 

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On ‎30‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 11:37, Compound2632 said:

If it's pug-ugly 2-8-0s you're after, you can't find more hideous than LNWR classes E and F - Whale's addition of a leading axle to Webb's 4-cylinder compound Class B 0-8-0s, to relieve the weight on the leading coupled axle. I believe these were the only British 2-8-0s to have more than two cylinders? 

 

Looking through the 2-8-0s listed above, is one forced to the conclusion that the S&DJR 2-8-0s were the least successful? They were certainly found unsatisfactory for the long-distance Toton-Brent mineral trains on the Midland.

 

The Derby-emasculated Garratts that were considered satisfactory for the Toton-Brent traffic didn't turn out to be a whole lot better.

 

However, where almost everything else deemed non-standard by the LMS got turned into razor blades during the 1930s and replaced with Stanier 5s or 8s, the S&D 7Fs soldiered on long enough for most to carry the second BR emblem. 

 

Reason? They worked a heavily graded line with single-line sections that needed to be cleared quickly. For that they were almost perfectly suited; their extremely effective engine brakes ensuring that whatever they could pull uphill, they could control going down the other side at speeds that couldn't be countenanced with what should have been their logical replacement.   

 

Combining 8F haulage capacity, with 7F stopping power would have created something worth seeing, but that had didn't happen until locomotives with an extra pair of wheels came along in the 50s, though their abilities were initially needed elsewhere for much heavier work than the S&D offered.

 

John

 

 

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17 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

And even more..............

 

849683036_PenfoldPriory09.jpg.7a58c70ba0c820b8ce4d26c2d5c1f591.jpg

 

757944237_Retford12101931A4byfootbridge.jpg.f8683705d307eb93f9667bda77a2d4ac.jpg

 

515417996_Retford12101932Austerityinstation.jpg.a7b36c7175ef228f29f47a74fc8659ff.jpg

 

1709253480_SandfordBanwell18.jpg.6ab0fbb3f8854dabb3f62ad8b389b9de.jpg

 

1075763381_SandfordBanwell19.jpg.da935e1d555a821625e4143683351e04.jpg

 

672967166_SouthPelaw06.jpg.7f8c0298b69669634c077120f8a48cfe.jpg

 

1720632639_StMerryn05.jpg.6a4eeca82c12f0852a2310e0a0a4b3b2.jpg

 

Pity about the lack of loco/tail lamps on some examples.

 

Though the shot of Bude, evidently heading along the North Cornwall, does illustrate a great reduction in bother enjoyed by Southern modellers, that of (for most) all trains carrying the same headcode.

 

John

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1 hour ago, Dunsignalling said:

 

The Derby-emasculated Garratts that were considered satisfactory for the Toton-Brent traffic didn't turn out to be a whole lot better.

 

However, where almost everything else deemed non-standard by the LMS got turned into razor blades during the 1930s and replaced with Stanier 5s or 8s, the S&D 7Fs soldiered on long enough for most to carry the second BR emblem. 

 

Reason? They worked a heavily graded line with single-line sections that needed to be cleared quickly. For that they were almost perfectly suited; their extremely effective engine brakes ensuring that whatever they could pull uphill, they could control going down the other side at speeds that couldn't be countenanced with what should have been their logical replacement.   

 

Combining 8F haulage capacity, with 7F stopping power would have created something worth seeing, but that had didn't happen until locomotives with an extra pair of wheels came along in the 50s, though their abilities were initially needed elsewhere for much heavier work than the S&D offered.

 

John

 

 

 

Talk to any ex S&D driver and they will tell you that the braking ability of the 9Fs was inferior to a 7F. Sustained steaming on passenger trains or running at anything approaching passenger speeds was a different matter.....!

 

Jerry

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3 hours ago, queensquare said:

 

Talk to any ex S&D driver and they will tell you that the braking ability of the 9Fs was inferior to a 7F. Sustained steaming on passenger trains or running at anything approaching passenger speeds was a different matter.....!

 

Jerry

 

I believe that the 7Fs had special Ferodo brake-blocks.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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On 30/11/2019 at 17:31, TrevorP1 said:

 

All this talk of dangerous trolleys, the NEC staff should take a look at out local supermarket. As well as the normal hazards such as absent minded octogenarians and young mums on the phone pushing supermarket trolleys there are staff with stacker trucks loaded with racks or boxes...

 

Tony made the mistake of trying to leave the NEC before the Show closed. Their is a blanket ban on  people doing so with or without a trolley. As it happens after 5:30pm (show close time was 5pm), the NEC staff were informed that  people could leave the building with trolleys (I know because I was at the door when this message went out).

 

It had nothing to do with trolleys - it was to do with leaving the NEC  BEFORE the show closed.  He could, of course walked out through the front door of the Hall. So please, please stop harping on Tony.... This is really starting to grate with the  (up to the end of the show) the demo liaison officer of the  Show.

 

baz

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Quiz question if I can to all who solder.

i have fired up my temperature controlled iron after a 6 month hiatus. It would not solder joins. Why?

i thought it was the heat setting, tried hotter and colder it did not affect it. 

I tried changing the tip

i changed the solder and tried low melt too.

i cleaned the brass with a file.

all it would do was melt the solder into small balls but the iron would not tin or pick it up. 

If I fed the solder on to the brass it struggled to flow. 

 

Any ideas what what am I doing wrong? 

Many thanks

Richard .

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3 hours ago, gr.king said:

 

Bounces pestering kids into oblivion?  Great! Readily available in ball point pens too? Fantastic!

 

Oops!  Apologies; I thought I typed "coil spring".  Good idea, though! :jester:

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43 minutes ago, richard i said:

Quiz question if I can to all who solder.

i have fired up my temperature controlled iron after a 6 month hiatus. It would not solder joins. Why?

i thought it was the heat setting, tried hotter and colder it did not affect it. 

I tried changing the tip

i changed the solder and tried low melt too.

i cleaned the brass with a file.

all it would do was melt the solder into small balls but the iron would not tin or pick it up. 

If I fed the solder on to the brass it struggled to flow. 

 

Any ideas what what am I doing wrong? 

Many thanks

Richard .

 

The only thing you haven't mentioned is flux...

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All I can think is that for some obscure reason the supply voltage to the unit is low. If you can do this safely check the input voltage. I had the same problem on Green Ayre when I put it up in France. It turned out that the French Elrctrician had left me with only 144 volts coming into the layout.

 

Jamie

Edited by jamie92208
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7 hours ago, BMacdermott said:

 

Hello Tony

 

Some 'wagon observations' to consider...

 

Those packing cases in the wagon in the middle foreground look precarious. And the same goes for the load in what looks like a Lowfit behind a Shocvan in the crane dock to the far right.

 

Brian

Thanks Brian, but neither one is my work.

 

I'll have a word with the builders!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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1 hour ago, Barry O said:

 

Tony made the mistake of trying to leave the NEC before the Show closed. Their is a blanket ban on  people doing so with or without a trolley. As it happens after 5:30pm (show close time was 5pm), the NEC staff were informed that  people could leave the building with trolleys (I know because I was at the door when this message went out).

 

It had nothing to do with trolleys - it was to do with leaving the NEC  BEFORE the show closed.  He could, of course walked out through the front door of the Hall. So please, please stop harping on Tony.... This is really starting to grate with the  (up to the end of the show) the demo liaison officer of the  Show.

 

baz

Baz,

 

I haven't mentioned it for a while, though others have. 

 

I'll say no more.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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I've just spent a really wonderful afternoon in the company of members of the 2mm Scale Association, at one of their regular meetings at the home of Laurie Adams. 

 

I was the guest speaker, talking about Little Bytham. 

 

Thank all of you for being so generous with your praise of what I said and what I showed. It would appear I offended nobody (I must be slipping), and the whole thing went really well, with some very interesting questions and post-talk discussions.

 

Particular thanks to Laurie for the hospitality. 

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7 hours ago, BMacdermott said:

 

Hello Tony

 

Some 'wagon observations' to consider...

 

Those packing cases in the wagon in the middle foreground look precarious. And the same goes for the load in what looks like a Lowfit behind a Shocvan in the crane dock to the far right.

 

Brian

He's not the only one, I remember seeing a well-known exhibition layout which had been featured in modelling press where a train was running with a single Type A container on one end of a conflat wagon.

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5 minutes ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

He's not the only one, I remember seeing a well-known exhibition layout which had been featured in modelling press where a train was running with a single Type A container on one end of a conflat wagon.

The modeller of goods traffic isn't helped here by relatively few published photographs of such trains being taken from a higher vantage point (quite apart from almost all photographers concentrating on the locomotive).  While this doesn't excuse dodgy loads on a flat wagon, I often see mineral wagons - especially hoppers - so overloaded they would be dangerously unstable.  I have seen a wonderful shot somewhere of Middlesbrough Docks where the caption notes that while the hoppers only appear about 1/3rd full, they are actually loaded to capacity.

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