Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[islandbridgejct]

My apologies.

 

I clearly hadn't studied the matter in enough detail, and had missed the following:

 

"One thing you might find handy - especially for a model railway where we can ignore some normally basic safety criteria - is to start by dealing with the locks and releases among the pointwork then move on from there to locking/releases between points and signals.  E>G 19 will release 13 (and you could then use 13 to lock 22 BW to get round providing some other locks on 22).  The basic principle is that you use locks and releases between point levers to prevent conflicting routes being set up or to ensure that a route can only be set once another point has had to be set in order to create a usable route."

 

That explains the locking between 19, 13 and 22 which was what I was wondering about.

 

By way of excuse, I'm afraid I can do no better than quote a certain gentleman from Barcelona who said: "But I learn, Meester Fawlty, I learn."

 

I'm off now to sit in a corner and feel embarassed. Next time, I'll make sure to read everything properly before I post. :blush:     :cry:

[St Enodoc]

A great weekend in Tassie for the BRMA National Convention, followed by a short side trip by myself, RudderC of this parish and Peter the Cornishman to the West Coast so that we could ride on the West Coast Wilderness Railway.

 

This was an excellent day out, not only for enthusiasts like us but for general visitors and families too, with plenty of entertaining and informative commentary as well as things to do and see at the various station stops. Highly recommended if you find yourself in that part of the world.

 

The weather on our drive from Strahan to Hobart Airport yesterday was rather unseasonal, with temperatures down to 3 degrees at times and occasional snow showers while crossing the higher ground. Fortunately my forthcoming trip to Singapore will make up for that.

Edited July 21, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[St Enodoc]

A great week in Singapore and I managed to get all my food and drink boxes ticked.

 

Back to model railways, and I have now laid the remaining points for the Penzance loops 8 to 13 Up end fan.

 

I decided to install these loops before loops 2 to 7 so that I could lay the crossover to loop 14 as well. This allows Down trains to enter Paddington from the Up end, one of the new features of the revised loop design.

 

As always, I locked the point in loop 14 and fitted a frog jumper to maintain the continuous run on the Up Main until the point motors are fitted and connected.

 

Once that is done I will build and lay the corresponding Down end fan, plus the connection from Paddington loop 1 to Penzance loops 2 to 7, then fill the gaps with Peco track and build the Penzance point control panel. After that I will remodel the Tregissey Siding area to add the connection allowing Up trains to enter Penzance from the Down end.

 

Aside from that, I have now got some Modelu loco lamps to try out. I have had some advice direct from Alan Buttler on painting them, but I would also be interested to hear what others have done before I have a go.

Edited July 21, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[westerner]

I do like the milk train in the background.

[St Enodoc]

I do like the milk train in the background.

Thanks Alan. It's a bit of an anachronism regarding the different liveries (intentionally - Rule 1 applies). That particular formation using all 14 tanks won't appear when we start timetable running - the tanks are grouped into sets of 2, 3, 4 and 5 vehicles which will run in various combinations but not all together in the same train. The sets are easily distinguished by colour:

 

Set 992 = 2 Hornby Express Dairy (blue)

Set 993 = 3 Wrenn United Dairies (white)

Set 994 = 4 Hornby Aplin and Barrett (grey)

Set 995 = 5 Lima United Dairies (aluminium, repainted - I have the branding ready to apply when I get a round tuit).

[St Enodoc]

I connected up all the point motors installed so far at Penzance Up end and programmed their associated decoders.

 

I haven't connected the frogs yet as I need to install the droppers and feeders for the new track first.

 

For Alan's benefit here is the complete Down milk train on Nancegwithey Viaduct, hauled by 6931 Aldborough Hall of Truro shed (83F). You can see all 14 tanks as I described yesterday, with a Hornby Hawksworth full brake bringing up the rear.

Edited July 21, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[Andrew P]

Morning, I also like the Milk Train, and your Track laying in the Fiddle Yard is superb, well done.

[colinc3e]

Hi everybody

I just found this topic last week - really enjoyed reading through it all. Very nice

It atracted me because I grew up in Newquay 50's and 60s (Now living in Auckland)

Grammar School was next to the station - actually only part of it. but many kids came to school on the train from Perranporth way.

The gas works was also next door to school and the railway.

I had a small Hornby outfit like lots of boys, but then became  one of the early surfers in the 60's so the train was put away.

I got them all out a few years ago for the grand children, but they were a bit rough, so I built them a little circuit with some cheap rolling stock. In the meantime I started a layout in the garage with Newquay as the Terminus and a couple of loops for the main line after the Par Junction. Still progressing, I think I will name Newquay station "Towan Blystra" which is the original name before they built the "New Quay'

Anyway just to say keep up the good work. I am learning a lot although a bit confused over signal lever frames - I going to run my signals and points from a Raspberry Pi via the DCC controller.

Looking forward to the next posts

Colin

[St Enodoc]

Hi everybody

I just found this topic last week - really enjoyed reading through it all. Very nice

It atracted me because I grew up in Newquay 50's and 60s (Now living in Auckland)

Grammar School was next to the station - actually only part of it. but many kids came to school on the train from Perranporth way.

The gas works was also next door to school and the railway.

I had a small Hornby outfit like lots of boys, but then became  one of the early surfers in the 60's so the train was put away.

I got them all out a few years ago for the grand children, but they were a bit rough, so I built them a little circuit with some cheap rolling stock. In the meantime I started a layout in the garage with Newquay as the Terminus and a couple of loops for the main line after the Par Junction. Still progressing, I think I will name Newquay station "Towan Blystra" which is the original name before they built the "New Quay'

Anyway just to say keep up the good work. I am learning a lot although a bit confused over signal lever frames - I going to run my signals and points from a Raspberry Pi via the DCC controller.

Looking forward to the next posts

Colin

Thanks Colin and welcome aboard. It's always good to hear from someone who has a personal connection with the Mid-Cornwall area and as the layout progresses please feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

 

I look forward to seeing your own layout on RMweb in due course as well.

[St Enodoc]

Another good blitz in the railway room has seen all the droppers, feeders and frog connections installed for all the track laid so far at Penzance Up end. Everything works through the throttles but as with Paddington it is a bit of a pain having to operate every point individually, so I think I will start the Penzance point control panel sooner rather than later.

[St Enodoc]

After a short walk along Devlins Creek (not in the Hindu Kush) this morning, I did all the woodwork for the Penzance point control panel, which is now ready to be marked out and drilled for the push buttons. I also cut out the replacement front panel for the Paddington unit, ready for when the track at Paddington Down end is reconfigured with the new link from the Up Main to Penzance and the realigned Tregissey Siding.

 

To all those going to Warley in whatever capacity have a great time.

[St Enodoc]

I've now marked out, drilled, lined and fitted the switches to the Penzance point control panel.

 

Wiring the switches to the Mini Panel is next, followed by connecting it to the cab bus, programming the inputs and labelling the front panel.

 

I also drilled a hole in the top of the frame, as I think that might be a good place for the RB02 to sit.

Edited July 21, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[St Enodoc]

To all my Scots friends, Happy St Andrew's Day and lang may yer lum reek.

 

The Penzance point control panel is now finished, installed and fully operational as far as the track laid so far is concerned.

 

The RB02 sits nicely on top of the panel. Received wisdom from various forums is that this is a good position for the RB02, at about head height and not directly above where any operators will stand or sit. It's only fixed by Blu-Tak though, so if I do need to move it that will be an easy task.

 

If you have been paying attention you might be asking why there are 31 push buttons on the panel when the NCE Mini Panel only has 30 inputs. The answer is that the two buttons on the bottom left (on the straight line between loop 14 and the Up Main - one of Stubby's Dotted Bits) are wired in parallel. The points concerned are always operated together but to avoid the risk of operators "missing" a button I fitted two.

 

The panel is mounted above the Penzance Up throat, where it will be in easy reach of the Penzance yardmaster.

 

That's probably the last major work I'll get done on the layout now until after Christmas, as the run up to the holiday is going to be taken up with a number of other things. To celebrate reaching this point in the project, I will raise a glass of the "water of life" tonight with the traditional toast "Here's tae us. Wha's like us? Gey few an' they're a' deid".

Edited July 21, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[St Enodoc]

Belated Christmas greetings following our return from the best part of a month in Austria, Germany, France and England. Progress on the layout should resume over the next week or so, especially now that the S4 vee and crossing jigs have made it to the Southern Hemisphere (thanks again Alan for your help with this), but in the meantime once I've got over the jet lag I might post some news of our trip to start the topic ticking over again.

[Gwiwer]

Good to see you back.  

[Barry O]

The Eating and drinking section missed your attendance last night especially when it was Johns round and mines a pint!

 

Glad to hear you got back OK

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

The Eating and drinking section missed your attendance last night especially when it was Johns round and mines a pint!

 

Glad to hear you got back OK

 

Baz

Thanks Baz. As you know, we didn't have time to head North on this trip but I'm sure there will be another.

 

We did manage a pub lunch (Harvey's Best) most days, and Gwiwer will be pleased to know that I helped Sainsbury's to reduce their stocks of bottled Tribute and Proper Job too. Further, on Tuesday night I managed to pass the time with a pint of London Pride and of ESB at the Fuller's pub inside Heathrow terminal 2.

[Gwiwer]

 

 

Gwiwer will be pleased to know that I helped Sainsbury's to reduce their stocks of bottled Tribute and Proper Job too.

Yes indeed  Although I am also now bound for home shores on a permanent basis within not many weeks and shall be able to sample the delights of a true Real Ale served in a pint glass at a suitable temperature.  St. Austell also deliver to my future address  

[St Enodoc]

This time last year, I said that “I expect to spend most, if not all, of 2016 getting the Paddington and Penzance loops laid and operational”. Well, I have got some of them laid and operational but by no means all and indeed not even most. There are several reasons for this.

 

In the early part of the year, a good deal of time was spent on trying out and fine tuning the point operating system for the loops, using the DCCConcepts AD-S8fx decoders and H&M SM3 motors. As a result, the first three Paddington loops were not completed until May. The next three were installed by July but regular readers will know that I then decided to reconfigure the Up end of the Paddington loops and the Down end of the Penzance loops to even out the loop lengths and to allow entry and exit from both ends of both sets of loops.

 

I waited a month to start this work so that the layout was operational for the BRMA National Committee visit in August and so I didn’t complete it until September. The Up ends of the first six Penzance loops were installed before we went on holiday at the beginning of December.

 

Consequently, out of the final 24 loops I have completed 6 and a further six are partially complete – let’s say about 35% of the total.

 

Given that about three-and-a-half months of the year (August, September and December plus part of October and November) were unavailable for progress on the layout, this is not as bad as it might have been but not as good as it should have been. Nevertheless I hope to complete the first six Penzance loops by the end of January. We can then try out a basic initial timetable on the main lines, which as well as confirming (or otherwise…) the overall operational concept will be a lot of fun I am sure.

 

After that, I will change focus and develop Porthmellyn Road station before moving on to the remaining loops. The main reason for this is that I will be recycling about ten points from the current St Enodoc layout, which will therefore no longer be operational. I will stage this work so that as far as possible both main lines will remain operational. I will be hosting another BRMA Sydney Area Group meeting in September and while it would be nice to have Porthmellyn Road fully operational by that time, that will probably not be the case.

 

As well as the visible work on the layout, I spent some time working out the signalling arrangements for Porthmellyn Road, with the invaluable help of several Rmwebbers and others – most notably Mike the Stationmaster – to whom many thanks again. I am now close to finalising the details for the Modratec lever frame for Porthmellyn Road signal box.

 

Overall then, 2016 has been a year of slow and not always steady progress. I suspect that 2017 will not be too different, although hopefully a little less slow and a little more steady.

 

As there is nothing new to show in terms of photos of the layout I will end with the first few of some snaps taken on our recent European holiday.

 

 

We landed at Munich in the early hours and after a taxi ride to the Hauptbahnhof caught a train to Salzburg. As we were leaving Munich East we spotted this beast in a yard on the south side of the line. An 01 I think, and there is another steamer hidden behind the coach. The photo was taken in a rush from a moving train so apologies for the poor quality.

 

 

When we got off at Salzburg Hbf, this was at the adjacent platform. It’s a Bombardier Talent EMU on an S-Bahn line S2 service to Strasswalchen.

 

More next year!

 

As always, thanks to everyone who has shown an interest in the Mid-Cornwall Lines; special thanks to those who have left feedback; and extra special thanks to those who have contributed to the topic and/or supported me with the project in other ways.

 

Finally, I wish you all a Happy New Year when it comes.

[acg5324]

Great to see you again John during your visit to Brighton, look forward to more progress in 2017 with the layout.

Happy new year.

[St Enodoc]

Great to see you again John during your visit to Brighton, look forward to more progress in 2017 with the layout.

Happy new year.

Thanks Andy. Yes, it was a great evening. How the years fell away when we were sitting in the pub afterwards...

 

A pity NIB couldn't make it though.

 

Happy New Year to you and Debbie as well.

[The Stationmaster]

Happy New Year John - I'm looking forward to continuing reports from St Enodoc in 2017

[St Enodoc]

Happy New Year John - I'm looking forward to continuing reports from St Enodoc in 2017

Thanks Mike and the same to you and yours.

[Barry O]

Happy New Year to you and V.. hopefully in 2018 I can get some train operating on the layout in Oz!

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

Happy New Year to you and V.. hopefully in 2018 I can get some train operating on the layout in Oz!

 

Baz

Thanks Baz and the same to you in a few hours' time.

 

We have now celebrated New Year in NZ, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin. Having drunk all the champagne and moved on to the Bruichladdich I think we had better stop at that before Perth joins in.

 

Don't forget the Test starts on 3/1/18 - make sure you are here by then.

 

All the best to you and H.