Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[St Enodoc]

A few weeks ago, with the considerable and valuable help of Graeme in Queensland, The Stationmaster and 5BarVT of this parish, I finished working out the St Enodoc signalling design. I left it for a while to see if anything else came to mind, which it didn't, so this morning I've sent the files off to Harold Fanshawe at Modratec for him to check before I place the order. It's a far simpler design than at Porthmellyn Road, with only 30 levers and fewer locking bars, so it shouldn't be as time-consuming to build. However, the combined Treloggan Junction/Pentowan frame will be another monster, probably 54 levers again. That's still a fair way in the future though.

[St Enodoc]

I got through a lot today. First, I connected all the new point motors to the accessory bus and programmed them. After that I drilled the holes for all, and installed, all the remaining droppers at Paddington. Next, I connected up all the feeders at the Down end. No shorts, so all was good. I could have tested the Down end with the Warship, which has a long enough wheelbase to bridge the frog gaps, but I decided to leave that until I can do the same at both ends.

 

Instead, I installed yet another yard of temporary track, extending the Up Branch spur at Porthmellyn Road.

 

This will provide somewhere more convenient to move the long clay train to when the Loop is needed for something else. It is slightly more logical than using No 2 Spur too, as when the layout is extended the clay trains will of course travel to and from the Branch. Oh, and yes I know the Porthmellyn Road totem has come unstuck. I'll fix that another time.

 

Next weekend I'll try to get the Paddington Up end feeders and all the frogs connected. If I manage that and there is still time I'll program the Mini Panel with the new routes.

 

Meanwhile, I shall spend the rest of the evening in front of the gogglebox watching the third and fourth Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

[5BarVT]

Pentowan should be easy: you have the locking table on your SRS CD. Just miss out the bits you don’t need!

I’m waiting for the “Ah, but . . . “ now.

Paul.

P.S. I’m now the proud owner of most of the GWR CDs; unfortunately, not London which has all the 20s/30s colour light semaphores (or is semaphore colour lights?).

Edited October 20, 2019 by 5BarVT
Smelling pistake

[St Enodoc]

3 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

Pentowan should be easy: you have the locking table on your SRS CD. Just miss out the bits you don’t need!

I’m waiting for the “Ah, but . . . “ now.

Paul.

P.S. I’m now the proud owner of most of the GWR CDs; unfortunately, not London which has all the 20s/30s colour light semaphores (or is semaphore colour lights?).

Thanks Paul. Well, the biggest "Ah, but..." is that my version will be single-track (so no backing signals)! You're right though - it's a pretty straightforward layout. I've made some changes, as I always do, in particular a couple of sidings kicking back into the corner outside the single line to form a goods yard, There will, of course, be a cash register on the Down Home with five routes for the main arm itself and three for the Calling On arm... Somehow I think that it's going to be a dummy.

 

The reason for combining Treloggan Junction and Pentowan into a single frame is simply one of space, not only because of the short distance between the two but also to the lack of room for a further signalman in that corner of the layout.

 

Anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves a bit. All will be revealed in due course!

[5BarVT]

A working cash register in 4mm: that would be something!  I think it should ‘only’ need five indications as Main and calling on would use the same.  But . . . usually the lever would word the indicator and that would release the arm in a slotting arrangement on the signal . . . it’s feeling very complicated just now as that’s 8 balance weights with 6 (3 main, 3 calling on) driving a double slot of indicator plus arm.  Perhaps that’s not how it was done!

Back to the locking, I thought I had seen a diagram prior to the doubling but I think I’m mistaken. If you keep the ‘new’ down main as a siding 8 can still exist so it’s ‘only’ (that word again!): 30 and 31 swap; 45 and 32 swap taking the other’s locking; 33 becomes a calling on arm (so as 34 can be the main) and that’s it!

i think!

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

On 21/10/2019 at 06:46, 5BarVT said:

A working cash register in 4mm: that would be something!  I think it should ‘only’ need five indications as Main and calling on would use the same.  But . . . usually the lever would word the indicator and that would release the arm in a slotting arrangement on the signal . . . it’s feeling very complicated just now as that’s 8 balance weights with 6 (3 main, 3 calling on) driving a double slot of indicator plus arm.  Perhaps that’s not how it was done!

Back to the locking, I thought I had seen a diagram prior to the doubling but I think I’m mistaken. If you keep the ‘new’ down main as a siding 8 can still exist so it’s ‘only’ (that word again!): 30 and 31 swap; 45 and 32 swap taking the other’s locking; 33 becomes a calling on arm (so as 34 can be the main) and that’s it!

i think!

Paul.

Yes, there would be five screens slides Paul. The ones for the loco spur and the sidings only pop up with the main arm. The calling-on arm (the SRS diagram actually says "Draw Ahead" - is there a difference?) only applies to the three platforms.

 

I think I'll leave it as a dummy but of course there will still be eight levers in the frame to operate the two arms.

 

As I've mentioned before, a good friend has two working cash registers in 7mm but only with a single arm and three blinds slides each.

 

I'll have a look at my files when I get home tonight. I think I have a diagram of the single-track arrangement in one of the Pryer books. Your idea of using a siding to simulate the new Down Main is interesting although I think the connections at the station end would look wrong. Basically, everything just fans out from the single line into the platforms, loco spur and carriage sidings, with the goods yard kicking back from the double slip. Nice and simple.

Still with Pentowan, despite the short distance between Pentowan and Treloggan Junction I'm thinking of having worked distants on the Pentowan Up starters, which would come off when the main route through Treloggan Junction to St Enodoc is clear. I think that would look nice.

 

Apologies to those who can't visualise all this - when I get a more complete diagram sketched up I'll post it.

 

Edit: I think they're actually called "slides", not "screens"or "blinds". If I'm wrong, no doubt someone will tell me!

Edited October 22, 2019 by St Enodoc

[St Enodoc]

11 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I'll have a look at my files when I get home tonight. I think I have a diagram of the single-track arrangement in one of the Pryer books. Your idea of using a siding to simulate the new Down Main is interesting although I think the connections at the station end would look wrong. Basically, everything just fans out from the single line into the platforms, loco spur and carriage sidings, with the goods yard kicking back from the double slip. Nice and simple.

I've had a quick look and I can't find a pre-1946 signalling diagram, before the line was doubled. The Pryer book only shows the 1946 layout.

 

There is a 1906 track plan in Mitchell & Smith's Newquay Branch book, which includes the old loco shed, but no signalling diagram. This is niggling me a bit, as I'm sure I've seen one somewhere - or perhaps I was thinking of the 1942 Tolcarn Junction diagram on the SRS CD-ROM...

[St Enodoc]

Yesterday after work I needed little excuse to toast the day my brother qualified for his all-Scotland bus pass.

 

Beer Farm cask-conditioned IPA and Pale Ale to wash down a ploughman's lunch (well, it would have been lunchtime had I been in Great Britain) at the Duke of Clarence.

 

https://beerfarm.com.au/

 

https://thedukeofclarence.com/

 

Page 4 of the menu was interesting - I haven't seen all six versions of Pimm's on sale anywhere for over 40 years. Too pricey for me though.

[Barry O]

Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale...Morse used to drink it occassionally..so did I!

Interesting looking place that!

 

Bus Pass in Scotland arrives 6 years before one in leeds. Ours are still a way off!

Baz

[St Enodoc]

40 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale...Morse used to drink it occassionally..so did I!

Interesting looking place that!

 

Bus Pass in Scotland arrives 6 years before one in leeds. Ours are still a way off!

Baz

It is indeed a very nice pub Baz. Perhaps we will go there in January.

[Barry O]

Seems like a jolly good idea...

If you need any modelling supplies bringing over let me know...afraid despite flying via Singapore can't fetch any chilli crabs in...

Baz

 

[St Enodoc]

7 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Seems like a jolly good idea...

If you need any modelling supplies bringing over let me know...afraid despite flying via Singapore can't fetch any chilli crabs in...

Baz

 

Thanks Baz, I will. At the moment I can't think of anything specific, as I'm well stocked up on track, rail, copperclad and the like. I've also got all the paint I need for a while but if anything comes to mind I'll send you a shopping list for Warley.

 

My annual rugby trip to Singers is only two weeks away, so I'll soon be able to load up with chilli crab, roti prata, kaya toast, ice kacang, durian and all my other favourites - washed down with Tiger beer of course.

 

Have a great weekend at the show and please say hello to all my old mates for me.

[St Enodoc]

Today I installed the Paddington Up end feeders and also the red, black and green frog wires to the choc block for each motor at both ends. I've still to connect the motors to the choc blocks (tomorrow's job with luck) so the frogs are all still dead. Nevertheless, using the Warship with its 8-wheel pickup, I was able to test each end of Paddington loops 8 to 13 for the first time. Electrically, everything was fine but as always there will be a small amount of fettling to smooth the passage through one or two of the points.

 

Veronica is out for most of the day tomorrow, so I should also have time to program the Mini Panel and, if things really go well, to fit the fouling point markers. The last job before I can say that Paddington is complete will be to connect the feeders to the intermediate lengths of Peco track in loops 8 to 13, which are only fed through the fishplates at the moment.

[5BarVT]

8 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Yesterday after work I needed little excuse to toast the day my brother qualified for his all-Scotland bus pass.

And very good they are too: had mine for some time now.  Add to that the benefits from our first employer and it’s brilliant. Only downside is that my bike needs fixing and the financial pressure has been completely removed!

I’m enjoying your contributions to the Christleton Junction thread: you’re better at it than me.  I’m beginning to think you’re a closet signal engineer using traction engineering as cover. . .

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

I finished everything I intended today, with all the frogs connected to the motors, the Mini Panel programmed and the fouling point markers installed. Nice simple tasks with no soldering for once.

 

Here's the route selection table for Paddington in place inside the point control panel, with no yellow highlighting remaining for outstanding work now.

 

 

The fouling point markers look fine here but when I ran a few trains to celebrate the day's achievements I found that one or two were slightly out of position. I now realise that this is because the two sets of standard fans at each end don't quite match, which means that the actual fouling points are not exactly in line with the corresponding ones on loops 2 to 7. I should have measured instead of assuming that they were identical. Nevertheless, as the markers are just a friction fit in their holes, that'll be easy to fix.

 

Paddington is now fully operational, although until I deal with the foul fouling point markers and daisy-chain almost 50 more feeders for the Peco track (6 loops x 4 yard per loop x 2 rails per yard length - the droppers are already in place) I still can't quite say that it's complete. Not long now though!

[Neal Ball]

I'm in awe of how quickly you proceed. - Wiring up the Bus / Points etc. reading your description it sounds like one of these speeded up films!

 

When I am out with the soldering iron, it takes an age, accompanied by knocking the flux over (at least once per new bottle!). Then none of it looks as neat and tidy as your work!

 

Great job, well done.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Neal Ball said:

I'm in awe of how quickly you proceed. - Wiring up the Bus / Points etc. reading your description it sounds like one of these speeded up films!

 

When I am out with the soldering iron, it takes an age, accompanied by knocking the flux over (at least once per new bottle!). Then none of it looks as neat and tidy as your work!

 

Great job, well done.

Thanks Neal. It doesn't feel particularly quick, as there's a lot of repetitive stuff to be done, but that means I can get into a routine quite easily. The final six loops at Paddington have taken about four months of spare time at weekends - I'd guess that comes out at about 50 - 60 hours or 10 hours per loop.

 

After about five years I've now reached the stage, with all main line track laid and operational, that I thought would take about two. It doesn't matter of course. As I've mentioned before, there is no rush - this is the Last Great Project as someone once said.

[Neal Ball]

It still all sounds very impressive. As ever its always good to see the updates.

 

Regards, Neal.

[Clive Mortimore]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I finished everything I intended today, with all the frogs connected to the motors, the Mini Panel programmed and the fouling point markers installed. Nice simple tasks with no soldering for once.

 

Here's the route selection table for Paddington in place inside the point control panel, with no yellow highlighting remaining for outstanding work now.

 

 

The fouling point markers look fine here but when I ran a few trains to celebrate the day's achievements I found that one or two were slightly out of position. I now realise that this is because the two sets of standard fans at each end don't quite match, which means that the actual fouling points are not exactly in line with the corresponding ones on loops 2 to 7. I should have measured instead of assuming that they were identical. Nevertheless, as the markers are just a friction fit in their holes, that'll be easy to fix.

 

Paddington is now fully operational, although until I deal with the foul fouling point markers and daisy-chain almost 50 more feeders for the Peco track (6 loops x 4 yard per loop x 2 rails per yard length - the droppers are already in place) I still can't quite say that it's complete. Not long now though!

Hi UDJ

 

All looks and sounds very technical compared to my stud contact  and "Oh ! (not a RMweb word)  I've crashed again" system. Did you have fun doing it? If so it doesn't matter which method anyone uses, enjoying the hobby is the most important thing.

[St Enodoc]

1 minute ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi UDJ

 

All looks and sounds very technical compared to my stud contact  and "Oh ! (not a RMweb word)  I've crashed again" system. Did you have fun doing it? If so it doesn't matter which method anyone uses, enjoying the hobby is the most important thing.

Yes I did Clive. It's always fun when things go well. The foul fouling point markers were not so much fun but that's my own fault for rushing things before I had to pick Veronica up from the station. Half-an-hour will see them fixed.

 

I always enjoy seeing real progress, whether it's laying track, building a wagon kit, renumbering some coaches, seeing all the right points move in the right direction when I press the button on the Mini Panel, or what have you.

 

Most of all I enjoy our regular operating sessions, where the gang work in harmony to make each train emulate a real working on a summer Friday in the 1950s.

[St Enodoc]

Another short session today when things went well and I had fun, meaning that PADDINGTON IS NOW COMPLETE!

 

That in turn means that, as far as track and track power is concerned THE ENTIRE MAIN LINE IS COMPLETE!!

 

Excuse me for getting a bit excited but this really is a big milestone for the layout.

 

To reach this point, I moved six of the newly-installed fouling point markers, so they are no longer foul, then connected up the feeders to the plain track in Paddington loops 8 to 13.

 

In this photo you can see the four sets of feeders where they stick out in front of the L-girder and connect to the feeder to loop 14, which was installed about four years ago.

 

There will be a period of consolidation now before I start work on the baseboards for the branch. That doesn't mean that work will stop - just that I'll be catching up with some tidying-up jobs, unfinished jobs and some operational stuff - not least the permanent set markers for the coaches in use so far. I'll also finalise the design for the branch as far as Treloggan Junction and Polperran, as there are some quite important interrelationships between the different parts of those sections, the curves that join them up and the lengths of the Polperran sidings. I'll use my trusty Computer-Absent Design system for this, rotating bits of papers round curve centres until they all fit and I can stick them down with Blu-Tak.

 

In the meantime, it's off to a 70th birthday dinner for an old friend tonight, followed by watching a recording of the RWC final. Last night's 3rd-place play-off was a good appetiser but I'm looking forward to the main course.

Edited July 18, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[5BarVT]

The available buttons aren’t really enough for a post like the above. Bold capitals are entirely in order.

Congratulations.

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

My Singapore rugby weekend was great fun as always with, for a change, no rain during the tournament. Lots of chat with old friends, some good rugby and very tight finishes to two of the finals - plus of course plenty of food and drink (it's vital to remain hydrated in the tropical heat...).

 

Back in the real world, this was an interesting surprise yesterday:

 

For some time now I have had a Modern Shrapnel Kits version in its box waiting to be built. I suspect that it will stay there now and that one of these Rails/Heljan models will appear west of Plymouth in due course. The only real problem there is that it will show up the somewhat rough finish on my Q Kits 18100, which has high sentimental value for me as the kit was sold to me, when I was an impoverished student, by Mike Cole at a very low price due to the body moulding being slightly damaged. If/when an RTR 18100 appears then my version might have to be relegated to the "nostalgia shelf" along with 2268 and the original (Cotswold) 4206.

 

[Clive Mortimore]

Heljan does seem to have cornered the "MI" one off market. I think after building many (most) of them I am going to hide them all in a box and only run classes of loco that there were 50 or more of just so my layout will be different to everyone elses.

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

On 02/11/2019 at 05:47, St Enodoc said:

Another short session today when things went well and I had fun, meaning that PADDINGTON IS NOW COMPLETE!

 

That in turn means that, as far as track and track power is concerned THE ENTIRE MAIN LINE IS COMPLETE!!

 

Can we see a track plan?  I'm excited on your behalf, but I can't visualise the whole scheme you're building and how it fits in the garage.