Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

If you like signalling, I think you'll like this:

 

 

I was amazed to see that the interlocking seems to be arranged horizontally on the floor 'behind' the levers...

[Keith Addenbrooke]

40 minutes ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

If you like signalling, I think you'll like this:

 

 

I was amazed to see that the interlocking seems to be arranged horizontally on the floor 'behind' the levers...

What an incredible array of Roads represented by the trains on this video! (I had to fast forward some bits, but would have loved to give it the full 46 mins).  I realise that wasn’t the primary reason for posting, but it does rather catch the eye.

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

I'm sad I didn't railfan in the 90s when I could have enjoyed some classic roads in their final years, but glad I did go in the early 2000s and catch the last remnants of more interesting times.

 

My avatar here is a reminder of a splendid trip in 2005, I am posing on an ex-B&O GP40-2 rebuilt by MK for the greatest railroad of them all. 

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

If you like signalling, I think you'll like this:

 

 

I was amazed to see that the interlocking seems to be arranged horizontally on the floor 'behind' the levers...

Thanks Doc, that's great. Do you know when it was made?

[St Enodoc]

17 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

With nothing to do on the existing signals until some decent connectors arrive

Well, some decent connectors arrived today, after only ordering them on Sunday afternoon - great service from both Core Electronics and Australia Post (and you don't hear me say that last part very often). Usual disclaimer as always.

 

Now, I was just reading @Andrew P Andy Peters' topic about the 73rd layout he's built in lockdown (only joking Andy) , where he's used choc block plugs and sockets to carry current across his baseboard joints:

 

I've got some of these, so I'll try both the little red JST RCY connectors and the choc blocks, to see which are easier to fit and mount. Won't be until the weekend though.

 

[aardvark]

For what it's worth, I'm using EC3 connectors.

[Barry O]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Well, some decent connectors arrived today, after only ordering them on Sunday afternoon - great service from both Core Electronics and Australia Post (and you don't hear me say that last part very often). Usual disclaimer as always.

 

Now, I was just reading @Andrew P Andy Peters' topic about the 73rd layout he's built in lockdown (only joking Andy) , where he's used choc block plugs and sockets to carry current across his baseboard joints:

 

I've got some of these, so I'll try both the little red JST RCY connectors and the choc blocks, to see which are easier to fit and mount. Won't be until the weekend though.

 

A large O Gauge Welsh Colliery layout uses choc blocks for across board connections.  Great when they work but trying to make sure the wires are still in the block can be a pain..

 

I would suggest trying the pins and sockets sold for use in electronics. Unfortunately Maplins went bust but you can get them from retailers. They come as a strip..one set of sockets, one set of "double ended pins" . I use them to connect loco and tender wiring together....

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, aardvark said:

For what it's worth, I'm using EC3 connectors.

Thanks. They look good but rather more bulky (and expensive!) than I'm looking for. I want something lightweight, small and cheap that will carry 250mA. The EC3s would be good for track power or accessory power though I reckon.

Edited October 20, 2020 by St Enodoc

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Barry O said:

A large O Gauge Welsh Colliery layout uses choc blocks for across board connections.  Great when they work but trying to make sure the wires are still in the block can be a pain..

 

I would suggest trying the pins and sockets sold for use in electronics. Unfortunately Maplins went bust but you can get them from retailers. They come as a strip..one set of sockets, one set of "double ended pins" . I use them to connect loco and tender wiring together....

 

Baz

Thanks Baz. I'm talking about the choc blocks sold as plug and socket connectors with pins already attached. Are they what our friends use? I'm using them for the lever frame/baseboard connections. They seem fine when they only need to be disconnected very rarely. They're probably Plan B but I'll give them a trial anyway.

 

I think I know the other strips you mean. Are they the strips of 30-40 that you can snap off to length? I can get those here too. They might be Plan C. At the moment Plan A is the JST RCY connectors:

 

https://core-electronics.com.au/jst-rcy-connector-male-female-set-2-pin.html

 

I'll probably solder the wires in rather than try to crimp them.

 

 

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

10 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Thanks Doc, that's great. Do you know when it was made?

 

1994-5 according to the notes.  Still seems odd to see Southern Pacific in Chicago... St Louis was the traditional gateway.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Dr Gerbil-Fritters

[Barry O]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Thanks Baz. I'm talking about the choc blocks sold as plug and socket connectors with pins already attached. Are they what our friends use? I'm using them for the lever frame/baseboard connections. They seem fine when they only need to be disconnected very rarely. They're probably Plan B but I'll give them a trial anyway.   YES

 

I think I know the other strips you mean. Are they the strips of 30-40 that you can snap off to length? I can get those here too. They might be Plan C. At the moment Plan A is the JST RCY connectors: YES

 

https://core-electronics.com.au/jst-rcy-connector-male-female-set-2-pin.html

 

I'll probably solder the wires in rather than try to crimp them. Yes  I have some of those fitted by someone to dcc fitted locos.  Ok if you have plenty of space but the crimp solution can come loose..

 

 

 

[St Enodoc]

The three ground discs are now ready for final assembly and installation, which I should be able to do over the weekend.

 

In other news, Veronica and I had lunch in the city today at a newish pop-up restaurant called The Milan Cricket Club. It bills itself as a "British Italian Steakhouse" and according to the chef the name is a nod to the early days of football clubs in Italy, many of which were combined football and cricket clubs (including the mighty AC Milan). He'd never heard of the Ted Dexter connection though, which he found interesting but not interesting enough to offer us a free meal or even a discount.

 

https://www.larosathestrand.com.au/the-milan-cricket-club

 

The menu included plenty of good hearty fare. I had the Scotch egg, the Barnsley chop and the marmalade ice cream - just for evaluation purposes of course. The drinks included a beer that was new to me, Banner Cross Yorkshire Pale, so I tried it. Very nice it was too, so rather than wine I just had a couple more beers with my meal.

 

While in town I went to the hobby shop and bought some more Humbrol paint and (hooray) a razor saw blade. I also looked at radio control connectors, including the EC3s as mentioned by @aardvark and some others called Deans connectors. All of these were much bigger than the JST RCYs and several times more expensive, so I didn't bother getting any.

 

I'll try a JST RCY tomorrow and, if I like it, I'll start converting the other jack plugs and sockets afterwards.

Edited July 17, 2023 by St Enodoc
Link added

[Barry O]

looks nice.. but Yorkshire Puddings as extras.. tha knows that Marmalade ice cream is no substitute for a chunk of Parkin.... just saying laike!

 

Baz

[simontaylor484]

Nice to see Banner Cross has made it to the antipodes I had a girlfriend who lived in that part of Sheffield when at Uni.

[St Enodoc]

6 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

Nice to see Banner Cross has made it to the antipodes I had a girlfriend who lived in that part of Sheffield when at Uni.

That's exactly where the name comes from.

 

https://www.bannercross.com.au

[Clive Mortimore]

On 19/10/2020 at 17:20, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

If you like signalling, I think you'll like this:

 

 

I was amazed to see that the interlocking seems to be arranged horizontally on the floor 'behind' the levers...

Hi Doc

 

Midland Railway signal boxes had horizontal frames.

[Michael Edge]

If you want a really good Barnsley chop you'll need to come to our local butcher's in Royston - nothing else come close.

[Sandhole]

26 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

If you want a really good Barnsley chop you'll need to come to our local butcher's in Royston - nothing else come close.

Frosts the butchers in Chorlton precinct does a great Barnsley chop.

 

[KymN]

On 20/10/2020 at 02:50, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

If you like signalling, I think you'll like this:

 

 

I was amazed to see that the interlocking seems to be arranged horizontally on the floor 'behind' the levers...

 

I took one look at the semaphores and thought 'South Australian Railways'. 

 

[figworthy]

9 hours ago, Barry O said:

looks nice.. but Yorkshire Puddings as extras.. tha knows that Marmalade ice cream is no substitute for a chunk of Parkin.... just saying laike!

 

Baz

 

Ah, Parkin (licks lips).

 

An ice cream with a touch of Yorkshire ?  There used to be a restaurant in Weymouth (now closed it seems) which did a liquorice ice cream, yummy.

 

Adrian

[St Enodoc]

12 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

If you want a really good Barnsley chop you'll need to come to our local butcher's in Royston - nothing else come close.

One day...

[St Enodoc]

It was a steady and successful afternoon today, although at one point I didn't think it was going to be.

 

First of all, I fitted a JST RCY connector to the battery-powered Trewoon Junction Up Main Distant. No problems with this and the connection was 100% secure. Good!

 

Here's a step-by-step guide.

 

There are six parts to each connector - two pins, two sockets and two housings. Confusingly (to me, anyway), the pins go in the female half of the connectors and the sockets in the male half.

 

I fitted the sockets to the signal by soldering instead of crimping. No problem here with the thin flex...

 

...fitting the sockets into the housing. They are retained by the little spring tabs that you can see here.

 

Although the data sheet says that 16/0.2 wire should fit, I found that the thickness of the wire and insulation, even after squeezing the crimp tabs as hard as I could, meant that the pins wouldn't go fully into the housing. I therefore wrote these pins off and used a new pair with the crimp tabs snipped away, which worked much better.

 

Here are the pins in their housing...

 

...and here the the assembled connector.

 

I then converted Porthmellyn Road Down Homes (2/17) and Up Advanced Starter (49). When I reinstalled 49 signal it was fine with a battery but wouldn't operate with the 1.3V power. Hmm. I measured the current and it was only about 130mA, which was obviously not enough to heat the memory wire to make it contract. These signals are the furthest from the power supply so obviously the resistance of the cable run was too high. I can't do much about that, so I increased the voltage to 1.6V, which is the off-load voltage of a new battery. This time, thank goodness, everything was fine (I didn't bother to measure the current again).

 

I fixed the connector to the baseboard with a dab of hot glue so that it didn't hang down and put extra load on the actuator.

 

I then worked round more signals (3/4/7/30) before running out of connectors, because of the damaged set and one defective set, so I'll order more tonight.

Edited July 17, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[Barry O]

Excellent work that!

Baz

[St Enodoc]

Today I finished off the three ground discs and took them out to the layout. I placed them in position, along with the other signals for the main lines at Porthmellyn Road Down end. Of these, only the Down Main Starter (4) is fixed down and connected electrically yet, as I need the next order of JST RCY connectors to complete the rest. The relay modules are ready and waiting though.

 

Here are the six signals in question looking Down.

 

From the left we have:

 

32 - Disc Backing from Up Main

4 - Down Main Starting

34 - Disc at 33B (33 being the Mains Crossover)

6 - Down Main Advanced Starting Banner Repeater

53 - Up Main Home

47 - Disc at 46 (46 being the Chapel Sidings Safety Points)

 

The step in the cork trackbed behind 46 is where the backscene will be. In front of that will be a girder overbridge spanning all four tracks. This bridge will have room for at least one bus.

 

To round things off, here we are looking in the Up direction. The black line across the baseboard also marks the backscene position.

 

I will check the clearances at the exit from the Chapel Sidings to see if there is room for 47 disc to go in between the two tracks. It applies to both sidings, so I think it might look better there.

 

After a bit of a tidy up, I rearranged the layout after Charles' visit so that the stock is in position for train 79, which is where we left off in January. I hope that we might be able to hold our next scheduled running session in four weeks' time if restrictions are not tightened up before then. Fingers crossed.

Edited July 17, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[bgman]

Definitely looking the business now, excellent work and well worth the time and effort.

 

G