Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[Oldddudders]

This thread does a good job of demystifying  Bachmann dates.

 

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Thanks. I must have misunderstood the meaning of these quarterly announcements. I thought they were to tell us what would appear on the shelves in the next three months, irrespective of what had been announced previously.

Just looked at my preferred retailer's website and the 94xx is expected in December at a price of GBP110.95. That's more like it.

[St Enodoc]

According to the RCTS book and the latest Bachmann photos, the early BR 94xx is from the series built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns, the photos showing a nice representation of the RS&H works plate on the leading splasher too. My existing 8412, however, was built by Bagnalls but another Truro loco, 8485, was built by RS&H. There is a rather nice photo of it by Michael Mensing on station pilot duties on at Par, probably on Whit Monday 18 May 1959, so I'll have to order a new set of numberplates from Modelmaster.

[TrevorP1]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Just looked at my preferred retailer's website and the 94xx is expected in December at a price of GBP110.95. That's more like it.

 

I keep telling myself I don't need at 94...

 

But... 8486 longest Truro based 94XX, 6/52 - 3/62.

 

NO, no, no...

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, TrevorP1 said:

 

I keep telling myself I don't need at 94...

 

But... 8486 longest Truro based 94XX, 6/52 - 3/62.

 

NO, no, no...

8486 was also from RS&H and Fox do the plates.

 

Just saying.

[St Enodoc]

Bic Clic pens come in packets of three, so I opened two packs and made up half-a dozen memory wire actuators tonight. The same again will be enough to finish Porthmellyn Junction.

[Barnaby]

Hello St Enodoc I have a question slightly off topic  about an info photo post you added to Andy P's  Burdoc Bridge Branch Build.

 

Q1/  the little labels you have added to your wiring looks very neat. 

How were they made, printed off your PC, by a Dymo gun or some other method? 

I think that would be a useful addition in wire tracing for me to adopt.

 

Many thanks

Edited November 6, 2020 by Barnaby

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, Barnaby said:

Hello St Enodoc I have a question slightly off topic  about an info photo post you added to Andy P's  Burdoc Bridge Branch Build.

 

Q1/  the little labels you have added to your wiring looks very neat. 

How were they made, printed off your PC, by a Dymo gun or some other method? 

I think that would be a useful addition in wire tracing for me to adopt.

 

Many thanks

Thanks Barnaby. I use a Brother battery-powered label printer. I wrap the labels round the wire so that the adhesive side sticks to itself if you see what I mean.

[St Enodoc]

Back in the railway room today and a lot of progress above and below the baseboards. The connectors having arrived earlier in the week, I've fitted them to all the signals that were awaiting them and also mounted and wired up their associated relay modules. Only the four relay modules for the Branch signals are still to be fitted - I can't do those until the branch baseboard and trackbed are under way.

 

Everything worked fine except, oddly, 3/7 signals (the Down Main Inner Homes). I could get one of the two arms to work but not both, which was very strange. I changed over the connectors between them and each arm worked but not when I put the correct connectors back. Next I looked at the connectors themselves, and found that a couple of pins had been pushed back slightly. After fixing this everything was fine again - until it wasn't. I've come to the conclusion that these connectors, which were among the first I made up, need to be replaced, which I might have a chance to do tomorrow. I might also install the three latest signals too.

[St Enodoc]

We decided to have a suburban walk, to see some jacarandas, rather than a bush walk this morning, so we drove down to the Hunters Hill/Woolwich peninsula . By the time we'd had a gentle couple of hours' stroll, including a stop for coffee at the old Woolwich dry dock where one of the Sydney-Hobart Supermaxis was moored, it was lunch time so we decided to have a Sunday roast in the Woolwich Pier pub.

 

 

All of which is a very long-winded way of saying that I didn't get into the railway room at all today, so work on the signal wiring will have to wait until next weekend. I wasn't completely idle though, as I've put the white paint on the six arms I made up earlier in the week.

Edited July 17, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[Barry O]

The trees are spectacular  ( according to her indoors and I agree!)

Baz

[St Enodoc]

Just now, Barry O said:

The trees are spectacular  ( according to her indoors and I agree!)

Baz

Yes, late October to the end of November is a great time to be in Sydney (actually, December to mid-October isn't bad either). Watch out for petals underfoot though - very slippery. Wouldn't want you to end up falling over or anything like that, would we?

[Barry O]

1 minute ago, St Enodoc said:

Yes, late October to the end of November is a great time to be in Sydney (actually, December to mid-October isn't bad either). Watch out for petals underfoot though - very slippery. Wouldn't want you to end up falling over or anything like that, would we?

My response to that is " rude word, rude word, big rude word"..

Loads of leaves on pavements and the front mud pond currently.

Baz

[St Enodoc]

It's been a busy week, one way and another, so I haven't had much modelling time and hence the lack of traffic here. I did spend the odd hour in the evenings painting the six signal arms, which are now complete as far as the calling-on arms are concerned but the four main arms still need to be striped.

 

I also got the bits back out for the memory wire actuators tonight but just can't work up the energy to do anything with them. The weekend should see more progress, on arms, actuators and sorting out the JST RCY connectors for 3/7 signals. I might also strip down my old Mainline/Bachmann 6305, to recover the numberplates for its Dapol replacement and to salvage some bits like the decoder, couplings and any reusable driving axle muffs as spares. The tender itself is quite nice, so I'll probably put that aside in case it comes in handy one day. Who knows, I might even run a train or two.

[St Enodoc]

3/7 signals are now working, although not without some more head-scratching. I changed the two male halves of the connectors (that have the sockets in them), having concluded that some  solder had partly blocked them causing the sockets to push the pins out. That was all fine, but the signals still behaved oddly on the layout. Eventually I worked out that it was a mechanical problem, with the two operating wires rubbing against each other and so overcoming the force exerted by 7 signal's actuator. A bit of tweaking and twisting fixed that but there wasn't enough time left to install 52/48 signal and 24 disc before I had to stop to watch the All Blacks against the Pumas. A gripping match played, in accordance with the natural order of things, in daylight.

[St Enodoc]

I finished six more memory wire signal actuators this evening. That's enough to complete Porthmelllyn Road, with one left over for St Enodoc.

 

You may well ask why I need another for St Enodoc, given that the previous layout was fully signalled. Well, the answer is twofold. First, the approach from Porthmellyn Road is now double track, not single, so there is one extra arm for backing moves from the Down platform in the Up direction towards either the Up or Down lines. Secondly, the Up and Down Advanced Starting signals, which on the previous layout were off-stage so didn't need actuators, will now be modelled. That's a total of three more actuators, of which one is now made.

 

After that, only another 30 for Pentowan...

[St Enodoc]

I installed 52/48 signal today but not 24 disc. In fact I nearly installed 24 in the wrong place, and cut a hole for it, but realised just in time that it belongs with 50/44 (Up Branch Starting), not 52/48 (Up Main Starting), so now I've got a hole to fill next to the Up Main. Never mind.

 

I got 52/48 working without too much trouble for once, then worked out the exact position for 50/44 and 24. These have to fit between 22A's point motor and a joist. I won't drill the holes until the signals are ready though.

 

Then I had a big decision to take - should I start to dismantle the old 6305 or run a few trains? No contest - I ran a few trains, sitting at the signal box to watch them go by at Porthmellyn Road. All the main line signals are installed and working now, so that was quite fun.

 

Here's a driver's-eye view of 52/48. You can see the spurious excavation in front of it.

 

Back indoors, I've started the next few signals - the two double-arm single-posts (with calling-on arms) and a disc (25, which will have a yellow stripe).

 

I mentioned before that I thought I might do some things slightly differently on the next calling-on arms and here is one of those. Rather than build up the "prism" with layers and filler, I decided to use some Evergreen quarter-round strip.

 

Here it is in place. Once it's set I can file it to shape.

Edited July 17, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[Sharky]

Looking more and more like an operational railway now there's some safeworking infield!

Once the "Iron Curtain" is lifted I should try come up for a running session. Would be good to see some operational semaphores.

 

Also looks like the beginnings of a fruitful bus depot in the corner.
Hopefully it's not owned by 'Pearce & Crump'

[St Enodoc]

2 minutes ago, Sharky said:

Looking more and more like an operational railway now there's some safeworking infield!

Once the "Iron Curtain" is lifted I should try come up for a running session. Would be good to see some operational semaphores.

 

Also looks like the beginnings of a fruitful bus depot in the corner.
Hopefully it's not owned by 'Pearce & Crump'

Thanks, that's the idea! You will of course be more than welcome once we start our sessions again and you're allowed to travel north from Mexico. We haven't had a proper session since January, which has been very frustrating, and we've cancelled next week's too.

 

There are about eight or nine buses and coaches, none of which are owned or operated by the shady establishment you mention. I'm not sure where they're all going to end up though, as there will only be about five overbridges on the layout. Fortunately, some of those will be able to carry two.

 

From the time of your "reaction" last night I assume it was a quiet night with an occo somewhere...

[Sharky]

2 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

I'm not sure where they're all going to end up though, as there will only be about five overbridges on the layout. Fortunately, some of those will be able to carry two.

 

From the time of your "reaction" last night I assume it was a quiet night with an occo somewhere...

 

Well you can always have one in every station forecourt aswell. So there's at least another 3-4 places.

 

I had just got home from afternoon shift and was enjoying a cold brew before bed. 

 

[St Enodoc]

4 minutes ago, Sharky said:

 

Well you can always have one in every station forecourt aswell. So there's at least another 3-4 places.

 

I had just got home from afternoon shift and was enjoying a cold brew before bed. 

 

Ah, I thought you were just having a break from R&R revision.

[St Enodoc]

Here are the quarter-round sections filed to a wedge shape.

 

Much easier and quicker than the previous method.

 

Just as a passing thought - how did those of us who like working with styrene manage before Evergreen?

Edited July 17, 2023 by St Enodoc
images restored

[bgman]

25 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Just as a passing thought - how did those of us who like working with styrene manage before Evergreen?

 

Lots of cut fingers and a box of plasters !

 

All joking aside, one of the best items I bought a few years ago was the Silhouette Cutter, wouldn't be without it now.

 

Nice work on the signals, coming together now.

 

ATB

 

G

[St Enodoc]

14 minutes ago, bgman said:

 

Lots of cut fingers and a box of plasters !

 

All joking aside, one of the best items I bought a few years ago was the Silhouette Cutter, wouldn't be without it now.

 

Nice work on the signals, coming together now.

 

ATB

 

G

Thanks Grahame. I haven't graduated to a plastic doily maker (yet). I think it's the need to design stuff on the computer that's put me off.

 

I enjoy making signals, which is probably just as well, but more than that I enjoy working the levers to make them go up and down while I watch the trains go by.

[john dew]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Thanks Grahame. I haven't graduated to a plastic doily maker (yet). I think it's the need to design stuff on the computer that's put me off.

 

I enjoy making signals, which is probably just as well, but more than that I enjoy working the levers to make them go up and down while I watch the trains go by.

I am so envious of your signal set up and particularly your skill in making them. Sadly I know my limitations, but you and @checkrail ( yet another John....we have a trio) have indirectly convinced me to try and install some Dapols.......then I can look forward to making the computor  “pull the levers”.

 

I dont imagine you are watching the NH Nations Cup? England v Georgia was never likely to be a riveting game but played in a monsoon, in an empty Twickenham......and Nigel Owens constantly re setting scrums....

 

All Blacks v Argentina must have bee interesting?

 

Best wishes