Jump to content
 

Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00


St Enodoc
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium
7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I finished the Barry slip last night.

 

21188048_20210825001Barryslipcomplete.JPG.4c060b4b79aa67f5f440f0c1d84dd8fb.JPG

Not too many challenges here apart from the usual ones with slips of finding places to gauge the different rails from. I extended the tiebars so that the point motors will be well clear of the secondary joist at the back of Polperran.

 

Once I've cleaned it up, it will be ready to lay at the weekend.

 

Just one more A5 LH to build and I'll have enough points for the whole right-hand (Porthmellyn Road) end of Polperran.

 

Sod’s law says that, when you start operating the Barry slip in earnest, you’ll suddenly realise that the missing straight road would actually be useful in some situations!  

  • Interesting/Thought-provoking 1
  • Funny 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I sketched out the arrangement for the polarity reversal at Treloggan Junction 13 points, having already confirmed with DCC Concepts that the Cobalt changeover switches are break-before-make. As I did so, I realised (I think) that I don't need two separate motors after all.

 

1538028693_20210826PPpolarityreverser.thumb.jpg.dc08feaabe78c8fa1ce0f6a640ebc1f2.jpg

 

If you look at the two tracks converging towards the heel of the point, the inner rails are both at the same polarity as each other (in this case Red). The only reason to switch the frog is to ensure it has the same polarity as the adjoining rail - but if they are both the same then the frog doesn't need switching, because whichever way the point is set the adjoining rail will be Red. Consequently, the frog can be wired permanently to the Red bus wire.

 

This means that I only need two changeover switches, to switch the stock rails, and so the two on the motor that actually changes the points will be sufficient.

 

Perhaps you can all have a look at this and tell me whether I'm right.

Edited by St Enodoc
images restored
  • Like 3
  • Agree 2
  • Craftsmanship/clever 3
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

As you say, the frog doesn’t need switching as it’s always Red but the two Polperran rails do, thus two switches are sufficient.

BUT . . .

What colour should the wires be?  Can’t use frog wire colour as there are two switched rails, but I would be nervous using black and red for confusion near the ‘join’’.

(There’s always the AC101 approach to showing earthed rails in adjacent sidings, a green wrap at intervals on the switched black and red.)

Paul.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
4 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

Obviously, one of the two wires should be Red/Black, and the other should be Black/Red.

Of course, easy to identify then.

Paul.

  • Like 3
  • Agree 1
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
9 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

As you say, the frog doesn’t need switching as it’s always Red but the two Polperran rails do, thus two switches are sufficient.

BUT . . .

What colour should the wires be?  Can’t use frog wire colour as there are two switched rails, but I would be nervous using black and red for confusion near the ‘join’’.

(There’s always the AC101 approach to showing earthed rails in adjacent sidings, a green wrap at intervals on the switched black and red.)

Paul.

 

9 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

Obviously, one of the two wires should be Red/Black, and the other should be Black/Red.

 

9 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Of course, easy to identify then.

Paul.

Funnily enough, I'd thought about that!

 

My plan is to use the usual red and black wires but with a wrap of the opposite colour insulation tape near each joint, so Stu (perhaps unintentionally) has got it right. The labels will identify the wires too of course - "Polperran Front" and "Polperran Back".

  • Like 5
  • Interesting/Thought-provoking 1
  • Round of applause 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
On 24/08/2021 at 15:03, St Enodoc said:

Today a second-hand Bachmann St Blazey brake van, which was a Kernow limited edition, arrived from Hattons. Once I've fitted DG couplings, it can take over on the long train and the Par van will go back on to the shelf until it can be put to work on the Branch freight.

I've cheated a bit by removing the couplings from one of the spare vans (the Helston branch one) and fitting them temporarily to the St Blazey van. This was very easy, as they're just screwed to the NEM pocket mountings.

 

I atoned for my laziness by fitting side lamps and a tail lamp. These are fixed, as both ends of the long china-clay train's run are off-stage so we can turn the van (and the loco) round by hand. This is the first freight train I've ever had that is fully-lamped, which is quite pleasing.

 

The previous owner had fitted vacuum pipes to the St Blazey van. I'll leave them as they are, because I think that removing them would create too much mess.

 

Photos later.

 

Edit: According to part 5 of John Lewis' comprehensive survey of GWR brake vans (Scale Trains, October 1983), this van might well have been vacuum fitted - so I'll definitely leave it as it is.

Edited by St Enodoc
  • Like 10
  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
10 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

 

 

Funnily enough, I'd thought about that!

 

My plan is to use the usual red and black wires but with a wrap of the opposite colour insulation tape near each joint, so Stu (perhaps unintentionally) has got it right. The labels will identify the wires too of course - "Polperran Front" and "Polperran Back".

 

Which is very similar to what electricians do with the switch wire from the lighting switch when wiring a four plate junction box on a lighting circuit.:)

  • Informative/Useful 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
2 hours ago, Michael Edge said:

If the van is vac. fitted shouldn't it be in bauxite livery?

Interesting question that.  Firstly as the standpipe is painted white it isn't fitted in any case but it would presumably have had a brake setter.  i know - from seeing them regularly - that at the mid 1960s fitted GW pattern vans were definitely painted bauxite (they were by 19966 in use as vacuum head so they were obviously fitted).  The problem however is in finding reliable pictures, especially colour pictures but there was a lot of discussion on RMweb some time back about the six-wheel van which ended its days allocated to the Bridport branch (and was photo'd in BR times) it definitely had vacuum bags (and steam pipes!!) but the discussion concluded that it was probably painted grey.

 

Some sources have stated that Western piped vans were painted bauxite and that was very definitely the case with BR Standard vans so logically, depending on Swindon etc's paint stocks, it is quite likely that Western piped vans might have been painted bauxite,  Hunt to start now for colour pictures - 7 books just checked and no firm information one way or another;  most Western vans which can be seen were grey and only one was Bauxite but the pipes aren't visible on any of them.  Another book has numerous b&w illustrations and some are probably the wrong shade to be grey so I assume bauxite however the notes refer to late build piped vans being painted bauxite.

 

Balance of evidence found thus far suggests that piped vans were probably painted bauxite.  But did every works repairing wagons follow the rules?

  • Thanks 1
  • Informative/Useful 6
  • Interesting/Thought-provoking 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
13 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Interesting question that.  Firstly as the standpipe is painted white it isn't fitted in any case but it would presumably have had a brake setter.  i know - from seeing them regularly - that at the mid 1960s fitted GW pattern vans were definitely painted bauxite (they were by 19966 in use as vacuum head so they were obviously fitted).  The problem however is in finding reliable pictures, especially colour pictures but there was a lot of discussion on RMweb some time back about the six-wheel van which ended its days allocated to the Bridport branch (and was photo'd in BR times) it definitely had vacuum bags (and steam pipes!!) but the discussion concluded that it was probably painted grey.

 

Some sources have stated that Western piped vans were painted bauxite and that was very definitely the case with BR Standard vans so logically, depending on Swindon etc's paint stocks, it is quite likely that Western piped vans might have been painted bauxite,  Hunt to start now for colour pictures - 7 books just checked and no firm information one way or another;  most Western vans which can be seen were grey and only one was Bauxite but the pipes aren't visible on any of them.  Another book has numerous b&w illustrations and some are probably the wrong shade to be grey so I assume bauxite however the notes refer to late build piped vans being painted bauxite.

 

Balance of evidence found thus far suggests that piped vans were probably painted bauxite.  But did every works repairing wagons follow the rules?

Thanks Mike. I have two or three bauxite brake vans but this isn't one of them!

 

As I said, I'm leaving it alone as removing the pipes would certainly spoil the finish on the ends. Point taken about the white pipes too.

 

In fact, the only reason I decided to fit the lamps was because the previous owner had added side lamps of entirely the wrong type, which left some paint damage when I removed them. Rather than try to repair the damage, I just glued a different pair of lamps on.

 

As and when I weather the van eventually, I might remove the pipes and hide the mess with white china-clay dust.

Edited by St Enodoc
  • Like 9
  • Friendly/supportive 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Here's a thought on the brake van:

 

Fitted = bauxite.

Piped = grey.

 

Yes/no/maybe?

 

My understanding is:

 

Unfitted = grey

Fitted = bauxite with red pipe upstand

Piped = bauxite with white pipe upstand.

 

Piped brake vans could be used to apply the brakes on their trains, but the van itself was not fitted with vacuum brakes.  Hence the bauxite colour is determined by functionality rather than fitting.

 

I don’t have access to primary reference sources though, or knowledge of any regional variations, so may stand corrected.

  • Agree 3
  • Informative/Useful 3
  • Interesting/Thought-provoking 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...