Richard Mawer Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 Hi Richard, Thought it was about time I added comment - I've kept following along in the background, but things are coming on well! That gantry looks a nice addition to the layout! Well done. Following with interest! Did you sort the tone of your bells out in the end? Rich Thanks Rich. Its not perfect with those rocker arms in the ironwork, but it is reasonably robust and works. It's so much easier now to see I have set the correct road. I should have made it earlier. The bells are fine thanks. They are all quite different. I know which is which but visitors aren't used to which sound is from where. But I now have an excellent visual indicator. Made by a friend. You would approve. See post 330. I'm watching your progress on many fronts. Interesting. Cheers 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted August 9, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2017 Mike, you need to write a book (if you haven't already) about all this stuff. It needs to be shared or it will be eventually lost. I'd probably need to take legal advice about some of it 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 ANOTHER MILEPOST Well that's another milestone (Ooops, milepost) passed. Tonight I have got to the end of Tuesday on the timetable. And what's so amazing about that? I started on Wednesday back in October!!! So I have been round a whole week. But its taken 11 months to do it! Crazy!!! A day at Buckingham West starts at 5.00am and ends at midnight. That's 19 hours Buckingham time. We have discovered that running the clock at a speed that covers 24 hours in an actual time of 18 hours is about right. Interestingly I can run the layout on my own at that speed as well. The periods for shunting at each station are designed to be staggered so, I can fit them in when runnng single handed as well. Different operating crews have different degrees of general operating experience and certainly different levels of experience of Buckingham West. So operating proficiency varies. I thought clock speed would need to vary quite a bit between teams, but that is not so. 24 in 18 hours seems to be right for almost all the operators. The difference seems to be that more experienced operators tend to plan ahead and don't get phased by certain shunting requirements. The less experienced get caught out and have to stop the clock. Its all part of the fun, but even when we have gone slower, they still get caught out: there's just longer gaps between trains. As I say, its not a problem, that's the fun. Some first time visitors have been very good from the word go. And yes I have certainly been caught out mand caught napping myself, so we are all as bad. And I wrote the **** thing! So at 24 in 18 hour speed, a day's timetable of 19 Buckingham West hours takes 14.25 real hours to operate, assuming no mess ups etc requiring the clock to be stopped. There are 6 days in a Buckingham West week (no Sunday service) so that is 85.5 real hours, minimum. I guess its been about 90 hours in reality. With an average team session being 3 hours, that's 30 sessions. Looking at it another way, that's 3 days and 18 hours non-stop, just to cover a model week. Its rather a different approach from many exhibition layouts where there is a schedule lasting an hour or so. Buckingha ngham West has many variations from day to day. Saturdays see the Auto train out of use and the replacement vintage stock on the banch goes right throught to Buckingham each time. Its Market Day at Buckingham on Tuesday's and Saturdays and at Brackley on Wednesdays, so there are far more goods including Cattle on those days, etc., etc. At least there is very little chance of coming across repeat operations too frequently. So, let week 2 commence! 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted August 19, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 19, 2017 Sounds like you've got operation sorted. I'm still evaluating my wagon tag system to see if it works as I hope. Then I'll do a bit more full timetable running. I think I was running the clock at around five times normal time the last time I tried it but I scheduled all the freights to arrive at roughly the same time at their respective stations so that we could stop the clock and shunt. This is particularly useful when I'm flying solo! Mind you, I've only got two stations (with small yards) and (effectively) three fiddle yards to worry about. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 Sounds like you've got operation sorted. I'm still evaluating my wagon tag system to see if it works as I hope. Then I'll do a bit more full timetable running. I think I was running the clock at around five times normal time the last time I tried it but I scheduled all the freights to arrive at roughly the same time at their respective stations so that we could stop the clock and shunt. This is particularly useful when I'm flying solo! Mind you, I've only got two stations (with small yards) and (effectively) three fiddle yards to worry about. There are loads of ways of running. As long as you find one that suits. Your layout is coming on well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 S AND T COMPLETE The final signal is in and working. Its the nearest one and is Buckingham West Down Advanced Starter with Evenley's Down Distant below. Its on the right of the tracks as the GWR (right hand drive) often did. Behind it is another twin arm signal. That the Evenley's Up Advanced Starter and Buckingham West's Up Fixed Distant. So that's all the singals done. The electrics work. The bells work. The bell indicator at Eveley works. I might make some indicator lights for Charlton Junc and Brackley Road. Not sure. Today I also changed the buzzer at Buckingham. It sounded too much like Evenley's. It now pulses. These are used by Banbury to call for power to be supplied to get trains out onto the continuous run at Charlton before being "belled" on their journey to Evenley and Buckingham. The destination drives trains on this layout. One thing that needed to done was installing an infrared TOTI as trains leave Banbury. All the storage loops (Banbury and beyond) will be under scenery (lift off scenery!). To get teains out, the operator has to hold a couple of sprung switches over to energise the dead section at the end of the loop and start the train on its way round the dumbbell. You need to know when you can let go. I needed something to say the teain had got far enough. The MERG light operated TOTI which I use inside the train shed at Buckinghamwill not work in darkness, so I bought an infrared one from Blocksignalling.com. I am sure there are other makes, but this was a good price and works well. It fits in the hole between sleepers and whilt it has a number of possible functions I just wanted an LED on the controller panel - and now I have one. The only thing I can think I need to do is add a gaugemaster solenoid uncoupler in the quarry siding. However, buoyed by the success of the level crossing, I am considering some working gates on the private sidings. Or am I finding excuses to avoid ballast and scenery? 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted August 20, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 20, 2017 Snip . . . . . Or am I finding excuses to avoid ballast and scenery? I know that feeling, especially when it comes to scenery! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 5BarVT Posted August 20, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 20, 2017 Once I have a layout, can I join that club too please? ! Paul. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 S AND T COMPLETE The final signal is in and working. Its the nearest one and is Buckingham West Down Advanced Starter with Evenley's Down Distant below. Its on the right of the tracks as the GWR (right hand drive) often did. Behind it is another twin arm signal. That the Evenley's Up Advanced Starter and Buckingham West's Up Fixed Distant. IMG_6303.JPG So that's all the singals done. The electrics work. The bells work. The bell indicator at Eveley works. I might make some indicator lights for Charlton Junc and Brackley Road. Not sure. Today I also changed the buzzer at Buckingham. It sounded too much like Evenley's. It now pulses. These are used by Banbury to call for power to be supplied to get trains out onto the continuous run at Charlton before being "belled" on their journey to Evenley and Buckingham. The destination drives trains on this layout. One thing that needed to done was installing an infrared TOTI as trains leave Banbury. All the storage loops (Banbury and beyond) will be under scenery (lift off scenery!). To get teains out, the operator has to hold a couple of sprung switches over to energise the dead section at the end of the loop and start the train on its way round the dumbbell. You need to know when you can let go. I needed something to say the teain had got far enough. The MERG light operated TOTI which I use inside the train shed at Buckinghamwill not work in darkness, so I bought an infrared one from Blocksignalling.com. I am sure there are other makes, but this was a good price and works well. It fits in the hole between sleepers and whilt it has a number of possible functions I just wanted an LED on the controller panel - and now I have one. IMG_6304.JPG IMG_6305.JPG The only thing I can think I need to do is add a gaugemaster solenoid uncoupler in the quarry siding. However, buoyed by the success of the level crossing, I am considering some working gates on the private sidings. Or am I finding excuses to avoid ballast and scenery? I know that feeling, especially when it comes to scenery! And I know the feeling when it comes to Ballasting, hahahh, we all need to get together. hahah 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Edward Posted August 24, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 24, 2017 What a marvellous blog. I have been enthralled since I came across it after I accidentally did a search for something else but got a term wrong. Having studied Peter Denny's books too, it is even more interesting to see how his principles can be applied in practice. Personally and amazingly timely is your descriptions of making up signals that work and have a vital role. Its given me the impetus to tackle that challenge which I didn't really have a clue about! Great work all round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted August 25, 2017 Author Share Posted August 25, 2017 What a marvellous blog. I have been enthralled since I came across it after I accidentally did a search for something else but got a term wrong. Having studied Peter Denny's books too, it is even more interesting to see how his principles can be applied in practice. Personally and amazingly timely is your descriptions of making up signals that work and have a vital role. Its given me the impetus to tackle that challenge which I didn't really have a clue about! Great work all round. Thanks for those really kind words Edward. Welcome on board! The layout is not and will not be a scenic masterpiece like many oh here. I don't have those skills, but it suites me and has endless operational interest, which is what I've always craved. I do blame Peter Denny and The Gainsborough Model Raiway for sending me down that path. And I'm glad they did. My largest challenge now is keeping the dvelopment going. It's too appealing to just play trains. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 My largest challenge now is keeping the dvelopment going. It's too appealing to just play trains. Yes, my father and I had the same problem with his layout - as soon as it became possible to drive trains out of the main station, up past Goods Junction and come back on the other line, there was always more temptation to 'play' than 'do', even more so once the return loops at each end were completed. That said, the experience of 'playing' led to ideas for further improvements. I remember seeing a birthday card which stated that progress on Stonehenge slowed dramatically once the first two uprights and a crosspiece were in position because the workers started playing football instead! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 THE CUTTING EDGE At last I made myself glue and screw the copper clad plate below the branchline at the edges of the lifting flap, solder the rails and then saw through them. I should have done this ages ago for many reasons, but one of those would be that I might have remembered the lessons learned. To start with I removed the sleepers from the areas to be taken up by both pieces of copperclad. Then when soldering the rails onto the pieces, the rails distorted and lost gauge. I've done that before -doh! Luckily I got the copper hot enough to force the rail back with the aid of a roller gauge. I did the second joint one side at a time, restricting the length of unsleepered rail. The other mistake was to apply the solder to the inside of the rail. What a stupid thing to do. I have no idea what possesed me. So I then had to drag as much away as I could and file the rest down. Once all soldered up, I sawed through the rails. Bingo, nothing moved. Good. And then there was the wiring: about the one thing I am supposed to be ok at. I knew I had to add feeds to the central bit. That was easy. I already had Common Return feeds on the flap for the other tracks, fed through the securing bolts. If the bolts are drawn then there is no CR connection either side of the flap (nor on it). The idea is to stop trains hurtling into the void. But it seems I never connected the Brackley Road controller to the CR bus. I just used the fact that the CR rail connected to Evenley and into the bus that way. Now I had cut the rails, there was no CR continuity. To cut a long story short, I traced the issue and solved it. On the section beyond the flap and over the level crossing I used diodes via the spare poles on the signal switches to make safety isolators either side of the crossing. The approaches are dead unless the correct signal is pulled off (and therefore the gates opened). Just st in case! Ok so its a bit chunky and clunky, but its durable and I should be able to hide it with ballast. The soldering is fairly atrocious, but it works. The crossing gates are rather high at the ends from this angle, but when they close for the road, they are more visible and sit correctly. Its very much "in the sky" at present but the road will cross the lower tracks on a bridge. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted August 29, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 29, 2017 Does this mean you can now walk into the room ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 S AND T COMPLETE The final signal is in and working. Its the nearest one and is Buckingham West Down Advanced Starter with Evenley's Down Distant below. Its on the right of the tracks as the GWR (right hand drive) often did. Behind it is another twin arm signal. That the Evenley's Up Advanced Starter and Buckingham West's Up Fixed Distant. IMG_6303.JPG So that's all the singals done. The electrics work. The bells work. The bell indicator at Eveley works. I might make some indicator lights for Charlton Junc and Brackley Road. Not sure. Today I also changed the buzzer at Buckingham. It sounded too much like Evenley's. It now pulses. These are used by Banbury to call for power to be supplied to get trains out onto the continuous run at Charlton before being "belled" on their journey to Evenley and Buckingham. The destination drives trains on this layout. One thing that needed to done was installing an infrared TOTI as trains leave Banbury. All the storage loops (Banbury and beyond) will be under scenery (lift off scenery!). To get teains out, the operator has to hold a couple of sprung switches over to energise the dead section at the end of the loop and start the train on its way round the dumbbell. You need to know when you can let go. I needed something to say the teain had got far enough. The MERG light operated TOTI which I use inside the train shed at Buckinghamwill not work in darkness, so I bought an infrared one from Blocksignalling.com. I am sure there are other makes, but this was a good price and works well. It fits in the hole between sleepers and whilt it has a number of possible functions I just wanted an LED on the controller panel - and now I have one. IMG_6304.JPG IMG_6305.JPG The only thing I can think I need to do is add a gaugemaster solenoid uncoupler in the quarry siding. However, buoyed by the success of the level crossing, I am considering some working gates on the private sidings. Or am I finding excuses to avoid ballast and scenery? DONT forget to paint those finials Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted August 29, 2017 Author Share Posted August 29, 2017 Does this mean you can now walk into the room ? Yes as Long as Jeff Capes is there to hold the lifting flap up. Its a bit over-engineered and weighs a ton, but if necessary, it will now lift. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted August 29, 2017 Author Share Posted August 29, 2017 DONT forget to paint those finials Very true. Some are done. Many aren't. When I get the paints out, I'll do them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted August 29, 2017 Author Share Posted August 29, 2017 ADVICE REQUIRED I am going to use Woodlands Scenics fine ballast. What colour(s) is best for 1930s steam in Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire? Not grey, I know. But light brown or dark brown? Or what combination/mix? I guess a blast all over the tracks and just beyond the sleeper edges with sleeper grime from lifecolours would add a lot of realism? Views? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 https://youtu.be/-Pb49vUZllk The early morning up freight from Hereford to Buckingham West with 28XX in charge, followed by the Down Woodford Halse with a borrowed Pom Pom J11. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 Ok, so that didn't work as I intended. Anyone know how to post a video in here? Rich Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted September 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 22, 2017 Ok, so that didn't work as I intended. Anyone know how to post a video in here? Rich Worked for me. Even with no scenery yet it caught the businesslike atmosphere and sound of real trains passing. Nice. John C. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR8700 Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Great to see the layout on video Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mawer Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 Great to see the layout on video It's the early morning up freight from Hereford to Buckingham West with 28XX in charge, followed by the Down Woodford Halse with a borrowed Pom Pom J11. Obviously all the ballasting and scenery still to do! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Sidelines Posted September 22, 2017 Share Posted September 22, 2017 (edited) Hello Rich I see you have sorted YouTube. It's the early morning up freight from Hereford to Buckingham West with 28XX in charge, followed by the Down Woodford Halse with a borrowed Pom Pom J11.Obviously all the ballasting and scenery still to do! As others have said - nice sound. I love the noise of the metal wheels on the rails - no need for sound chips I say. Ray Edited September 22, 2017 by Silver Sidelines Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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