Grim-up-North; Goathland, Queensbury & Bradford.

[Sasquatch]

Never seem to get as far as I'd like to. Am quite tired from catching up with work today but have got some done.

 

Frame is made by fashioning a piece of softwood to shape, in this case Alder. 

Thin plastic rod is glued to 0.010"x0.040" styrene strip in130mm lengths.

 

Saw cuts at 3mm centers are made in the arched top of the wooden piece.

 

13mm lengths of the two part styrene are trimmed and glued by dipping in a tiny drop of contacta. Then the bottom dipped in instant cyano and placed in the slots.

My eyes gave up after 7 levers. Hopefully more tomorrow. 

 

I'm happy not to be an N scale modeler this evening!

[freebs]

I love that Mitre Box!

 

Excellent work sir!

[Jaz]

Just don't think it can't come back, better to still organise the things you mentioned and be prepared. Especially once you are up and running on that layout.....

[Alister_G]

Love the way you've done the levers, excellent.

[emt_911]

Shaun

 

As usual a novel solution.   :sungum:  

 

Just a couple of thoughts.

 

Are you going to have all the levers in the same position?

 

Also, are you going to paint them? Something I would have done before fixing them.

 

Duncan

[Sasquatch]

Duncan. Queensbury being a triangle it would suit it very well if 4 levers (two signal and two points) were switched to the Bradford - Keighley route as this will be a continuous run on the layout.

Which ones in the box mounts, a very difficult question.

I'm having a big rethink before breaking out the paints.

 

Shaun.  

Edited February 22, 2014 by Sasquatch

[Sasquatch]

Here's what I've made but am unhappy.

 

First is the sequence of assembly.

 

[Sasquatch]

The signaling at Queensbury was controlled by three boxes as built. Each box was responsible for each of the three junctions and the block diagram and signal layout would have been quite standard. With each box accepting trains from its respective stem route and accepting and passing on trains to the other two. Queensbury south junction box had two sidings and the east junction box had two with passing loops. All pretty standard stuff.

However.
At some point in time the north and south junction boxes were removed. The east junction had its sidings lifted also. The frame in this box must have been big enough to accept control of the whole station. How many levers and to what arrangement they were laid out is beyond my limited capabilities of deduction. Somewhere around  34 30 is my closest estimate, with no room for spares.

10 signals
8 shunt signals
6 points
4 double points
4 facing point locks

1 catch point (on the up Halifax-Bradford line. Possibly to protect the diamond from runaways) But not in all pictures.

And there could well have been detonators.</p>

That'll teach me to sit and do the thinking before spending hours building up a lever frame as mine model has only 24.
Should I make another piece of wood and 6 levers and redo the whole thing?

Edit: getting confused over left and right (Haven't driven on the left for 15 years) or just plain stupid.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Sasquatch

[Sasquatch]

No that's not right. There weren't any facing points! Only 3 facing point locks. (Have seen what looks like one in one of the pictures)
Some of the signal posts are sighted on the opposite platform. I'm gathering this was to improve the spotting distance on the curves as the station buildings would obscure them if they were placed on the left.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Sasquatch

[Jaz]

I am no levers expert, but I think your modelling gives a lovely flavour, and am sure once you have coloured them that they will be fairly convincing. They should, of course, be photographed from outside the building, and with the right light are likely to give that extra detail that makes it more believable. Plus you have scratch built yours, rather than some of us   who are more likely to go for a quick hit and adapt something. If you have a picture of what you  are aiming at. I promise to be a real rivet counter....and do a big mean critique     

[Sasquatch]

From reading on the internet and looking at other block diagrams I have deduced the following.

Please feel free to correct me or point out anything obviously wrong. 

Note: 3,4,23 & 24 are situated on the right!!

#4 is pictured in the photograph above.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Sasquatch

[Sasquatch]

I am no levers expert, but I think your modelling gives a lovely flavour, and am sure once you have coloured them that they will be fairly convincing. They should, of course, be photographed from outside the building, and with the right light are likely to give that extra detail that makes it more believable. Plus you have scratch built yours, rather than some of us   who are more likely to go for a quick hit and adapt something. If you have a picture of what you  are aiming at. I promise to be a real rivet counter....and do a big mean critique     

That's the thing Jaz. There's not many pictures of the real thing so I can get away with murder on this project. Everything was gone by the late 60s. 

 

Am looking into building working GNR somersault signals for this project. that's going to be a real challenge!

[Jason T]

For the signals, have a look at Graham's 'Grantham' thread as he built some from MSE components recently and they are lovely. He took photos throughout and put some explanations into how he did them so should be useful.

[Sasquatch]

From reading on the internet and looking at other block diagrams I have deduced the following.

Please feel free to correct me or point out anything obviously wrong. 

Note: 3,4,23 & 24 are situated on the right!!

#4 is pictured in the photograph above.

Having slept on it I realize that 6 distant signals have been left off my block diagram. They would of course be off stage!

Also realized there should be 3 facing point locks.

 

One other point is that I don't see any ground dolls or shunt arms on the posts in any pictures.

 

Any help with this would be much appreciated. 

Edited February 19, 2014 by Sasquatch

[Andrew P]

Hi Shaun, the mention of the word Signals sends a shiver down my feeble spine. I know I will have to add some at some stage on my next little project but the LATTER the better.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

Andy

[AJ427]

Hi Shaun,

 

I just found this lever function list for the East box in my collection which may be of use. It doesn't mean an awful lot to me though!

 

 

Also I have a signal diagram which I'll PM you. Yours doesn't look far wrong.

[Sasquatch]

 

Thank you Andrew. What a nice surprise!!!! 

Had I included the distant arms and got the down/up the right way around on the Halifax-Keighley line my example wouldn't be too wrong albeit having the sidings on the wrong end of the frame!

Am very happy, thanks again!!!!

 

Regards Shaun

[Sasquatch]

Measuring things on google earth I have deduced that there needs to be some compression but not as much as I thought!

The corners come out at roughly 260 yards ,that's 10' in OO scale. I have 19' allowing 3' either end for the hidden curves I am left with 13'.

If the track layout is built to HO scale (am using HO track anyhow, if that makes any sense) that reduces things to 8.75' allowing a nice run to the tunnel.

 

First job is to adapt the signaling diagram Andrew has given me, to backdate it a little then I can rebuild my lever frame.

 

Here is a Google Earth image from 2002 which shows the viaduct foundations before they became obscured by vegetation. The arch measured 35'. 

[Sasquatch]

Hi Shaun,

 

I just found this lever function list for the East box in my collection which may be of use. It doesn't mean an awful lot to me though!

 

 

Also I have a signal diagram which I'll PM you. Yours doesn't look far wrong.

Here are the bits that I could never have worked out.

16.There is not a facing point lock but the bar is pulled with the point!

 

1,33,38. Release to ground frame. Didn't know there were ground frames! Two of these would explain the brick huts in the pictures! 

 

38 will be spare  for my period along with 27,34 &39.

 

 

[Sasquatch]

About time for another Goathland pic.

Here's N2 4744 reversing into the station sidings. She is an old Airfix/Mainline slogger repainted with a brush. Her condensing equipment has been removed  and brake rodding added from beading wire. There's a Dapol crew and slim style  Hornby coupling replacements. Signal is from the LNER kit by Ratio.

 

Edited February 21, 2014 by Sasquatch

[Sasquatch]

Have found this great image of Queensbury East junction with N1 class pulling a pair of Thompson 52' coaches on Bradford-Halifax service.
Proof that the signal box was painted prior to the cessation of passenger services. It also shows I have missed off 1 row of panes in the door end window. Will look into changing that.
Other details are the old station masters house and the catch point notice.

also worthy of note is the distance to Queensbury!

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/thanoz/2343392837/#large

Edited February 21, 2014 by Sasquatch

[Jaz]

Lots of great detail to refer to.

[Kal]

I love that scene, I will be very interested to see how you capture it.

[Andrew P]

Morning Shaun, that's a nice pic of the N1, I just love those stumpy little locos.

 

Nice one mate, more please.

 

Andy

[Sasquatch]

Having worked out what’s what with the lever frame for Queensbury East Box a rethink had me starting from scratch. Faced with making 40, levers a different approach was needed.

 

First I made one of these.

While that was cooling I nipped out to my woodwork shop and ripped a new frame from a scrap of Alder and sanded it with very fine paper.
This time the levers were marked out on a piece of .020” O-scale freight car siding. .010”x.040” strip was glued 1.5mm from bottom back & front. .010”x.020” 9mm was affixed back and front from bottom.

 

When dry a length 12mm was cut from the sheet and the tops were chopped with a fine blade then each lever chopped off in the groove with the Stanley knife.
The plates on the front were also cut from the siding a little thick but all the same size.

 

The assembly picture speaks for itself and shows how much better they look than my first attempt.

 

The picture shows the complete assembly with two sets of levers on to correspond with clear signals for a Keighley-Bradford though working to correspond with the continuous loop on my layout plan and a Halifax-Keighley train.

It's 01:30 so I'm off to bed.