Jon Fitness Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 Got the silver on the main posts but as expected there's a bit of overspray to tidy up. Made a start on the staging from 1mm ply too. It's getting there.! Looks a bit weird but seems to match the photographs... More soon JF 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Well, I think I can just about tick the box on this one! It's a nice structure which was very enjoyable to build, even if there is a rather daft constructional error in there . For such a big gantry there's precious little on it and it would of course looked much better festooned with semaphores rather than a few twinkly lights ... It's all been tested and looks fine lit up (as per previous pics) and I'm looking forward to seeing it where it should be on Steve's RB layout. . Time to get back to some real signals for a while before I do a couple more colour lights for Steve... More Soon JF 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 11, 2015 Lovely job Jon - definitely caught the aura of the original (only 48 years since it was demolished!) but it does look very clean and shiny (I suppose it must have been just after the painters finished, I wonder how long that lasted?) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simond Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Grade A rock n roll! Really nice, Jon. Best Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Lovely job Jon - definitely caught the aura of the original (only 48 years since it was demolished!) but it does look very clean and shiny (I suppose it must have been just after the painters finished, I wonder how long that lasted?) Thanks Mike! Cor 48 years ago! When was it built? I'm guessing early 30's. Did it retain its search lights until the end? Anyway, as much as I like to weather my signals, I'll leave Steve to blend it in with the weathering colours on his layout. I still have a few spare brackets from the etch so a nice bracket signal a bit like the one at Radyr sounds rather tempting but for now, LMS welded stems and LNE plate and angle ones to come soon! JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Grade A rock n roll! Really nice, Jon. Best Simon Ta Simon, it's been a very enjoyable build (except for the dreaded colour lights! Still can't really get to like them!!) JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve fay Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Thank you Jon It looks amazing and will look an absolute treat on the layout. As for the real gantry yes it did retain the search lights until it was taken down. It is a pity it's not full of semaphores but it's a scale model so it's all about the realism. Besides I think the pictures I sent you recently about one of our next projects will go a fair way to rectifying that!!!!! Thanks again Jon much appreciated Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Besides I think the pictures I sent you recently about one of our next projects will go a fair way to rectifying that!!!!! Steve Ooooh yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 11, 2015 Thanks Mike! Cor 48 years ago! When was it built? I'm guessing early 30's. Did it retain its search lights until the end? Anyway, as much as I like to weather my signals, I'll leave Steve to blend it in with the weathering colours on his layout. I still have a few spare brackets from the etch so a nice bracket signal a bit like the one at Radyr sounds rather tempting but for now, LMS welded stems and LNE plate and angle ones to come soon! JF Jon I reckon it would have been erected in either 1933 or 1934 - part of the Paddington commissioning was delayed because one of the new boxes suffered a nasty fire which meant a lot of re-wiring and other making good and that put back the rest of the scheme. The Paddington searchlights lasted right up to the end in 1967 and they did of course give semaphore type indications although further out they had been converted to multiple aspect signals including some retained on the earlier structures such as the gantry at Southall East Jcn (same style as the one you've just made). The odd thing about Paddington was that the Engine & Carriage Lines were signalled with multiple aspect signals - which predated the searchlights! - and some of them were truly delectable with timber posts complete with finials and cast iron numberplates arranged vertically but I don't think any ot them survived until 1967 being replaced with tubular steel posts (like the one I presume you will be building for Steve?). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 I just managed to get a bit of the gantry at Southall into this shot. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 Jon I reckon it would have been erected in either 1933 or 1934 - part of the Paddington commissioning was delayed because one of the new boxes suffered a nasty fire which meant a lot of re-wiring and other making good and that put back the rest of the scheme. The Paddington searchlights lasted right up to the end in 1967 and they did of course give semaphore type indications although further out they had been converted to multiple aspect signals including some retained on the earlier structures such as the gantry at Southall East Jcn (same style as the one you've just made). The odd thing about Paddington was that the Engine & Carriage Lines were signalled with multiple aspect signals - which predated the searchlights! - and some of them were truly delectable with timber posts complete with finials and cast iron numberplates arranged vertically but I don't think any ot them survived until 1967 being replaced with tubular steel posts (like the one I presume you will be building for Steve?). All interesting stuff. I've seen a few pics of the wooden posted colour lights. Very quaint! I just managed to get a bit of the gantry at Southall into this shot. A cracking pic and one I used for reference! There's better detail on this one than any of the actual pictures I've seen of the RB one. Thanks Both JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 LNE Plate and angle bracket signals. Now, I've never built one of these before so I've turned to the master of the plates and angles.. I'm using this excellent book by Mick and I'll be shamelessly extracting as many hints and tips from this thread as I can! I've used some of Mick's excellent scale drawings as a jig to solder on. The angle I'm using is machined 2mm x 2mm brass and the plate? Well, that is some scrap etch. I get through quite a lot of D&S etched ladders and the framework supporting the etches is just the right size! I never throw scrap etch away unless it's some odd shaped little bit that I'm confident I won't find a use for, so I have amassed miles of various lengths of nice strip that kit and etch manufacturers seem give away for free with their wonderful products. Long may they do so!! Just like the gantry I've just done, I taped lengths of strip down on the drawing and soldered the angle to them over the drawings Once one side was done it was removed from the jig and trimmed up The process was repeated and once 2 sides were done, more strip was laid on the drawings and the 2 sides soldered to them to create front and back. The final bits were added directly to the face using the RSU. After much snipping and filing I had my first P&A main post.! A second one was produced with a slight improvement on alignment. There's still one or 2 plates that don't quite line up but they're not too shabby for my first go! Next jobs will be truing the tops and bases up and mounting them on baseplates. More soon JF 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simond Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Jon Granny & eggs perhaps, in which case please excuse... If you use your snips the other way round, ie with the fixed blade under the soldered joint, and the moving blade adjacent to it, you can slice off very close to the workpiece. The risk is that you can peel the solder if you get it wrong. Worth trying on a less important workpiece. I use Xuron track cutters to cut bits out from an etched fret, and they can get "close" one way round and "very, very close" the other. Best Simon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 I've got a few kicking about so if you need any detail photos etc give me a shout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 Jon Granny & eggs perhaps, in which case please excuse... If you use your snips the other way round, ie with the fixed blade under the soldered joint, and the moving blade adjacent to it, you can slice off very close to the workpiece. The risk is that you can peel the solder if you get it wrong. Worth trying on a less important workpiece. I use Xuron track cutters to cut bits out from an etched fret, and they can get "close" one way round and "very, very close" the other. Best Simon Haha! Sometimes This old granny needs reminding of his egg sucking methods! TBH I held back with the snips for the latter reason but a few plates still needed re-soldering. The big snips did get very close to the work as I got more confident on the second post. I should trust my soldering more.!! For small snipping jobs I use xuron sprue snippers, the ones with the blue handles. Very good when new but they get a battering so get replaced regularly and cascaded to leser jobs. JF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 I've got a few kicking about so if you need any detail photos etc give me a shout.Hmm. I'll probably need to take you up on that offer as I progress!JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 It wont be a rapid response because i'm in Hertfordshire and the signals are in Norfolk but i will be going there during the xmas break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 These 2 plate and angle jobs will be servo operated with the servos attached to the base so need a decent size base plate. The trimmers will be made from 5mm x 1.5mm channel. To space them apart, rather than attach them straight to the main post I used short lengths of rectangular K&S brass tube that matched the top of the posts exactly. The assembled trimmers were soldered directly to the top of the post. Bracing plates were robbed from another etch and are rivet punched and bent to shape. These were added with the RSU. Next was a doll stand. These were made from short lengths of 5mm channel with a strip soldered across the underside. The brackets are all made up from 1.5mm L section with additional gussets and extra brace strips from scrap strip. I got stuck in and did both signals while I had the time! Although this isn't the actual signal I'm building, I'm using the basic structure of this one as a pattern for the larger one. Starting to capture the look now methinks! (Mick Nicholson Collection) More in a few days JF 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simond Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Nice, Chunky! Best Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 Nice, Chunky! Best Simon Chuffin strong too!jf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 Back to the LMS welded stem signals now (I seem to just be building signal structures with nothing on them!). LNE "plate&angle" types bear a little resemblance to these but they only have a little bit in common with them in that they are a welded assembly. The LMS ones have a kit available but I can't seem to get on with it anymore so I think this will be the last one I do until I can come up with a better way of making them. The real things are constructed from 2 "[" section channels with flat plates welded on to hold them apart. I love these types of signal as they were the first type I ever saw as a toddler whilst train watching off Green Lane bridge at Bolton. They were Moses Gate's Up home signals and were positioned in such a way so that the afternoon sun could illuminate the arms with a dark sky behind. Those arms really stood out announcing the possible arrival of a grimy 8F or Black 5 heading towards Manchester probably starting my interest in signalling! Anyway, the way the kit goes together to represent the construction of these is a bit of a faff and I usually make a Horlicks of it. The 2 halves of the folded up stem have sections of half etch so that the "plates" stand up from the channel. Where the corners of the channel are, the half etch is bent 90 degrees and the make this easier the fold is etched right through, probably to make bending easier for those without bending bars. This means between each plate there is 20mm or so of unsupported wafer thin half etch strip. The instructions suggest backfilling the bent up corners with solder from the inside but whenever I've tried this, those little thin half-etched bits just bow outwards leaving a wobbly mess of metal and solder. This time I thought I'd have a go at filling it from the outside. Still very messy and a bit hit and miss but at least they ended up slightly straighter The excess solder was then laboriously scraped off and polished up with a scratchbrush. The supplied base in the kit is a bit small and thin and as this base has to support 4 servos I cut a new one from some nice thick brass sheet. The slots for the tabs on the post were cut by drilling holes and joining them together. I also replaced the trimmers from the kit (fold up etch) with 5mm channel. Next up will be the support brackets. These are also supplied in the kit but are again a fold up etch and a bit too heavy looking. I'll substitute them with 1.5mm angle More soon! JF 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 20, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 20, 2015 Sorry if this is a bit late - only just remembered I'd scanned it 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 (edited) Sorry if this is a bit late - only just remembered I'd scanned it Shirebrook.jpg Oxide jacking? A signal in trouble. Super picture. Edited December 20, 2015 by LNERGE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Fitness Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 Sorry if this is a bit late - only just remembered I'd scanned it Shirebrook.jpg Not too late at all! Very useful and detailed pic. Much appreciated Thanks Cheers JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 (edited) I can't remember if you've seen this? Edited December 20, 2015 by LNERGE 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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