Abbotswood and Norton Junctions - layout build

[Phil Bullock]

1 hour ago, RBAGE said:

Crack on, bonny lad. Crack on.

Operating this one May be a bit more complex ! 😀

[RBAGE]

14 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Operating this one May be a bit more complex ! 😀

Phil,

What are the plans for operating the railway? Will you have drivers and signalmen (people) or will you have Jacks (and Jills) of all trades.

I won't complete the saying.

Bob

[Phil Bullock]

3 hours ago, RBAGE said:

Phil,

What are the plans for operating the railway? Will you have drivers and signalmen (people) or will you have Jacks (and Jills) of all trades.

I won't complete the saying.

Bob

I think that will depend on how many crew we have at any time ! 
 

Essentially it’s 3 routes -  B&G and OWW, then the third superimposed on them as a dumbbell with reverse loop at both ends . 
 

I think it’s 4 minimum to cope with the amount of stock to put out… one driving in each direction on Up and Down B&G and OWW . Jacks of all trades … driving signalling and stock / loco changes although hopefully not too much of the latter given fiddle yard capacity. Careful liaison needed to avoid conflicting moves although visible semaphores should largely prevent that and trains taking the third route would transfer operator on the Abbotswood to Norton curve.

 

if we ever have the luxury of number 5 then a signalman…. And number 6 yard man/rotating spare…..

 

Dies that sound like a plan? 

[RBAGE]

14 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

I think that will depend on how many crew we have at any time ! 
 

Essentially it’s 3 routes -  B&G and OWW, then the third superimposed on them as a dumbbell with reverse loop at both ends . 
 

I think it’s 4 minimum to cope with the amount of stock to put out… one driving in each direction on Up and Down B&G and OWW . Jacks of all trades … driving signalling and stock / loco changes although hopefully not too much of the latter given fiddle yard capacity. Careful liaison needed to avoid conflicting moves although visible semaphores should largely prevent that and trains taking the third route would transfer operator on the Abbotswood to Norton curve.

 

if we ever have the luxury of number 5 then a signalman…. And number 6 yard man/rotating spare…..

 

Dies that sound like a plan? 

Put me down as the Bobby.

[Phil Bullock]

1 hour ago, RBAGE said:

Put me down as the Bobby.

Got to be Bob! 😀

Edited June 16, 2022 by Phil Bullock

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

I'll just be happy to sit and watch!

 

Mike.

[Phil Bullock]

47 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

I'll just be happy to sit and watch!

 

Mike.

There are times …. When things are running smoothly… that I like to do nothing better! 
 

Suspect at least a couple of outings will be needed before I feel that relaxed…..

[Phil Bullock]

Not updated for a while …. Fishing and hols have slowed things down a bit but pressing on, board 6 in fiddle yard current project. Lots to do still if we are to have a fully laid running test over August bank holiday.

 

meanwhile Jimbo has been teasing me with some wonderful photos….. I knew where he was getting them from, so he fessed up and gave me an early birthday present. What an absolute gold mine of useful photos! 

 

Thanks fella!

[Andy 17]

I spent many happy hours train-spotting from that bridge!

[Phil Bullock]

 

10 minutes ago, Andy 17 said:

I spent many happy hours train-spotting from that bridge!

And BWT showed a photo taken from your bedroom window at the WLS meeting on Tuesday! 

[Graham T]

8 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Not updated for a while …. Fishing and hols have slowed things down a bit but pressing on, board 6 in fiddle yard current project. Lots to do still if we are to have a fully laid running test over August bank holiday.

 

meanwhile Jimbo has been teasing me with some wonderful photos….. I knew where he was getting them from, so he fessed up and gave me an early birthday present. What an absolute gold mine of useful photos! 

 

Thanks fella!

 

I do not need any more reference books.

I do not need any more reference books.

I do not need any more reference books.

I do not need any more reference books.

I do not need ...

 

(Goes off to Amazon).

[MikeParkin65]

8 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Not updated for a while …. Fishing and hols have slowed things down a bit but pressing on, board 6 in fiddle yard current project. Lots to do still if we are to have a fully laid running test over August bank holiday.

 

meanwhile Jimbo has been teasing me with some wonderful photos….. I knew where he was getting them from, so he fessed up and gave me an early birthday present. What an absolute gold mine of useful photos! 

 

Thanks fella!

A cracking book  - fascinating to see how much railway activity there was here in the 60's

[Phil Bullock]

19 minutes ago, Graham T said:

 

I do not need any more reference books.

I do not need any more reference books.

I do not need any more reference books.

I do not need any more reference books.

I do not need ...

 

(Goes off to Amazon).

You won’t regret it! 

[Andy 17]

11 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

 

And BWT showed a photo taken from your bedroom window at the WLS meeting on Tuesday! 

Which photo was it Phil? Can you post a copy of it?

[Phil Bullock]

Latest update…. Final point work laid, Oxford end of OWW fiddle yard. This is board 8 …. All plain track now, the reversing loop on board 9 and the OWW main line from board 9 back down to Norton Junction on board 3 scenic side. 

 

 

You might note that the low level sidings…. Underneath the tools and other stuff….. dive bar directly under the pointwork at the far end which means the cobalt Digitals used elsewhere won’t fit. I have a possible solution, will expand once postie delivers.

 

On to  finishing wiring once all track done

[Clive Mortimore]

2 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Latest update…. Final point work laid, Oxford end of OWW fiddle yard. This is board 8 …. All plain track now, the reversing loop on board 9 and the OWW main line from board 9 back down to Norton Junction on board 3 scenic side. 

 

 

You might note that the low level sidings…. Underneath the tools and other stuff….. dive bar directly under the pointwork at the far end which means the cobalt Digitals used elsewhere won’t fit. I have a possible solution, will expand once postie delivers.

 

On to  finishing wiring once all track done

All looks very impressive but will it fly?

[5BarVT]

24 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

All looks very impressive but will it fly?

Of course not, it’s a train!

Paul.

[5BarVT]

2 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

You might note that the low level sidings…. Underneath the tools and other stuff….. dive bar directly under the pointwork at the far end which means the cobalt Digitals used elsewhere won’t fit. I have a possible solution, will expand once postie delivers.

And if the postie’s delivery doesn’t work, a possible plan B is to add width to the Oxford FY and use upside down cobalts driving a push rod to the tiebar.  (Would have been easier before the board was cut to width!!!)

Paul.

[Clive Mortimore]

1 hour ago, 5BarVT said:

Of course not, it’s a train!

Paul.

Ah but the APT-E appeared in Fight Magazine, so was that supposed to fly?

 

[Phil Bullock]

3 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

And if the postie’s delivery doesn’t work, a possible plan B is to add width to the Oxford FY and use upside down cobalts driving a push rod to the tiebar.  (Would have been easier before the board was cut to width!!!)

Paul.

Did think of that one …. But wanted to minimise obstructing access to low level fiddle yard. Great minds etc….

[The Stationmaster]

17 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Ah but the APT-E appeared in Fight Magazine, so was that supposed to fly?

 

Hardly surprising - lots of ex-aeronautical type design chappies involved in the APT and some of the kit involved on the train looked very non-railway when you looked at it closely.

[Clive Mortimore]

5 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Hardly surprising - lots of ex-aeronautical type design chappies involved in the APT and some of the kit involved on the train looked very non-railway when you looked at it closely.

My father worked in the aircraft industry and use to bring home his free copy of Flight for me to look at. I remember being really surprised that a train was in a aeroplane magazine.

[TheSignalEngineer]

3 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Hardly surprising - lots of ex-aeronautical type design chappies involved in the APT and some of the kit involved on the train looked very non-railway when you looked at it closely.

My Mother's cousin was recruited to the APT-E team from British Steel where his job was involved with development of special alloys. His previous job had been research into turbine blades at the National Gas Turbine Establishment, Farnborough. He was a bit of an all round scientific wizz,. When he was there he needed to look at when happened at the moment of impact when a droplet of water hit the blades of a rotating turbine. He couldn't get a camera shutter fast enough in those days so built a system of rotating mirrors which reflected a images onto a glass plate. The fastest he got up to was 1/4000 of a second intervals.

[Phil Bullock]

On 16/08/2022 at 17:01, 5BarVT said:

And if the postie’s delivery doesn’t work, a possible plan B is to add width to the Oxford FY and use upside down cobalts driving a push rod to the tiebar.  (Would have been easier before the board was cut to width!!!)

Paul.

Postie came up trunks with Cobalt SS motors and remote installation kit. Feared clearance issues but everything I have tested thus far is fine…

 

[The Stationmaster]

On 17/08/2022 at 18:25, Phil Bullock said:

Postie came up trunks with Cobalt SS motors and remote installation kit. Feared clearance issues but everything I have tested thus far is fine…

 

That looks very good Phil.  it will be interesting to hear how reliable it is in 'everyday' (aka. exhibition) operating conditions and, in particular, how well the crank securing stands up to repeated use.