Heath Town and other signalling diversions

[5BarVT]

18 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Is it like a Ghost set in Westpac Mk1? Mike T may know the answer to that.

Didn’t see your reply until I got home today.  Had I read it at breakfast I could have asked him!

Paul.

[5BarVT]

1/5th SCALE QUADRANT PLATES ARE FIDDLY

Cut out the quadrant plates today.  Fitting them together was very fiddly and easy to damage some of the pieces.  Test fit revealed some design flaws - the reason why I did it!

 

Detail of the lock positions are clearer from the side.  Signal levers top one and bottom two, point levers second and third from top.

 

Now thinking about how I paint it without making the fit fail. v2 will follow, probably in two weeks.

Paul.

[Andy Keane]

Paul, that looks very realistic. Nice.

[Andy Keane]

Paul

I saw these and thought of you. An amazing range of colours and patterns, including a nice green green!

Andy

 

[5BarVT]

Them’s the castings! A very eclectic range - most of the frames that I have seen have been black, red, some white and little else.

Paul.

[Andy Keane]

32 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

Them’s the castings! A very eclectic range - most of the frames that I have seen have been black, red, some white and little else.

Paul.

Well if you need any further details from them, these were lying around at the Romsey Signal box so I could measure or photo anything that might help.

Any idea what the weird colour patterns are for? - I particularly like the black and white chevrons against red!

Andy

Edited July 26, 2023 by Andy Keane

[61656]

On 23/07/2023 at 08:58, 5BarVT said:

1/5th SCALE QUADRANT PLATES ARE FIDDLY

Cut out the quadrant plates today.  Fitting them together was very fiddly and easy to damage some of the pieces.  Test fit revealed some design flaws - the reason why I did it!

 

Detail of the lock positions are clearer from the side.  Signal levers top one and bottom two, point levers second and third from top.

 

Now thinking about how I paint it without making the fit fail. v2 will follow, probably in two weeks.

Paul.

That’s a great looking idea. Now you just need a long throw centre off toggle switch. There must be such things. 

[5BarVT]

3 hours ago, 61656 said:

That’s a great looking idea. Now you just need a long throw centre off toggle switch. There must be such things. 

There are min toggles with 21mm round toggles (these are 10mm), however the only longer switches I could find for sale were flat paddle types.  These are the best I could find easily and make to fit in the size of space I had.

Another difference is the angle of operation, they are no where near the 60 degrees of the levers.

Hopefully when I’m finished it will look close enough.
Paul.

[5BarVT]

7 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

Well if you need any further details from them, these were lying around at the Romsey Signal box so I could measure or photo anything that might help.

Any idea what the weird colour patterns are for? - I particularly like the black and white chevrons against red!

Andy

Thanks for the offer.

They all look to be signal castings rather than points.  My guess is that they are from Southern boxes but even then, I can’t explain them all.

Red over black and white stripes is a signal working in conjunction with a detonator placer - because of a very short overlap beyond the signal.  Red over yellow is stop signal and associated distant, add the white stripe for released by the adjacent box.  Blue over brown is a release, but for a ground frame I would have expected a point casting so not sure what this one will have been.  Yellow with a white stripe is (in theory) a distant signal released by another box.  I can’t think of an applicati9n that would work like that.

Paul.

[The Stationmaster]

The only thing I can think of for the yellow with a white stripe is that it was fora distant slotted by another 'box (so I presume that somebody decided that a slot equalled a release - which it isn't of course).  

Red over yellow would normally be for an IB Home and Distant - I see it also appears to have a white stripe which would fit with an IB Home.

Blue over brown is normally used for a release but the quarant pattern appears to be incorrect for that purpose.

 

I wonder if these levers had been used somewhere outside BR before they ended up at Romsey?

[5BarVT]

TRACKLAYING - AT LAST

 

Don’t know how many pages back I mentioned a lost piece of track for finishing the storage roads.  Today it was fitted, glued and wired.

Cross board track is all that’s needed now then those two boards can go back in place.

 

Only a small step, but the first in the layout room for some time!

 

Paul.

[Andy Keane]

On 26/07/2023 at 21:45, 5BarVT said:

There are min toggles with 21mm round toggles (these are 10mm), however the only longer switches I could find for sale were flat paddle types.  These are the best I could find easily and make to fit in the size of space I had.

Another difference is the angle of operation, they are no where near the 60 degrees of the levers.

Hopefully when I’m finished it will look close enough.
Paul.

Paul, having taken one of my DCC levers apart I wonder how hard it would be to make suitable switches using 3D printing. And if not the switches how about lever extensions to go over bought in switches? I suspect @Harlequin might be able to design and make something suitable by way of lever extensions for you.

regards

Andy

[St Enodoc]

52 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Paul, having taken one of my DCC levers apart I wonder how hard it would be to make suitable switches using 3D printing. And if not the switches how about lever extensions to go over bought in switches? I suspect @Harlequin might be able to design and make something suitable by way of lever extensions for you.

regards

Andy

Someone used to sell switches with replica signal box lever toggles about 40 years ago - was it AMR or something like that?

[5BarVT]

51 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Paul, having taken one of my DCC levers apart I wonder how hard it would be to make suitable switches using 3D printing. And if not the switches how about lever extensions to go over bought in switches? I suspect @Harlequin might be able to design and make something suitable by way of lever extensions for you.

regards

Andy

That has been suggested (not on here) and the technology was laser cutting (because that is the tool available).

The problem is the angle of movement: a toggle switch isn’t that far off that of a full size lever whereas miniature levers moved through 60 degrees.  Thus, even with a lookalike lever on top, they wouldn’t sit in the right place.

 

Having proved I can make quadrant plates I may start with just a temporary row of switches for ease! 
 

Paul.

[Nick C]

Might it be an application for 3D printing? Rather than trying to make an extension for existing switches, perhaps better to make miniature levers that work through the correct arc, and activate microswitches, like a lot of model lever frames do? You could then add interlocking too...

[5BarVT]

5 hours ago, Nick C said:

You could then add interlocking too...

Interlocking largely exists.  Doesn’t prevent the levers from moving, but will prevent the function from operating and is planned to make a nasty noise or at least flash an indication (rudely!) if something is tried that shouldn’t come.

Paul.

[Andy Keane]

Paul

Something like this could be quickly knocked up and if the dimensions were sorted a 60 degree movement on the lever would flip the switches sitting below with their toggles between the pairs of pegs? The whole thing sits on a simple rod and has some sort of cover around it?

Andy

[Michael Hodgson]

On 21/07/2023 at 22:39, 5BarVT said:

For a slight diversion of the diversion . . .

Crewe North has a number of Route Selection levers painted that funny lime green.  I heard a bit of an explanation on my previous visit and I think they are to cut down interlocking wiring, think of them as a ‘summation lever’.

 

So 205 has all the common controls for a route to the Down Fast, then any route to the DF e.g 208 etc requires 205R plus the controls unique to where it starts e.g. Down Through 2.

Paul.

 

I notice the black levers don't have the usual N(ormal) and R(everse) lamps.

The indicator with two horizontally placed dots under the free indicator associated with 205 is the same style as shunt signal 213 in the On position, though there's no corresponding indicator associated with the other lime green lever for the Manchester line.

 

So I'm guessing that would confirm the aspect shown on a running shunt on the Down Fast which doesn't have its own lever? 

Does it clear automatically when 205 is reversed or only when a related lever (such as 213 )is also reversed.? 

[Michael Hodgson]

On 21/07/2023 at 22:39, 5BarVT said:

For a slight diversion of the diversion . . .

Crewe North has a number of Route Selection levers painted that funny lime green.  I heard a bit of an explanation on my previous visit and I think they are to cut down interlocking wiring, think of them as a ‘summation lever’.

 

So 205 has all the common controls for a route to the Down Fast, then any route to the DF e.g 208 etc requires 205R plus the controls unique to where it starts e.g. Down Through 2.

Paul.

 

I have just noticed the black levers don't have the usual N(ormal) and R(everse) lamps.

 

The indicator with two horizontally placed dots under the F(ree) indicator associated with 205 is the same style as shunt signal 213 in the On position, though there's no corresponding indicator associated with the other lime green lever for the Manchester line.

 

So I'm guessing that would confirm the aspect shown on a running shunt on the Down Fast which doesn't have its own lever? 

Does it clear automatically when 205 is reversed or only when a related lever (such as 213 )is also reversed.? 

[5BarVT]

4 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

I notice the black levers don't have the usual N(ormal) and R(everse) lamps.

I noticed that too.  Can’t remember whether I asked or was just told on my first visit (the demonstrator being a former colleague).  The lower light is a red ooc (out of correspondence) light, I think known locally as the ‘failed’ light.  The top light is the Free indication.

 

4 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

The indicator with two horizontally placed dots under the free indicator associated with 205 is the same style as shunt signal 213 in the On position, though there's no corresponding indicator associated with the other lime green lever for the Manchester line.

 

So I'm guessing that would confirm the aspect shown on a running shunt on the Down Fast which doesn't have its own lever? 

Does it clear automatically when 205 is reversed or only when a related lever (such as 213 )is also reversed.? 

Yes, they are ‘overflow’ indications from the adjacent 206 for the co-acting shunt signal almost a crossover length beyond the main signal.  Just visible in the photo (but much clearer on my original) is a line between the top and centre roundels.  There are two of these co-acting shunts beyond the bay platforms (1A and 2A), I assume a form of standing out control if a pilot loco has to go on top of a full platform to pull out coaches.  Because of the way the layout worked, the alternative route (via 154R) from P2 to DF/DS came past the standing out shunt so it needed to be cleared too.

Paul.

[5BarVT]

Liverpool MRS Exhibition

I’ll be on the Newhaven Town layout tomorrow and Sunday afternoon.  If anyone is passing by, do say hello.

Paul.

P.S Apologies for the late advice!

[5BarVT]

Busy two days at the Liverpool MRS Exhibition.  WFRM use Digitrax on Newhaven Harbour (and their other layouts) and have added LNWI since I last operated as a guest in Glasgow 5ish years ago.  WiThrottle pro has been obtained (cos some moves involve making/breaking consists) and I find it very good to use.  The freedom to wander around both sides of the layout was good too.

No photos, enjoying myself too much operating!

Wallet was lightened too with some phosphor bronze strip for coach pickups and a new entry for the roster: D1012 Western Firebrand in MFYE.

Paul.
 

 

 

 

[5BarVT]

YARD TRACK COMPLETE

Last section of track for the long storage roads was fitted, soldered down and cut through today.  Note the new workshop (shh . . .).

Droppers to fit or connect (including extending two that are too short).

Paul.

 

[5BarVT]

Underside for reference.  A bit of connector movement and cable rerouting meant the recycled droppers would reach (just!).

 

Paul.

 

[5BarVT]

Another reference photo.  Final bit of wiring done this afternoon isn’t visible as I went for longitudinal rail bonds to the 1” section at the board joint.

 

Paul.