Heath Town and other signalling diversions

[5BarVT]

3 hours ago, ISW said:

But the objects / weights used to hold the track/turnouts in position are often 'interesting'. There's also the question of how said objects are 'balanced' on the track.

For Ian.

:-)

[5BarVT]

10 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I am indeed unfamiliar with those codes - I guessed that WAT was Watford! Looking again, it's obvious now that you wouldn't go to EUS and then back to Watford.

 

12 hours ago, Nick C said:

(Waterloo and Guildford, for those unfamilar with Network Rail three-letter-codes)

 

CRS codes (computer reservation system). Not sure how far they go back, my guess is 1970s

As far as I understand it was Eastern Region who were first into computer reservation so they got all the easy ones for Eastern stations and places served by ER trains.  I have a printout dated Aug 1991 which is interesting now for those that have changed since then.

Another interesting one is Hamilton Square: BKQ (makes sense when you see BKN, BKP, BKC as well (Birkenhead North, Park and Central)).

If you fly it can become confusing because the 3 letter IATA codes are not the same (fairly obvious): BHX = BHI, LGW = GTW, EDI = EDA (even though there isn’t an Edinburgh airport station!). Sometimes I find myself putting an IATA code into the National Rail app and wondering why it doesn’t recognise it!

Paul.

 

[TrevorP1]

1 hour ago, 5BarVT said:

For Ian.

:-)

I’ve been known to raid a kitchen cupboard for cans of soup and so on… 

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, ISW said:

Paul,

 

But the objects / weights used to hold the track/turnouts in position are often 'interesting'. There's also the question of how said objects are 'balanced' on the track.

 

Ian

House bricks are good.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, TrevorP1 said:

I’ve been known to raid a kitchen cupboard for cans of soup and so on… 

Me too. When Veronica's away it's either that or a pizza delivery...

[5BarVT]

MORE GLUE

And done.

 

Paul.

 

[5BarVT]

On 24/10/2023 at 22:18, TrevorP1 said:

I’ve been known to raid a kitchen cupboard for cans of soup and so on… 

Some things are permitted and others are too risky!

Paul.

[Clive Mortimore]

2 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

MORE GLUE

And done.

 

 

Paul.

 

Hi Paul

 

When glueing cork or track down I place a sheet of ply or chipboard on top and then the weighty objects to spread the loading.

[Andy Keane]

1 minute ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Paul

 

When glueing cork or track down I place a sheet of ply or chipboard on top and then the weighty objects to spread the loading.

me too - I have found with track this helps prevent any undulations happening.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Andy Keane

[5BarVT]

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

When glueing cork or track down I place a sheet of ply or chipboard on top and then the weighty objects to spread the loading.

So do I.  Except when I don’t!

There are some in the photo.  There isn’t one under the vice because the tracksetta is only part in as the curve isn’t long enough (hope you’re still following at the back). And for the LH point I think I couldn’t find one to fit.

Paul.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Paul

 

When glueing cork or track down I place a sheet of ply or chipboard on top and then the weighty objects to spread the loading.

 

Agreed - this is how I glue wider sheets if cork down: usually left for several days too (until the next modelling session). Not had any sheets lift yet despite my baseboards being regularly carried around the house / stored vertically:

 

 

Less weight is used for track, Keith.

[ISW]

On 24/10/2023 at 20:52, 5BarVT said:

For Ian.

:-)

Well, that turned out to be more 'interesting' than even I expected, based on the number of responses to your photo.

 

I must admit that I too use 'load spreaders' between the 'weights' and the objects being glued. However, latterly I was using a plethora of 'map pins' to hold the track down to the foam underlay whilst it was gluing. I found it was easier to keep the track in the desired alignment while the glue set if I could 'see' the track. Covering in weights made this a bit hit-n-miss.

 

Ian

[Keith Addenbrooke]

10 hours ago, ISW said:

Well, that turned out to be more 'interesting' than even I expected, based on the number of responses to your photo.

 

I must admit that I too use 'load spreaders' between the 'weights' and the objects being glued. However, latterly I was using a plethora of 'map pins' to hold the track down to the foam underlay whilst it was gluing. I found it was easier to keep the track in the desired alignment while the glue set if I could 'see' the track. Covering in weights made this a bit hit-n-miss.

 

Ian

 

I'm not an expert track layer by any means, but I found a variation on the map pins technique I've been taught very effective:

 

Track is aligned using standard drawing pins or map pins which can easily be moved until satisfied (I had more drawing pins):

 

 

The drawing pins are then replaced with spare track pins that can be tapped down to rail height, allowing final testing with rolling stock and then weighting down in place.  Pins are pulled out after glue has set:

 

 

Hope it's OK by Paul for me to share this here, but as someone who personally doesn't enjoy track laying I found this technique was very effective.  My track is 009, Keith.

[5BarVT]

12 hours ago, ISW said:

I must admit that I too use 'load spreaders' between the 'weights' and the objects being glued. However, latterly I was using a plethora of 'map pins' to hold the track down to the foam underlay whilst it was gluing. I found it was easier to keep the track in the desired alignment while the glue set if I could 'see' the track. Covering in weights made this a bit hit-n-miss.

 

1 hour ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Track is aligned using standard drawing pins or map pins which can easily be moved until satisfied (I had more drawing pins):

If you look carefully (most visible on the left) there are drawing pins holding the alignment for exactly those reasons.  That is partly the reason for all the small load spreaders as the pins were just above rail level and would have kept my normal brick sized spreader plates from working.  Next phase will have some long curves and I have tried to design with standard tracksetta radii so that I can leave them in place while the glue sets to maintain the desired curve.

Will be easier in the station area as a lot of the track is straight and won’t need as many pins to keep the alignment.

Paul.

[5BarVT]

1 hour ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Hope it's OK by Paul for me to share this here, but as someone who personally doesn't enjoy track laying I found this technique was very effective.  My track is 009, Keith.

Not a problem at all. It’s relevant to the current discussions anyway.

One can’t be too precious about a topic, they can acquire a life of their own, so much less stressful to let it happen and gently bring it back if needed.  Particularly so in my case as I’m probably guilty of taking/keeping other topics away from their initially intended theme.  “If you give it, you’ve got to be able to take it.”

 

Paul.

[5BarVT]

MOJO BOOSTING

And so to the underside . . .

Here is the first tortoise fitted and under test using the new power box.  As well as for running in locos and measuring current characteristics, the D.C. output was always intended to be used for testing tortoise.  Hence the “Track Out” connector and lead fitted with my chosen Tortoise connector.

 

Sufficient of a mojo boost that the second tortoise is already in place and tested and I’m off to do more this afternoon.

 

Paul.

 

 

 

[5BarVT]

AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE

 

One more to go on this board but it will take a little longer.  It’s the hole top right almost up against the bracing.  The tortoise mount lying on the bottom of the board will allow it to be mounted clear of the bracing once I have got something to clamp it on the mount. (12mm CSK screws up through the provided holes in the mount.  Just need something for the screws to attach to.)  Cue 3mm mdf strips cut to size next Saturday.

Plenty of wiring up to do before then and I have yet to sort out how the power will come onto this board and daisy chain onto the next.

Paul.

Edited October 28, 2023 by 5BarVT
Spelling

[Andy Keane]

Paul, Have you put up a track plan recently - I am losing track of how this all joins together.

[5BarVT]

6 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Paul, Have you put up a track plan recently - I am losing track of how this all joins together.

I haven’t, and earlier today I was thinking that it might be a good idea.

Especially since things have changed since the last one!  No change to the layout, but a rotation about the four station boards so two pairs of points have moved across two board joints.

I’ll have to get my “paint”s out to do one*.

Paul.

* I can export a plan to a bitmap and then use Paint to colour in between the rails to make it clearer.

[5BarVT]

On 28/10/2023 at 21:39, Andy Keane said:

Paul, Have you put up a track plan recently - I am losing track of how this all joins together.

 

This is Heath Town station on the middle level.  The points I have just laid are shown in brown.

I was going to colour all the track in various shades, but the bit map export was “leaky” so the “fill” command went everywhere.  I had to insert pixels in black to join up the lines before colouring the inside.

Paul.

[Andy Keane]

2 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

This is Heath Town station on the middle level.

Paul that is looking fun and helps set all in perspective. I assume it is a through station and is that some form of branch bay platform? The through platforms look nice and long too.

I assume it will in the end have full working signalling.

Andy

[5BarVT]

9 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Paul that is looking fun and helps set all in perspective. I assume it is a through station and is that some form of branch bay platform? The through platforms look nice and long too.

I assume it will in the end have full working signalling.

Andy

The real station was a through station.  Mine isn’t.  I have a convoluted back story to justify!

Yes a branch bay.  Part of the fun is that you can only arrive at the two long platforms although you can depart from the bay.  The long platforms will take 2+6 and each half of the split platform will take a three car DMU.

Paul.

[Clive Mortimore]

7 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

 

This is Heath Town station on the middle level.  The points I have just laid are shown in brown.

I was going to colour all the track in various shades, but the bit map export was “leaky” so the “fill” command went everywhere.  I had to insert pixels in black to join up the lines before colouring the inside.

Paul.

Hi Paul

 

I save my drawings in MS Paint as pngs, no colour problems.

[Andy Keane]

12 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

you can only arrive at the two long platforms

So does this mean carriages have to be shunted across to the bay before they can be re-used? Or do they all just leave as empty coaching stock - I must admit to being mystified by a station with such nice long platforms that can only take inbound traffic. I rather imagine a black hole for stock forming!

Andy

[5BarVT]

8 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Paul

 

I save my drawings in MS Paint as pngs, no colour problems.

As far as I can tell I can only export the plan as a .bmp.  Then saved as jpeg once I’ve finished adulterating it.  It’s the way the conversion to .bmp happens that causes the problem.

Paul.