Gibbs Sidings (ex-LNWR) 1954ish OO Gauge

[Tortuga]

Thanks for the quick reply! Sounds like good advice!

I’ve realised in my earlier posts I’ve forgotten to mention that I’m intentionally leaving the tie bars over length at present so I can have a minimal gap between them and the point rodding.

EDIT: Really really good advice from Beast66606 there - if you’re modifying Peco points DEFINITELY use a file on the tie bar! Wish I’d done so on the 3-way as I’d’ve made less of a mess of it!

Edited August 13, 2018 by Tortuga

[Tortuga]

Going of a line diagram of a single slip in Bob Essery’s Railway Signalling and Track Plans, it seems the tie bar (properly called the spacer bar apparently) only links the two moving blades and so doesn’t need to span the width of the slip (logical really!). As a result, I chose to shorten the bars on my slip and, while I was at it, narrow them at the same time.

 

Turning the slip over reveals a clip on base plate, under which is the over-centre spring. Removal of this and carefully levering up the tags that hold the blades in place allows the blade and stretcher bar assembly to be removed. The blades can then be separated from the bar and the bar can be modified. Following previous advice I used a small fine file to carefully get what I was after - it’s very fiddly and I did snap one of the bars by just catching it with the file. I did manage to repair this, although making up a new bar from plastic rod might have been easier!

 

Of course once I’d narrowed the slips bars and put the slip back together, the perfectionist in me caught sight of the previously narrowed bar on the wye and, unsurprisingly, decided it wasn’t good enough. Fortunately I was able to take the blades and bar out in a similar way to work on them. Unmodified bar and blades at the bottom, modified at the top.

 

Surprisingly the bar is still quite robust post narrowing. As such, I’ll be narrowing the bars on the other points in the same way. Of course, now the bars on the asymmetric 3-way are offending my perfectionist eye and guess which piece of track is securely glued down?

Edited August 13, 2018 by Tortuga

[beast66606]

Here's an old post on how we did it (modified Peco points) on Widnes Vine Yard

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13627

[Tortuga]

Here's an old post on how we did it (modified Peco points) on Widnes Vine Yard

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13627

Thanks Beast66606

 

Back when I was debating with myself which type of track to use (and before I joined RMWeb), that thread was a key factor in my final decision to go with Peco75. I brought it up again for reference before I took the plunge with the razor saw and reduced the 6’ to something approaching a scale 6’.

I thought I’d acknowledged the part that thread had played, but I realise I’ve cut your username short! Going back to edit it now!

[Tortuga]

Well mainly due to baby duties, it’s been a while. During that time I’ve had a slight rethink. I wasn’t happy with my proposed train length of 4’ or (once I thought about it) the 6’ of visible main line, so I replanned the layout to incorporate the main lines curving round to the front and diving under the scenery to feed into a second traverser fiddle yard insetead of the sector plate.

 

Unfortunately, my scaled plan of this reworking has got slightly complicated with me using it to work out baseboard frames, etc. so I can’t post a revised plan up here until I’ve produced a clearer version.

 

I can post the work that has been carried out on the 6’ board. It’s now 6’ along both sides and the section that was to adjoin the sector plate has been repositioned 2’ back from that end to allow for the changes to the mainlines.

So the main lines curve toward the back of the board (top right of photo) then curve to come 90 degrees to the edge where they will join the next board. I wasn’t happy with the super elevation on the main lines and the photo shows the new 1/16th cork strip in place; the down line has been sanded to profile, the up is drying.

 

A view from the opposite end. The up line runs on an embankment, so the board has been dropped to accommodate this.

[Tortuga]

Quick update with photos to follow later. I’ve now got cork underlay down for most of the two mainlines, the start of the loop and the yard and loading sidings on the 6’ board. I’ve also got track laid for the crossover and access into the loop as well as the up and down main at the southern end.

[Tortuga]

Photos as promised - finally some track appears!

Looking north; mainlines heading toward camera, underlay for the loading and yard lines curving off the loop top left.

Close-up of the main lines, hopefully (!) showing the cant on the curve.