Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[NHY 581]

Suggesting that the painter, having painted the post then turned around and painted the ladder, whilst forgetting how he'd painted the post..........

[Donw]

If you think about it logically the reason for the different colour is I assume so the rungs show up against the background as you are looking downwards to see the next rung to place your feet then due to the angle the white on the ladder would need to be higher. Mind you I suspect the lamplighter is so used to the ladders he isn't looking down his feet know where to go. Now would he go up with a freshly filled lamp in one hand using one hand on the rungs? Or does tie a rope to his belt go up using two hands then pull the lamp up change the lamps then lower the old one before going down safely using two hands.

 

Don

[Tortuga]

Is it a sighting thing so that the lower part of the ladder would be visible when you were looking down from a loco footplate or the veranda of the brake van?

[MrWolf]

If I remember correctly, the painting white of the bottom of signal ladders was a first world war blackout precaution taken c1916 when Zeppelin raids began over southern England, as was the white painting of brake levers.

Some city stations had the leading edge of platforms painted, (but not the ramps) but this was by no means universal. White platform edges is really a modern (ish) British Rail thing and should be avoided on steam era layouts.

I'm sure that someone else will be able to confirm or refute that? 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by MrWolf
Auto INcorrect

[MrWolf]

I'm not sure how the modern health and safety bods would cope with the "three points of contact at all times" rule applying to staircases and ladders in the case of semaphore signals.

 

Probably have several lengthy seminars at a spa hotel and golf course....

[Nick C]

14 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

White platform edges is really a modern (ish) British Rail thing and should be avoided on steam era layouts.

I'm sure that someone else will be able to confirm or refute that? 

I thought the white platform edging came in as a blackout precaution in WW2 - I've certainly seen plenty of pictures of platforms with white edging in the 50s/60s

[MrWolf]

Apparently white platform edges were applied in busy stations during both wars, but weren't mandatory, adopted universally or maintained in the intervening years. 

 

[MrWolf]

The signal finials have arrived from Modelu, (thanks for the link @Nick Gough) but I have the memsahibs motorcycle to finish mending at the moment. Joseph Lucas, Prince of Darkness...

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by MrWolf
Credit

[Rowsley17D]

If you need any extra Ratio signal bits and bobs like cranks, ladders etc let me know I've an ice cream box full of them.

[MrWolf]

Thank you for your offer there, it's already looking like another typical Mr Wolf project where the kit is only the starting point and gets forgotten by about page two.

The old Triumph Speed Twin has ended up like that. It started off with an intermittent fault with the headlamp switch, which uncovered a few bodges and ended up with a brand new wiring loom, not that there's much to it!

[Nick C]

8 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

The old Triumph Speed Twin has ended up like that. It started off with an intermittent fault with the headlamp switch, which uncovered a few bodges and ended up with a brand new wiring loom, not that there's much to it!

I had that with an old Land Rover, though in that case I think it was one of the tail-lights that started it...

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, Nick C said:

I had that with an old Land Rover, though in that case I think it was one of the tail-lights that started it...

 

I recall such a vehicle (Series I LWB) that had been entirely rewired using yellow cable and tape. It had been done in such a fashion that you couldn't remove the hardtop without dismantling the new loom.

I'm convinced that both motorcycles and utility vehicles attract a unique degree of bodgery.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by MrWolf
Clarity, Levity & McCafferty (solicitors) Armagh.

[MrWolf]

It's aliiiiivee!!!! 

 

Triumph fixed and if you go fast enough, the dynamo will generate enough power to be able to see safely where you're going at half that speed.

 

Perfect.

 

I have been rewarded with a homemade cheeseburger that would have made Elvis think twice.

So large was it that I had to eat half of it before I could see that the memsahib was sitting on the other side of the table - eating something much smaller.

I have to remind her about portion sizes with her culinary experiments, remember I already ate the boy who cried wolf, grandma and several villagers....

The only way to recover is Google GWR square post signals....

 

 

The above are pinched off the internet purely for  the purpose of educating myself about the mechanics of signals.

 

[Nick C]

3 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

I recall such a vehicle (Series I LWB) that had been entirely rewired using yellow cable and tape. It had been done in such a fashion that you couldn't remove the hardtop without dismantling the new loom.

I'm convinced that both motorcycles and utility vehicles attract a unique degree of bodgery.

Ours was a Series 3, and a mixture of speaker cable and telephone bell-wire, in 2ft lengths, secured together with packing tape. The sort of packing tape you might use for children's Christmas presents, with sparkly bits.

 

I kinda regret not taking a photo before we ripped it all out! 

[MrWolf]

That sounds about right. I come across an awful lot of old bikes with looms made in a similar fashion. Bits of old radio or desk lamp mains lead are a favourite for the bits that are on show, the rest is usually bits snipped out of scrap cars, including the connectors, swathed in tape. Very often under the top layer of black tape is red, blue, sellotape and yes, the leftover sparkly packing tape from your nine year old daughter's birthday presents.

You often get two inches of cable with the right connector on the end, twisted and taped to a different wire the right length.

What I can't understand is why people do up these old bikes with all the bling bling polished stainless bolts, but won't spend £40 on a new wiring loom, fitted in a couple of hours. Instead they'll spend days making one out of c2ap that drains the meagre six volts that is all you have to play with.

[MrWolf]

Amongst the other Ratio relics I have collected is a set of number 465 ground signals.

 

 

Which is close enough in my book to the GWR item.

 

 

I couldn't leave it alone though and drilled out the moulded spectacle plates

 

 

Glazing them should be a laugh...

[Graham T]

I assume you'll also be adding LEDs then Rob?

[MrWolf]

Does anyone know if the lamps on GWR ground signals were round or square?  Were the square ones a BR(W) replacement?

 

 

 

I'm asking because I will have suitable spare round lamps from the square post signals, another reason why I suspect that the round lamp is the earlier design.

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by MrWolf
Woodlice

[MrWolf]

4 minutes ago, Graham T said:

I assume you'll also be adding LEDs then Rob?

 

I might be able to play a LED ZEP record in the background if that works? 

[Graham T]

I know there are certain people on this forum who have built working ground signals!  I will not be joining that somewhat elite group...

[JustinDean]

21 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

I might be able to play a LED ZEP record in the background if that works? 

Dazed & Confused may be appropriate. 

[MrWolf]

31 minutes ago, Graham T said:

I know there are certain people on this forum who have built working ground signals!  I will not be joining that somewhat elite group...

 

Whilst I think that the idea of working ground signals is impressive (I've seen several of the fully rotating type) and I have seen them lit with fibre optic cable in the past, where does one stop?

If your signals are lit, you're going to be running at night, then you need your other signals lit, crossing gate lamps, platform and building lamps, loco lamps, firebox, carriage and tail lamps, sidelights on a TOAD which need to be reversible.....

 

Let's not be following the white rabbit down that particular hole....

For that way lies madness.

 

24 minutes ago, JustinDean said:

Dazed & Confused may be appropriate. 

 

I am.

 

Round or square?

[Graham T]

1 minute ago, MrWolf said:

Let's not be following the white rabbit down that particular hole....

For that way lies madness.

 

 

Couldn't agree more.  I'm already far enough down that road that I need no further encouragement!

[Donw]

The early non independant ground signals had a square box that rotated to show the lamp no disc or arm.

 

From Adran Vaughan's book 

one with a small semaphore arm  and one with a three quater disc both with a roundlamp these were early ones

the later ones with a fully round disc also had round lamps and later square lamps no mention of the introduction date.

 

I suggest you will be fine with round lamps.

 

Don

 

[Donw]

The lamps are always lit. A full lamp should probably last for eight days so changing them once a week they keep going. The reason you dont see them in the day is the lamp is not that bright and has a narrow beam so only show up when looking fairly straight on and usually in the dark.

 

Don

 

ps for modelled layouts you really need a wider beam so people can see the lamp is on when in reality it might ot show from that angle.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Donw