Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[St Enodoc]

53 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

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?

Personally, I prefer them to work with no lights rather than be static with lights.

[MrWolf]

It wouldn't be that difficult to make them work, the awkward part would be the means to create such a tiny movement in a controlled manner from several feet away.

[MrWolf]

Thanks for the information @Donwwhilst I was hunting through the internet I came across a 7mm scale commercial model described as a 1920 pattern with 16 inch round disc and round lamp. That may shed light on when the 3/4 round disc was superseded. I also found a picture of a calling on (CO) arm designed for a ground signal.

I'll be modifying the spare round lamps from the signals and grafting them onto the Ratio uprights.

[Andy WD]

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

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...

There's a few articles on here http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-groundsigs.html. May be of some use Mr Wolf, but I'm sure you've already been through these!

 

(Don't look at the article onGWR round point rodding!)

Merry Christmas

Edited December 23, 2021 by Andy WD
Added to

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

It wouldn't be that difficult to make them work, the awkward part would be the means to create such a tiny movement in a controlled manner from several feet away.

I've made Ratio ground signals work, with some simpified detail (the weight bars don't move)  - look in my layout topic starting here:

 

 

and Sasquatch of this parish has too by different methods: 

 

Have a go!

[MrWolf]

5 hours ago, Andy WD said:

There's a few articles on here http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-groundsigs.html. May be of some use Mr Wolf, but I'm sure you've already been through these!

 

(Don't look at the article onGWR round point rodding!)

Merry Christmas

 

That's very helpful and has convinced me to swap the square lamps for round ones.

 

I'm not worried about the point rodding, originally a lot of companies used the round gas barrel for point rodding, but a lot of it got changed for the U channel over time according to the 2mm scale association book that I used to figure out the point rodding. 

Better square rod than none at all! 

[MrWolf]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I've made Ratio ground signals work, with some simpified detail (the weight bars don't move)  - look in my layout topic starting here:

 

 

and Sasquatch of this parish has too by different methods: 

 

Have a go!

 

That's some thought provoking information, I like the way you have used the backshade to disguise your operating arm. The @Sasquatchmethod of providing lit up tinted lenses is really quite something too.

 

I have enough spare bits of signal to have a go at fitting a crank through a reinforced frame as per your ideas. It will depend on my dodgy hand how and if it turns out, but nothing ventured and all that!

[Alister_G]

8 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I've made Ratio ground signals work, with some simpified detail (the weight bars don't move)  - look in my layout topic starting here:

 

 

and Sasquatch of this parish has too by different methods: 

 

Have a go!

 

Me too...

 

Al

 

[Rowsley17D]

As mentioned a few pages back, some of us use Humbrol Clearfix or similar to form glasses and lenses which, when dry, are coloured with felt pen. Not as enjoyable as eating your way through a tin of Quality Street though. PVA works for small lenses too. I've used both in my ground signals which do work via servos. Mine aren't lit as life is too short but I put a small square of white paper behind the lens which reflects light through it. I use Clearfix to make glazing for loco cabs too.

[St Enodoc]

42 minutes ago, Alister_G said:

 

Me too...

 

Al

 

Very nice.

[MrWolf]

50 minutes ago, Alister_G said:

 

Me too...

 

Al

 

 

That's very effective.

 

I better find some 0.5mm steel wire...

[Sasquatch]

Since I did the blog on Dunster's two ground signals I have made 3 NER types for Goathland and did manage to animate the balance weights. I have also just replaced the grain of sand bulbs with 12V ones because the miniatronics 1.5v types blew.

Can't beat working signals

 

Regards Shaun.  

[Bluemonkey presents....]

There you go Rob, a challenge for the new year, working groundies and crossing gates........get on.

[Donw]

I came across a drawing of the semi circular ground signal in a copy of MRJ.  In the notes it says many would still be in place for many years the drawing was from one on a preserved railway at Williton about a mile from our house!

 

Don

[Winslow Boy]

 

At last I have done it. What I hear you ask. I have finished all one hundred and twenty seven pages I say. We pity you comes back the assembled response. Yes I know what am I to do with my time now.

 

No wolfnerisums to savour. No piffy outtakes on life, the universe and what to do if the world ends.

 

Alas poor Yorik I am adrift in a sea of lightweights, dross and more dross.

 

Oh please oh great wolf in the sky I beg of you do not leave me now in my hour of need.

[Captain Kernow]

59 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Alas poor Yorik I am adrift in a sea of lightweights, dross and more dross.

I thought he was appealing to Andy Y for a moment.

 

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

At last I have done it. What I hear you ask. I have finished all one hundred and twenty seven pages I say. We pity you comes back the assembled response. Yes I know what am I to do with my time now.

 

No wolfnerisums to savour. No piffy outtakes on life, the universe and what to do if the world ends.

 

Alas poor Yorik I am adrift in a sea of lightweights, dross and more dross.

 

Oh please oh great wolf in the sky I beg of you do not leave me now in my hour of need.

 

Hello Mr Winslow, I will apologize for your perhaps being misled by the first couple of pages, but the fact that you stuck with it and read the rest is entirely on you. 

 

Things have been quiet, genteel and almost sensible over the Christmas period. Nothing weird happened, nobody was offended (possibly) and nothing went bang. 

 

In fact, it's a little bit disturbing.

 

I'm sure that we will make up for it next year.

 

I haven't been up to any layout building either, but there's some more bits and pieces in the post so that I can get on with the working signals.

 

I hadn't intended to include working crossing gates, there's no working cars...

 

 

[Graham T]

48 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

I hadn't intended to include working crossing gates, there's no working cars...

 

 

 

Well I think we all know the answer to that then, Mr W

 

Next modelling project = 1:76 working infernal combustion engine

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, Graham T said:

 

Well I think we all know the answer to that then, Mr W

 

Next modelling project = 1:76 working infernal combustion engine

 

One assumes it will be fueled by petroleum spirit, as anything else would not be in keeping with the ethos of the collective ramblings of the Wolf.

[Graham T]

Rob, being serious - albeit momentarily.  I know you use screw and three link couplings, which have you found to be the best?

[MrWolf]

On 29/12/2021 at 15:59, Graham T said:

Rob, being serious - albeit momentarily.  I know you use screw and three link couplings, which have you found to be the best?

 

What? You come on here bandying about words like "serious"?

 

This isn't a P4 layout you know, there's no bell codes and some of the locos were made by Tri-ang!

 

But as it's the season of goodwill...

 

I haven't actually got around to selecting a suitable screw coupling for the locos as yet and my knowledge of such things is rather dated.

Perhaps we could both put that question out to the more knowledgeable readers than I?

(That would be all of you then.)

 

The three links that I have found to be most suitable are Slater's 4151, available from Wizard models amongst others.

 

 

Below is a cruel closeup of one fitted to an old Ratio Iron Mink.

 

 

They are nearer scale size wise and more importantly to me, the spring is very light. A lot of three links seem to have a spring that won't compress with the weight of the wagon. They are also secured with a split pin where you have to fight the spring. These are perhaps crude by comparison as you simply bend the fishtails to secure.

As they are quite small, they do fit easily under the floor. On a plastic kit wagon they will pass through the hole intended for the dummy coupling hook.

 

images lost.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by MrWolf
Useless internet crashed twice

[chuffinghell]

2 hours ago, Graham T said:

Rob, being serious - albeit momentarily.  I know you use screw and three link couplings, which have you found to be the best?

never thought I’d see ‘Rob’ and ‘serious’ in the same sentence 

[Rowsley17D]

The photo failed to load again, didn't it?

 

There's a bit of a shortage of descent 4mm scale screw link couplings. The Markits ones are very large and the Smiths ones used to come with a tack as the tommy bar when I last bought them quite a while ago now.

 

Masokits do an etch for you to make your own which are closer to scale.

Edited December 29, 2021 by Rowsley17D
Masokits info

[Graham T]

20 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

never thought I’d see ‘Rob’ and ‘serious’ in the same sentence 

 

A touch harsh, but essentially fair 

[Graham T]

27 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

What? You come on here bandying about words like "serious"?

 

This isn't a P4 layout you know, there's no bell codes and some of the locos were made by Tri-ang!

 

But as it's the season of goodwill...

 

I haven't actually got around to selecting a suitable screw coupling for the locos as yet and my knowledge of such things is rather dated.

Perhaps we could both put that question out to the more knowledgeable readers than I?

(That would be all of you then.)

 

The three links that I have found to be most suitable are Slater's 4151, available from Wizard models amongst others.

 

 

Below is a cruel closeup of one fitted to an old Ratio Iron Mink.

 

 

They are nearer scale size wise and more importantly to me, the spring is very light. A lot of three links seem to have a spring that won't compress with the weight of the wagon. They are also secured with a split pin where you have to fight the spring. These are perhaps crude by comparison as you simply bend the fishtails to secure.

As they are quite small, they do fit easily under the floor. On a plastic kit wagon they will pass through the hole intended for the dummy coupling hook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Rob, that looks like a good solution for the three links.  Regarding the screw couplings, I'll wait with you for one of the resident gurus to show up!