Chuffnell Regis

[Graham T]

An online configurator would be nice, or a set of components that you could mix and match.

[Andy Keane]

Another approach to platforms is this: http://www.lcut.co.uk/index.php?product=B 00-07A&title=B 00-07A

Lcut are really helpful and can supply the individual bits - I think I will use their brickwork for the faces of my platforms as they worked well on my goods shed platform:

[Graham T]

Their stuff does look good but I think I'll probably use the ply and card, partly because the platform has a slight curve to it.

[clachnaharry]

18 hours ago, Graham T said:

 

Only by the tried and tested"hand of God" method I'm afraid!

 

If you give your signalman a green flag, it covers all sorts of signalling anomalies - including non-working signal arms...

[Graham T]

16 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

Another approach to platforms is this: http://www.lcut.co.uk/index.php?product=B 00-07A&title=B 00-07A

Lcut are really helpful and can supply the individual bits - I think I will use their brickwork for the faces of my platforms as they worked well on my goods shed platform:

 

By the way, I do like how you've done the stonework here.  I was based at Culdrose for 15 years and the colours look very good to me.

[Graham T]

14 minutes ago, clachnaharry said:

 

If you give your signalman a green flag, it covers all sorts of signalling anomalies - including non-working signal arms...

 

Very much like that idea, but then he'd have to put down his tea!

[Graham T]

I found a photo of a lampman, now need to find a suitable figure.  This would make a nice little scene with him wandering along towards the home signal.

 

[longchap]

What a lovely photo Graham and for more sticky detail, have a look here:

 

https://junctionrailwayana.com/all-railwayana-items/vt-3135-g-w-r-signal-lamp-burner-carrying-stick/

 

Bill

[Graham T]

Thanks Bill - not sure that I'll try to model the handle though!

[MrWolf]

24 minutes ago, longchap said:

What a lovely photo Graham and for more sticky detail, have a look here:

 

https://junctionrailwayana.com/all-railwayana-items/vt-3135-g-w-r-signal-lamp-burner-carrying-stick/

 

Bill

 

That's a substantially made bit of kit for the Job it does. No surprise that it's still around.

[Andy Keane]

On 24/04/2022 at 20:06, Graham T said:

And here it is with a train!  This is obviously the longest length passenger service that Chuffnell Regis will be able to handle; I expect it will more usually be the autocoach, or a B set and pannier.

 

 

Graham

what make of point rodding is this? - it looks great - is it easy to use / reasonably robust?

I guess it wise to have this in place before adding ballast!

thanks

Andy

[Graham T]

Andy, it's the Wills stuff.  Yes it's pretty easy to use - but you need a lot of it!  And it's quite overscale; more likely to be a problem if you have runs of multiple rods, as they will get quite wide!

 

Although I'm pleased with it, I think I might try something a bit finer next time around...

 

And I'd definitely install it before ballasting, yes.

[Andy Keane]

Have you found any guidance on the proper spacing between the banks of rollers? I have been looking at the ModelU stuff where they have GWR specific bits: https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product/2109/

 

[Harlequin]

33 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Have you found any guidance on the proper spacing between the banks of rollers? I have been looking at the ModelU stuff where they have GWR specific bits: https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product/2109/

 

Round rodding: Pitch 2 1/2 ", rollers every 7'6" to 8', top of rodding 2" below rail level.

 

Channel rodding (around 1925 onwards): Pitch 3", rollers every 9',  top of rodding 1 3/4" below rail level.

 

🙂

 

[CoombeTown]

41 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Have you found any guidance on the proper spacing between the banks of rollers? I have been looking at the ModelU stuff where they have GWR specific bits: https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product/2109/

 

 

I've been looking at similar stuff recently Andy. I've found  this discussion on the Scalefour forum.

I'd also keep an eye on my Coombe Town thread, something that may be of interest arrived last week.

[Graham T]

I think I recall @Rowsley17D doing some very nice point rodding on Derwent Spa (even though it's the wrong railway, obviously).

[Graham T]

5 hours ago, Graham T said:

I found a photo of a lampman, now need to find a suitable figure.  This would make a nice little scene with him wandering along towards the home signal.

 

 

If anybody has suggestions for a suitable figure I'd love to hear them.  Thanks.

[Harlequin]

7 minutes ago, Graham T said:

 

If anybody has suggestions for a suitable figure I'd love to hear them.  Thanks.

Looks like another really good lineside figure for @alanbuttler at Modelu!

 

5 hours ago, Graham T said:

I found a photo of a lampman, now need to find a suitable figure.  This would make a nice little scene with him wandering along towards the home signal.

 

 

[Andy Keane]

2 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Round rodding: Pitch 2 1/2 ", rollers every 7'6" to 8', top of rodding 2" below rail level.

 

Channel rodding (around 1925 onwards): Pitch 3", rollers every 9',  top of rodding 1 3/4" below rail level.

 

🙂

 

Phil

Am I correct in assuming that where a single lever worked both a point and a catch point then one run of rodding would serve both tie bars with some form of juntion in the rodding at the tie bar closest to the signal box?

regards

Andy

[Andy Keane]

3 hours ago, Graham T said:

Andy, it's the Wills stuff.  Yes it's pretty easy to use - but you need a lot of it!  And it's quite overscale; more likely to be a problem if you have runs of multiple rods, as they will get quite wide!

 

Although I'm pleased with it, I think I might try something a bit finer next time around...

 

And I'd definitely install it before ballasting, yes.

Graham, I have just done a sum with Phil's data and it means at Helston I will need 6.5 m of rodding, sitting on 181 rollers supported on 132 stools varying from singles up to six way - as you say - you need a lot of it! And its going to take a fair bit of laying.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Andy Keane

[Graham T]

6 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Graham, I have just done a sum with Phil's data and it means at Helston I will need 6.5 m of rodding, sitting on 181 rollers supported on 132 stools varying from singles up to six way - as you say - you need a lot of it! And its going to take a fair bit of laying.

 

It soon adds up to be quite expensive too.  I found that you need several packs of the cranks etc.

[Nick C]

On 24/04/2022 at 18:32, longchap said:

If a signalman received word usually from a driver, who passed right by the box, that a lamp was out, he would be expected to climb the signal and attempt to relight it. In windy weather this would probably involve bringing it to ground level.

 

I don't know when they came in, but there were also electrical lamp detectors - using a bi-metallic strip that was kept in the 'closed' position by the heat from the lamp - if it went out, the strip would cool, the circuit broken, and the indicator in the box would drop to "lamp out". I'd assume they came around about the same time as arm proving circuits (which give an indication to the signalman of whether the signal was 'on', 'off', or 'wrong' - the latter being anything other than on or off)

 

It's also, of course, the point of the backlight on signal lamps - allowing the signalman to see, for those signals in sight of the box, whether the lamp is lit, and with the blinker, whether the arm is on or off.

 

7 hours ago, Graham T said:

 

Very much like that idea, but then he'd have to put down his tea!

 

I'm glad to see he has his priorities right!

[Harlequin]

17 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Phil

Am I correct in assuming that where a single lever worked both a point and a catch point then one run of rodding would serve both tie bars with some form of juntion in the rodding at the tie bar closest to the signal box?

regards

Andy

Yes, sort of. The rodding run usually continues to the furthest points with a take-off crank fixed to it to operate the nearer points.

 

Don't forget compensators in runs of any significant length. (I'm not sure what the minimum length requiring compensators is.)

 

[Andy Keane]

1 minute ago, Harlequin said:

Yes, sort of. The rodding run usually continues to the furthest points with a take-off crank fixed to it to operate the nearer points.

 

Don't forget compensators in runs of any significant length. (I'm not sure what the minimum length requiring compensators is.)

 

So compensators are those double crank things that reduce the throw but also reduce the effort needed to move the whole length?

The best photo I have of rodding at Helston is this one:

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/uploads/7/6/8/3/7683812/7449369_orig.jpg

Its post-war but I don't think the rodding would have been much different in 1930 (assuming channel section). There are dips in the various runs which are I assume some sort of joint? But I don't see any compensators?

The really long run goes the other way to the carriage shed point which runs the whole length of the platform and a bit (you can just see its end in the photo) - I am not sure I will do more than simple runs perhaps with these joints.

Andy

 

[Harlequin]

9 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

So compensators are those double crank things that reduce the throw but also reduce the effort needed to move the whole length?

The best photo I have of rodding at Helston is this one:

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/uploads/7/6/8/3/7683812/7449369_orig.jpg

Its post-war but I don't think the rodding would have been much different in 1930 (assuming channel section). There are dips in the various runs which are I assume some sort of joint? But I don't see any compensators?

The really long run goes the other way to the carriage shed point which runs the whole length of the platform and a bit (you can just see its end in the photo) - I am not sure I will do more than simple runs perhaps with these joints.

Andy

 

Compensators allow for the expansion and contraction of the metal rods so that the levers always operate the points properly, no matter whether it's freezing or the sun is beating down.

Between each compensator the rodding moves in opposite directions and if the rodding expands it takes up the space in the compensator linkage rather than pushing against either the lever mechanism or the point tie bar.

Compensators are thus basically placed half way along runs but of course there are lots of technical details that mean that's not always the case - a run that operates a crossover is one of those cases.