Helston Revisited

[Andy Keane]

10 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

Neal, after I stuck the coal down I came to rather the same conclusion so will need to deploy the trusty scalpel to ease a load out again!

Now with room for Ted to stand with his bucket:

[Andy Keane]

On 09/05/2024 at 09:15, Andy Keane said:

Yes indeed - but the 1930 timetable is rather dull and I am only slowly building up earlier stock (I have a Metro tank, a 517 half built and and 850 kit on order)  - so its not very prototypical in that sense, but it at least gives us a timetable to follow with a nice mixture of movements. By 1930 pretty much all that happened were 45xx locos trundled to and fro with E140 B sets.

Following on from this I have a pair of E40 coaches on order from Worsley works. Can anyone advise on the best source of suitable bogies for these coaches? Might the spares from the Kernow railmotors serve?

[Neal Ball]

5 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Following on from this I have a pair of E40 coaches on order from Worsley works. Can anyone advise on the best source of suitable bogies for these coaches? Might the spares from the Kernow railmotors serve?

 

I don't think so Andy. On GWR coaches, it says they were 8ft 6 Dean bogies: https://gwrcoaches.org.uk/LowRoofs.shtml#E40

 

Dart castings do some: https://www.dartcastings.co.uk/mjt/2428.php

 

Good luck - Can we see progress?

 

Thanks, Neal.

[Andy Keane]

14 minutes ago, Neal Ball said:

 

I don't think so Andy. On GWR coaches, it says they were 8ft 6 Dean bogies: https://gwrcoaches.org.uk/LowRoofs.shtml#E40

 

Dart castings do some: https://www.dartcastings.co.uk/mjt/2428.php

 

Good luck - Can we see progress?

 

Thanks, Neal.

Neal

Thanks for the link - I will order up a pile of bits when the two kits arrive. I am not quite sure what I will need to complete the E40s as yet. I guess things like hinges and grab handles plus maybe also some stuff to detail the underframes. No doubt when I get started on this Rapido will announce they are making some.

[Neal Ball]

59 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Neal

Thanks for the link - I will order up a pile of bits when the two kits arrive. I am not quite sure what I will need to complete the E40s as yet. I guess things like hinges and grab handles plus maybe also some stuff to detail the underframes. No doubt when I get started on this Rapido will announce they are making some.

 

I was nearly going to ask you about the underframe detail. 

 

Given its a 50ft carriage, I wonder if you could adapt a Comet models 57ft underframe.

 

I dont normally do hinges, but for the Wosley works kit, they are pre-drilled, so I ordered hinges from them at the same time. Good grabs etc. I get from Comet. You will need Dean Vacuum brake cylinders (Dart), possibly gas tanks (Dart or Comet).

 

I will PM you a photo of what to expect in a Worsley kit, which I have not started yet.

 

Regards, Neal.

[Andy Keane]

As part of the ballasting process I am also threading the runs of signal wire. In the up direction I have nine runs to place and I am using code #1 brown fishing line which comes up as 0.5" at full scale - a compromise between the actual wires used and what my eyes will tolerate.

This is the nine runs leaving the signal box and ending at the edge of that board:

And this next photo is the next board along with the first three runs inserted. The bottom run goes around a pulley and under the tracks via a second pulley to ground signal number 4. The next pair are for the up main starting and platform to engine shed semaphore arms. These go past the post to the FPL, on around a double pulley and back to the signal (the blobs of blutack are holding the lines taught while the cyano dries):

Even in close up photo they are hardly visible so you might well ask why I bother - answer: signalling has rather gotten under my skin as a subject of real interest.

 

For those interested, these are MSE cast white metal signal wire posts. For the nine-way ones at the board edges they are reinforced by soldering to a length of 1mm by 1mm brass angle (and yes several were sacrificed to molten blobs in this process).

Edited May 13 by Andy Keane

[Neal Ball]

4 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

As part of the ballasting process I am also threading the runs of signal wire. In the up direction I have nine runs to place and I am using code #1 brown fishing line which comes up as 0.5" at full scale - a compromise between the actual wires used and what my eyes will tolerate.

This is the nine runs leaving the signal box and ending at the edge of that board:

And this next photo is the next board along with the first three runs inserted. The bottom run goes around a pulley and under the tracks via a second pulley to ground signal number 3. The next pair are for the up main starting and platform to engine shed semaphore arms. These go past the post to the FPL, on around a double pulley and back to the signal (the blobs of blutack are holding the lines taught while the cyano dries):

Even in close up photo they are hardly visible so you might well ask why I bother - answer: signalling has rather gotten under my skin as a subject of real interest.

 

For those interested, these are MSE cast white metal signal wire posts. For the nine-way ones at the board edges they are reinforced by soldering to a length of 1mm by 1mm brass angle (and yes several were sacrificed to molten blobs in this process).

 

Never mind sending you the details from Pendon @Andy Keane - going to these sort of lengths, you should be modelling for Pendon. Excellent work, well done.

[Andy Keane]

All nine signal wires have now been run - essentially its like threading a needle over and over again - I am very pleased to have finished as my eyes really were beginning to complain.

This is the reinforced "king" post they all start from on the board edge (only nine of its ten rollers are in use and it needs painting):

This is where seven of the lines cross under the engine shed track:

And this is where the four remaining lines go under the little crossing that linked the engine shed area with the goods platform and shunters klaxon control:

Next I will be able to ballast up this whole area.

Edited May 14 by Andy Keane

[Annie]

Finally found it.  Steam Railmotor approaching Penzance circa 1908.

 

[Fair Oak Junction]

What a great shot! 👌

Edited May 16 by Fair Oak Junction

[Andy Keane]

1 hour ago, Annie said:

Finally found it.  Steam Railmotor approaching Penzance circa 1908.

 

Wonderful - as we know, around that time there was a timetabled service for these beasts from Penzance to Helston and I have a couple of the Kernow ones in different liveries to enable me to run them. Happily my club is currently working up a version of Penzance so that is another excuse.

[Andy Keane]

This weekend has seen good progress on the ground cover. I have ashed the cesses, laid the ballast, put down most of the earth scatter and started on the grass with a first layer of 2mm.

I have not yet finally glued down the engine shed and one of the ground signals has gotten knocked but other than that I am quite pleased. I do think the point rods and signal wire runs have been worth all the pain. There is still plenty to do on the foliage side to get away from the bowling green lawn look!

Edited May 19 by Andy Keane

[Andy Keane]

Have now added the chocolate bottom to the shed doors and fixed them on. I need to do a bit more around where the shed walls meet the ground - I am tossing up between some fine ash or perhaps a bit of greenery.

[Andy Keane]

 

I have gotten the first fence line in. A key decision was to use a solid brass post for the very right hand end, drilled seven times and sunk well into the board. This allowed for threading the ezline and also gives it a bit more security where its vulnerable to knocks. The bushes are mostly from Lars op't Hof Scenery (High Moss Green Bushes and Low Light Green etc) which I find very easy to work with though not cheap:

[Harlequin]

On 22/05/2024 at 19:23, Andy Keane said:

Have now added the chocolate bottom to the shed doors and fixed them on. I need to do a bit more around where the shed walls meet the ground - I am tossing up between some fine ash or perhaps a bit of greenery.

Hi Andy,

How far up the doors did you paint the chocolate? It doesn’t look high enough to me. Should be 5ft or halfway…? I.e. 20mm or more.

Edited May 23 by Harlequin

[Andy Keane]

27 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Hi Andy,

How far up the doors did you paint the chocolate? It doesn’t look high enough to me. Should be 5ft or halfway…? I.e. 20mm or more.

Phil, I would need to go measure. It’s about 20mm I think but I am not sure.

[Gilbert]

4 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Phil, I would need to go measure. It’s about 20mm I think but I am not sure.

Rule 1 Andy.....just saying...

[5BarVT]

All looking far too good!

Well done.

Paul.

[MrWolf]

That's really coming together Andy, most impressive. The point rodding looks great and I'm glad I was persuaded to fit rodding to my own layout.

 

Speaking of which, I think I need to order some brass bar for fencing reinforcement. 

[Andy Keane]

13 hours ago, MrWolf said:

fencing reinforcement

Although drilling the 0.5mm holes in the 2mm brass square section bar was a bit tedious and cost me a few drill bits, so far they are proving nicely solid at the board edges and definitely worth the effort.

[MrWolf]

Thanks, I'm wondering if I can make a jig out of a piece of said brass and drill out the old Ratio posts I have.

Not 100% prototypical I know, but I'm more concerned about not having wires coming adrift once the surrounding scenery is completed.

[Andy Keane]

3 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Thanks, I'm wondering if I can make a jig out of a piece of said brass and drill out the old Ratio posts I have.

Not 100% prototypical I know, but I'm more concerned about not having wires coming adrift once the surrounding scenery is completed.

I used the index on my lathe to drill out my holes - I clamped my proxon drill to the bed and a vice to the cross slide and then could get the little holes neatly spaced out. I epoxied my Peco posts into the board. Then I also made this jig for gluing the ezline to the posts and used acrylic basing glue to fix the line to the Peco posts that I have previously sprayed with acid etch grey primer. The two black posts have their spigots chopped off and are epoxied to the little bit of ply an inch apart. Then the groves on the black un-primed Peco posts help line the wires up to match the groves on the painted ones. It seems to be quite secure now it is all done. I did try using cyano on the ezline but it’s not a good idea - the line goes very odd under the cyano glue. I painted the posts a beige grey after all was dry then added more static grass under the fence.

Edited May 24 by Andy Keane

[BWsTrains]

6 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

Then the groves on the black un-primed Peco posts help line the wires up to match the groves on the painted ones. It seems to be quite secure now it is all done. I did try using cyano on the ezline but it’s not a good idea - the line goes very odd under the cyano glue. I painted the posts a beige grey after all was dry then added more static grass under the fence.

 

Hi Andy,

 

This is all looking very good. Only think not fully clear from the above is how the ezline is held in place. Is it just a friction hold in the grooves once it's pushed firmly into place?

 

I love the jig, very clever! After an action packed week over here I'll get back to my pending tasks on fencing needs this weekend.

 

Regards

 

Colin

[Andy Keane]

19 hours ago, BWsTrains said:

 

Hi Andy,

 

This is all looking very good. Only think not fully clear from the above is how the ezline is held in place. Is it just a friction hold in the grooves once it's pushed firmly into place?

 

I love the jig, very clever! After an action packed week over here I'll get back to my pending tasks on fencing needs this weekend.

 

Regards

 

Colin

I push the line into place with the jig and then usually this means the post in the middle and those either side are sitting nicely in the grooves. I then paint that side of the Peco post with acrylic basing glue which sets off in about 15 minutes and move on. On some sections of fence I find maybe fix or six posts can be glued at one time.

[Andy Keane]

As I potter around the engine shed end adding detail I next come to the lights. It seems from the two photos I have from June 1920 and sometime in the thirties that a gas lamp was added during this interval by the ash bin to augment an existing oil lamp by the old platelayers hut. The difference being in the shapes of the tops. Also added at this time was the electric shunting horn control on its post. I have also to make up and fit a couple of telegraph poles. I find adding all the small details one of the more enjoyable aspects that really start to bring things to life.