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 Tuesday at 20:20 by Andy Keane

[Annie]

Finally found it.  Steam Railmotor approaching Penzance circa 1908.

 

[Fair Oak Junction]

What a great shot! 👌

Edited Thursday at 07:02 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 17 hours ago by Andy Keane