A Scottish Branch Line Terminus: making a start in EM Gauge

[Peter Kazmierczak]

You could put in a dummy trap point in the position suggested. Save the palaver of lifting track/locating point motor.

[uax6]

And surely No 1 signal would be the taller doll, as that is the signal for the platform road, No 3 is a lesser route...

 

Andy G

[rhnrhn]

Having now had time to digest all of the constructive feedback in this thread, together with reference to the Modern Signalling Handbook by Stanley Hall (4th Edition, Ian Allan Publishing) as well as advice from the gentleman demonstrating Signalling Design last weekend at Warley, I have now redesigned the signalling scheme for Achnabroad:

 

 

The centre road has now been designated a siding with a trap point inserted to protect the main passenger road.

 

This has resulted in the removal of its starter signal 6 which is now repurposed as an advanced starter.

The position of the shunting signal in the grain siding has been moved to just short of the toe of the trap point, and will be interlocked with it to allow shunting movements on to the passenger road accordingly.

 

The bracket signal has corrected to reflect the correct priority, and the now redundant point locking lever for points 8 will now be used in conjunction with points 10 which are on the main platform road, so as to protect the passenger trains which pass over them.

 

As before the points and signals are electrically interlocked using the secondary switches incorporated into the DCC Concepts levers:

 

interlocking.pdf

 

 

[rhnrhn]

For fitting the trap-point, the track between turnouts 5 and 8 was lifted, having soaked the ballast with warm soapy water first to release it. A slot was cut for the point motor actuating rod and new hole for the wire dropper drilled:

 

 

 

The trap point was created by cutting back an EM Gauge B6 PECO Turnout, which was then fitted together with a short length of connecting track in the gap. The hole for the signal base was capped with card and the ballast reapplied:

 

 

In the original scheme the point rodding was modelled for the turnout 8 and its point lock. As this area is now classified as sidings, I removed the point lock details from turnout 8 and repurposed the lock's rodding to "operate" the new trap point.

 

The red drawing pin is where the (as yet to be constructed) shunting signal will be placed.