Manchester Central, CLC & GN Warehouses & Castlefield Viaducts

[a4mallard]

Hi Ron,

I've been following your tread for a while, outstanding work. Just wondering would you put something up on youtube. Maybe like a tutorial on your card building, anything at all,I think it would be well received.

regards

bren

Edited November 8, 2013 by a4mallard

[mow]

It is always a pleasure to read about this project. 

[Arthur]

Have you seen these Ron, they're from a photo stream covering the Stockport hauliers, Edward Beck & Sons. These two show the Deansgate/Liverpool Road junction. They may be of some interest.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edward_beck/6510455249/in/photostream/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edward_beck/6436833869/in/photostream/

[Ron Heggs]

Hi Ron,

I've been following your tread for a while, outstanding work. Just wondering would you put something up on youtube. Maybe like a tutorial on your card building, anything at all,I think it would be well received.

regards

bren

Hi, Bren

 

Now this could be a problem no smartphone or camera with movie function

 

Maybe something for the future

 

Cheers

 

Ron

[Ron Heggs]

Have you seen these Ron, they're from a photo stream covering the Stockport hauliers, Edward Beck & Sons. These two show the Deansgate/Liverpool Road junction. They may be of some interest.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edward_beck/6510455249/in/photostream/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edward_beck/6436833869/in/photostream/

 

Hi, Arthur

 

Thanks, have downloaded these two pictures plus a third one

 

I already have five other pictures of Beck's on Whitworth St. West

 

Cheers

 

Ron

[Ron Heggs]

Been having a go at producing a ladder from 10^thou x 25^thou & 10^thou x 15^thou styrene strip -

 

Result of using Butanone -

 

 

... and Superglue -

 

 

 

- undecided whether to go with this or get them etched

 

Probably end up with etches, as they would look closer to the prototype and withstand handling much better

[artizen]

You just answered your own question, Ron. Etches it is then.

[cheesysmith]

ron, that ladder needs posting as a example to everyone to not give up . post them photos with photos of the station roof as a motto to never give up and never too old to learn .

[Portchullin Tatty]

 

- undecided whether to go with this or get them etched

 

 

 

MSE do a very good etch for ladders; they look very good and are going to be massively more robust.

 

Look at my Highland Miscellany thread and you will see them used on my signals.

[Ron Heggs]

MSE do a very good etch for ladders; they look very good and are going to be massively more robust.

 

Look at my Highland Miscellany thread and you will see them used on my signals.

Hi, Mark

 

Thanks for that information

 

Your thread pictures look as though the ladders will certainly be suitable, and they will certainly cut the cost of a one off etch

 

Cheers

 

Ron

[Ron Heggs]

Have been painting the outside walls of the villa over the weekend, so progress on the layout has been slow

 

The area of the trackwork from CLC Deansgate Bridge towards the Train Shed has now been drilled with holes for the 68 track supply droppers from the section of trackwork with 13 turnouts. The whole area has also been covered with 2mm cork sheet

 

The section of trackwork will be turned over, and the appropriate coloured flexible wire extensions soldered to the droppers. The trackwork will then be placed in its final location with the wire extensions/droppers threaded through the drilled holes - terminations, etc. at a later date

 

All the viaduct walls/arches/bridge parapets are now in place on the north side of the approach tracks. The south side viaduct walls/arches/bridge parapet are underway - the 12 arches by the canal are being detailed - a bit of a mix

 

Pictures of progress on Thursday

[26power]

Other ladder kit suppliers:

 

Colin Craig:

http://colincraig4mm.co.uk/#/ladders/4532597771

 

Masokits, page 9 here:

http://www.scalefour.org/masokits/index.html

 

No experience of either, but hopefully of potential use to you.

[Ron Heggs]

No pictures yet, as following more villa painting my right wrist developed a bit of a strain injury, so couldn't complete the viaduct detailing

 

Instead I have been trying to develop an idea for working theatre displays - the multiple electric lamp matrix type. The layout needs two types - outward bound alphabetic display , and inward bound numeric display

 

Three of each type will be required on the CLC Deansgate Bridge gantries. The platforms will also require additional displays

 

Option 1 :

 

SMD LEDs 0603 size would probably be suitable - extremely delicate soldering required - a minimum of 26 insulated wires

 

Option 2:

 

0.5mm optical fibres - 31 required - minimum bend radius 3mm - 13 LEDs to provide the illumination

 

 

Alphanumeric display:

 

The size of the actual display matrix is 8mm wide x 4mm high, and the theatre display dimensions would be 11mm wide x 8mm high x 5mm deep, the hood protrudes 3.5mm to the front

 

Numeric display:

 

Display matrix is 4.5mm wide x 4mm high, and the theatre display dimensions would be 7mm wide x 8mm high x 5mm deep with the hood protruding 3.5mm to the front

 

 

Have ordered the optical fibres and LEDs, and will be building the display casing for the test item from styrene ready for the fibre strands when they arrive

 

Will show build when it's started - subject to wrist recovery and villa painting on hold

 

Ron

[Ron Heggs]

Signalling Equipment - Theatre Display

 

The design of this item of equipment is based on employing fibre optic strands 0.5mm dia with white LEDs as the light source

The display will show pairs of alphabetic characters in a 5x7 matrix

 

A smaller version will show single numeric characters in a 5x5 matrix

The strands will be spaced a 1mm centres

The test build will employ styrene, as it is easier and quicker to make modifications

A number of tests at constructing the matrix plate i.e. the plate holding the 35 0.5mm dia strands at 1mm centres were not exactly plain sailing. If the overall design is successful then in the production items this component will be etched brass

 

For Manchester Central only 31 of the 35 strands will be operational due to the characters being displayed

 

Typical dimensions

 

The arrangement shows the list of strands required to be lit to display specific characters/numbers

 

The letters chosen would display departure routes display -

 

DS - Down Slow

DF - Down Fast

M - Middle

US - Up Slow

UF - Up Fast

 

An anomoly at Manchester Central was that routes to London were Up, and routes to Liverpool were Down. The Middle route was to Cornbrook Carriage sidings and Trafford Park loco shed

 

The numbers would display the arrival platforms 1 - 9

 

A typical attempt at producing the matrix of 0.5mm dia holes in 20thou styrene - not perfect by any means, but will suffice for the proving of the design

 

Edit: There are 18 not 17 LEDs for the numeric display

Edited November 18, 2013 by Ron Heggs

[LNERGE]

Some pictures posted today here..

 

http://rcts.org.uk/features/mysteryphotos/show.htm?serial=1&img=67-002-12

[the penguin of doom]

I might have missed this Ron, but why does one block of LEDs appear to be 5 x 4 and the other 5 x 3.

 

It's a fascinating section of the project and teastament to what can be achieved in such a small space.

 

Cheers.

 

Sean.

[Ron Heggs]

 

I might have missed this Ron, but why does one block of LEDs appear to be 5 x 4 and the other 5 x 3.

It's a fascinating section of the project and teastament to what can be achieved in such a small space.

 

Cheers.

 

Sean.

 

 

 

Hi, Sean

 

The horizontal spacing should be 1mm, not as shown where the left & right spacings are 0.75mm - an earlier, but erroneous layout

 

Cheers

 

Ron

 

 

[Stubby47]

I love the 'infinity' dimension in the top left diagram of the front elevation

 

 

 

(ok, I know it's an '8' on its side...)

 

Edited November 18, 2013 by Stubby47

[Ron Heggs]

I love the 'infinity' dimension in the top left diagram of the front elevation

 

theatre_head.JPG

 

 

(ok, I know it's an '8' on its side...)

 

 

Is infinity any smaller in 4mm scale ? 

[jamie92208]

Is infinity any smaller in 4mm scale ? 

Can't tell it's too big  for me to get my calipers round it.

 

Jamie

[Ron Heggs]

Took some time out to produce the intial wiring diagrams for the Theatre Displays -

 

Alpha Display wiring diagram -

As this is a test arrangement, to ensure that the supply is not overloaded only one of the switch options (DS,DF,M,US,UF) will be selected at a time

 

Numeric Display wiring diagram -

As this is a test arrangement, to ensure that the supply is not overloaded only one of the switch options (1 to 9) will be selected at a time

 

Eventually these will be integrated with the signalling selection process/operation

 

Any comments would be much appreciated

Edited November 19, 2013 by Ron Heggs

[Steve K]

Any comments would be much appreciated

I don't suppose "flippin' heck!" is of much use?

 

Sorry, but that was the first thing that came to mind.

[Ron Heggs]

The LEDs, Resistors and Fibre Optic strands have all been despatched,now hoping that they might turn up this weekend. Have 100's of diodes from a number of previous projects, having built a routing matrix board for the layout back in 2009

 

Ron

[Stubby47]

Ron,

 

In the upper diagram you have 'M' as needing 2,6,8,9,10 and 12 - I don't think you need 10.

 

Stu

[Ron Heggs]

Ron,

 

In the upper diagram you have 'M' as needing 2,6,8,9,10 and 12 - I don't think you need 10.

 

Stu

Hi, Stu

 

Thanks for that - you are quite right - 10 is not needed

 

Revised diagram

 

Cheers

 

Ron