Bacup - Mills in the hills

[Worsdell forever]

Looking good, but, and I might be wrong, could be the viewing angle, the ladder looks a bit steep to me.

[Jason T]

It is quite steep (but not vertical) although it is right at the edge of the base plate, which is where I presume it should go?

[Andrew P]

Jason, Davefrk suggested giving them to a friend to build, my question is, won't the Old Hornby one from about 20 years ago fit? hahhaa

 

That is a brilliant build, I tried soldering once I still have the burn mark on my leg where I dropped the iron whilst burning the ends of my fingers. :no: :no:

 

Lovely job for a fitting Layout mate, well done.

 

Bodgit

Edited December 11, 2013 by Andrew P

[Steve Hewitt]

Hi Jason,

 

Complete the whole static structure inluding handrails,  upper ladders, finials etc.

Remove all moving parts - Arms, Blinders, Balance arms, Cranks etc.

(If using Rocking Shafts, leave them in-situ)

 

Spray paint everything Halfords White Primer - several thin coats and leave to harden.

Brush paint the Black bits Precision Satin Black or Dirty Black.

Worth trying a good Permanent Black Marker Pen - it can avoid building up paint thickness on delicate items.

 

Mask and paint the arms BR Signal Red or Yellow etc.

 

Add MSE glazing to Spectacles - Red, Yellow or Blue (not Green)

 

Blacken Nickel Silver wire (0.4mm) for operating wires.

 

Assemble!

 

If using Fibre Optics for lighting, install it first.

 

Minimise the clearance between operating wires and their attachment points.

 

The final items to secure to hold everything together are the pivots for the Balance Arms (0.45mm Lace Pins) which I secure with a tiny drop of cyano under the pin head.

Heating this with a dry soldering iron beaks the bond and allows dissembly.

 

The Back Blinder secures the arm and is soldered to the arm shaft. Oil the bearing and use an oily tissue washer to prevent locking it all up.

You can Blacken the shaft where it is inside the bearing to prevent solder attaching.

Clean parts, Liquid flux, Minimum solder on Hot iron is my technique. Dont hang around with the iron or you'll damage the paintwork.

 

Good luck,

 

Steve.

 

p.s.  Ladder should slope 1mm horizontal for 12mm vertical.

 

 

[artizen]

I have always steered well clear of heating CA - the cyanide fumes might be minute, but deadly all the same. Shame we can't get nail polish remover with acetone any more for CA removal. Would the debonder liquid work? I tried using one of those to glue something up and was incredibly frustrated until I read the tube!

 

Mr Sandside - this layout just gets better.

 

Bodgit - stories of your soldering makes me laugh but I bet it hurt on the day!!! My kids don't believe me when I call modelling an extreme sport.

[Sasquatch]

Although my signals are plastic, I follow all the same steps as Steve above but mask up the pivot holes with a tiny bit of "blu tack" before spraying. I do this to the bearings on rolling stock too!

 

Nice clean build mate which I've been watching with interest.

 

Regards Shaun.

[LNER4479]

Hi Jason,

 

Basically as per SteveatBax in terms of my order of assembly/painting. However, I do leave my main ladders till last (for exactly the reasons you mention) - I find a little local paint removal, soldering and tidying up afterwards can be achieved without too much difficulty.

 

I also agree re the ladder angle (and Steve has given us a handy formula for this) so looks like the baseplate is simply too small. Answer - make yourself a bigger baseplate! (when you do signal No.2). A final thing re ladders, which I don't think others have mentioned - there would likely be a supporting bracket about halfway up between the main post and the ladder to steady it. Pic attached to illustrate (appreciate my signal is a little taller  - this ladder is supported in 4 places between the top and bottom!)

 

 

It's a nice (and simple enough) detail to add and will in fact make the model ladder stronger and less prone to knocks. A banana shaped ladder spoils the illusion somewhat!

Edited December 12, 2013 by LNER4479

[Jason T]

One step ahead of you there; I added the straps, upper ladders, loops and handrails this morning (woke up early). Just need to get to Halfords for some white primer now.

 

I'll pretend I never read about the ladder because I really don't want to make a new baseplate and under-board gubbins again now. I know I should but if I am honest, as it is my first attempt I am just chuffed that I didn't end up with a mashed up pile of solder-splattered scrap brass in the bottom of the bin

 

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

It is quite steep (but not vertical) although it is right at the edge of the base plate, which is where I presume it should go?

Signal ladders were steep, especially on some of the tall ones. Steve's formula of 1 in 12 is about right for most posts.

[LNER4479]

Fantastic....although there might be more ladder problems afoot - the upper ladders more often went sideways down to the central part of the platform (ask yourself how does the lampman get on the foot of the ladder when it's so close to the handrails?(!)

 

Great work though - I'm glad you've conquered your signal fears!

[Brass0four]

 

Hi Jason, can I ask you the source of the red mechanical shovel? (Can't think of the proper name) It's just what I'm needing.

 

Tony.

[Jason T]

It's hard to tell from the photo I have although the loops on the ladders (and the ladders themselves) appear to be in the orientation I have depicted.

 

Edit: Hi Tony,

 

it's a Fordson Chaseside H-Lift Loader, by Langley. (Code is RW15 I think)

[Jason T]

You've got me wondering now Graham. I have a print-off of the photo that shows the real signal (4 dolls rather than 2) on the below page and as you can see, it's not easy to spot the ladders (painted white?) but the loops definitely look like they are at the back of the signals rather than on the sides.

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/bacup/index.shtml

 

Just popped to Halfords and picked up a can of white primer; I am itching to get spraying and painting now

[LNER4479]

I have a print-off of the photo that shows the real signal (4 dolls rather than 2) on the below page and as you can see, it's not easy to spot the ladders (painted white?) but the loops definitely look like they are at the back of the signals rather than on the sides.

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/bacup/index.shtml

 

Yep - I'd agree that on that signal they do go up the back as you've done so all is well (can just make out one of the ladders). On all of mine they go up sideways so there may have been company/regional preference. I doubt ladders would be white; being relatively slender they've probably simply 'disappeared' against the white sky background.

 

White Sky...Bacup? Does not compute

[Jason T]

It was probably taken at the exact second that a flash of lightning lit up the otherwise grey and dull sky

[bluebottle]

I don't know what prototype photos you've looked at of LMS bracket signals, Jason, but the ladders are fairly clearly shown on this

picture http://www.signalbox.org/signals/lms.htm  of  a three-doll at Middleton Junction West, in former L&Y territory. Somebody's kindly photoshopped in an atypically blue sky to make things clearer!

Edited December 12, 2013 by bluebottle

[Jason T]

Thanks Gordon. Those ladders do look white, too.

[Andrew P]

Hi Jason, just popped in for a look at the completed signal, cracking job mate, well done.

 

Bodgit

Edited December 12, 2013 by Andrew P

[Jaz]

have you a picture for clarification?

[Jason T]

The real signal is the third shot down on this page, Jaz (although my signal has 2 dolls rather than 4 as I couldn't model the junction which in reality was a couple of hundred yards - if that - from the platform end)

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/bacup/index.shtml

 

Gordon is referring to the second shot down on the page he linked to, with three dolls.

[Brass0four]

edit = Sandside / post 1704

You say the windows are too white, but I still have relatives who go on about how people aren't house proud any more, how they or their mums used to be out with a bucket and scrubbing brushing cleaning the front step. I think that cleaning the downstairs windows and paying a window cleaner with his ladder was not uncommon. So clean windows existed it is just whether they photographed so well. Newspaper (if it wasn't used in the loo) and vinegar was very popular for cleaning windows. Poor maybe, but dirty???andmas.co.uk/scarpbook

In the 50's one of the biggest sins was to have a dirty door step. First thing every morning women would be out cleaning and polishing!? The polish was called 'Cardinal Red'.

fishfingerbutty:blogspot.co.uk/northern soul

Women in Leeds clean and polish their doorsteps with sandstone. Having a clean doorstep and polished windowsills showed the rest of the community's womenfolk that the housewife kept a pristine home. 'She keeps a lovely front' was the ultimate accolade for the houseproud woman.[/size]

I came back to this post as it has worried me in retrospect, that Jason had made the remark that his "windows were too white." I see you've edited it accordingly, Jaz, which is fine. Apologies to you and Jason for my jumping in. (most unlike me... not! )

 

Tony.

[mark axlecounter]

Hi Jason the signal is coming along great

As for the ladder angel it don't matter at horrocksford ( in clitheroe ) the signal from the cement siding ( hj 4 ) was steeper than the signal on the main line ( hj 2 ) both were semaphore signals

[mark axlecounter]

Forgot to say as long as they are not straight up then they are ok but as I say it looks good

[Jason T]

A very timely update there Mark, as the signal has now been painted, arms attached and planted. Still to do are add the operating wires, source servos, etc., but that can wait until the layout is in it's new home, 1/4 mile down the road from here (we're moving on Saturday).

 

Anyway, here goes. I went with black ladders in the end; it looked a bit anaemic with white ones.

 

 

Drivers sighting from the platforms. The water tank is sort of a placeholder; the one on Bacup platforms was sited at the end of the platforms. This one is the Peco one and needs a bit of work (to say the least); I'd not really given it much consideration before but now the signal is in place, it stands out like a sore thumb.

 

 

Yes, another shot of the signal box. Can you tell I am quite chuffed with how it turned out?

 

A longer shot. The odd building has been ignored but is still in place, awaiting a more suitable structure being decided on and built.

 

Next job? Possibly the ground signals.

[Alister_G]

That's looking the bees knees and dogs whatsits mate. Lovely job.

 

I especially like the little details like the bottom section of ladder is white to stop folk bumping into it!

 

The signal box looks just right as well.

 

Brilliant!

 

Al.