Dock Green

[chaz]

Well Saturday went off well. The layout was erected smoothly with no problems - a nice flat floor helping a lot. The show was reasonably well attended although the afternoon was quieter. Today promises to be dull and wet - it will be interesting to see how that affects attendance.

 

We had the usual few problems with couplings and point No. 4 decided to misbehave again. The crossing polarity switch was giving problems and even the Peckett (with its keep-alive) was stuttering. My first try at adjustment (sliding the wire yoke on the Tortoise down) made matters worse but a second try, pushing it to the top of the slots, put things right. This is not the first time this point has misbehaved. The main reason for the problem is the very tight positioning of the motor - it sits very confined between a baseboard cross-beam and the side of the canal cut. The difficulty of fitting it there may have led to my getting the mount off-centre - resulting in the switch not making contact for one route. It may be wise to replace the internal switch in the Tortoise with a relay. If this is wired in parallel with the Tortoise motor and with a diode in series with the relay coil it will switch on and off when the points are reversed and put back, without the need for much extra wiring.

 

Now that we have the extension board so that all trains can be checked before emerging into view on-scene derailments are very rare - the only one I saw (caused!) was when I was very clumsy with an uncoupling pole. Apart from the sheenanigans with point 4, stalls are also rare now - due probably to the graphite with which we treated the rail head.

 

I managed to get some photos during the quieter moments and will post the better ones later.

 

Chaz

[Donw]

Chaz might a kink or bend in the Tortoise operating arm do the trick by adjusting it so the Tortoise is mid centre when the tiebar is as well.

 

Don

[81A Oldoak]

Well Saturday went off well. The layout was erected smoothly with no problems - a nice flat floor helping a lot. The show was reasonably well attended although the afternoon was quieter. Today promises to be dull and wet - it will be interesting to see how that affects attendance.

 

We had the usual few problems with couplings and point No. 4 decided to misbehave again. The crossing polarity switch was giving problems and even the Peckett (with its keep-alive) was stuttering. My first try at adjustment (sliding the wire yoke on the Tortoise down) made matters worse but a second try, pushing it to the top of the slots, put things right. This is not the first time this point has misbehaved. The main reason for the problem is the very tight positioning of the motor - it sits very confined between a baseboard cross-beam and the side of the canal cut. The difficulty of fitting it there may have led to my getting the mount off-centre - resulting in the switch not making contact for one route. It may be wise to replace the internal switch in the Tortoise with a relay. If this is wired in parallel with the Tortoise motor and with a diode in series with the relay coil it will switch on and off when the points are reversed and put back, without the need for much extra wiring.

 

Now that we have the extension board so that all trains can be checked before emerging into view on-scene derailments are very rare - the only one I saw (caused!) was when I was very clumsy with an uncoupling pole. Apart from the sheenanigans with point 4, stalls are also rare now - due probably to the graphite with which we treated the rail head.

 

I managed to get some photos during the quieter moments and will post the better ones later.

 

Chaz

Perhaps you need a new Peckett Chaz.

[CME and Bottlewasher]

Lovely work Chaz.  

 

The Red telephone box (as with white or yellows) will always draw the eye to the centre of a painting (humans see these colours as 'danger' etc) or layout, so light weathering helps with such, having said that all beautifully modelled.    That pile of wood, is crying out for a rat or two (if there is such a thing, well cast, in 7mm?) or perhaps a decent model cat peering into such, thus implying rodent infestation?

 

Keep up the great work.

 

In haste, kind regards,

 

CME

Edited July 26, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher

[chaz]

Chaz might a kink or bend in the Tortoise operating arm do the trick by adjusting it so the Tortoise is mid centre when the tiebar is as well.

 

Don

 

Thanks Don - It might well but I think that the best long term option will be the relay. There is no problem with the throw, the blades move snugly against the stock rails - the problem is all electrical. Access is so limited I really don't want to remove the motor to effect changes to the wire. I am sure the relay will be a quicker mod' even if the adjustment you suggest sounds like it ought to be the simplest.

 

Chaz

[chaz]

My silent prayers to the Rain God paid off! Yesterday we drove down to New Milton in the van for the Sunday session in pouring rain, and with me thinking that loading and unloading at the day's end was not going to be fun. But mid-afternoon the rain had stopped and for a while there was even a strange bright glow in the sky. The poor weather for most of the day had one welcome effect - driving through Lynhurst in The Forest can be hell on wheels in summer - but not yesterday.

 

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I often talk to visitors at the show about the layout. Over the weekend it became evident that quite a few had not noticed the fire escape, tucked away as it is at one end of the layout, well away from "the action". I am wondering if there is anything I can add to draw attention to it, without ruining the look - movement or lighting? I can't think what at the moment. (One of my operators said I shouldn't worry as in his opinion the essence of good scenery was that it shouldn't be noticed - but I'm not sure he's right).

 

Chaz

[Donw]

I rather tend to agree with your operator. The viewers focus should be on the trains . The function of the scenery is too create the atmosphere for the trains. When someone's interest strays from the trains and turns towards the fiddle yard bit the fireescape should grab their intention and hold it within the modelled part. 

However if you want to draw viewers attention that direction I would suggest either a light flashing behind the windows of the factory, a sound effect of some operations within the factory running in short burst so as not to be too irritating, an interesting posing of figures on the fire escape

 

Don

[81A Oldoak]

My silent prayers to the Rain God paid off! Yesterday we drove down to New Milton in the van for the Sunday session in pouring rain, and with me thinking that loading and unloading at the day's end was not going to be fun. But mid-afternoon the rain had stopped and for a while there was even a strange bright glow in the sky. The poor weather for most of the day had one welcome effect - driving through Lynhurst in The Forest can be hell on wheels in summer - but not yesterday.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I often talk to visitors at the show about the layout. Over the weekend it became evident that quite a few had not noticed the fire escape, tucked away as it is at one end of the layout, well away from "the action". I am wondering if there is anything I can add to draw attention to it, without ruining the look - movement or lighting? I can't think what at the moment. (One of my operators said I shouldn't worry as in his opinion the essence of good scenery was that it shouldn't be noticed - but I'm not sure he's right).

 

Chaz

Well Chaz, having operated Dock Green I believe the scenery exists to provide a convincing scene for the trains rather than to be an end in themselves. I would certainly avoid any sort of motion or light based attraction as they are usually quite unconvincing and often, well, just naff.  When I go to the theatre, I don't go to admire the scenery.    

 

Chris

[chaz]

Well Chaz, having operated Dock Green I believe the scenery exists to provide a convincing scene for the trains rather than to be an end in themselves. I would certainly avoid any sort of motion or light based attraction as they are usually quite unconvincing and often, well, just naff.  When I go to the theatre, I don't go to admire the scenery.    

 

Chris

 

Well put Chris. I certainly don't want anything "naff" on Dock Green. It's possible (!) that I am being too precious about the fire escape as it is such a new feature. I may try some sort of light in one of the windows - i am definitely going to have to put a screen of some sort behind them. I did think about a flashing light on a piece of unidentifiable machinery. I may try it out as a quick mock up - then if it does look "naff" it can be quietly binned.

 

Chaz

[Barnaby]

..................... in the 60's there used to exist those spikey glass strands [fibre optics] that were tied together at one end and placed over a lamp.  When the lamp lit the opposite strand ends lit like a bunch of stars.

Further to this between the lamp and the strands was fitted a motorised glass disc capsule that had different coloured liquids in it.  They wouldn't mix all together but did move about to give constantly changing colours at the strand tips.  Similar to those tall lamps that the liquid moved about in when the lamp got hot.

 

I think I have somewhere one of those discs but only God knows where it is.

 

Naaaar sounds a bit naff, might be ok in a dim lit coffee bar.

[chaz]

..................... in the 60's there used to exist those spikey glass strands [fibre optics] that were tied together at one end and placed over a lamp.  When the lamp lit the opposite strand ends lit like a bunch of stars.

Further to this between the lamp and the strands was fitted a motorised glass disc capsule that had different coloured liquids in it.  They wouldn't mix all together but did move about to give constantly changing colours at the strand tips.  Similar to those tall lamps that the liquid moved about in when the lamp got hot.

 

I think I have somewhere one of those discs but only God knows where it is.

 

Naaaar sounds a bit naff, might be ok in a dim lit coffee bar.

 

I have to agree with your last sentence Barnaby.

[chaz]

Some photos from the New Milton show. I have not Photoshopped the backgrounds so parts of the room, the operators and the onlookers will be evident in some most shots.

-------------------------------------

A J50/3 waits at the starter signal. It will reverse and couple to a train before departing. In the meantime the short length of track between the crossover and the signal makes a convenient place for it to stand out of the way of shunting moves. In the foreground the Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST, owned by the Dock Green Industrial Estates Co., waits on the estate lines for its next shunting job. I am really pleased that they do not letter out the company name on the locos.

 

 

In this view from the road bridge 68973 is standing on the headshunt. The track immediately to the right and on a descending gradient leads to the industrial estate lines byond the bridge, behind the cameraman.

 

 

The industrial estate's Peckett 0-4-0ST "Susan" brings three empty tank wagons up the grade from the estate. In the background 11135, a BR 0-6-0 diesel shunter waits to shunt them into a train.

 

 

Later the Peckett is found standing in the warehouse platform. Why it had run to here with no load to move must remain a mystery. Maybe the driver had some nefarious purpose in the warehouse.

 

 

This grimy van has been left on goods No. 2 siding during shunting. It's a Diag. 87 Milk & General van and is surprisingly rated to carry only 8 tons.

 

 

Another view of the Diag. 87 van.

 

 

And I couldn't resist this, on the Radley Models stand...

 

 

...it's a splendid 1:43 diecast LT RT. I'm afraid it will have to be the dreaded (and mocked) bus-on-a-bridge, as the two bridges are the only roads modelled on Dock Green. I don't think I can park a bus in the yard. 

 

I will post more photos later.

 

Chaz

Edited July 29, 2015 by chaz

[Pete Harvey]

Did anyone ask about the Fire Escape Chaz?

[chaz]

Did anyone ask about the Fire Escape Chaz?

 

Not exactly, but I did have chats about it with a few interested visitors after drawing their attention to it. The fact that it is up one end of the layout and away from "the action" means that many people don't notice it. (see above)

 

Chaz

[Siberian Snooper]

The one sort of flashing light in a window which might not look too naff would be the flashing of arc welding.

[chaz]

The one sort of flashing light in a window which might not look too naff would be the flashing of arc welding.

 

Thanks SS, but that idea has already been wheeled out and then demolished. My money at the moment is on a large machine, with no moving parts visible but with a control panel with lights on, one of which can be flashing - not difficult to do with LEDs. I have some flashing LEDs somewhere - they are 5mm diameter but can be arranged to shine through a much smaller hole.

 

Chaz

[chaz]

A few more...

 

This is the estate's Hudswell Clake 0-6-0ST "Christine" on the transfer siding, which is used to exchange traffic between BR and the estate's metals. Although the driver/fireman (there is probably only one man on the footplate of this small private loco?) keeps the sides of the tank and cab clean the top of the tank and footplate look somewhat neglected.

The estate's locos are permitted to run onto BR metals but only in the yard, and certainly not beyond the starter signal that protects the exit track. "Christine" is standing on the headshunt with the inclined track that leads to the estate in the foreground. The loco being coupled to the ex-P.O. mineral wagon certainly emphasises just how small this type was.

Here is the third of the estate's rag-bag collection of motive power and certainly the dirtiest. Maybe the driver has little regard for a diesel and would prefer his original "kettle". The J50 passing behind leaves a blurred image on the slow colour film available in 1959. 

The Fowler diesel is about to draw the vans forward and will then reverse them over the crossover and into the warehouse siding. These tracks and the incline glimpsed to the right of the diesel are all estate metals but the head shunt that the J50 is standing on is BR(E) track. The girder bridge prominent in the photo carries a single track line over the yard but nothing ever crosses it even though bright rails show it is still well used!

[2ManySpams]

Thanks Don - It might well but I think that the best long term option will be the relay. There is no problem with the throw, the blades move snugly against the stock rails - the problem is all electrical. Access is so limited I really don't want to remove the motor to effect changes to the wire. I am sure the relay will be a quicker mod' even if the adjustment you suggest sounds like it ought to be the simplest.

 

Chaz

 

Hi Chaz we had some of the early Tortoise point motors on Treneglos and had issues with electrical switching. The was overcome by adding an external microswitch to the point motor. No problems since. I understand that the internal microswitches may have been beefed up on later models. Don't ask when 'later' kicked in though...

[chaz]

Hi Chaz we had some of the early Tortoise point motors on Treneglos and had issues with electrical switching. The was overcome by adding an external microswitch to the point motor. No problems since. I understand that the internal microswitches may have been beefed up on later models. Don't ask when 'later' kicked in though...

 

Thanks for that Chris. The Tortoise was purchased three four or five years ago so is not an early-batch machine. No, it's my fault it doesn't work as it should. Due to the extremely tight space into which the motor fits I had to crank the operating wire and this has led to insufficient movement of the internal switch. I don't think I want to use a micro switch as its connection with the motor must be mechanical. I consider a relay to be a more elegant solution, wired like this...

 

 

The sketch shows the wiring to the Tortoise motor and the relay - not the crossing connections. The turnout switches on DG are wired as polarity changers so the diode allows current to the relay for only one of the routes. Reversing the diode would swap the action so that the relay coil is on for the other route, but which route corresponds to "on" doesn't really matter - the changeover switch in the relay can be wired to the crossing in such a way to get the correct polarity. There is a voltage drop across the diode of about 0.7V but this is not enough to cause any problem with the relay's operation.

 

The bonus for me of adopting this approach is that the wiring can be done at the tag-strip where the wires from the Tortoise are taken and there will be no need to disturb the motor in its cramped and difficult to work in position.

 

Chaz

Edited July 28, 2015 by chaz

[chaz]

Another batch of snaps....

 

The first three are of a train of wagons that has been shunted across the yard to the transfer siding to get it out of the way so that another trip freight can arrive on the reception line. A very unlikely moment for a yard as small as Dock Green but then the traffic levels on the layout are more like those at Ferme Park. At the head of the train are the three tankers. Being black rather than silver and probably used for heavy oil rather than petroleum they can be coupled directly to the loco without any barrier wagons.

 

 

In the middle of the rake is an ex-GNR refrigerated van. I thought this was an ex-NER van but I bought a copy of Peter Tatlow's "LNER Wagons - Vol. 1" at the show which put me straight. The ladders and ice hatches on this van add to the interest (although they may well be anachronistic).

 

 

At the rear of the train is my model of an ex-LNER "Green Arrow" brake van. This was built from a Connoisseur brass kit for the BR standard van. It had to be taken out of service during the show as the brake shoes were touching on both sides and producing its own little firework display.

 

 

A view not available to show visitors. The ex-GNR saddle tank 68824 has brought a trip working into the yard and is standing on the reception line. 68824 was a Hornsey engine and probably spent most of its time shunting in the Ferme Park yards but its use on a trip freight to Dock Green is entirely credible. The beams across the track support the overall roof over the goods platform. It's a grim gloomy place.

 

 

A view at the other end of the layout.

 

 

Chaz

Edited July 28, 2015 by chaz

[chaz]

I am not a big "bus fan" but when I saw the diecast RT on the Radley Models stand I just couldn't resist it.

 

 

Nothing says "London" for me more than a bright red double decker and no bus is more iconic for the fifties than the RT - only small numbers of Routemasters were around in 1959.

 

 

One or two things I might change (depends if I can be bothered). That advert' with its reference to 50p might have to go - decimal currency didn't arrive in the UK until 1971 - steam was long gone. The destination board and route could also be changed. "Orpington Station" could become "Dock Green Station" and the route could be be more North London, the route number either a fiction or an extension. The lack of a driver is not a problem - I am going to park it at a bus stop on the bridge where the route terminates so the driver is in a local cafe with a cuppa.

 

 

The little BMW bubble car belongs to one of my operating team. As he is planning a German O gauge layout he couldn't resist this little gem. Its stay on Dock Green was only for the day!

 

Chaz

Edited July 28, 2015 by chaz

[Simond]

Ok in a dimly lit coffee bar...

 

In Amsterdam...

[chaz]

Here are the last few photos that I took at New Milton.

 

The Peckett always photographs cleaner than it looks to the eye. Even my DSLR is blind to the weathering.

 

 

68824 propels a very mixed rake of vans towards Goods No. 1 siding and the covered platform.

 

 

A recently arrived trip freight stands on the reception line with a BR standard brake van at the rear end. The van was made from the excellent Connoisseur brass kit.

 

 

68824 shunts another BR standard brake van, this one an unfitted example, made from the Slater's plastic kit. Although it makes up into a convincing model if I was to make another BR van I would choose the brass kit.

 

 

I like this "view from the bridge" with its maze of tracks .

 

 

A last look with the Peckett shunting the tank wagons.

 

 

Chaz

Edited July 29, 2015 by chaz

[Donw]

A lovely set of photos Chaz that photo of the 'maze of tracks' looks very natural typical of real railways but very seldom modelled.

Don

[chaz]

Dock Green's next outing is to the Andover show on 5th/6th September. If you haven't managed to see the layout in the flesh yet and live in the south this could be your chance! Unfortunately this does clash with Guildex at Telford but you don't want to drag all the way up there do you?

 

Chaz