Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Some of the trackwork around Kings Cross in the early 70's was a bit 'sus' in places. I can remember the odd knock on the head as we bounced around in the yards. Ferme park and Finsbury Pk.

 

manna

[St Enodoc]

I fixed the wiggle and the dogleg this morning.

 

First I pulled up about a foot of track leading from 29 points into the Branch platform and replaced it with a new straight piece.

 

 

Next I eased the rails between 27A points and the diamond away from their timbers. This is easy to do with the soldering iron and a very thin feeler gauge. After the rails were free I used a Tracksetta to resolder one side in a smoother curve and then resoldered the other side using a roller gauge.

 

 

I think (hope!) that you will see that the area looks much better than was the case in last weekend's photos.

 

Point motors next.

[Barry O]

Looks good.

I need some point motors for Barnbow East. You are using cobalts?

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

Looks good.

I need some point motors for Barnbow East. You are using cobalts?

 

Baz

Yes, I'm using iP Analogue for the scenic section, powered by a DCC Concepts +9/0/-9 V dc split potential supply through the lever frame. I've found them very good and the word is that they are way better than the original Cobalts from a few years ago. Much more compact then Tortoises, easier to connect and if you wire them up and the direction is wrong you just flick a switch on the side.

 

I've also got a few iP Digital to try out in the storage loops - partly as they will be simpler to use with the NCE Mini Panel than H&M solenoids, which need a separate decoder, and partly because I'm running low on decent H&Ms.

[Mikkel]

Oooh, those are very nice track flows, not least the scissors.

 

I see the parking lot is already in place. I'm sure there's a developer lurking somewhere among the cars, ready to  pounce on the station once it closes!

[Barry O]

Ta for that..shows my memory isn't playing tricks.

 

In other news what used to be Cinderella/Rockafella has been demolished...another uni memory bites the dust.

Baz

[St Enodoc]

Point motors and track wiring are now in, as far as the choc blocks for each motor. I was able to cheat a bit with the main red and black wires, as there is a soldered connection between this complex and 36A points via the single intermediate timber. I also soldered the stock rails of 27A and 29 points to their associated short lengths of plain track, which already have feeds. Nevertheless, with five vees and two elbows there are many more than two wires underneath!

 

All this was completed to the accompaniment of a huge thunderstorm and torrential rain.

 

The final tasks on the three-quarter scissors are to connect the point motor power wires to the choc blocks and then fit short five-wire harnesses (red, green, black, brown and blue) between the choc blocks and the three motors themselves. I'd like to get that done tomorrow if I can so that I can do some "testing".

 

That will complete all the main line and yard tracks at Porthmellyn Road, leaving only the facing crossover and the branch round to St Enodoc. Building the branch is a while off, as I will be doing other things before I move on to that.

[St Enodoc]

Oooh, those are very nice track flows, not least the scissors.

 

I see the parking lot is already in place. I'm sure there's a developer lurking somewhere among the cars, ready to  pounce on the station once it closes!

Ha ha, you should see the other end of the station - there are eight or nine buses and coaches (including, for some reason, a Singapore Bus Services double-decker from the 1990s) ready to provide the rail replacement service. I won't have that many overbridges on the layout though, so I've no idea where I'm supposed to put them.

[St Enodoc]

Ta for that..shows my memory isn't playing tricks.

 

In other news what used to be Cinderella/Rockafella has been demolished...another uni memory bites the dust.

Baz

That's a shame. We had some fun there over the years (I'll say no more to protect the guilty). Obviously you and H weren't going there often enough...

[Barry O]

? In a tunnel as a "Strategic Reserve"?

 

Ok, hat, coat, by!

Baz

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

There appear to be capstans for cable shunting too.  Not sure they should be bright blue though...

 

[St Enodoc]

I connected the point motors this afternoon and I'm very glad to say everything worked first time without adjustment.

 

I took this photo of the new point motors and the wiring for the three-quarter scissors especially for Clive M:

 

That's only the half of it - wait until the signals and uncouplers are installed as well. Thank goodness for DCC.

 

I tested the new trackwork with both the long and short clay trains. While I was doing this, I realised that the stub ends of the branch tracks were neither use nor ornament as they stood, so I connected more temporary track to them to form some quite unprototypical, but nevertheless useful, spurs:

 

 

They will be particularly useful to park trains on while Porthmellyn Road yard is emulating both Wheal Veronica and St Dennis Junction, running round the clay trains using the Chapel Sidings and the spurs at the Up end. For example, if we need to run round while the railbus is in the station we can move it to the Down Branch stub, clearing the Branch platform for the move.

 

That's now the end of tracklaying at Porthmellyn Road until I'm ready to start the branch line proper. Next I'll move on to finishing off the lever frame, first with the Line Clear releases and then boxing it all in both cosmetically and to prevent damage (most importantly to the underside). The final job will be to add the lever numbers and a pulling list for each lever.

 

After that, completing Paddington and Penzance loops will probably be the next item on the agenda.

[TrevorP1]

I like the smooth flowing curves in the last photo. Really looks the part!

[St Enodoc]

I don't need any more locos but...

 

When, one day, I build the separate mini-layout featuring Tregissey dock, I will need a small number of locos suitable for the August 1968 setting, one being a Port of Par Bagnall. A maroon Warship also fits this bill nicely, so I have just ordered a secondhand Bachmann D817 from Hattons. I've seen photos of D817 with small yellow panel in 1967 and with full yellow ends in 1970. I don't like the look of the full yellow ends, so small yellow panel it will be.

[Joseph_Pestell]

I don't need any more locos but...

 

When, one day, I build the separate mini-layout featuring Tregissey dock, I will need a small number of locos suitable for the August 1968 setting, one being a Port of Par Bagnall. A maroon Warship also fits this bill nicely, so I have just ordered a secondhand Bachmann D817 from Hattons. I've seen photos of D817 with small yellow panel in 1967 and with full yellow ends in 1970. I don't like the look of the full yellow ends, so small yellow panel it will be.

 

Some locos look fine with the full yellow end treatment. But the shape of the Warship body does not suit it at all. SYP definitely the better choice.

[St Enodoc]

Today I connected up the 5 V dc power supply for the Eemecks that lock the section signal levers. Once I had done that, I wired the Release push buttons ready for installation.

 

The way this works is that when the signalman in advance is ready to receive a train he turns on his Line Clear switch, which allows current to pass to the Release push button at Porthmellyn Road. This lights the built-in LED on the button, thus showing the Porthmellyn Road signalman that he can release the section signal.

 

To do this he presses the button, which activates the Eemeck solenoid, thereby withdrawing the armature from the locking port in the tappet. When the button is pressed the LED goes out and once the armature of the Eemeck has cleared the tappet the Porthmellyn Road signalman can pull the lever.

 

After the train has passed the section signal, the Porthmellyn Road signalman puts the lever back to normal and the Eemeck re-engages with the tappet to lock the lever again.

 

Of course, if the Line Clear switch is still closed, the LED will come on again when the button is released. It will only go out when the signalman in advance turns off his Line Clear switch after the train arrives at his signal box.

 

The LED forms a ring round the button head itself. When lit, these particular LEDs emit a yellow light. I got the switches from the owner of the cave layout, who uses them on his point control panel. They come from China and cost about $1.50 each.

 

The LED is shunted by the push button, so that it goes out when the button is pressed. A 360 ohm resistor (bigger than really needed but I had some in stock) limits the current to protect the LED and also to prevent activation of the Eemeck until the button is pressed.

 

This all worked well on a trial basis, so the next job is to build the casing for the lever frame, mount the Release push buttons in front of their respective signal levers then complete the other parts of the circuit between Porthmellyn Road, Paddington and Penzance.

[5BarVT]

Of course, if the Line Clear switch is still closed, the LED will come on again when the button is released. It will only go out when the signalman in advance turns off his Line Clear switch after the train arrives at his signal box.

Tut, tut, tut: that’s how you get two trains in one section.

Don’t forget, as soon as the train passes the box at Porth Mellyn Train Entering Section should be sent and the line clear removed.

:-)

You should have fun once it’s up and running.

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

Tut, tut, tut: that’s how you get two trains in one section.

Don’t forget, as soon as the train passes the box at Porth Mellyn Train Entering Section should be sent and the line clear removed.

:-)

You should have fun once it’s up and running.

Paul.

Thanks Paul. I was expecting you or Mike to say that!

 

I'm avoiding bells, as to me it sounds plain daft when you can hear them at both ends of the section - let alone at other signal boxes that are supposed to be miles apart (another reason I don't use DCC sound too). The idea is to have a half-way house between just asking "can you take train 42 yet?" and full absolute block working - which would, in any case, frighten most of my operators away! The most important part is that drivers will be able to see from the signals when they can proceed.

 

I'll be installing some sort of first-come-first-served arrangement on the single line sections on the branch in due course too, for similar reasons.

 

This is one of those compromises that I am happy to accept. If (when) our trains crash nobody dies.

[Stubby47]

You're unlikely to get a head-on collision if all your loco motors are wired the same way.

[5BarVT]

I was about to say ‘all you need is a relay’ but that isn’t quite right:you would need a normal position switch on the signal lever too, which you don’t have.

An option for you (if you wanted) would be to run an LED in parallel with the signal into the advance box. Once the advance signalman sees the starter indication off then they know the line clear can be removed. Alternatively, if the starter is visible, you don’t even need the remote indication.

As usual, when the engineers can’t come up with the goods, operating instructions reign supreme!!

Still most envious of you having a ‘real’ box to play with.

Paul.

[Denbridge]

You're unlikely to get a head-on collision if all your loco motors are wired the same way.

Not so with DCC. Forward is always forward regardless of which way round a loco is. So head one are quite possible

[St Enodoc]

I was about to say ‘all you need is a relay’ but that isn’t quite right:you would need a normal position switch on the signal lever too, which you don’t have.

An option for you (if you wanted) would be to run an LED in parallel with the signal into the advance box. Once the advance signalman sees the starter indication off then they know the line clear can be removed. Alternatively, if the starter is visible, you don’t even need the remote indication.

As usual, when the engineers can’t come up with the goods, operating instructions reign supreme!!

Still most envious of you having a ‘real’ box to play with.

Paul.

You have hit the nail on the head Paul. Moreover, the train itself is visible throughout its run.

[St Enodoc]

Not so with DCC. Forward is always forward regardless of which way round a loco is. So head one are quite possible

True enough - in the case in question here though we are talking about one train running into the back of another.

[Denbridge]

True enough - in the case in question here though we are talking about one train running into the back of another.

my comment was in reply to Stubby who specifically mentioned head on collisions

[St Enodoc]

my comment was in reply to Stubby who specifically mentioned head on collisions

Understood - hence my clarification/amplification of your comment. If we get a head-on collision on the double track main line we'll really be in trouble...