Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[Sandhole]

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:

 

20181021 001 PM 27A, 29, 27B point motors and wiring.JPG

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:

 

20181021 002 Porthmellyn Road Branch temporary tracks looking Up.JPG

 

20181021 003 Porthmellyn Road Branch temporary tracks looking Down.JPG

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.

The pointwork is lovely.

Do I see you using Hornby Dublo bufferstops? Great recycling!

I've got three on my trainset. They must be 50yrs old and the finish has not changed!!

                                                                                           Chris.

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

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.

 

20181027 002 Eemeck release push button front.JPG

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.

 

20181027 004 Eemeck release push button back.JPG

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.

 

...that feeling you get when you read something and go, 'wow that sounds amazing' followed by 'I have no idea what any of that means'

 

I love all this proper interlocking and signalling despite not understanding a single word of it. 

 

I got excited seeing pictures of The Laird's interlocking frame - no clue what any of it is, but its all so damn' railroady.

[St Enodoc]

The pointwork is lovely.

Do I see you using Hornby Dublo bufferstops? Great recycling!

I've got three on my trainset. They must be 50yrs old and the finish has not changed!!

                                                                                           Chris.

Thanks Chris. Yes, they are old HD buffer stops, which I will be using for off-stage dead ends. I'm also using them as temporary fittings on the scenic sections pending confirmation of the final alignment and lengths of the various sidings. I will replace them with LM&S (David Franks) kits in due course.

[St Enodoc]

...that feeling you get when you read something and go, 'wow that sounds amazing' followed by 'I have no idea what any of that means'

 

I love all this proper interlocking and signalling despite not understanding a single word of it. 

 

I got excited seeing pictures of The Laird's interlocking frame - no clue what any of it is, but its all so damn' railroady.

Thanks Doc. It's something I've always been interested in. It's by no means as complicated or sophisticated as The Laird's arrangements though!

 

Edit: for example http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64065-leeds-city-the-midland-side-in-4mm/page-36&do=findComment&comment=3349050

Edited October 30, 2018 by St Enodoc

[St Enodoc]

Another order from Hattons tonight - not from the Sale of the Century but for half-a-dozen ancient Airfix B Set coaches. I don't need the coaches but the bogies will do the job with some of the kits I have lying around, BSL 70-footers for example.

[kandc_au]

Do they have the 7ft bogies?

khris

[St Enodoc]

Do they have the 7ft bogies?

khris

Yes Khris. The Airfix coaches (and successors) are based on diagram E140.

[M.I.B]

Another order from Hattons tonight - not from the Sale of the Century but for half-a-dozen ancient Airfix B Set coaches. I don't need the coaches but the bogies will do the job with some of the kits I have lying around, BSL 70-footers for example.

 

Add Comet sides and you'll have K40s..............

 

 

(and don't Araldite them on - I speak from sad experience)

[St Enodoc]

Add Comet sides and you'll have K40s..............

 

 

(and don't Araldite them on - I speak from sad experience)

Got some already! Also C60/C62/C63/D109/E141/H38 I think.

[St Enodoc]

Back today from my annual trip to Singapore for the rugby sevens. Waiting for me was the Bachmann maroon Warship, which does look rather fine. I'll test it at the weekend after which it will be put away until the far-distant date when the Tregissey dock layout is built.

 

On the other hand, it might be of use to Peter the Cornishman on his layout in the meantime. If so, I'll chip it, Kadee it and transfer it on loan.

[St Enodoc]

Another order from Hattons tonight - not from the Sale of the Century but for half-a-dozen ancient Airfix B Set coaches. I don't need the coaches but the bogies will do the job with some of the kits I have lying around, BSL 70-footers for example.

The coaches have arrived. They are all original Airfix, so they are fitted with the original small couplings held in place by a small cover plate. These are very easy to convert to semi-permanent close couplings using bent paper-clip wire. Price, including postage, was about GBP 7 each. A good deal I think.

Edited November 9, 2018 by St Enodoc

[The Fatadder]

The coaches have arrived. They are all original Airfix, so they are fitted with the original small couplings held in place by a small cover plate. These are very easy to convert to semi-permanent close couplings using bent paper-clip wire. Price, including postage, was about GBP 7 each. A good deal I think.

Could you show a photo of this arrangement please?

Sounds useful for my B Sets

[St Enodoc]

Could you show a photo of this arrangement please?

Sounds useful for my B Sets

Rich, I'll take a picture tomorrow if I remember. First you take off the cover plate and remove the couplings. Make a loop about 2 mm diameter at each end of a piece of paper-clip wire, which is just long enough to stop the coaches buffer-locking or the ends touching on reverse curves. On each coach, slip the loop over the spigot that used to locate the coupling and replace the cover plate.

[Martin S-C]

I was thinking that if you bend the wire so it has some droop in it and paint it a dirty colour it would look like a brake hose.

[St Enodoc]

I was thinking that if you bend the wire so it has some droop in it and paint it a dirty colour it would look like a brake hose.

You could certainly do that Martin, although to be honest I don't bother.

[St Enodoc]

Rich, I'll take a picture tomorrow if I remember. First you take off the cover plate and remove the couplings. Make a loop about 2 mm diameter at each end of a piece of paper-clip wire, which is just long enough to stop the coaches buffer-locking or the ends touching on reverse curves. On each coach, slip the loop over the spigot that used to locate the coupling and replace the cover plate.

Here we go:

 

This is how the couplings look as supplied and fitted.

 

Unclip the cover plate to remove the coupling itself and the centring spring.

 

The spigot is moulded into the coupling housing.

 

Here is the new coupling wire with the loop at each end...

 

... and here it is placed over the spigots.

 

Refit the cover plates and...

 

... job done.

[St Enodoc]

I started to box in the lever frame today.

 

I built a simple frame with ply sides that will have a further ply sheet screwed underneath to protect the frame from stray people and vice versa.

 

The front panel will hold the Line Clear release push-buttons, while a flat piece on top will hide the ends of the lever spacer screws. This is probably where the pulling list will go.

[Mallard60022]

Damn fine frame and housing dear boy.

Could that close coupling be a tad tighter as the real things were very close IIRC?

P

Edited November 10, 2018 by Mallard60022

[Mallard60022]

By the way, don't let Stubby see that Caravan (or Trump for that matter)

[St Enodoc]

Damn fine frame and housing dear boy.

Could that close coupling be a tad tighter as the real things were very close IIRC?

P

Yes, it probably could. It was set up for a previous layout that had tighter reverse curves than the present one.

[Martin S-C]

Apart from the monster wheels those Airfix coaches still look good even after - what? Twenty five years?

[Denbridge]

Apart from the monster wheels those Airfix coaches still look good even after - what? Twenty five years?

nearer 40 years ago. They came out somewhere around 1980

[Barry O]

Dear Mr Duck ..are you referring to the blue and cream motorised caravan perchance? Beat thing for it is for it to left in a corner to kick its heals!

 

 

St Enodoc..nice bit of woodwork..see the shagbat box is still in place....

[St Enodoc]

Dear Mr Duck ..are you referring to the blue and cream motorised caravan perchance? Beat thing for it is for it to left in a corner to kick its heals!

 

 

St Enodoc..nice bit of woodwork..see the shagbat box is still in place....

The caravan ain't goin' nowhere. I'm certainly not planning an Andy Peters-style Caravan Club gathering.

 

The Shack will remain in its box for some time. I'm not going to build it until the section of the layout over which it will be flying is complete, which is a long way off.

 

Finally, in other news from Twickenham, what a match...

[St Enodoc]

nearer 40 years ago. They came out somewhere around 1980

1977, according to this link:

 

http://www.airfixrailways.co.uk/ARSysB.htm