Leaderboard

Which, for those who are into such things, gives the idea of a little cameo with every rule in the book being broken, horse in the middle of the track, horseman riding on the buffer, etc etc... Or, for those of a macabre bent, the consequence of breaking all the rules...

Most of the rule books and safety books show the horse to the side of the track, with a chain attached to the horse shunting loop on the side of the wagon. Often the rules have a direct prohibition on the use of the main coupling for horse shunting. That said, as JimC suggests, there are many photos showing the horse in the 4 foot with the chain attached to the main coupling. Not wise, if there is a bit of a slope to the track it is lasagne for tea..... Now , If I was a Board of trade inspector, with a suitable military title and a large moustache I would create a set of rules for horse working that bridge. The horse must be out of the four foot and attached to the wagon with a chain long enough for the horse on one side and the wagon on the other side to be clear of the restriction when the move is started. So , 4 yards horse, 10 yards bridge, 5 yards wagon hook. Say 20 yards. The horse can then pull the wagon with a slightly dragging brake through the bridge without danger of men or horse being caught in the narrow bit. The same idea could apply for captan working. This is a working set, one day I will find a use for them . Something like this:

Thanks Dave. I think that's the way I'd play it too, if I had to. I shall leave the capstans and pulleys for another layout (?!?!?!?), but I like the look of your working ones. That must have taken some doing.

An excellent solution to the lining problem. I’ll try it on my pre 1900 GWR coaches if I can get cream transfer paper! Duncan

There's plenty of time before any of these get built, except Penmouth Waterside which is already part built, so adjustments are easy to do. I'll shift those stabling point ground signals along a bit to give a bit more clearance. The speeds on this line are pretty low as it is a heritage operation so having running signals for goods or port exits isn't necessary for that. However, I'm not sure what the signalling in and out of the port line should really be so there might need to be something added there. Much up the line is of course off stage, but it's useful to know what it should be so that, if I really want to, I can model the levers and other equipment in the signal boxes correctly.

How about an "engines must not pass this arch" sign? Beyond it you can imagine an industrial line with its own shunter, a horse, or even just men with pinch bars...