Newgate Lane - Lessons in Modelling the Modern Railway

[LongRail]

Simon,

 

I have just come across this thread which is very Interesting and I like the look of your 3D printed items these look very useful and I am interested in purchasing some of the items

 

I have a couple of comments on your Lessons on Modern Railway which I trust you find of help

I hope these doesn't appear too critical because you have put together a lot of good information in one place which will be useful to a lot of people

 

Sleeper spacing design is not as simple as looking into the standards alone as the spacing depends on various factors including line speed and rail type. The track design handbook gives full details However the standard is a minimum and if you refer to table 1 this specifies the minimum no of sleepers per panel as 28 for CWR which equates to a sleeper spacing of 642mm or 8.4mm at 00 scale the peco set track is around 7.1 mm which equates to 540mm at full size.

The difference is closer to 1.3mm which I am personally happy to live with and which I don't think looks too out of place when compared with the real thing out there.

 

 

Location cases are double sided as you need to be able to access the wiring, connections etc from either side. The back of a location case would therefore need to be further away than 1.3m which is the minimum to the front of a position of safety.

 

The concrete location case base is below ground level and not visible this is to allow the cables to enter from below, the bottom of the case and space around the outside is filled with pea gravel to prevent rats from getting in and eating through the cables. (This can be seen in the picture you have used)

 

The line side concrete cable containment is known as troughing

 

You can get sleepers with cable routes through them but they are not always liked

 

Not all existing platforms have tactiles fitted, you need to check the area you are modelling.

 

With regards to the trap points a bay platform which I assume are modelling would would not require a trap as it would not be classed as a siding.

 

DOO mirrors can be located off the end of a platform they are used to allow a driver a clear view back along the platform to ensure it is safe to close the doors this is not always necessary as on a straight platform the driver can look back along the platform in some instances but on your bay platform the driver is located on the far side to the platform. With new stock CCTV is replacing the DOO mirrors with a monitor visible to the driver

[HeavyDuty]

Simon, I'm very glad I found this project.  I'm in the benchwork stage of a 1' x 4' modern SLT, and the atmosphere you are creating is exactly like I have been planning - a small station building, a platform shelter, a carpark and lots of detail.  I'll be cheerfully stealing from your ideas, I hope you don't mind.

 

I'll also be ordering details from your Shapeways store - they are exactly the things I need.

 

I'll be watching how Newgate Lane progresses with interest!

[LongRail]

Simon

 

Having checked the track design handbook and trap points are now required for bay platforms to protect passenger lines but not freight lines. You can of course always use modeller’s license.

 

 

One other point worth mentioning, Orange pipe is only use for short cable lengths from a toughing route to a piece of trackside equipment such a point motors, points heating units etc.

 

If a main cable route needs to cross the track then an Undertrack crossing (UTX) is required this will have an access chamber at either end with an inspection cover on top.

 

 

Photos below show one being installed at Wembley in 2004.

 

 

Track being reinstated

 

Top of inspection chamber

 

[St. Simon]

Simon,

I have just come across this thread which is very Interesting and I like the look of your 3D printed items these look very useful and I am interested in purchasing some of the items

I have a couple of comments on your Lessons on Modern Railway which I trust you find of help

I hope these doesn't appear too critical because you have put together a lot of good information in one place which will be useful to a lot of people

Sleeper spacing design is not as simple as looking into the standards alone as the spacing depends on various factors including line speed and rail type. The track design handbook gives full details However the standard is a minimum and if you refer to table 1 this specifies the minimum no of sleepers per panel as 28 for CWR which equates to a sleeper spacing of 642mm or 8.4mm at 00 scale the peco set track is around 7.1 mm which equates to 540mm at full size.

The difference is closer to 1.3mm which I am personally happy to live with and which I don't think looks too out of place when compared with the real thing out there.

Location cases are double sided as you need to be able to access the wiring, connections etc from either side. The back of a location case would therefore need to be further away than 1.3m which is the minimum to the front of a position of safety.

The concrete location case base is below ground level and not visible this is to allow the cables to enter from below, the bottom of the case and space around the outside is filled with pea gravel to prevent rats from getting in and eating through the cables. (This can be seen in the picture you have used)

The line side concrete cable containment is known as troughing

You can get sleepers with cable routes through them but they are not always liked

Not all existing platforms have tactiles fitted, you need to check the area you are modelling.

With regards to the trap points a bay platform which I assume are modelling would would not require a trap as it would not be classed as a siding.

DOO mirrors can be located off the end of a platform they are used to allow a driver a clear view back along the platform to ensure it is safe to close the doors this is not always necessary as on a straight platform the driver can look back along the platform in some instances but on your bay platform the driver is located on the far side to the platform. With new stock CCTV is replacing the DOO mirrors with a monitor visible to the driver

Hi Gary,

 

Don't worry about being critical, that's how we get better layouts!

 

You are correct in saying sleeper sleeper does vary on line speed and rail. Table 1 gives that the 28 sleepers per section is for Wood / Steel, giving as you correctly state as 8.4mm whereas it states for concrete sleepers, it is 26 sleepers per section, giving a spacing of 9mm.

 

I didn't realise that the concrete pads were buried, I actually got the idea from Nigel Burkin!

 

I'm modelling a brand new station, but it is based on Aylesbury Vale Parkway (I know, no 3rd rail there!). You are correct in saying that the Trap point shouldn't be there, but I'm using a bit of modelling license, refer to post #23 for the reasons.

 

Yes, you're right that the DOO Mirrors can be mounted off the platform. However, the distance between the Mirror and the front of the train, the driver would be able to see the Mirror, if you look at this picture of AVP:

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/3111503893_932db39959.jpg

 

It's the same set up as there. Where a platform is curved, a set of CCTV cameras and a set of Monitors, which I also have on Shapeways, instead of a mirror. The cameras on the stock you're talking about, such as the ones on the Electrostars, are used in conjunction with monitors, not as a replacement.

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Simon, I'm very glad I found this project.  I'm in the benchwork stage of a 1' x 4' modern SLT, and the atmosphere you are creating is exactly like I have been planning - a small station building, a platform shelter, a carpark and lots of detail.  I'll be cheerfully stealing from your ideas, I hope you don't mind.

 

I'll also be ordering details from your Shapeways store - they are exactly the things I need.

 

I'll be watching how Newgate Lane progresses with interest!

Hi,

 

I'm happy for you to steal as much as you want, I'm glad you like it and I want people to learn from the layout.

 

If you want more detail on the 3D prints, I have a thread on CAD section on the Forum: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87746-3d-printed-oo-modern-image-lineside-details/page-3.

 

There has been progress on the layout, but I haven't been able to get it onto the forum due to busy enough, but hopefully tonight or tomorrow, I'll update the thread with the progress.

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

Right, a progress update, quite a lot has been done to the layout since the last post, first of all the everything has been wired up, apart from the Platform Starting Signal:

 

 

 

I apologies for the awful photos, I grabbed them quickly, I'm also sorry for the dodgy background that is my bedroom, the layouts in there while I sort stuff out for a pending house move.

 

As you can see the all the Ballasting has been completed, but I'll show you in more detail in the future in the next installment of lessons.

 

Also, a Boundary has been created between Car Park and Platform Line, in the form of a Brick Wall with Concrete Pillars, the larger Concrete Sections are where the all wraps around the Catch Pits.

 

Also, the hill is pretty much finished:

 

 

As said a few posts ago, there are some wooden former's underneath it to get the basic shape, both weaving Cardboard strips (from a Cereal Packet) to form the base of the Hill and secured to the former's using Contact Adhesive:

 

 

Then Plaster Cloth was placed over the top and once dry painted in the same colour as the Cork was before Ballasting (B&Q Cocoa Powder). When this was dry I applied a layer of PVA and then sprinkled on patches of some Fine Woodland Scenics 'Dark Earth Scatter' before adding a top coat of grass scatter made up of a number of colours.

 

I then a added a small hedge row down either side of the Road. At the Bottom of the Hill, I had installed some strip wood to form a retaining Wall which I then covered in Mounting Card Scribed to represent wooden planks and then painted 'Sleeper Grim' colour.

 

That's really it in terms of Progress, I'm waiting on the Platform Starter Signal which I'm having built for me, and that should arrive the end of next week. Also,  as mentioned I'm preparing to move out of the parents house to a place in Reading, to be nearer to my new job, so I'm very busy with other things at the moment, but once I get settled in in a couple of weeks, I'll get back to the layout (which will be coming with me!)

 

So, until then, have a good weekend and if you have any questions, please ask!

 

Simon 

 

[St. Simon]

Hi.

 

First of all, I apologise to everyone for the lack of updates, Work and other railway projects have got in the way, so I haven't bee able to do much on 'Newgate Lane'.

 

However, I have done some bits and I'm now ready to continue with the 'Lessons in Modern Railway Modelling'. I'm currently writing the next few posts at the moment, and this weekend, I'm planning a monster Modelling weekend to get a load of projects into full swing, including putting details on NL.

 

Unfortunatly, until then, that's it, but look out for updates!

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Station Building and Names

 

The Station Building is made up from a Scale scenes Kit and is actually representative of many station buildings on the Southern Region (and across the country) in the later stages of BR, in fact, it is very similar to the one at Hedge End on the Fareham to Eastleigh line, which is not that far from the real Newgate Lane.

 

 

 

The station building has been detailed with my own 3D Printed Ticket Barriers along with a couple of people:

 

 

On the outside, the building has been detailed with posters of the era and area, a variety of them so that the layout isn’t tied down to one specific area. It’s also got a Ticket Machine outside and a set of Cycle Cabinets, both from Bachmann.

 

 

Later on, I’ll detail the concourse and car park further.

 

Plus, I've managed to add the station Nameboards, so far I have three sets, Southern:

 

 

South West Trains / Southeastern:

 

 

Network Southeast:

 

 

They are all interchangeable by drilling a hole through the Platform for a friction fit. 

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Lessons on Modern Railway Modelling No. 5 – Signalling Part 1, Positioning

 

Signalling is the heart of the railway, it controls it, it makes it tick, without it (in whatever form it takes), the railways would go into melt down and serious fatal accidents would happen every day. So clearly, you need to model it on your layout.

 

This first part covers positioning signals, a hugely complex thing to do as every layout is unique and requires different signal types / styles. To tell you the exact way to signal your layout in a single post is almost impossible and it even takes professionals on the real railway years to develop a signalling scheme, so I  can’t give you a definitive answer on ‘where should my signals be?’

 

What I will do here is give you how you should signal the track plan that I have and how it can be adapted to a similar layout. If you want help with signalling help, go to the Signalling Sub Section of the Knowledge section of the forum, there are many of us who are willing to help with signalling schemes (even if we do give you loads of different opinions!   ).

 

Firstly, I’m going to talk about the Platform Starter. This should be placed in a position that relates to where your trains stop in the platform, or where the stop markers are placed (there will be more on this in Lesson 9). To find this information, we must look at Railway Group Standard GK/RT0037 ‘Signal Positioning and Visibility’ 

 

Section B9.3 deals with Positioning of Platform Starting Signals and this states that the minimum distance between the starting signal and Train Stop Markers or DOO Equipment should be 25m, around a one foot in 4mm:ft scale.

 

 

However, where I have placed my signal is WRONG, it is at the correct distance, however, it is at the heel of the trap point, signals should always be placed at the toe of the point, and in 99% cases with some distance between point and signal. Unfortunately, space constraints and me wanting to have a point on the layout means that it is wrong.

 

The Platform Starting signal is a Unipart Dorman Searchlight Signal, built for me by Scale Design and represents one of the three aspect types that are slowly replacing the traditional filament lamp. You can read my full review of this model in the December Issue of BRM.

 

Now, onto the Signal on the Freight only line, this can actually be placed anywhere on my line, as it’s positioning isn’t all that critical. I’m uncertain as to whether the signal would be placed in real life where I’ve put it on the model, as the Platform Shelter would obstruct the sighting of it, so either I can get away with if I say a Banner Repeater is off scene or it’s wrong as it would not have enough sighting distance and would be platform on the Buffer side of the shelter.

 

 

The Signal itself is a Traintronics Model representing a traditional filament lamp signal.

 

The two blokes near the signal are ‘mini me’s’ they are representing members of Network Rail’s Signalling Design Group, who I work for, doing a signal sighting survey in the traditional manner. Nowadays, this won’t be seen as all the signal sighting and measurement work is undertaken using Network Rail’s fleet of test and infrastructure trains. I’ll go more into people later 

 

For this layout, that’s just about it in terms of positioning signals, not very exciting I’m afraid, but I hope it’s given you some idea as what to do in a station area, in the future (well a few weeks), I intend to add an ‘OFF Indicator’ to the Platform using my own 3D Printed Bracket.

 

Regards,

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Lessons on Modern Railway Modelling No. 6 – Signalling Part 2, On Track Safety Systems

 

Most of you will be familiar with the various safety systems on the UK Rail Network, and these need to be modelled accurately on a Model.

For those who aren’t familiar, there are two main mandatory systems in use in the UK, AWS and TPWS.

 

AWS

 

The AWS (or Automatic Warning System) was introduced (and made mandatory) after the Harrow & Wealdstone crash in 1959, the system uses Magnets to give train drivers an audible and visual indication as to the state of the signal ahead, and is also used to give drivers advanced warning of speed restrictions. The formula for this system in terms of on track equipment has changed very little since introduction, a Permanent Magnet (used for warnings of restrictive Aspects) and a Electromagnet (used to override the Permanent Magnet to give a Proceed indication) are housed in ‘boxes’ mounted on the sleepers between the rails. Either side of these boxes are obstacle deflectors, these have given rise of the wrong name for this equipment as AWS Ramps, due to their shape. They are instead known as AWS Magnets.

 

Amazingly for Signalling, the positioning of these magnets is pretty standard, they are positioned 180 metres on the approach to every signal (the previous standard was 183 metres, but this was changed fairly recently), although they are cases of positioning closer and further away to a signal, depending on Line speed, but  the vast majority of cases is 180 metres.

 

To represent these on Newgate Lane, I used my own 3D Printed versions, these are scale versions, taken from Network Rail Drawings, the PECO versions are over scale.

 

For my layout, I don’t need any AWS Magnets, as the scale distance in 4mm is around 6ft, which is obviously longer than the layout, but I’ve included a Magnet on the Freight only line in the Down Direction (Left to right as you look at it).

 

 

 Here I’ve had to add an extra obstacle deflector to protect the magnets from obstacles hanging for a train travelling in the opposite direction to which it applies.  It’s been painted in the standard Yellow Colour.

 

If I was to add third rail to this line, I would have to change the colour to Green as this is the colour of magnets on the former Southern Region, to indicate the extra strength magnets fitted to activate the magnets on electric trains that are fitted to the body underside, as if they were fitted to the bogies like other stock, the magnetic fields created by the electric motors combined with those created by the Third Rail would affect the operation of the system.

 

 

More information can be found on the AWS System on this website http://www.railsigns.uk/info/aws1/aws1.html

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

TPWS

 

The Train Protection and Warning System is a fairly recent system, which was made mandatory on all rolling stock from January 2001. The system uses data signals transmitted from the on track equipment to a receiver on the train, an on board computer detects the signals and analysis’s the time between them, if It determines that the train has, or will pass a signal at danger, it will apply the train brakes automatically to bring the train to halt within the overlap. It is a similar version of the ATP system used on the GWML and Thames Valley routes.

 

The On Track equipment consists of two ‘systems’, the Train Stop System (TSS) and the Overspeed System (OSS). Both systems are made of Metal ‘Grids’ that carry an aerial, however, despite their shape these are called ‘TPWS Loop’s’ NOT Grids. For the TSS, the loops are placed next to each other adjacent to the Signal which they apply, this should be any signal where passing it at Danger could create a Conflict, i.e. protecting a junction, station platform and in some cases level crossings. They do not need to be fitted to signals on miles and miles of plain track.

 

The OSS is only fitted to signals that have the risk of being passed at danger by excess speed, the minimum distance between the first loop and the signal is 50 metres on the approach, while the maximum is 450 metres, while the two loops are placed 20 metres apart. The distance between the signal and OSS depends on the approach speed.

 

For more information, look at Railway Group Standard GE/RT8030 ‘Requirements for the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS)’ and this website.

 

To model the TPWS Loops on Newgate Lane, I used the PECO Loops, on the layout, I only need the TSS Loops adjacent to the two signals. For the Platform Starting Signal, I mounted these on the approach to the signal rather than adjacent to it, this is again due to the point being in the way and you don’t mount a pair of Loops on S&C.

 

 

However, I mustn’t miss out the all-important Buffer Stop OSS Loops, one Loop is provided at 55 metres on the approach with a second Loop 5.5 metres in the rear of the buffer stop in terminal platforms. These are to prevent trains from colliding with the Buffer Stop due to excess speed (although the Restrictive Aspects that should be encountered on the approach to a terminal platform should mean that this doesn’t happen). To model these, smaller Loops are required, but these can be purchased again through Shapeways

 

Although, I used cut down PECO Versions, which strictly are inaccurate.

 

 

In my 2 Car Platform, these are placed quite close to the start of the platform, but then, that’s scale distances for you J

 

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Lessons on Modern Railway Modelling No. 7 – Signalling Part 3, Wiring and Interlocking

 

Obviously to try and teach anybody how to interlock in a single post is almost impossible, although as you understand the concept behind it, then can start to figure it out.

 

But first, what is Interlocking? Well Interlocking has several uses, firstly, it prevents conflicting moves being set, such as opposing and joining moves. Secondly, it prevents the Signal Aspect being changed from danger to proceed (either a Cautionary or Clear Aspect) without points being set and detected in a certain position (normal or reverse). Thirdly, it provides an extra safety by locking points so that they can’t be moved under a train or when a train is approaching and providing Flank Protection to trains running on adjacent lines. In a nut shell, it ensure safe operation of the signalling system, despite the efforts of the signaller.

 

On Newgate Lane, all my interlocking has to is to prevent conflicting routes being set, i.e. hold a train on the Freight line if a Passenger Train is departing. Unlike all Signal Panels today, which use entry and exit buttons to set a route and thus an aspect, I’m using a rotary switch for each signal to select the aspect I want and then using Relays to select the aspect that will be displayed by each signal, depending on the route selected by a DPDT Toggle Switch.

Here’s the Wiring Diagram, NR001 is the Platform Starter and NR002 is the Signal on the Freight line:

 

 

When figuring out interlocking, you must think what are the conditions that are needed to be met to allow a proceed aspect, otherwise the signal must show a Red Aspect. To do this on a small layout with a simple track plan and a couple of signals, this can be done through Hardwiring and relays, but on a large layout with the added complexity of Train Detection and many signals, then I would recommend using a computer system or Programmable Logic Controller / Micro Processor such as Aurdino or Raspberry Pi to control an interlocking system.

 

Any Questions, please ask, as it can be a very complex system.

 

Regards,

 

Simon

[sdw7300]

Simon

 

Thanks for these lessons - as someone who's only experience of railways is getting on the occasional Pendelino to London this is really useful and fasinating stuff. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

 

Cheers

Sam

[St. Simon]

Hi Sam,

 

I'm glad you like them, there are so many layouts that are 'Modern Image' that don't have the key elements in them, simply because people don't know what they are or how to model them. Also, there are plenty of very nice Modern Image Layouts that would be absolutely fantastic if they added a little more.

 

Simon 

[LongRail]

Simon,

 

Good to see you are back trust all is well with you.

 

For the signal interlocking and operation the Heathcote Electronics modules re brilliant, even I managed to work them out.

They have all clever bits of kit which can all connect together and prevent conflicting and opposing moves. The signal will switch to red as a train passes using the infa red detectors and then sequence correctly depending on the number of aspects

[St. Simon]

Simon,

 

Good to see you are back trust all is well with you.

 

For the signal interlocking and operation the Heathcote Electronics modules re brilliant, even I managed to work them out.

They have all clever bits of kit which can all connect together and prevent conflicting and opposing moves. The signal will switch to red as a train passes using the infa red detectors and then sequence correctly depending on the number of aspects

 

Hi Gary,

 

Yes, everything is fine with me, just work has got very busy and I haven't been able to do lots on the layout until recently.

 

The Heathcote Electronics modules are good, but they don't do comprehensive interlocking, such as approach locking, approach release, route locking etc (then again, neither does mine!). But they are a good starting point.

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Lessons on Modern Railway Modelling No. 8 – Ballasting

 

Now, you might have noticed that actually in the recent ‘Lessons’ there has been Ballast in the tracks, and I cannot hide the fact that there is Ballast on the layout. So why, do I hear you ask, am I only covering it now?

 

Well, when a Railway is built, the last thing to be brought in to finish it off is the Ballast. Unlike days of old, the type and colour of the Ballast no longer depends on the locality of the area, Network Rail now sources it Ballast from only a few quarries spread across the UK, the Ballast that is used is Grey Granite and should be angular and between 25 and 50 mm in size. This is due to the need for the Ballast to lock together to form a solid track bed and ensure good attrition with the sleepers so the track doesn’t move out of alignment.

 

But, now to model this, well I used a Fine (The definition can vary on the manufacturer, so it might get referred as ‘N’ Gauge) Grey Ballast. On Newgate Lane, I’ve also used a fine ‘Buff’ Coloured Ballast, this is to represent the Cess, in real life, it is very rear for the Cess to be of a different colour (unless it’s an Authorised Walking Route or SPT Route), but sometimes this is the case, the other advantage is the it highlights the Cess or make it more obvious for on lookers. If you model the Cess, use a finer material than that of the main ballast, and possible, a slightly darker or lighter shade.

 

Before I started Ballasting, I marked out the Cess, this has to be at least a scale 1.25 metres from the nearest running rail, if you’re running line is representing a line above 100mph, this scale distance should be increased to 2 metres. The Standard Path Width, is laid down in Railway Group Standard GC/RT/5203 ‘Infrastructure Requirements for Personal Safety in Respect of Clearances and Access’ (http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Railway_Group_Standards/Infrastructure/Railway%20Group%20Standards/GCRT5203%20Iss%202.pdf), which states that a Cess must be no narrower than 0.7 Metres.

 

Once the Cess is marked, I can get on with Ballasting, I first start with the main Ballast. I use a variation of the traditional way of fixing this down, for the ‘six foot’ / ’10 foot’, I spread neat PVA Glue around the area of be covered, and, by using a narrow nozzle bottle, between the ends of the sleepers, I then sprinkle the Ballast over the area using a Tea Spoon, this ensures that a large area of the layout is covered quickly (I tend to do small areas at a time, it’s more manageable). Leave this to fully dry (overnight at least) before commencing work on the ‘four foot’.

 

The Four foot is treated in the traditional way of placing the Ballast down, spraying water (with a couple of drops of washing up liquid), and then dropping on a 50/50 mixture of PVA and Water. Don’t worry about it being messy, we’ll go onto that later. Again leave overnight or until fully dried.

 

Now, you can turn your attention to the Cess, it’s the same procedure as in the six/ten foot, spread neat PVA over the area of the Cess and sprinkle on the material of your choice and leave dry.

 

When all this has taken place, you can hover any remaining Ballast off the layout.

 

Like the real railway, we now have to do some Ballast Regulation, on the real railway, this can be done mechanically using a Road Rail Vehicle and a Ballast Brush, or by hand using shovels or Ballast Forks (which are far easier to use in my opinion). In the model world, this is done most defiantly by hand. Good Ballast Regulation is ensuring stray Ballast is off the Rail foot and Sleepers, there should be NO Ballast on the Sleepers or Rail, not even a single stone.

 

Even though that this may seem a stupid thing to attempt after you’ve glued all the ballast up, it’s not difficult at all. The PVA doesn’t stick the Ballast to the Plastic Sleepers or Rail of the PECO Track hard, so to remove the Ballast from the Sleepers and rail, go along with a Flat Bladed Jellewers Screw Driver and scrape off the Ballast and you’ll be left with track that looks like the Prototype!

 

 

Don't forget to weather the track where Locos or DMU's would be standing for sometime to represent the oil residue.

 

I’m sorry there’s no pictures of the Process, but it’s far from exciting and it’s hard to take a picture when you figures are covered in PVA! 

 

Regards,

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

I'm going to add a couple of extra Lessons to the list for Newgate Lane:

 

Lesson 10 - Operation

 

Lesson 11 - Sounds

 

Look out for these in the future.

 

Simon

[St. Simon]

Lessons on Modern Railway Modelling No. 9 – Miscellaneous

 

There are lots of things that can be seen on the Modern Railway which don’t really have a common theme, so I’ve grouped them in this section.

 

Signs

 

There are abonnement of signs in the Modern World, but on the railway, these can be split down into three categories, Railway Operation Signage, General Railway Signage and Everyday Signs / Advertising.

 

I’ll go through these in stages, first of all Railway Operation Signage, these are signs that apply to Railway Personnel, there are many hundreds of different ones, the specification of which is covered in Railway Group Standard GI/RT/7033 ‘Lineside Operation Safety Signs’

 

There are only a few operation signs on the layout, the first, the Speed Limit Signs, the actually speed limit is up to you, however, don’t use silly speeds, i.e. don’t have a 125mph speed limit on the departure from a Single Line Terminus. I’ve only got a single speed signs on NL, a 40 mile an hour on applying to departing trains, which is mounted on the signal post of NR001

 

 

I've never seen a complete circular model speed sign, so I apologize for the shape! You can also see the 'Limited Clearance Sign' on either side of the bridge, this means what on it says on the tin, there is limited clearance on either side of the bridge for the length of it, so workers must ensure that they have enough time to get to place of safety should a train come along

 

The next set of Operational Signs are Radio Signs, here I have two signs relating to the commencement and termination of GSM-R Radio Coverage, the two signs are pretty similar, but one has a Red Cross across it to denote termination. These are placed on the Freight Line, as Passenger Trains going into the station wouldn’t fall out of the coverage area, so don’t need to be notified.

 

 

 

The other sign is the ‘St Andrews Cross’, this sign is used in connection with the Automatic Warning System (See Lesson No. 6 – Signalling Part 2 ‘On Track Safety Systems’), the cross informs drivers that they will need to cancel any AWS Warnings received when travelling in the direction of the photo, as they run over the AWS Magnet intended to give drivers warnings when travelling in the opposite directions (I hope that makes sense). These signs are only fitted where bi-directional moves take place over an AWS magnet that isn’t bi-directional and not fitted with a suppressor. On a lightly used freight or branch line such as Newgate Lane, this would be the case, but on a busy main line (such as a bi-directional loop) then a suppressor would be fitted.

 

 

The Next set of signs are Railway Public Safety Signs, these are to be found around the end of a platform, going from left to right are the obligatory signs of No Trespass, No Unauthorised  Persons beyond the Platform End and High Visibility clothing must be warn. These are joined by the ‘Stop, Look, Listen’ Signs, obviously for the drivers going down to the AWR beyond the platform and not the general public.

 

 

Finally, there is advertising everywhere in the Modern World, as already shown, the Station Building has a few Railway type posters on the external walls. To make the division between the Station Car Park and the Access Point, I decided on a Large Advertising Poster Board, once again, this is an item that I print using Shapeways ( ) and is representative of the 48-sheet boards that can be seen all over the place.

But there is a bit of a dilemma as to what to put on it, as I didn’t want to make a political statement or advertise any products, but neither did I want to use a TOC Advert as that would then tie the layout down to a specific area, so instead, I chose to use a Network Rail Poster on improving the railway. It’s actually one of the posters at Farringdon used for the Thames link project, but it’s pretty generic.

 

 

That’s really it in terms of signage, next People.

Simon

[St. Simon]

People

 

No, not the general public and RMwebbers, but the miniature commuters which rely on the train service that we put on, the miniature station staff who deal with them and the our miniature alter egos that fix the track

 

Now there are two ways of looking at Figures, either you have them or you don’t, now, there are some modellers who can successfully portray a scene without needing figures, however if you are modelling the modern world, then this could be difficult as people are everywhere. This may sound like an odd statement, but if you take two scenes of a town, one in the 30’s and one in the 2000’s, then there is far more people on the streets in the recent photo, so to have a Modern Station and surrounding area deserted, then it would make it look like a ghost town and odd.

 

One of the generally agreed things about people on layouts is that they should be ‘stationary’, such as standing or sitting and not ‘moving’, I’ve tried to stick to this on the layout.

 

Now, obviously as it’s modelled on a ‘parkway’ station on the outskirts of small to large town, Newgate Lane wouldn’t be that busy, but that does have an added advantage. When choosing your miniature figures, you can choose either expensive figures from Priesier or Noch (as well as unpainted castings from lots of different people), or you can buy cheap ‘HO’ scale figures in Bulk Bags from China (although they can be purchased from various small suppliers or EBay, but they are basically the same models). These Chinese Figures that distinct advantages and disadvantages, I used them on my old layout and found that they were good for background people, but the lack of faces made them unsuitable for close up work.

 

Here’s where the advantage of Newgate Lane comes in, I’ve used a single packet of Bachmann Scenecraft ‘Standing Passengers’ on the layout, the 6 figures included makes the station look busy, but not like Waterloo on a Monday Morning, while also allowing me to use some beautiful figures that doesn’t break the bank.

 

I’ve also used some left over Bachmann Station Staff that I had, this is where my layout might be a little unprototypical (but who’s to say what’s prototypical when it comes to human behaviour?), as I’ve got 4 station staff for a single platform suburbs terminus, including one who is constantly waving off a train (or is trying to attract the attention of the staff member at the platform end who’s helping costumer?). Then again who’s to say there isn’t a special event that day that requires extra staff?

 

Next up, it’s maintenance people. For this, I’m going slightly away from Layout. Newgate Lane doesn’t have the capacity for a major engineering possession, so I’m going to use a project for the Taunton Members Day Modular Layout, which will include a major engineering Possession. However, this in the process of being built and nowhere near the stage for People, so I’ve tried to mock up what it should look like (excuse the Blue Tack)

 

First of all, we have to understand who’s involved in a maintenance team. A Maintenance team can vary in size, but there are distinct roles in the team:

 

·         Lookout (LO) – The job of this role is to ensure the safety of workers on or near the line through keeping a look out for approaching trains and then warning the workers through the use of horns and flags. There must be at least one LO for a worksite. On a single track line, where traffic from all directions can be seen, this would be able. For double track, two LO’s would be provided, one for each direction, while if the area has sharp curves and sighting difficulty, then more LO’s would be provided.

 

·         Controller of Site Safety (COSS) – This person is responsible for the safety of all the workers in the area under his control. This person can also be the team leader if a single team is at a worksite

 

·         Technician – Fault Finder, this person sorts out all the technical problems at a work site, if you have multiple disciplines working at the same site (e.g. Track, Signalling, E&P, or Telecoms), you would have a technician per discipline and per team within each discipline.

 

·         Operatives – Assistances to the Technician, they generally do the heavy work. For Signalling, E&P and Telecoms teams, one operative per team is normal, but for Track, 3 or 4 operatives is needed, as this is the number needed to drag sleepers etc.

 

·         Apprentice – A Mini Me J could also be placed with the team, but only one per team, whatever the discipline, they would do a mixture of Technician and Operative Roles.

 

This is the bare minimum of people need for a maintenance scene on a layout. For my figures, I’ve used mostly Bachmann Scene craft Figures with a mixture of Permanent Way Workers and Lineside workers. I’ve also used a couple of Figures of Dart Castings; their Lookout Figure and their Track worker with Pandrol Clip.

Obviously the Bachmann Figures are pre-painted, but the Dart Castings figures need to be painted in High Visibility Orange with some Sliver Strips on the Legs, chest and arms. One change that can be made to the Bachmann Figures is a change of Hard Hat Colour. There are only two hard hat colours on the railway, Blue and White. White is trained and competent and Blue Hats are people recently Qualified PTS Holders, such as Apprentices and Operatives. A Technician, COSS or LO always have white hats, while a couple of blue hats would be seen in a big engineering scene.

 

Now where to place them. Well, this is dependent on whether you want trains to run on the line that your miniature maintenance team are working on. If you don’t, then you can place them anywhere. If you do, then make sure you place them far enough away from the track so as not be struck by a train.

But where to place the members of the team, well, all of them should be fairly close proximity to each other, apart from the Lookouts who should be placed a little away from the group, the distance isn’t a fixed position, it would be decided by the COSS Depending on the work, sighting distances and line speed.

The people you use also depends on the job, for instance you wouldn’t use the surveying figures in the Bachmann Packs in a purely maintenance scene, as alignment is done mostly by eye, but you would use them when modelling the building of a new line. But of course, you can use these to create a, now out of date, scene depicting signal sighting survey:

 

 

I’ve seen the Bachmann Figures used a lot on Modern Image layouts, but actually, a lot have been placed in the wrong pose, for instance, this man I’ve seen placed a lot like this:

 

 

But in fact, he’s using a bar, which can be used to slew track, crudely roll rail over, or lift rail, so placing as shown means that he’s just trying to dig a hole with a bar.

I’ve used him and some other figures in the same pack to create this scene;

 

 

This is a scene depicting slewing of track with one guy slewing the track, while two operatives are holding the track to stop it 'spinning around'

Also, this figure is a little odd:

 

 

He’s holding a Kango Packer, which is used to force Ballast under Sleepers to cure voids under sleepers, or to repack the Ballast after some maintenance work, they are basically hand held tampers. However, I’ve never seen this used singularly, but as a pair operated by two operatives, one either side of the rail, like this:

 

 

Luckily, I’ve got another left over from another pack which I only discovered a couple of nights ago!

 

The man with the Jack can be placed as though he’s sliding it under the rail, but if you want to run trains along the line, then his block would get knocked off! So, position him as though he was picking it up from the ground, either near other tools or from near a Van. 

 

Finally, here's the mocked up scene as a whole, with labels to show who's who

 

 

In terms of figures that’s really the only major things I can think of, the main thing is to think of normal human behaviour, and the crucial rule is that if it looks wrong it probably is wrong.

 

Regards,

 

Simon 

[South-East Rail]

This thread should prove very useful for my layout. Thanks for taking the time to explain everything!

 

Ed

[virginhst539]

In terms of operatives it's 8 to a concrete sleeper (4 each side) or 4 for wooden sleepers.

[St. Simon]

Hi,

 

It's 8 to lift a concrete sleeper, while it only takes 6 to drag it, and as I know, they are really heavy!

 

Simon

[sub39h]

What a brilliant thread. Thanks very much for sharing. I'm really enjoying the new information and watching your project develop.

[LongRail]

Simon,

 

Good info again.

 

I am not sure a speed board would be fixed to a signal post it would more likely be mounted on its own post.

 

Interestingly the picture in my post #28 shows a single Kango packer being used.