paulr1949

Work has started on a signal from MSE parts. It will be a 2-doll bracket for the exit from platform 2 which has two options. The dolls will be of equal height as either route is "main" and leads to the main single line. I have studied the thread on semaphore signals from SteveAtBax of this parish and am utilising some of his ideas. One of these was to use a wide tube to make the fit into the baseboard, and smaller tubes inside to take the operating wires. I made up a frame from ply to allow the tube to fit, which holds the signal well for the next stages. Should really have sat the signal vertically! The bracket has been soldered up and the top is ready to have the tabs filed down The bottom showing the wide tube with two small tubes inside and the bracket attached - all ready for cleaning up. You can just make out the two small holes in the baseplate. The next task is to prepare and mount the dolls. More soon

Chris Only just catching up - did you find out (about Templot)? If not, the best way is probably to group the ones you want (click and G when not the control template) and then output | print grouped templates Otherwise if the ones you want fit on a page, reset the origin so you start in the bottom left corner of the templates you want. HTH, now back to the signals....

Ah yes, that reminds me of Mr. Know-it-all at a show who berated me at length for having a Western National bus in Trezeath, "would have been Southern National, don't you know..." Cue flying brickbats, buses and language....

A brief update. Trezeath has no more bookings this year at the moment, I had to decline one show in June as I felt it wasn't going to be ready and one in August as I will be away - the main reason behind this is that preparations are well under way for my daughter's wedding in July, and I have had to put "major" modelling on hold for a while, doing what I can in the time available between Model Railway Club, volunteering at the Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway, singing and family history (oh and, of course, the wedding!) A while after the last outing, I took stock and found that there had been some damage, namely one signal and about half a dozen trees. Not a good photo but it shows the problem! A storm has hit Cornwall (well it did, didn't it?) The signal has been temporarily repaired - it is my intention to replace all the signals with MSE(Wizard) brass working kits, but I haven't got very far yet The felled trees have been removed and replacements planted - my how quickly they've grown! The other thing I have been working on is changing over the control systems to operate with DCC using the Gaugemaster Prodigy system (luckily I have 4 co-operators who have the same system, so will be able to source additional handsets.) All the bus wires are in, they are not connected up yet, but I hope to do some testing later in the summer.

Thank you Colin for your kind comments. It's always nice to hear that people enjoy watching layouts - even though we did have a few gremlins at Tonbridge ;-)

Hi Andrew I'm glad you have managed to see it - it's only been at 4 shows, although there are a couple more on the cards. Thank you for your kind comments, as I think I have said somewhere in a previous post, I am only directly responsible for about 25-30% of what you see plus a fair amount of titivating, as I bought the layout built (as per the July [i think] 2000 Modeller)

Hi Reece Thank you for the kind comments. I will be posting a bit more soon, once I can find time to do so...that's the trouble with being retired, you never get a day off! (Grabs tin hat...)

Dakota You have a PM

Colin That's good news! Thanks for the info.

Well two days to go and almost everything is packed read for transport. It looks as though things are going to be somewhat damp tomorrow and Saturday, hopefully a couple of tarpaulin sheets I have bought will keep the boards dry as we move them in and out of the Angel Centre (which I sincerely hope is still above water!) Last little bit of sorting out stock into the right boxes this afternoon, hopefully adding a couple of detail bits. No time to weather any more stock, which I had hoped to do - I had a few problems over the last fortnight with the electrics - down to two faulty switches and one pair of wires connected the wrong way round. I also had to sort out the turntable, as it was jamming slightly - and had to go and buy some new allen keys after I managed to strip the one which tightens up the gear ;-( Hope to see some RM-Webbers there

Chris If you go to (and register at) http://85a.co.uk/forum/ you will find a large selection of problems, most of them solved - I've been there, done that and got the tee-shirt! "Save all templates" as a box file (perhaps incrementing a number by 1 each time so you have a complete record) the other paulr!

A bit of an overdue update, as the layout is scheduled to attend the Tonbridge exhibition in a fortnight. The layout is housed in a shed which, over the last couple of months, has become somewhat damp, but I have managed to dry it out OK, which is more than the people in the Somerset Levels can say. I have been working for a while on trying to sort out a nagging issue in the wiring which meant that you could only run to the turntable by throwing a switch which caused a short circuit in the other 2 adjacent tracks. I *think* I have finally done this, I am in the process of testing all the boards and so far so good. Not much progress on the signals front I'm afraid, there just aren't enough hours in the day - especially when you're retired ;-) I had hoped that my Heljan AC cars railbus which I've ordered might have arrived, but no sign yet. I bought another T9 instead!! Just got to mend my Bulleid where the electrical connection to the tender has come adrift, add a few headcode discs and tail lamps, plant a couple of new roadsigns, and sort out the accessory switch on one of the Seep point motors....not a lot....... Hopefully I'll manage a few more photos at the exhibition.

Will see you at Trainwest and probably York: I am helping operate White Oak Light Railway at Trainwest and (subject to trains) Halfway at York ;-)

I've been following your thread for a while now, had a look at Warley, but wasn't able to chat as you all seemed very busy ;-) Looking forward to seeing it in operating mode sometime, although it may well not be at Warley next year.

Chris I have at last got round to taking some photos. Too many to post here so am sending you a PM

Chris Will do when I can. Feel free to remind me if I haven't done anything by the middle of the week ;-)

Chris I had a Bulleid coach (semi-open brake third) built RTR from CRT. Apart from arriving with the steps round the wrong way (quickly rectified), I'm very please with it. Mind you that was before a number of the increases in the price of brass... If I ever get back to 7mm, I'll be looking for a Maunsell coach to accompany it ;-)

A belated update to what's been going on. The turntable is still the subject of much headscratching. I have replaced the mounting for the motor underneath with a simpler arrangement, but it still will not work consistently: it will turn a few times and then snag on something. There was a bit of slop in the gearbox, to which I have added another spacing washer, but to no avail. It looks as though hand operation may be the order of the day. The previous post mentioned a signal - well I have cheated for the first two! At York with the Whiteoak Light Railway I bought a ready-built one from MSE. I have drilled the board and fixed a brass tube in the hole, into which slides a second brass tube which is soldered to the base of the signal. Inside this is a very small diameter tube which holds the operating wire. After cleaning up the excess solder, it now fits where it should, I just need to sort out the operating wire. I am considering whether to use servos for the signals (of which I have two - but no controller board yet) or tortoise point motors (of which I have a few). Experimentation to come. Andrew from MSE said that a "stop" needs to be removed from the signal to avoid servos pulling the arm against it if not adjusted quite right; but the same probably applies to the point motors - cue omega loops possibly? Oh and the signal arm needs adjusting slightly! I then cheated again and bought another ready-made signal at Aylesbury. A start will be made on that this week. Finally at Chatham my eye was caught by an Oxford model. Illuminated van, lady inside serving and a crowd of punters - they are not really suffering from food-poisoning, just awaiting planting ;-) It was pointed out to me that it looked a bit bright, so I did something about it... The colour of the van looks different - probably down to me using my phone to take the photos Other things which have been ongoing are adding "floors" to the transporting boxes so that the boards don't get stuck half-way in. There are a few more bits and pieces to do - hopefully I won't find any more gremlins - before the layout's next outing, which is at Beaconsfield on 5th October.

A bit of snagging work has been going on, alongside all the work on the "SJ" project (see separate thread) The point motor at the end of the carriage sidings had been causing problems, the inbuilt switch wasn't switching properly, so I have replaced that (assisted by cutting a large chunk of superfluous framework from underneath (the underneath was built like a tank!). We had serious problems with the turntable at the Erith show - due to the laws of physics, too much force on the vertical drive rod meant little or no movement on the top. I have started on trying to cure this problem - hopefully without having to get a new turntable. A telegraph pole at the back of the layout which got damaged every time the board was moved has been replaced with one on the opposite side of the road The first point levers have appeared in the loco yard area. Finally I have started work on an MSE signal, the first one will be the platform 1 starting signal. Unfortunately two of the old (non-working) ones have been damaged in transit, so they too will need replacement. It'll definitely be a learning curve for me building this, as I haven't attempted one before.

One or two annoyances emerged when trackbuilding on Wednesday night. We have acquired some of the new peco "coupling sections" which allow you to join code 100 and code 75 rail; much better than the brown adaptor fishplates - but only if you are continuing with peco track, as the sleeper height on the code 75 section is increased to balance the decrease in the rail section. So we have had to take out some code 100 sleepers at the end of each fiddleyard road where they join the points. Did manage to make a start on building a point though - only another quite a lot to go

Been mulling over the track on the scenic section of the layout. We have about 40 feet on the outer pair and 36 feet on the inner pair to lay. One idea floated was one pair made of FB rail on concrete sleepers (exactoscale "fast track" bases) and the other pair FB rail on baseplates on wooden sleepers (C&L). Another is to have the second pair of tracks in BH rail on wooden sleepers. Another is to make the points with BH rail (easier - but perhaps not too prototypical). Decisions, decisions There will be some super-elevation built in to the four-track section to the right (west) of the station. As the track plan/station is based on Swanley, but won't be called that, we have a little licence to play with (a Modeller's one, which the team all hold...)

No you are right, they did and I believe some of them still are: I think they were at a recent exhibition, although I can't remember which one!

The turnout at the centre of this pic appears to be a rather odd size. Counting timbers I think it is an E-8 or something similar. I notice in the background that you have printed the diamond-crossings as overlaid plain tracks Hello Martin Yes it is an odd size. When I originally drew the plan, the facility to convert the diamond crossings wasn't there and I baulked at the prospect of doing the half diamonds - there's a slight reverse curve to enable the "branch" to curve round within the space available, and the centres are a bit odd too. Nearly all the templates are B8, which makes building a jig for the vees easier ;-). The E8 fitted the space and linked up nicely with the plain track. I probably should have redone it: in fact I still can as we haven't got to that stage yet - and I might do the diamonds too. Incidentally the prototype points that the layout is based on are very long. I make no claims for the templates to be 100% accurate - my "templot" skills are not superb. Some of the templates have had to be drawn to fit the space rather than the other way round. The main thing will be getting the vee/common crossings wight and making the finished article look as though it flows.

We have quite a few CEPs and 2-EPBs between us! I just happen to have acquired a kit for the Bulleid-type 2 HAL too ;-) GG will no doubt add some more photos soon of the build, but I don't think he'll mind me saying that all the track is down on the four straight fiddleyard boards (each of the 14 sidings is at least 16 feet, some are nearer 20) and point construction has started (we are building all the points - all 39 of them :-(

Well the Erith show has come and gone and I belatedly commenting now: I had a bad cold over the few days leading up to the show and am now feeling the effects. The layout ran reasonably well, better on Sunday than on Saturday, some things went better than I expected them to and some things went worse! I came home extremely chuffed and gobsmacked to have been awarded the cup for the layout at the show with the best scenery! I hereby state that I and my team of helpers are only responsible for about 30% of it, the rest was done by the late Richard Lane. There is a possibility of further bookings for the years ahead, the next outing is to Beaconsfield on 5th October. I am now mulling over the possibility of converting the layout to DCC, I'm not sure that all the wiring is up to it so I shall have to take advice ;-)) It really depends on how many of the enquiries turn into actual bookings. Assuming I can work out the attaching thingy, here are some photos. They were taken on my phone, as I thought that I had left the camera at home on Sunday, then found it when we were clearing up! Thanks for looking