sigtech

Hello Keith, I've been following this discussion since it started, as I'm a great fan of Harlequin (Phil's) drawings, and also own a small (6'7'' x 5'2") BLT. My layout 'Sproston', is on here under the blog of 'Sigtech', a contraction of my previous job title under Network Rail, Amec and previously British Rail. The layout is in the loft, oo gauge, and uses two interior flush doors - fixed together in a wooden frame as its baseboard. The trackplan is very similar to the terminal station - u- 4 track fiddle yard, you are discussing. This is the plan drawn in 'Anyrail'. Regards, SIGTECH Steve.

This is Ashley, a rescue cat we obtained in 2016 from our local Cats Protection League. No one wanted her, so they advertised in the local free paper. My wife saw this, and as we had been 'catless' for about five months - and I was getting desperate with all the cat cushions,cat pillows, cat ornaments and other cat substitutes scattered around the house, decided that we should go and see her. Her previous owner had asked for her to be rehomed. She had fallen from a 1st floor open window and broken her pelvis, which necessitated major surgery and a long recouperation.. At the CPL, we were introduced to Ashley, who came out from hiding at the back of her pen, and I sat down on the floor next to her. She proceeded to climb on my lap looking up at my face, and began pawing and purring loudly: - SHE had made the decision for us... She is a British Domestic Long Hair, and quite a character - due to her previous injury (we think) this seems to be her favourite position for sleeping!

Lovely animals - I see that just like our cat (Ashley) they are not really enjoying the extreme heat- it can't be much fun wearing a fur coat! Somewhere I remember reading a statement to the effect that 'there are two types of people in this world; Cat lovers, and the underprivileged.... 'another one is 'Dogs have Masters- Cats however have servants...' Regards Steve.

Please ignore my earlier comment regarding Ramsgate Harbour station, William - I realize now after reading the layout planning section of RMWEB that we are talking about Bromley North...Interesting track layout.. Regards, SIGTECH Steve.

The close up photos and part plan - is this Ramsgate Harbour (LC&DR) station in the 1880S ? Just curious, as the station had an unusually cramped track layout. Regards, SIGTECH, Steve.

Hello Job - nice to hear from you, and thanks for your kind remarks, ( i really must get round to having another look at your superb blog...) Like you, I find myself on here less frequent than I used to. Have just finished building a' Coopercraft' Taskers tanker trailer, obtained via Ebay. I've finished it in a pale straw yellow - supposedly it is a second hand unit belonging to the local Pig farmer, and used to collect the whey produced from the cheese making process at the Creamery. Regards, Steve.

Hello again. very little new here to report- except for the latest pictures of the new signalling... ( at last lower quadrant inner home bracket signals! ) and the arrival and refurbishment ( via EBAY ) of an ex LMS. 42' bogie CCT, ( LIMA ) finished in BR. maroon, more npccs....!

Thank you both, gentlemen, for your prompt replies. Having now spent some more time 'digging' you appear to be both 'spot on', - looks like it originally appeared around about 1937, and seems to be connected to the manufacturer 'DESMO'. The original remaining steel plates do appear on EBAY and sell for rediculous prices, to collectors and vintage car or lorry enthusiasts. - (£170 in mint condition.... - and in its original packaging - a brown paper bag)!! Thanks for your help - i knew RMWEB would not let me down!! Regards, SIGTECH, (Steve).

Can anyone help, i've spent the afternoon searching the net for answers but to no avail. I have a Coopercraft tanker trailer that I am assembling, - It will hopefully become a pigs whey trailer, does anyone know what colour the 'T' plate on the L.H. side at the rear of the trailer would be? also what time period was this plate valid/used for ( in UK road traffic history). Thanks. Regards SIGTECH. Steve.

Thanks, Chris for your very kind comments - I've been following your blog since you started building Berry Pomeroy, - your little branch line terminus is great. The biggest problem for me is having more stock ( 90 items) than I can store on the layout, though most of it does get used if I run a full weeks timetable sequence. Regards, Steve.

Just to add to the list, the Bachmann Ivatt 2mt 'Mickey Mouse' mogul has a coal load that can be easily removed, and appears to have a correctly shaped coal space beneath it. I simply put a small amount of real coal in the bottom to depict the loco at the end of its shift. I have fitted all my stock of steam locos with real coal, mostly just a thin layer glued on top of the existing moulded stuff, improves the look no end - the plastic coal just looks too uniform and shiny. Regards Steve

Hello Johnster, no crossed wires thank goodness, I agree with you - just tried to put it in a couple of sentances for breivity. The reference to 'checkrails' problem was to alert people to the possibility of an expensive disaster occurring!!

Thanks Jules, I try to use Mayshill as a quality reference layout when working on Sproston. - just wish I had the room you have, then I could let it sprawl a bit, and of course longer trains would be nice too...

Hi Andy , some things are just a step too far when you are retired!! but yes I had noticed the 'faux par' with no.8 points set reverse (reading to the bay) and no2. down main to no1. platform home showing'off.'- The mistake has been corrected in the photo library, the offending signal now showing off with 8 points normal. The s&t have been told to get there finger out!! Regards, Steve.

If you read back through the thread you will see an item by "Checkrail" where he describes the problem inherent with removing the base from the signal, in a couple of words DON'T TRY.- get it in absolutely the right position in relation to the signals base BEFORE you click it into place, I did'nt have any problem, - but then I didn't have to remove and reposition it...

Here we are as requested - 1 trackplan of 'Sproston' drawn using 'Anyrail' track planning software, - it's about 6'8" by 5'1" . Baseboard made from two flush pannelled doors fixed together with a wooden frame around them and mounted on timber legs in the loft. Regards SIGTECH.

In case anyone is puzzled by the writing and additional wire colours added to scan 2 pdf above, I found when installing the bracket signal on my layout 'Sproston' that it was necessary to extend both sets of operating wires, likewise for red and black power wires. Regards SIGTECH Steve.

Here are copies of the two information/instruction sheets that Dapol supply with each bracket signal. Hope they are useful. regards. SIGTECH , Steve. Scan_2.pdfScan_1.pdf

Hmmmm... no new comment of any kind at all. I'll take that as a no then - it's obviously nowhere near as good as the website makes it sound!! Shame... Regards, SIGTECH.

Just reiterating this previous post of mine, to see if anyone has recently used Wagonflow v4, - and any opinions they may have formed on its usefulness/effectiveness in layout operation? Regards SIGTECH Steve.

Hello , To start with, you could give a look at this site: FreeTrackPans.com They have a large selection of layout plans for many different sizes and shapes. The information given with each plan is very limited, but it should be enough to give you an idea of how much space is needed, and what is possible in the area - you don't specify the scale you want to use, - but I suspect it is oo gauge. The next best place to look for ideas would be the little plan books published by PECO. '60 Plans for Small Railways'/Locations. 'Track Plans for Various Locations'. Both books by CJ Freezer. About £1.60 or so each. These have many small layouts suitable for your 6'x8' baseboard, with much more detail provided on each plan. Hope that will get you started... Regards SIGTECH.

GWR pattern signalbox nameboard - plastic kit was made by Coopercraft - BUT obtainable from Gaugemaster, sold as kit no.2008, with enough letters ( in black plastic ) to make up to 4 GWR pattern signalbox nameplates, ( each plate has the letters 'SIGNAL BOX' already fitted to the RH end, you just have to make up the name and then fit the individual letters to the blank LH end, shortening the plate if required. Very fiddly, but worth the effort. Then paint the surround and letters white, affix to box and your done... Alternatively, 'Scale Model Scenery' make LX093 oo gauge laser engraved signalbox nameplates, you just tell them the name of the signal box wanted when you order it online. £4.94 https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/lx093-oo-laser-engraved-signal-box-nameplates-oo4mm176-1081-p.asp Regards, SIGTECH Steve.

Hello Johnster, I now have a total of 7 working Dapol 00 lower quadrant signals fitted on my layout 'Sproston', two of them being on one of the new LH brackets. They are powered by a redundant 3 pin plug-in charger with an output of 5.8v DC. This feeds the seperate + and - under baseboard terminal strips, to which each signal is then wired. I treat all the lenses of the signal lamps with a thick coat of Tamiya x-24 acrylic 'clear yellow' paint, which reduces the brightness still further, and gives a gentle yellow tint to the light produced, simulating oil lamps. I will add a few photos of them on the layout. HTH. Regards SIGTECH. Steve.

Hello gents, here are the Dapol instructions for the new GWR bracket signal, I have just installed the oo gauge lh bracket version on my layout 'Sproston'. Hope this helps. Regards (SIGTECH) Steve. Scan_1.pdf Scan_2.pdf

Finally completed installation and testing of Sproston's inner home signals. no2 and no4 signed into use @ 22.30 hours. I have included a few photos just to prove it.... All ready for the new revised signalling box diagram. Had great fun extending the operating cables - as I said previously they are 11 inches long!!! (each) - The Dapol spares number for additional 2metre extension 3 core cables, Dapol part #4a-000-014 seems to be a total work of fiction - none available....anywhere!!! So I used the old fallback viz: - 2 x 3 hole terminal blocks, 6 length of single colour multi strand cable, solder, soldering iron, insulation tape, side - cutters, and a terminal screwdriver, add a lot of colourful language, stir well whilst cutting both cables carefully in half, insert centre sections include a couple of thumps on the head whilst scrabbling around underneath the layout!, result it all works. I AM NOW GOING TO HAVE A NICE CUP OF TEA!! Regards, (SIGTECH) Steve.