Caley Jim

Or as we say up here, pick a windae.....yer leavin'! Jim

I should have mentioned that the foil needs to also go under the stockrail, between it and the stretcher bar, its purpose being to stop everything getting soldered up solid! Jim

Re the gap between the tip of the switches and the stock rails. It may be that the switch is not soldered quite vertical to the stretcher bar. Slide a wee piece of kitchen foil between the switch tip and the stock rail, hold the tip hard against the stock rail with tweezers and touch the joint quickly with the iron. Either that, or there is something stopping the switch going over that last few thou., e.g. a small fillet of solder on one or more of the slide chairs near the tip of the switch. Examining under magnification will show this and a scrape with a sharp craft knife is often all that's needed to remove it. Likewise any other crud or debris. Jim

A further thought. I read somewhere that every time they relaid the trackwork at the north end of Preston station they had to put in place a 10mph speed limit for several months until the trains knocked it all into alignment! Jim

We've all been there, done that, etc., etc.! As I've said before, he who has made no errors has made nothing! :-) Jim

A joggle and a set are two different things. A joggle is where there is a double kink in the stock rail producing a very slight widening of the gauge into which the tip of the switch sits (used routinely by the GWR I believe). A set is a distinct slight bend in the curved stock rail, or both if it's a 'Y', against which the planed face of the switch sits. You can just make out the set in the right hand turnout in this photo (cropped from a much larger image. The switches here are loose heel, so are separate from the closure rail and attached to it by a fishplate. An open switch tends to lie parallel with the adjacent stock rail rather than curving away from it, thus having a distinctive look. Jim

I can see that better now. The easiest way I've found to determine where the tips of the switches should come is, with neither switch in place, slide a track gauge along the approach to the turnout until it will go no further. This is the point at which the stock rails start to diverge. The tips of the switches should lie at this point or even perhaps slightly nearer the crossing. I'm not saying this is the 'correct' way to do it, but it has always worked for me. Jim

Not so. This scan, from the aforementioned book, includes a photograph of early carriages (thought to be ex Scottish Central Railway) in the carriage sidings alongside the Dundee line on the north side of the Tay at Perth. The caption explains things. Other photos in the book clearly show the bung in the lamp socket and the empty ring beside it. Jim

I couldn't make out the tips of the switches, but as long as the gauge between the tip of a closed switch and the opposite stock rail is not tight, there shouldn't be a problem. This is probably less of an issue in OO than in finescale track. It's more important that things run through it smoothly rather than whether it is 'technically' right! Nice work. Jim

Not knowing the location, my guess would be that these are the two starting signals for adjacent sections and the box in advance is switched out (possibly only open at certain times). Is the signal on the outside of a curve? this could explain why both were on the one post with one on the 'wrong' side of the line, to make sighting of it easier. This would be the case whatever the date. Jim

Oil lamps simply sat in a socket in the coach roof. To close the hole left when they were removed (e.g. during the summer months or when the carriages were out of use) a bung was provided sitting in, and attached by a short chain to, a ring adjacent to the lamp, often on the centre line or sometimes to one side. Therefore you have to either model the lamp top and the bung beside it, or the bung in the lamp socket and the empty ring. Modelling the chain depends on your level of pedantry! Jim

I use Carrs 188 solder paint for etched kits. Cost me around £11.00 several years ago. If it gets a bit thick I just add a spot of water. I've built umpteen kits with it and there's still loads left. Jim

According to Mike Willams' book 'Caledonian Railway Carriages', Alexander Allan was experimenting with gas lighting on the SCR in 1862 and consideration was given to adopting gas lighting in the late 1870's, but it wasn't until 1881 the a tender was accepted for fitting gas lighting to existing stock. Two sets of oil lit stock were still rostered in 1921. The same books states that The Railway Returns (Continuous Brakes Act) of 1878 required companies to make six-monthly returns detailing the types of brakes in use, this being designed to put pressure on companies to adopt continuous brakes, but it wasn't until The Regulation of Railways Act in 1889 that companies had to 'provide for and use on all passenger trains continuous brakes; the brakes must be instantaneous in action; self applying in the event of any failure in continuity; capable of being applied to every vehicle in the train; and in regular use in daily working. This of course spelled the end of the likes of the simple vacuum brake and the Clark-Webb chain brake. Can't help with the types of handbrake on early non-brake vehicles I'm afraid. HTH. Jim Edited to say sorry, Chris. Our posts crossed.

Happy New Year to you too Valentin. This group had no connection with the VAG, so I'm afraid I can't help you there. Jim

Just had this quote sent to me by a friend (a local minister) "success consists of staggering from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm". Jim

The rail which forms the point of the V and which should be the 'main' road (the point rail) should be ground to the crossing angle as should the other rail (the splice rail) which, as it's name suggests, is then spliced against the side of the point rail at the end of the taper on the latter. A Guid New Year tae ye a'. Jim Edited for typos

At this time of year the measure is two fingers! Whether that is index and middle finger or index and pinky is up to you! I know which I'll be having! :-) A guid New Year tae ye a' Jim

A Guide New Year tae all o' ye who have had the time on your hands to follow this thread and make such kind and encouraging comments. Jim

I wonder what that might be??? Jim

It certainly looks very much like the pivot for an equalising beam of some sort. Jim

Thanks, Keefer. I've passed on the link to your post. Jim

Despite the festive season I've managed to get a shed-load of modelling done! :-) Jim

Huh! Is that all? Friend tells me Melbourne is in the mid 30's! Didn't get above -3 here today! Jim

Aye, only six months until the nights start drawing in again! 3" of snow here yesterday morning and -11°C last night. Jim

Gary, There's not much care involved, other than avoiding getting paint on the gutters. I just slosh the slightly varying mixes on in a fairly random fashion. The ridging is added later. Jim