Caley Jim

I make the closure rail and switch as separate parts with the closure rail ending between two sleepers. On the heel end of the switch I fit a piece of copper shim about 4mm long which has been formed into a channel, slid onto the bottom of the switch and then crimped around the foot of the rail. This is soldered on with half of it projecting beyond the end of the switch. This then slid onto the end of the closure rail and the switch is held against it by being attached to the stretcher bar at the toe end. There is thus flexibility between the switch and closure rail, but the 'fishplate' keeps them in line. The only thing I would do in hindsight is to solder a loop of very fine wire between the heel of the switch and the adjacent stock rail to provide reliable electrical continuity. This was OK until I spray painted the track. I found that some paint must have got between the 'fishplate' and closure rail in a few places making the switch electrically 'dead'. I have been able to restore this by sliding the 'fishplate' back and forth a little. (there is a fair bit of flexibility in the tiebar system I use). Going back to the subject of traps etc., this image shows an interesting set up where there was a central release road. The turnout at the end of that has independent switches which operate in unison with the relevant turnout on the platform roads. Thus when both these turnouts are set for their respective platforms, the turnout in the centre road forms a wide-to gauge trap whereby anything running though it will drop into the four foot and so not foul either platform road. Jim Edited to add that I hadn't seen Northroader's post before I posted this.

To drag us back to track, notice the distinctive way that the open loose-heel switches on the double slip lie parallel to their respective stock rails, rather than curving away from them as they would if the switch was contiguous with the closure rail. This is something I tried to replicate on Kirkallanmuir. Jim

You would need to be ambipapyrus (as well as being ambidextrous) to be able to do that! :-) Jim

You could use a half brass/half plastic sleeper on two adjacent sleepers with the brass halves on opposite rails. Jim

Jings, crivvens, help ma boab!!! I only posted this late last night and I had to go back 2 pages to find it!! As promised the photos of Peebles, scanned from the book by Peter Marshall. The 'double single switch' trap is in the right foreground of the upper photo and the left of the lower one. The latter is taken from the bridge. Ironically the line through the bridge, which linked to the NB station on the other side of the town, was never used by passenger trains. The relative positions of the stations can be seen on this map. The bridge in the photo and the embankment on Ninians Haugh are still there,but the station site is now housing and an ambulance depot. Norte also the single switch trap on the dock siding leading off the platform line in the right foreground of the lower photo. Jim

I have posted a link to this on the other threads I follow and asking for any info to be passed to you, Tim. Jim

Friends, can I direct your attention to this post by Tim Watson. Disseminate this as widely as you can and if you hear anything direct the info to Tim please. Thanks, Jim

Friends, can I direct your attention to this post by Tim Watson. Disseminate this as widely as you can and if you hear anything direct the info to Tim please. Thanks, Jim

The siding turnout protects the main line as it and the main line turnout would operate as a crossover from one lever in the signal box. Jim

You are correct, Don. The turnout which divides the two up sidings is too close to the turnout on the up main to allow room for a trap that would keep anything clear of the main. As you rightly say, the other alternative would be a trap on each siding which would be more complicated to operate. There was this arrangement at the end of the loop at Peebles. I'm at my daughter's house looking after her dog this evening, but I'll try and post the Pebbles picture tomorrow. I hope the above explains things to both you and Nearholmer. If you look at the two photos in this post you can see the turnout where the No.2 up siding (to the warehouse dock) diverges from the No1 up siding (which serves the livestock landing for the market). This on the right of the first photo and on the left of the second one. There was a photo in MRJ some time ago which showed a similar arrangement but with double switches on each trap. BTW, RaR only the top phoro of my post was of my first layout. The turnout we're discussing is on my second one! Jim

Guy, no-one seems to have answered your question and as I said above I use 188 solder paint for trackwork and etched kits. I see no reason why there should be any problem using multicore and flux - your essentially using a double dose of two different fluxes. The only time I use solid solder is if I want to create a good filet for strength in a joint, or have a small gap I want to fill e.g. to hide where the end of a tab shows through a slot in a component and then I either use Fuxite or I've already used the solder paint to fix the parts in the first place.. Jim

Please Sir, me Sir. (if you don't count Hornby Dublo 3 rail as a first layout). One just visible on the dock siding in this rather poor photo. There is a second under the tank loco in the background. They both work, linked to their respective running line turnouts. Of course, if you want complicated, you can incorporate the trap within a turnout. Jim

A few wee dabs of Prit-stic? Jim

I once saw round tuits for sale in a shop in Moffat. My mistake was in not buying any! If I was overlooking the Grand Harbour I'd get nothing done! Jim

One of life's eternal mysteries for me is why Santa never has any round tuits for me,despite my asking him every year for some. Jim

No chance!! Here, or on CA! jim

Provided the outline is drawn in first! I'm no artist. She is now 13, so I expect her to appear with purple hair any day now! I have to resist the temptation to start another etched kit and get on with the job in hand. I have to confess that after I had finished the warehouse for Kirkallanmuir I made up some etched point levers as I was in need of a 'fix', finding myself suffering from soldering withdrawl symptoms. Jim

PM sent. Jim

I couldn't agree more with Jerry here. As I pointed out in another post (can't remember which thread it was in) what you are doing when soldering is creating an alloy between the solder and the surface of each of the two pieces of metal you are joining. To do that, the metal needs to reach at least the melting point of the solder. I use an iron with a 2mm wide chisel bit, running at 300°C with Carrs 188 solder paint. Using this technique, it should be possible to solder crankpins to white metal wheels without destroying them, provided you don't dwell too long. You might melt a small area around the crankpin, but that shouldn't be catastrophic. One way to protect things would be to embed the wheel in a big wad of wet tissue or cotton wool with only the area at the back of the crankpin exposed and just touch with the corner of the bit. I do have a couple of pointy bits, but I only use one of them if trying to get into a tight location or soldering wires to decoders. Jim

As my granddaughter once said to me when I questioned why she had given me a purple pen to colour in the hair of a girl on a drawing 'Just do it!'. You'll never learn how to do it if you don't try, and remember, 'if at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again!' And not a hard hat or hi-viz vest in sight! As Mr Punch would say 'That's the way to do it!' Jim

There is also the Scottish name for a tank engine, a pug. I once saw this erroneously defined as a shunting engine, but this ignored the CR's 'standard passenger tanks' (0-4-4T) and 'Wemyss Bay pugs' (2-6-4T) and the Sou' West's 'Big pugs' (4-6-4T). Some pugs did have tenders, though. Some of the CR and NB 0-4-0ST 's acquired small wooden tenders to increase their coal capacity. Jim

Don't even think of going there!! That's opening up a whole new can of worms! it depends on what the lighting conditions are as here. (scroll down to the two ¾ front photos of the Jumbos together). Jim

One word. Wow!! Jim edit for typo (d**n predictive text again!)

I couldn't agree more! Really adds to the character of the vehicle and these end planks are superb. Jim

Hi Ian, First link worked and took me to the photo plus a slideshow along the bottom of the page. Second link failed, but if I stripped out the src= bit it took me to the photo, but without the slide show. Jim