5BarVT

As Andy said, that is so much better. You'll be able to photograph without the pipe showing, and even when looking, the tower makes it easier fir the eye to pretend that there isn't anything rising out of the top. The slot in tank back just adds to the illusion. Very well done.

Paul.

Further thoughts from me.

Shortliner's ply was needed because the aluminium angle was in two bits (one from each lift). You just need to shorten the angle and the foam. If you cut off one end of the base you don't have to worry about electrical continuity. Operationally there would be a running on end but running off 'should' be possible from either end (I think).

Paul.

While Exchange was dormant I purchased some Peco loco lifts. The idea being a loco hauled train would run into the fiddle yard, on the end of its allocated line would be a loco lift. Plan was for the loco to run on to the lift, be uncoupled and the removed to the stock table. Great idea, trouble being the very tight parameters built into the layout. A loco lift is 12 inches long, about 1 1/2 inches too long for a loco and four coaches to sit with the last coach safely on the traverser so it can be traversed. I found if the last bogie was on the traverser the front coach was sharing the loco lift, which wasn't the plan nor was not being able to line up the next train to Exchange because the last departure still had is tail end on the non moving part of the layout.

 

Shortliner had some double length loco lifts as cassettes on his layout: I think the structural strength came from replacing the foam sides with 6mm ply fitted into the aluminium channel. Could you do something similar to take 1 1/2" out of yours?

Paul.

Class 15...... :locomotive:

 

Ah, go Andy you know you want to model a nice GER layout. :sungum:

 

Following last nights PMs the Clayton tuned up hauling a Leeds Central to Sheffield Exchange parcels.

Clive,

I think you might have mis typed. W is right next to E on the keyboard!!!!!

Paul.

In between the soldering sessions, I've made a start on a Christmas present from Mrs D (...erm, welI I bought it and said she could wrap it up for me for Christmas ).

My daughters gave me a Heljan Hymek for my birthday just gone using the same mechanism. It's good isn't it!

Paul.

You need a couple of surface mounted H&M says he, not being very helpful!

Paul.

Well done with your frame allocation. Only two points from me (both of which could be wrong). I'm not sure of the need for the shunt ahead (4) as I don't think it was a western thing (but the N&W line may not have been 'western' practice). Also, shunt signal 13 needs 12 and 14 reverse which obstructs access to 13 (called a 'pull between'). I think that would have been avoided (but being a shunt signal may nave been OK as not a long pull). However, swapping 11 shunt and 12 points will sort the issue anyway.

Mike (stationmaster) will have views if he reads this topic!

Paul.

 

*Bert's grandson (Norman Topsom) later followed in the family tradition of working on the railway and retired during November 2015 as the station master at Twyford.

Paul

The Tyne was a dead river, if you happened to fall in......and survived you were straight up the RVI for a stomach pump!

That's as I remember from the early 70's.

Paul.

A great photo indeed. I went searching for KX stabling point photos some time ago and that one gives lots of detail that you don't normally get. I would put it later than '73 though as I think it was '76 before head codes were discontinued, and a while after that before Domino replacements came in.

Paul

Paul,

Thanks for your input. My layout is indeed GWR, 1930s. You learn something every day! I didn't know the TOS was not repeated. That makes life a little easier anyway.

Thanks also for the advice on the cap and LED. I am sure a fading one would be fine.

Cheers

Rich

Being 'brought up' on WR signalling, it was only when I visited Banbury North after decommissioning that I learned that other regions did reply to TOS (40 years between the two events)!

I will be able to draw/design a circuit for you but I'm a bit pushed for time over the next few days. Just so that I know what I'm working with, I assume that each bell circuit is a separate wire (on the real thing both ways worked over the same wire to save on pole route copper) with the +12 connected to the bell and the tapper making the connection to the -12. (There's a bit of WR signalling circuit pedigree in using a positive common rather than common negative too!). I'll need to try a typical capacitor value to see how big is needed for 5 sec delay. Others are right it could be quite big and a 555 would allow a smaller capacitor, but the bell coil will push nasty spikes into the 555 which it might not like.

Paul.

Sorry to hear of the demise of Mersey Parkway, pleased you have something else to work on. I'm just about to embark on track laying and I'm interested in your drawing pins. I assume that the track isn't glued down yet: are the pins through the sleepers, or just adjacent so as not to leave a visible hole when you ballast?

Thanks, Paul.

The problem is that Evenely would send Train out of section which would be repeated by the sender. So the indicator would be left on.

At the beginning of this thread I think you said you are Buckingham GW rather than GC? If so, your problem is solved - GWR and BR(W) didn't reply to the 2-1 TOS bell code. However, I would still recommend the capacitor and LED. I think it's as simple as a diode off the bell feed onto a capacitor with the LED (and dropper resistor) fed off that. Try it and see, it's all down to component values for length of delay. This simple circuit gives a fading LED, if you want a 'snap' off, you will need a more complicated circuit.

Paul.

I think you could get away with a 20 lever frame, so 7' on 4" centres. Your box looks to be about 12' so not out of the question. It does assume that only there is nothing more than the minories layout controlled from the box.

Paul.

The only thing non prototypical but I will have to live with is the curved points will be pretty much slap bang in the middle of the level crossing I want to add!

Sez who it's non prototypical? Google (other search engines are available) Red Cow Crossing Exeter and look for photos before the resignalling (Exeter Middle box) and you will see a level crossing with points in it. OK just the crossing nose, not the switch rails, but you're not as unprototypical as you might think.

Paul.

I thought about that, but I want to create as much of the 80's as possible, so relays are a key part of the model for me.

Next step will be some simple circuits on breadboard to prove the theory.

Do you have a thread for your layout?

Unfortunately not - need a layout for that! It is getting closer, I have boards built, some with cork down and a plan that I think might work. Just to slow myself down, I'm converting to Kadees at the same time so I need to do tests on curves and coupling/uncoupling before I commit.

There was an article in MERG journal a while ago called 'copper capped RRI' written by a designer in Reading, though it would give you E10k style operation rather than SW67 style.

HTH, Paul.

Edit: name of article

25 years of being a signal engineer.

I'm going to go down the RR&Co route to save lots of wiring and relays. Haven't built anything yet so can't say whether I'll be successful.

Paul.

Nah, 1000s looked best in green..............how could any loco made in Swindon look good in Midland Railway Crimson Lake?

 

So Empress should look better in crimson, being Crewe built!?!

Parapet. Quick.

Paul.

Option 1 fits with the short platform: no need for locos so still (four?) coaches long. Also works with both long platforms with a single lead entry - the parallel running is mainly with the EMU service. You could consider juicing one of the long platforms (perturbation, or allowing peak hour two train operation).

The third rail provision could actually make the layout feel more realistic. Thus says the armchair modeller!

Paul.

Want one!

And I do my diesels blue!

Paul.

And the tanks are full. They are there to provide brake force because the S stock runs unbraked with just a pipe running through/along the train.

Paul.

It feels to me like you're going the right way. If everything is accessible, then you have more chance of getting it right first time and it's easier to fix if anything does go wrong. All the best for version 2.

Paul.

A classic North Staffs station by the look of it but at the moment I can't place the spot.

You weren't alone in thinking North Staffs, even if we were both wrong!

Any of you want to own up to being there?

 

and I'm half hiding behind Castle in the last photo of post #44.

Paul.

Lovely pictures. Was my patch for about a year just before privatisation so the plungers at Crianlarich and the old stone signal mechanisms brought back memories. Your first experience of RETB? Prior to RETB the stations were Tyndrum Upper and Tyndrum Lower, but Upper Tyndrum was renamed to avoid misinterpretation on a distorted radio channel. 25 years since I have cab ridden the West Highland in a 37, but it takes a lot of beating. Thanks for the memories.

Paul.