5BarVT

3 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Please sit down before you read this...

 

I started the Nu-Cast 2021 kit tonight, almost 30 years since I last built a cast loco kit.

And to which service do you propose to allocate this loco?

Paul.

It was an Irn Bru advert mounted on the wall of (I think) Caledonian Chambers (part of Central Station) facing up Renfield St. in my time, it was a large clock with blue hands and orange numerals (and some Irn Bru advertising).  Very useful if you were running down Renfield St a bit tight for a train!

Internet searches reveal previous incarnations of the advert, but I haven’t found one of the clock.

After privatisation it was taken down, because (allegedly) no-one knew who could authorise it to remain. (I suspect the wall was ScotRail in Caley Chambers and the roof beneath it was whoever owned Central Hotel.). Strangely, it seemed no bother to find out the ownership to effect a new electronic advertising sign in its place . . .

Paul.

3 hours ago, David Bell said:

There has to be an Irn Bru advert somewhere on the layout. Now where is my square sausage!

Not the right station for the Irn Bru clock (mores the pity!!).

Paul.

On 14/03/2024 at 23:27, Peter Kazmierczak said:

I've tried to do it so it looked like the LMS overpainted the "Midland"  bit of the lettering. What'd you think?

Nicely done.  I rather like it.

Paul.

13 hours ago, RailWest said:

It was known as an Annett's Shield after the signal engineer who designed it. Very common on the L&SWR. It's purpose was to prevent 'stray' light from behind the arm giving a false 'green' when the arm was at danger.

 

When the SR changed from LQ to UQ arms the position of the green aspect changed to being in front of the post rather than to the side  - not a problem on nice thick wooden posts, but with lattice posts or those built of 2 rails with a large gap between them the same risk of a false green existed. That was solved by fixing a rectangular plate to the post immediately behind the spectacle plate - often not noticeable in photographs unless the arm was 'off'.

Thank you - should have gone to . . .

Now I look properly I can see that the shield is fixed to the post not the arm.

I wonder if it’s the same Annett as in GF release instruments.

12 hours ago, RailWest said:

That was a different thing from the purpose of an Annett's Shield, which is what the photo shows. In the C/L example, I think the semaphore green aspect was blanked off completely ?

Yes, a plate in place of the green glass.

Paul.

2 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

I refer my honourable colleagues to the last big Modelling Police incident. It is now legendary, and spoken of in hushed tones of awe and reverence.

 

 

I’ve just lost half an hour of my life.

And really enjoyed it!

Paul.

14 hours ago, Donw said:

Nice work Jon, I wonder why they needed the shade over the green.

 

Don

Usually in conjunction with a colour light head for Y (YY) G at the fringes of a colourlight area.  The Southern were particularly fond of that fringing arrangement.

Perhaps that part is yet to come.

Paul.

See below for correct explanation!

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

I think there are just too many words in the ESU manual...

Agreed.

Paul.

Potentially try a topic in the DCC Help forum to see if anyone else has solved the problem, or can at least advise on output pins.

Paul.

Just seen that you have already asked on the 18100 topic.

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

The loco runs fine on the layout but...

 

I can't get any of the lights to work at all on DCC. They all worked on DC according to the Rails/Heljan instruction leaflet. I suspect that I might need to do something to map the functions in the decoder but I've never needed to do this with other makes of decoder and the ESU manual is, to me, incomprehensible.

 

Any suggestions please?

Have you another (make) of decoder to try?  Would confirm its decoder not loco, though working on DC is reasonably conclusive.

Or, paracetamol, hot damp towel and the ESU manual . . .

Never used ESU, but some of my modelling colleagues swear by them.  Manual is indeed comprehensive (read incomprehensible).

Do you know which outputs drive which lamps (as a start to whether function mapping is the issue).

Paul.

12 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

If you like that one, you might appreciate it’s bigger brother.

Do you need that many volts for O gauge?

:-)

Paul.

That’s a fine piece of instrumentation on the O gauge shelf.

Paul.

1 hour ago, TomJ said:

Sorry - I should have been clearer! I did indeed mean a dual frog juicer - one output for each rail. I went with juicers because I’ve used them before for point frogs so stuck with what I knew!

 

What I wasn’t so sure was where to put it or even whether I need two dual juicers

 

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I’ll try to wire it up this evening and I’ll let you know how I get on. You may hear the swearing on here!! 

If you have the extra sidings within the reversing section, you need to make sure that you never (even inadvertently) have a train coming into the section from both ends at the same time.  (Also applies without points in there but much less likely to happen as it’s “obvious” there is nowhere to go.)

If you shorten the section to keep the points out of it then train length becomes an issue.  If your only vehicles with power connections to the wheels are locos then you might get away with it, but metal wheels running through joints could still touch both together.  If you have coach lighting etc you could end up with the loco at the front bridging one gap and a lighting compatible coach (even if not fitted with lights) bridging the other.

My inclination would be to go for the longer section and manage the two trains issue.

Paul.

6 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Mud up the back.
 

It’s very clayey in places near where I live, and fitting mudguards just causes everything to jam solid with mud, whereas with no mudguards, it mostly self-clears, or can be poked clear with a handy stick.

 

But, sometimes it all just turns into a giant mess:

 

Ahh, memories!  I used to cycle old railway lines.  Fine when they have a proper surface or in dry weather, but I have had the “all jammed solid under the mudguards” experience.

Paul.

Most interesting to see a view showing how close everything was.  Many years spent standing on that low level platform at c.17:25 to 17:32 when you could hear the DMU engines on the platforms above so I knew there wasn’t much gap, but nice to see it confirmed photographically.

Also a revelation that 6&7 weren’t always as long as 2-5.  And following the Queen St upgrade, they are shorter once more as 2-5 have been lengthened by a coach length.

Paul.

Fair weather cyclist? Or do you go for the ‘brown line up the back of the jacket’ look?

I used to be an any weather cyclist, now I just cart mudguards around as extra weight!

Paul.

I see your 4’ road numbers in the FY.  Do they act as clearance markers too?

Paul.

10 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

The late Gordon Hafter, who knew more about the Underground than most people before or since, used to reckon on 5 minutes street to train, interchange or train to street plus 2 minutes per station for all central London trips. On that basis, LB to VIC via the Jubilee and District/Circle lines, would take 5 + (3 x 2) + 5 + (2 x 2) + 5 = 25 minutes. Taking away the two train/street times, that falls within your 11 - 16 minute band. I was never late for a meeting when following Gordon's rule.

I observe that rule too, with the exception of the Victoria Line where some of the longer sections are > 2mins.  I suspect some of the ‘new’ Jubilee line sections don’t fit either.

Paul.

Well that’s a back story.  You have the gift of a fertile mind, Sir!

Paul.

On 08/03/2024 at 17:20, RobinofLoxley said:

Just asking, but how many UK stations actually conform(ed) to the Minories prototype, viz a 3-platform terminus with a loco layover/shunt thing, with some parallel moves for arrivals and departures, and the outermost (furthest from the station) turnout being a trailing turnout on the departures side)?

How about Swansea High Street?

Missing the loco spur, 4 platforms not 3 but are just the 3rd split into two, inner xover after the 2-3 split and extra points to the sidings (but they are in the right place for expanded Minories.

Pretty much the same operating constraints.

Paul.

And Helensburgh Central if you strip out the northernmost platform.

Received my MERG Journal last week, noticed a front cover leader to “An Arduino based interlocking signal lever frame’ and thought “I’ll have to read that “.

Opened it today and flicked through from back to front (just ‘cos I was holding it in my right hand), missed the locking table on page 9, flicked to pg 6 . . .

I recognise that Box diagram!

I’m going to have to go back and read it properly now!

Paul.

2 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Correction.

That's not enough Warships'

One can't have too many!!

 

Mike.

More of a Western fan myself.  Can’t have too many of them.

Paul.

6 minutes ago, Dunalastair said:

Given a choice between a posting there and e.g. Corrour, I think I know which I'd choose. Even if the wages were better in Glasgow, there would be nothing to spend money on living on the Moor.

I think Courour was a bit special.  For a start, all water came in by train.  But also the working arrangements - there may have been some relief, but I think once there you worked continuously.

Paul.

That’s a lot of Warships!

Paul.

Like that a lot!

Interesting way of placing your WAGO222s.  I’ll have to try it.

Paul.