5BarVT

1 hour ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

That's all well and good but it took you a full exhibition to shunt a 3 wagon pick up goods!

“And you’ll keep on doing it until you get it Right!”

Paul.

Another vote for Abertawe.  In the original photo I’m fairly certain I can see the characteristic arch of the footbridge over Oystermouth Road. 
Paul.

I’m slightly troubled by the wiring photo.  How long did it take you to work out the wiring goes under the rails?  :-)

I like the layout of the WRD, and as you say, each part has its place, including the loop to run round each shunt between workshop and storage roads.

On the annotated photo, the line under “storage roads” is a bit close to the line beside the headshunt because the two siding points are butted up to each other V to toe (afeature of Peco track that I discovered in 1972 doing exactly what you have done!).  Have you tried putting vehicles in both roads to check clearances?  (My recollection is that 7 plank wagons would pass but coaches wouldn’t.)

Paul.

20 hours ago, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

How do you manage 3 links?  Is there a special tool?

 

I can't manage them in 7mm...

Yes.

I get someone else to do it!

21 hours ago, lapford34102 said:

Hooks Law

Though, now that I know about Hooks Law, maybe I’m not so bad.  I fear I need the more generalised version:

A=N+K(p)

where K(p) (personalised) is a failure factor individual to the operator.

My K(p) is somewhat higher than 1.

Paul.

2 hours ago, melmoth said:

 

Build two (or three) identical models of each structure/feature on the layout and finish them in an increasing order of decreptitude. Swap structures according to which era you're operating.

 

It sounds really easy if you say it quickly.

And then have all the surrounding scenery in different firms as nature took over (all removable too).

In fact why not build three layouts, so as you don’t have to remove all the stock and variable features to change era . . .

:-)

I’ll get back in my box now.
 

Paul.

12 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

We had our fair share of gremlins

Including a lot of smashed up sleepers from the van behind the Hymek?

Paul.

On 01/03/2024 at 21:24, 5BarVT said:

Great fun on a bike, especially when you you go the ‘wrong way round’ just cos you can.

On 01/03/2024 at 23:44, Donington Road said:

 

Just be careful you don't end up at that white building with the blue sign.🤕

For the avoidance of doubt, I meant going anti clockwise around the central island (‘the wrong way’ compared to a normal roundabout) while correctly following the lane markings.

Can see why you might have interpreted my words differently!
Paul.

You’re making me jealous and nostalgic!

I do like a Furka Oberalp loco.  It has a differ3nt feel in English!

Paul.

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

You mean they are wearing pack-a-macs and leaning into the wind as they walk.

 

I have had "sunny" holidays in Cornwall.

Liquid sunshine, dear boy!

Paul.

7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

The shopping information on the left of the solebar suggests that these are post-nationalisation.

 

I'm also intrigued by the variation of colour below the solebar (nice to see blackened wheels by the way, if not axles...).

Judicious changing of an 8 to a 6 required!

Paul.

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

of whom about half will do for Pentowan beach.

Will that be a Gwiwer Penhayle Bay type of beach scene, or is Pentowan too refined for that?

Paul.

48 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Theres one of these at Hatton Cross too.

And Hemel.

Paul.

3 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

If they are coupled up I will have to remember the complicated instructions about gear changing as the train would be a mix of torque converters and gearbox cars.

I’ve learnt something tonight.  I was about to say ‘you can’t ’cos they will have different coupling codes’.  But I thought I would check first . . .

I had assumed (for over 50 years) that Blue Square meant epicyclic gear box, but now I know that although some hydraulic transmission is a different code, there were some that were Blue Square.

My guess is that the instructions were to drive a mixed set like a mechanical transmission - the epicyclic gearbox didn’t like a ‘hot change’ that you could possibly get away with in a torque converter.

Paul.

P.S. I still don’t know what a 112 or a 113 is.  By the time Ian Allen was adding class numbers (‘74 ish) it seems they had all been withdrawn.

1 hour ago, big jim said:

Swindon so depressing to drive round

The only good bit is the magic roundabout.  It’s even the official name now.   Great fun on a bike, especially when you you go the ‘wrong way round’ just cos you can.  :-)

Paul.

26 minutes ago, 57xx said:

 

I'm afraid I'm being very thick here. Surely if you set the facing point to going straight on to the goods yard and it is linked to the rhs part of the slip to act as a crossover to the loop, you'll only ever be able to go to the loop (assuming someone has manually set the lhs slip blades in the right direction)? Setting the lever for the rhs slip to be heading in to the yard would set the facing point in to the platform.

The ‘crossover’ is the facing point and the opposite end of the slip.  The hand points are the blades nearest to the facing point that dete4mine whether you go to the loop or the siding.

Paul.

50 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

Good news … the cake won!!! 

Was there ever going to be any other outcome?

(See Q.E.D.above!)

Paul.

Hello again Bill,

I hadn’t thought about dropping off vehicles from the tank train.  That makes life fun!

Nor had I thought about using the clay shunters for the stone traffic - different company and all that. The advantage of being General Manager of all three is that you can cause such cooperation to happen.

Thinking further about dropping off from the down tanks.  My gut feel is that the traffic for Tregrea would be marshalled at the front.  Then it’s a stop behind TG9, run forwards with the traffic, detach from loco with yard shunter (or set back and leave in headshunt G), then loco back onto front of train and away.  All done with just the one LoS (behind TG9) and route up to it from the sidings.  Running round on the main lines is a lot more fraught and difficult to signal.

A further thought about the siding layout which gives another alternative for stone and down tanks is an extra crossover loco length clear of the buffers between Headshunt A and Reception B.  That gives more run round space so the stone arrivals could be run round by the train loco and shunted into siding C.  And then the tanks could run into the yard (with the Tregrea traffic at the back), run round and shunt off the traffic, run back onto the front, propel out behind TG9 and away. All the messy stuff goes on in the yard and the main line is left clear.

Paul.

P.S. Thank you for the mental exercises and armchair modelling opportunities you have provided.

3 hours ago, 61656 said:

There’s a short overlap in the middle road, so all trains are cautioned on the approach,

That’s a very restrictive release for the DY, but then, you are modelling the LM!

And well done for blowing up for the cameraman.

Paul.

12 hours ago, treggyman said:

Hi

Further to Gordon A's post above I thought I'd draw up a sort of signal box diagram....

I have only included the signalling in the visible area & not a fully signalled diagram.

 

TG1  controls the main line & loco's running round via the down main....In reality this would probably be just a standard signal with a dummy for the run round.

TG2 is the down main starter .

TG3 is what I would  call the inner home protecting the access to the yard.

TG4 allows access from the up main to the down main via the crossover.

TG5 allows exit from the yard.....No catch point as there is a pointwhich would be controlled by the signal box that leads to the headshunt.

TG6 allows access to the yard from the up main.

TG7 is the up starter or maybe home signal.

TG8allows access from the down main to the up main via the crossover

TG9The main aspect is for the down main & the bracket is for access to the yard.In reality the bracket might be a dummy/ground signal & TG 8 might be combined with this signal on the same post.

 

I am not asignaller or by any means an expert on signalling so if anyone wishes to correct/redraw my design feel free.......

I realise for instance that the signals would not be numbered in this way ,TG1 for instance would be two numbers but I just did it like this for ease of this post.

 

Anyway hope it makes sense & any thoughts welcome...

 

Cheers Bill

 

I had a play this evening & the down main TG9 has stopped working & I have an issue with thw bracket on TG!.

 

Hi Bill,

Shame the signals are already installed, it limits the changes that can be made (!). The reference numbers are helpful, it makes it clear which signals are being discussed.  And I take your point made earlier that this is all about enjoyment and having FUN.

You discussed the catch point earlier and you’ve added it in on this diagram.  I don’t think it is needed.  Single lines on the main line in Cornwall bring Largin viaduct to mind.  It didn’t have a catch point in the up direction, and in the down it had full sand drag run offs on both lines - that makes me think it was gradient and consequence related (a viaduct implies a bit of a drop if you overrun!).  They were provided at passing loops on single lines to permit simultaneous arrivals and that was to do with the block regulations.  By definition, trains are timed to pass at loops so there was a time advantage to such arrangements.  On single line sections on double lines, timing is usually to avoid clashes on the single line.  I think (but don’t know without more research of the Absolute Block regs) that you could still run up to TG2 with a train coming off the single line.  (And the FUN element says just do it anyway!)

On to the signals:

TG8 and TG9 may well be combined (it’s easier if they are).  These days the bracket on TG9 would be a disc signal, but back in the day, not necessarily (and ‘old’ signalling has a habit of hanging around for a long time).  So TG9 is fine, as is TG2, and you don’t need a separate TG8.

The fun comes with the running round etc, and that all depends on what moves you want to make and whether any or all trains make use of the siding shunters.
Up Goods (the only one) needs TG6 to set back into the sidings so that’s fine.

Down Arrivals - I’m assuming that some (or all) trains will run round before propelling back into the sidings.  If done on the down line (most likely in practice) you need TG4 to signal up to an imagined (offstage) LoS (Limit of Shunt) behind TG9.  There’s then the fun of getting the loco onto the back of the train and whether that needs a calling on arm or is just done with a flag (assume the latter).  Then the train needs to pull back behind TG9 and that will need another disc signal on the down line.

Alternatively (and less likely, but gives a reason for the bracket signal on TG1) is to run round on the up line. The bracket on TG9 then read to the up line and TG8 is needed to access the sidings direct.  A signal opposite TG2 on the up line is needed and I think there would still be a shunt signal on the down for reading back to the LoS for the loco running round.  It’s rather unusual for TG1 to have two main arms rather than a disc for the run round, but that’s what’s available and what you have.

Not sure how much I’m helping and how much is just muddying the waters.  Don't forget the fun!

Paul.

12 hours ago, rob D2 said:

the whole scene is super dull compared to the 80s and fairly dull compared with the 90s !

Thats why us oldies model times of yore!

Paul.

9 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Big dilemma tomorrow! With the layout out at the Redditch show this weekend do I keep the board in the kitchen to do more fencing or clear out so SWMBO can bake millionaire’s shortbread? 

Which would be missed more?

Q.E.D. 

Paul.

59 minutes ago, Philou said:

Hah! By the time there were only glowing embers, some 7hrs had passed, and probably all the oil would/should have burnt off (still glowing hot at the mo' nearly 12hrs later) but the point is taken :)).

Indeed, all the oil would likely have gone, leaving only the heavy metals . . .

:-)

Paul.

41 minutes ago, 61656 said:

The eagle eyed will spot its coming in wrong line. The xray eyed will spot the couplings aren’t fitted yet. 

Sure it’s not shoving a failure out right road?

Paul.

Can’t quite remember as it’s a long time since I was inside one of mine, but I seem to recall that the LEDs might be pre wired to the leads and thus already in their chosen CA/CC condition.

But even if they are , nothing to stop you unsoldering and redoing in your chosen config.

Paul.

Thank you to all for another enjoyable day out on Saturday.  Late decision to attend this year as it’s no longer a 30 minute walk.

Wellpark (which I have enjoyed before) just oozes Glasgow East End.  The cut down Belgrove signalbox caught my attention this time.

Eastfield was impressive and has just the right feel for the Hawthorn St area.  I noticed the EP point machines.

Donaghadee was a pre decided draw (family connections to the Ards) and the craic was brilliant.  Thanks for inviting/bringing it over.  Showed my wife the photos and she commented me that you wouldn’t know there had been a railway embankment through Newtownards these days.

I watched Neuberg for quite a while because I was intrigued by the control system (rocrail) and it was only on the second visit I twigged they were the same layout 100 years apart. I liked the steam powered snow cutter.

Kettlewell hit my interests spot on - signalled, interlocked (home built mechanical), releases to the ground frames and signalling driving the layout electrics - very well done for a self taught modeller.  And a superbly engineered reversible traverser.

Effingham Street with its JMRI automation was an extra bonus discussing its technicalities.

Balornock Goods was educational, especially thinking ‘what if’ UK HO had caught on.
Watching the exhibitor(s) managing the (child) operators on Türland was fun!  Brave (!) but good investment in the future of the hobby.

Very pleased I made the effort to go.

Paul.