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Laurie2mil

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  1. It's a shaving mirror, Simon. Don't need it any more! 🙂 @ShadowinLinby has been asking @Laurie2mil the same question for many months. We've all got a screw loose, Tony, just different screws in different heads. @ShadowinLinby is doing Waterloo . . .🙂 In all fairness, there is now more of my stuff in the loft than Mrs Laurie's. The original intention was for the ladder to be at the edge of the room, between the wall and first roof truss and outside the edge of the baseboards) but when built the ladder unit wouldn't quite fit. Bringing it one truss further in worked OK in the end and was the least intrusive option - it avoided all the scenic stiff and I could work the fiddle yard round it to avoid all the points. There was always the hope of having a traintable about there for the Junction lines, and accommodating the loft ladder only meant adding making its deck removable - which the intrinsic drawer runner clips enable without any extra work at all. Thank you all again for your supportive (!?🙂) comments. Re the track and running: I do spend quite a bit of time picking at the track to smooth out the lumps and bumps. My 0.5mm file is my most-used tool! Ding-ding!
  2. Thanks Jim. Sorry about that - now corrected (they embedded this time). Lauri
  3. My thanks to Don and the others for their encouraging comments and interest. To round off the saga of the Junction Fiddle Yard, a few words and pics about the control panel and operation of the Junction lines, which are effectively terminus - to - fiddle yard and operate independently from the GWR Weymouth circuit and Durston branch. DC, "traditional" control panels (with full route indication and simplicity of circuitry subordinate to flexibility of operation) and block bells might not be everyone's cup of tea but they are mine! Like the main Yeovil Town (YT) control panel, the Junction Yard (JY) panel can be switched onto any of the 4 controllers at the Fiddle Yard end, and 3-colour LEDS (= 4 with red+green = yellow) show the route selected in the colour of the controller connected. The JY is a single electrical section despite being fed by both up and down tracks; an up/down route switch and a switch for each storage road operate the points (via a diode/relay/ matrix and servos by Megapoints ) and the LEDs for the route set. A "Control" switch puts the whole JY onto the end of the up or down track (controlled by the main Yeovil Town panel). With an operator at each end (Junction Yard and Yeovil Town) trains are driven towards the operator. The function of the control switch could be taken over by the signalling switches when we get to that stage in future years. Communication between the 2 operators is modelled closely on the simple block system Peter Denny devised for Buckingham: a bell and push switch, and a knob with lights showing "normal", "line clear" & "train on line") for up and down line trains on each panel, and a much simplified list of bell codes. The "block controls" are independent of all other electrical switching. If there is just one operator (which will be the norm - just me most of the time), the JY panel can be effectively "switched out" (route and road switches "off" & Control set to "Yeovil Town"), the route into/out of the JY selected by duplicate switches now added to the Yeovil Town panel (relays prevent major conflicts, such as the route switches being "live" on both panels at the same time). As well as showing the controller and route selected, the LEDs on the JY panel also indicate which YT controller has the up and down lines, and whether the JY has been electrically switched over to the YT panel. To mirror this, the YT panel also has LEDs which indicate whether the JY has been switched over to either the up or down line. This all sounds rather complicated, but driving a drive a train (in either direction) just requires the JY operator to select the route (up or down), the storage road to depart from or arrive into, and the control to the YT panel - just 3 toggle switches - and if every LED along the route is lit for the colour of the controller in your hand, you're good to go. The "block instruments" simply save shouting across the room - and, one step closer to the prototype, are a healthy reminder of how the real thing used to work. So here are some examples of the control panels set for up and down trains. First, the JY set-up showing the panel, Fiddle Yard with traintable (and the mirror and CCTV camera so you can see what's in it); the panel is showing "line clear" for an Up train departing from Road J, driven by the YT Red Controller: And the same settings as seen on the YT panels: JY panel showing a down train "on line" for Storage Road C, being driven by the Yellow Controller (located at the fiddle yard but plugs into the YT panel): And to show the JY panel set for local control, this is the JY panel set for running round on Loop Road D under the fiddle yards' own Blue Controller: Finally, a couple of short(ish) videos from YouTube, of the sequence at the JY end to drive up and down trains with 2 operators (using the block instruments); and from the YT end, with just a single operator (no block instruments - I'm way off an automatic Crispin!!): As ever, happy to share further details if anyone wants them!! Laurie
  4. Most of my own modelling time this year has been spent on the Fiddle Yards. Following on from my discursive post about this (way back in March), the Yard for the Junction Lines has been done bar completing the run-round for the pair of long loop roads), and on Christmas eve I finally caught the last bug in the Junction Yard Panel and its associated wiring which allows it to talk to the tracks and main panel at Yeovil Town. It's centre-piece is a hand-operated traintable, modified after the one Peter Denny built for Buckingham (all my best ideas come from Buckingham - and its current custodian Tony Gee). Those who lasted through to the end of the post in March may remember that the main problem was the loft ladder which comes down in the middle of this fiddle yard, so not only does the traintable have to rotate, it also has to completely separate from its supporting baseboard and be placed out of harm's (ie. the ladder's) way. Additionally, in order to maximise the approach track the radii and storage track lengths, it also withdraws and elevates - its runners are sloped. It actually works very well, somewhat to my surprise. I don't expect many will have a loft ladder where the tracks need to be, but it does strike me that a similar construction (withdrawal and small elevation) might be useful in a terminus-fiddle yard layout: where space is limited and narrow it may allow a traintable in place of a sector plate, traverser, or simple loops or sidings. A traintable is a very efficient way of turning whole trains. So a link to a video of it in operation just uploaded to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEnwIfUN_zUa and a some stills: My thanks to Andrew Hyatt for help with the design and machining the pivot. Happy to send on more details and photos of the design and construction if anyone is interested. Laurie
  5. Good to see Ian Smith at NMAG's Christmas meeting - especially as he brought up his beautiful Pen Mill South signal box. Never mind the width, feel the quality! It is small (like the real one) but perfectly formed - quite exquisite, complete with signalman and internal light. It will be a while before it gets bedded in (have to finish the fiddle yard loops and control panels, then the rodding, then ballasting. But here are a couple of pics of it in situ: Very proud to have one of your models on Yeovil, Ian, thank you very much indeed.
  6. What else can I say, Ian, but - beautiful work, thank you very much. The Pen Mill end slowly develops and gains prominence: although initially very much an opportunistic "add-on" it will provide a very different (and very attractive if I can maintain Ian and Alisdair's standards) scene and operation to balance those of the Town station at the other end, and the lines going off through the Yeo valley. Thank you too to Phil Sutters for posting your Dad's logs and photos: I have seen some of the pictures before but some are new to me, and every new photo shows some new detail - and more is visible on the less severely cropped photos in the gallery under your own ID. Much appreciated.
  7. Thank you for your kind words, @britishcolumbian, glad you've made contact. Will message you off-list to follow up our joint interest in Yeovil Pen Mill! Laurie A
  8. PS. To DLT: thank you for your interest and encouraging comments. Modelling the triangle was not on the original agenda, but became possible when the railway room became available (another way in which I am a lucky boy). It looks a large expanse in modelling terms, but is still contracted to less than 1/3 of the real thing, which means it will have to be visually presented as 3 dioramas (one in each corner) separated by the coppices and trees which lined the river, instead of the singular continuous expanse of river plain that it appears to be in reality - but I think that will still work artistically. Laurie
  9. This signal box is coming on beautifully, Ian: a big thank for your work on it and the contribution it will make to the Pen Mill end of the Yeovil project. We have both poured over the few photos of it we can find, and the blurred postcard you show above is the only one which shows its rear, with what we take to be an upper story extension ?WC. The box closed in February 1937; here is an enlargement from the best picture I have of the front, complete with wobbly chimney (I'm happy for you to keep yours straight, Ian!): Still at the Pen Mill end, we were pleased to welcome our chairman to the NMAG meeting last Sunday, where he educated us all about bridges and viaducts, occupation bridges and culverts, and drainage and the the folly of underestimating its importance. He brought with him another gift for Yeovil, the A30 road overbridge which will be the scenic break at the Pen Mill end. This is an elegant elliptical stone arch which is better recorded photographically than the signal box. Alisdair has modelled it complete with the wooden staircase which gave access to the shed and signal box from the road above: The bridge obviously needs properly bedded in (the 2mm ply needs to be properly shaped and stuck down flat onto the baseboard), and will need to be lift-offable in case the switch underneath it needs attention. A big thank you also, therefore, to Alisdair. I - and Yeovil - are very fortunate to benefit from the skills of both Ian and Alisdair, and to others who have contributed to the project in an increasing number of areas. Thank you! Laurie
  10. Thank you all again for your interest and suggestions. To pick up on a couple of specific comments. Yes, all of the points (and signals when I get round to them) are/will be activated by analogue servos controlled by Megapoints servo-controller boards, which even I with my non-electronic brain find easy and flexible to install, straight-forward to programme, and slick in operation. I think the cost of this arrangement compares very favourably with, eg, Cobalt or Tortoise motors, which are currently advertised at £15-18 each cf. c. £12 per servo/MP operated point (the 12-channel Megapoints control board operates 12 points for £66 + servos and microswitches @ <£3 each). I don't have any experience of Megapoints other than the Servo Control Boards, but I'm certainly a fan of those. I believe there was an occasion when the up ACE passed through Yeovil Town (? major works closing Honiton Tunnel, or ? flooding at Cowley Bridge): routed from Exeter to Taunton along the GW line, thence the Branch through Langport-Martock-Hendford to Yeovil Town, then Town -> Junction, reversing there to continue on its more familiar Southern metals. So certainly a precedent for a Bulleid with lots on leaning into the reverse curves on the Town-Junction line (in addition to Rule 1 which positively demands it). Another reason would be one of the summer Sunday excursions starting from Yeovil to the coast - and the Southern berthed stock overnight at Yeovil Town for excursions from Sherborne as well. Though 11 on may be excessive for the annual Sunday School outing. Line speed was 40mph max. but the curves were sharp so the leaning into them was quite visible (and I've attempted to be prototypical re this on the model). As for HSThingummies, 12-car CEPs and other electric acronyms. The ultimate objective (dream) would be to assemble a stud of locos and stock sufficient to operate a representative sequence of movements and services at different periods, but this would be so great and varied that stock and particularly locos will always be the limiting factor for the project in my lifetime. So any that can be begged, borrowed, loaned, afforded, traded - in fact, anything that moves - will always be most welcome. No need to wait until I make the coffee. Laurie
  11. Thank you, Jeff et al, for your reactions and compliment - encouraging as always. Laurie
  12. And so to the Fiddle Yards . . . . If they don't excite you, then I'm sorry, but this is what I've been doing in recent months. Fiddle Yards are often a bit of an afterthought, hidden away, embarrassing persona non grata. A few parallel sidings or sector plate thrown into the left-over space. But the design of the Fiddle Yards (or storage sidings if you prefer) has a large impact on the operational efficiency of the layout, and is critical to maximise the "play factor" of the fully developed project. So what do they have to do on Yeovil? The main fiddle yard area in the Yeovil layout has to accommodate trains from/to 6 tracks - 3 "ends" - 4 routes + 1 loco shed: The Up and Down Weymouth Lines are basically a twin track roundy-roundy; the Up and Down Durston Lines branch from the Up end of the Weymouth lines in a double junction; the Up and Down Junction Lines just end. The Durston and Junction Lines are independent of each other; both are out-and-back. All the lines ran local passenger and goods services, light engine workings, auto-trains and railcar, parcels, papers and milk, plus long excursion trains on summer weekends and other special services. The Junction and Durston lines ran several transfer freights daily (up to 40 wagons) between the Yeovil stations, and the Weymouth lines additionally carried premier passenger and goods expresses notably the Channel Islands Boat Expresses and the express perishables. I have made a start on drawing up a sequence and so far have whittled it down to 250 movements. Such a range and number of trains means that locos and stock will be the limiting factor for a long time. And how many operators? How to divide up the lines and services between them? How many operating positions, where best to put them, and what to include on the control panels at each? How to send trains between Yeovil Town fiddle yard? How best to maximise the play factor when there are many operators or just one (ie. me)? The possibilities are legion. I soon realised that you have to make some executive decisions and build up the design on those, and keep visualising, gaining familiarity with the system and gathering more information on the prototype services and stock. Another of those circular, iterative processes. The conflicts and compromises become clearer, and a hierarchy of priorities crystallises out: thus evolves a tailored list of "Needs" and "Wants", some of which are nigh-on universal, many personal, and some (like the loft ladder) peculiar to Yeovil: NEEDS: · Full access to the loft ladder without dis-assembly of baseboards. · Sufficient room to get round the outside of the layout without having to duck-under (not an absolute requirement to start with, but it is now!) · Ruling minimum radius 2'6" / 762mm; absolute minimum radius 2’3” / 680mm. · Maximum capacity. · Maximum flexibility in operation. · DC Control. · All electricals within my own comprehension and build ability. · Easy switching between multiple operators and sole operator. WANTS: . Able to store the whole range of prototype trains and permit their prototypical movements for all 3 lines (Weymouth, Junction & Durston), Up & Down; so: o Variable-length roads with run-round +/- turning; o Short dead-end sidings for light engines and motor trains; o Out-&-Back as well as round-and-round working of Up and Down Weymouth lines (to maximise use of limited stock); · Simple, intuitive switching with LED indicators for controller, route and storage road selected. · Minimise stock handling. · Ideally, a sole operator at Yeovil Town to have full operational control of the station and Junction and Durston lines. · Minimal interruptions in playing trains to manage the Fiddle Yard. · Simplest design and operation given the above priorities: KISS! DECISIONS · 3 independent Fiddle Yards each with their own control panel: Up, Down, and Junction, + a separate panel for Pen Mill Loco. · ALL Durston Line trains to operate ONLY into and out of the Up Yard. · Control panels located inside the circuit (where there is good viewing and space) when >1 operator , but easily re-located to the outside (alongside Pen Mill loco depot) for ease of access when sole operation. · Hence all point operation has to be electrical (servos via Megapoints). · Simplified "Block" bell system between Fiddle Yards and Yeovil Town (modelled on Peter Denny's Buckingham). · CCTV for easy viewing of storage road occupation by Yeovil Town operator(s). · Operation of the "Denny Yard" and turntables by hand for simplicity (!) · A "Denny"-type Yard (which can be elevated to rotate above the Up Yard, and easily removed and stored separately) to get round the loft ladder problem. The track plan is max'd out from the start - in a few years time I (or someone else) don't want to find myself saying "Now why did I do it like that? - If I'd done it like this, I could have got another loop in and have that weed-killer train! Only a few of the loops will be built to start with: the rest will come on line as locos and stock are accrued to fill them. There are other design features which also have a logic behind them (!) How the yards operate and integrate with the Yeovil Town end, and the specifics of the wiring and switching, route selection, transfer of trains between Town and Yard operators, and between dual and single operating loci, are all "another matter": those who are - if anyone is - interested, please ask! So to keep this post in some sort of proportion, I'll cut to the Fiddle Yards track plan and the control panels diagrams. They should be more or less self-explanatory (if not, I've failed on the "intuitive switching" want), but it may help to say that the green lines on the track plan indicate the boundaries between scenic and fiddle yard areas; dotted tracks are isolating sections; larger circles are knobs and switches; smaller circles are indicator LEDS. Finally, a photo of progress so far at the Junction/Weymouth end: the copper-clad sheet covers the loft ladder recess and will be the track bed of the "Denny Yard" in the Junction Yard: this gizmo is now in the planning stage! Thank you to those who have made it this far (and to those who tried and baled out en route, though you won't know). Laurie Adams
  13. That was my first thought, Ian (or Wizard - my other go to source) - but I can’t remember their layout at Derby exactly now. Hobby Holidays (Phil Atkinson in the next village to us) lists a lot of Plastruct sections but I think only plain sheet, but you’d find him very helpful if you asked him about it. Would be worth asking him if he could order you what you want if he doesn’t stock it. Laurie A
  14. David (Long) - was it Gaugemaster? Laurie A
  15. Another big thank you, Tony. It’s just brilliant work - I’ve seen it in the flesh and the photos don’t lie (apart from the new cleaner just taken on at Yeovil Town shed). You’re just wasted in EM and O, Tony! Laurie
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