Grovenor

Get one of the free track planning programmes that include a library of Peco points and you should be able to print out full size.

Points 1 & 2 should be operated together as a crossover, off one switch/lever, say 1. Points 3 and 4 should be operated together as a crossover, off one switch/lever, say 4. Then the interlocking required is 4 released by 1. ie you can only reverse crossover 3 & 4 if crossover 1 & 2 is reverse. This can be simply achieved by using a 3 position switch. Position 1, all point normal (Straight) Position 2, points 1& 2 reverse, points 3 & 4 normal Position 3, all points reverse. Point 1 will set polarity for frogs on 1 and the left side of the two diamonds, which will always switch to same polarity. Point 2 will set polarity for frogs on the right side of the slip and the two diamonds, which will always switch to same polarity. Point 3 will set polarity for the frog on the left of the slip and point 4 will set polarity for the point 4 frog.

The simple answer is that there are no small scale models of ground frames that work. You can have a non-working scale model, or a working over scale frame. Or you can build one yourself, which will inevitably be very fragile and hard to use. Another option may be to have an overscale working frame linked to a scale non working frame so that the levers move in synch, still build yourself for the scale part but probably easier to build and certainly easier to use.

I would assume anyone wanting to have accurate scale wheels and track will want to have accurate bodies on their prize locos as well. Why go to that trouble otherwise? So splasher much closer to the footplate edge than they should be are not going to cut it. It seems curious to me that Hornby make such a fuss about the track gauge being to the correct scale when pretty much every other dimension of their track is not and they have to make real compromises on the dimensions of all of the stock where the width over wheelsets affects them.

Glad I'm not the only one who can see a yellow line, but what you see as a drainage grating I see as textured paving mandatory in that position for the benefit of those who see with their feet.

This would only apply if there was open ground behind the buffer, and even then my experience was that the rails were normally fishplated to the approach track. Maybe things were different in South Wales! On occasions where we had to have a track circuit on the approach and hence replaced the fishplates with Permalis to avoid the buffers causing a short it was common to find the Permalis broken after the buffer was nudged.

Current practice may well not be the same as 1930s. You need contemporary diagrams, and preferences may well depend on whether locos on the system concerned are RHD or LHD.

Proto120 standards were defined by the MRSG (Model Railway Study Group) the developers of P4 back in 1966 or 67. But to use scale wheels you need to produce scale track to run on. And you will also, presumably like to have scale dimensioned stock to run on it and hence all the Hornby TT120 will need chassis rebuilds and the locos with splashers will need them relocating to suit. See https://www.scalefour.org/history/protofoursociety/manual/2.0-proto-ratio But at least anyone who wants to try P120 has a set of dimensions all worked out and ready.

In my experience its the drivers on what is percieved as the main road, or was before the mini roundabout was created, are the drivers who need to be told to give way. One local one still has people who just assume they are on the main road and make no attempt to slow down or give way 10 years after the mini roundabout was installed with triangles and double dashed lines buy no actual 'give way' sign.

Reminder of the old days for me as well, spent a lot of my first year with BR on New St remodelling, doing changes to the interlocking in the old boxes, especially No. 5 for regular stageworks, every couple of weeks or so. It was a good learning experience!

My understanding is that the WR omitted armrests and provided 4 seat number discs so their summer holiday traffic with compulsory booking could be reserved by seat numbers. The other regions rarely went in for compulsory bookings and you would have needed a brass neck to convince the existing occupants to put the armrests up and let you take the 4th seat.

The photo of the junction only shows rodding on the signal box side, nothing on the other side.

NB. Signal arms are on the left of the post not the right as you have drawn them. And normal practice is to draw the post parallel to the track so you can readily see which direction the signal applies to. Fixing that would make your plans look much better.

The analogy with block signalling considers each 3 aspect signal to be a home signal and the signal in rear is its distant. If you clear just the one signal then it goes to yellow and an HR is used to do that, then should you also clear the signal in rear it needs to go to green as a distant for the first signal, hence needing a DR to set the green. You can use an HDR to do both jobs where the signal ahead clearing switches the polarity on the line wire and the HDR is a 3 position polarised relay. (And if you are using searchlight then you may be able to avoid the relays as the searchlight mechanism does the job!) NB. Clever relay circuits to save line wires and power were much more developed in the USA when they installed all that CTC out in the sticks and using batteries and lineside pole routes where every wire and every Amp waspensive.

Apart from Ratio plastic kits the primary kit suppliers are Wizard Models/MSE and Alan Gibson Workshop. Both have ranges of brass and whitemetal kits, a bit more tricky to build than plastic but much more robust when done. http://www.modelsignals.com/ http://www.alangibsonworkshop.com/ Brassmasters also have some parts, http://www.brassmasters.co.uk/

You would save a significant length in the Minories pointwork if you get away from Setrack track spacing and go for a scale 6ft way. Surely a major advantage of a corrct track gauge is that used with a scale 6ft you get a proper representation of typical UK double track. You just need to be prepared to do a bit of modification to the points forming crossovers. IMHO all that celebrating the correct track gauge is wasted if you then go and use a much overscale 6ft.

Can't be seen to be helping immigrants now! 😆

The 3mm society has code 60 bullhead which would be more appropriate for Ffestiniog track. Code 75 is for full size railways.

Yes, that is the arm repeater contact box. A pin on the back of the arm slides in the slotted lever to accomodate the different pivot centres of signal arm and contact box.

Like the one in the picture, the arm repeater contact box can be seen on the other side of the post to the lamp.

Smaller bullhead is available for 2mm finescale and for TT3, so you would need to check which would be the closest in size. This picture shows both BH with chairs and FB with small baseplates and spring spikes.

Andy Reichert at P87 stores does a range of parts for flat bottom track including the simple baseplates often used with spikes, and the spikes! You really need photos of the track to see what you need. The Ffestiniog was also, unusually for NG a user of bullhead and chairs. NB Chairs are not used with FB rail and it can be laid with or without baseplates.

Genesis do an estate car as well, the maket segment aimed at can be deduced from the name they give it, "Shooting Brake".

Buy the washable PVA sold for childrens crafts, much easier to soften with water and cheaper as well. I have found it easy to lift plastic sleepered track fixed this way, with or without ballast.

Currently (last weekend anyway) there's a Genesis chassis on display at Battersea Power Station. The motor and control gear at the front looks more complex than I expecteded but nowhere near the level of that Merc.