Horsehay Railway Modeller

I've got some ideas for how to make some stencil boxes using plasticard and brass. Might have a go on the weekend. Final query before I start acquiring signals is to do woth 1970s signal naming convention. Would I get away with either WN for Wellington or some letter code for whatever I name my fictional town? As for numbers are these by mile post or simply order they are found on the route. Is there any difference in numbering up vs down etc.?

sounds like a logical option to me ! in case i do want route indication. this is the best comercial option i can find for the time being. the layout is a while off so i might find somethong else by then.

could this be another option for the blue sig to leave the tmd. with the route indications being something along the lines of UP, DN, CB (up , down, cherrybrook branch) i promise ill stop bombarding questions soon.

@5BarVT this is roughly what i understand from your advice above. sig heads next to coloured circles positioned on the equiv colour star. would i also need ground sigs to signal the crossover (shown by purple triangles)

I'm not sure where these images were taken but is this similar to what you mean?

Really useful stuff as always thank you. I think I might move the signal just to where the trees are on the curve. I'm thinking of flexing rule 1 quite hard and using a fibre optic version as it will be so much easier to install and get working. Earliest use of fibre optics I can find was in Birmingham in 1984 which is way out of my 1960s to possibly mid 70s era but I might modify the lense on an absolute aspects led matrix to blur the individual lights a little and hope it looks more like an electromechanical version. Or I might just stuff accuracy for the sake of one signal 😂

This is exactly what I was after thank you! Really usefull. I might provide the shunt signal just to add interest and cover me for anyone unaware of wr practices over on YouTube.

Does anyone have a source for when the filament bulb banner repeaters came in? All I can find online is companies advertising the fact they have modernised network rails signals to leds and how fabulous they are. No one stating how old the filament bulb versions are. I'm just thinking that perhaps the led version will be much easier to install and be operational. I might look at putting a diffusing layer on the front so it looks more like an older mechanical version without the individual leds.

good morning all, I am an absolute novice when it comes to signalling. I have a topic over in the track planning section where i am looking for help with signalling a future track plan. as part of this I have a signal which might need to be positioned around a bend. would I need a repeater of some sort . If so, when did filament bulb repeaters come into use as im using colour light signals. im looking at early 70s wr practice but might flex rule 1 because i love the look of the absolute aspects fillament / led banner repeater.

also interested in using any necessary ground signals in tmd or for shunt limits on the mainlines

Havent looked at these plans for a while but decided to start one of the modules ( double track viaduct ) as a diorama . Im just going over the most recent version of the tmd plans and im trying to work on the signalling. will be aiming to use colour light signals from absolute aspects which will be computer controlled using merg boards. thinking 3 aspect stops for the mainline blocks but unsure about the tmd entrance. Thinking a 3 aspect on the aproach with a shunt head to allow movement past the signal to then set back into the tmd. also some sort of position light or feather for the branch ? only thinking 3 aspect beacuse i will use the signals to warn me of dangers in the storage loops. i.e. amber signal before going off scene reminds me im heading into a line with one occupied and one empty storage section. aiming early 70s wr practice. all help welcome here are some diagrams. coloured stars refer to whcih line and rough location. notes are guesses at signals.

Could I get away with keeping the home signal? Wanted an excuse to use a nice one for a while. Would the signal box be derelict?

having another look at the blt , roughed out some buildings including a small ex gwr signal box on the platform , a small goods shed, station building and possibly a station masters cottage up on the embankment to the left. im assuming all i need is one home/starter signal on the end of the platform and maybe some control for shunting the yard . any suggestions ?

Having another play around with plans and I've decided some modernisation has been occurring at the tmd. Being late 60s I wanted most of the mainline to be wooden sleepers with colour light signals. I've added a section of concrete sleepers to the mainline, perhaps the wood was too far gone to save? Then also I'm thinking some Concrete sleeper track going into the new diesel shed and fueling area. Perhaps even using some Peco concrete points too. The old wills steam shed I have will sit hidden at the end of an overgrown siding. And may serve the occasional pannier that banks the incline. Any thoughts?

I might have a look at one derelict platform or an area where one platform has been removed. Thanks for the advice

Morning all, Had in idea about putting a blt at the end of the branchline, at the top of an incline and over top of a storage yard allowing more functionality in a smaller room. This plan is based on a layout I designed a year or two ago with help on here called cherrybrook. I liked the way that layout flowed but never got much play time in before it was dismantled. Same as always. Western region 1960-70.

Thanks for all of your help. The building of any new layouts will most likely be in atleast 2 years with my current job and lack of my own space. But now I have a track plan I can proceed with collecting some more track and poi t motors and expanding my rolling stock fleet

perfect thank you. As im now thinking of running some corprate blue as well as green diesels and some steam i think ill opt for colour light signals. I may also go rouge and buy some modern stock to run every now and then. Could you give me a hand with a signal diagram please. Im guessing normal red green aspects throughout the mainline ( i will base these on blocks when i implement dcc automation) and then white/red shunt signals for the tmd ?

I had imagined using a shunter to free the loco by removing the tanks from the inbound track and leaving them in the outbound. allowing a little reshuffle to take place. its how i operated a steel works on a previous layout and was always a little fun puzzle to solve, freeing the mainline loco and swapping it out with the shunter afterwards.

How does this look? Would fuel supply trains also just stop on the main and shunt back in? Both slips removed. I did think it was a long shot but didn't realise how unrealistic.

Whilst I'm at it, here's a stirage yard with all of the track I currently own from previous layouts. Non scenic so obviously no need at all to be prototypical. But does the flow make sense. Idea is to store mainline trains in loops. Spare locos off scene in the lower area. And Overflow storage at the back. The branchline will run dmus / short trains from the runaround loop along the mainline, then down the inclined branch to a second smaller set of off scene sidings. Before returning back up the incline and repeating. Some odd choices made to make use of all the point work I own currently and save cash. Crossovers are reversed from prototype to allow better loco flow with fewer movements between mainline and various sidings.

Evening all, After a very short hiatus from the hobby I'm begining to rough out ideas for a future layout so I can begin collecting over the next few years whilst also saving for my first proper (non uni) house. The idea is to design a few modules that will have all of the important features and then the rest of whatever space I can get when I eventually join the property ladder will be filled with simple mainline and branchline track so I can watch trains whizz by. As I'm going to spend the next few years collecting locos whilst I have no space for a layout I thought a TMD (yawn I know) may be a good idea to be able to show off some of my purchases when I finally get space. I've no clue how the western region would have designed a small local stabling / refueling point but here is my rough idea . I've also crammed on a junction into a small single track branch as I know I will want one somewhere on the layout and this format saves space. Any advice accepted. Aiming for vaguely realistic whilst still being able to use rule one and display my locos whilst trains run past in the for ground. Going for western region in very late br green possibly a few post tops formations too. - David

I've just taken a little more off of the roof with some thinners and I think it Looks better now.

Apologies for my absence, uni work has been hectic. I've just weathered the class 122 added a new decoder and bought some people to go inside. I'm quite happy with the sides and underframe. But I'm not sure if I really love or really hate the roof... Ive seen a few photos with big black splodges where the exhaust hits the roof so that's what I went for.

Cheers, thanks very much for the kind comments