Horsehay Railway Modeller

Needed to take a photo for a YouTube thumbnail which gave me an excuse to setup the full layout and lighting pelmet. 

Happy with the way the layout is coming along. 

... I also fixed the lighting valance where I had ripped some of the led strip tape a few weeks ago. 

I then screwed on the merg plaque, I'm not sure I will ever exhibit atleast not for several years as I have neither a car, much spare time or the confidence in mybworkmanship, however I couldn't resist the little pcb "publicity" plaque. 

Whilst I had the lighting out I also repainted the layout name plaques as they had rubbed on each other ( the valance folds in half) to stop this in the future I put in a small woodscrew next to each of the totems that stands proud of the 3d print and therefore prevents them from touching when folded. I painted these black to help them blend in. 

I'm not sure if I should get another plaque for the other end. I am considering either 3d printing or purchasing a custom lenz dcc plaque to compliment the merg one. Any thoughts? 

Over the past couple of days I declared the first boards wiring mostly complete having connected both the points on the lenz system and the feedback in the merg cbus into rocrail. 

Below shows a comparison of the new and old styles of board wiring. 

I have now ripped out the old wiring in the second board and started slowly hacking away at the new work.... 

Today I received yet another merg package. This time the can vout and dtc8a for board 2 as well as a cbus plaque. 

.... 

Cbus installed, I need to add some termination resistors still. The chocolate block is ready to take wires across to the next board. 

Got the next two merg modules assembled this weekend... 

I also wired up the dtc8a. 

It's now time to start playing with cbus

I've got the dtc8a mounted in its final resting place, ready for wiring. 

The can vout and usb4 have also arrived. 

They still need assembling however I have designed and 3d printed some mounts and test fitted the pcsbs. 

2 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Procrastination on the other 3 has been a benefit for once.

Paul.

I too was glad I had put of assembling the kit for a few weeks. 

Sorry for the quiet, had some uni exams but I thi k they all ent well. After my exams I did a little more wiring. I have installed the led lighting wires as well as the grounds for the block feedback. 

I also 3d printed a mounting bracket for the MERG feedback board. 

After that I started a new thread in here looking at signalling the junction between the main and the yard. As a result some custom signals have been ordered from CR signals and the plans for a ground frame have been drawn. 

I will be installing a 4 lever ground frame in the middle of the yard for the junction and then hand levers on the rest of the points. 

Finally just this weekend I assembled my First MERG kit. A DTC 8a block detection board. It went together well and I have tested it as instructed. I have also ordered a CANVOUT for feedback input and signal control as well as a CANUSB4 to connect the cbus to my pc or the raspberry pi. 

Thanks for all of your help Mike

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

The signal post isn't to WR style or colour scheme although I don't know of any models which are!

I have just placed an order with CR signals for some hand made ones. they wont be exactly WR but should suffice.

here is the final overall sketch.

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

The lever leads (descriptive labels) also need correction

Thank you very much for your advice - previous attempts where mainly guesswork.

obviuosly this is still just a sketch- exact details will be corrected when i make the model, and ill be sure to add a keyhole

I have been drawing "A" with the sub offset to the left is this okay or should it be to the front as it is in the reference photo from a few days ago? 

updated:

39 minutes ago, RailWest said:

>>>I'm not sure I understand the " shunting when locked in". in my mind B is used to autharise a move on to the mainline....

 

Indeed, but....if there is a train 'shut in' in the sidings and the signal is 'on' and showing 'red', then the train can not pass it to shunt into the sidings at the right-hand end. If the signal shows 'yellow' when 'on', then it can. Simples ! :-)

Ah I see, perfect thank you

updated drawing, again any additions let me know. for now i have left 3 red but may change it to yellow.

4 hours ago, Grovenor said:

Yes, if you have 3 at all then it does need to be a yellow rather than red so shunting can take place when locked in. 3 is only useful if the ground frame operator would be out of sight of the driver.

3 controls signal B the gpl. I know the move onto the main could be authorised by the shunter but i think the gpl adds interest to the model. I'm not sure I understand the " shunting when locked in". in my mind B is used to autharise a move on to the mainline which is why i wandered if it needs some form of direction arrow etc. also it is my understanding  3 is locked by 1 and 2.

Also if a train is shunted out onto the main with the loco at the far left of the layout and the brake van entering the main first then the driver is quite a distance from the gf.

44 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Only one of the signals can show a proceed aspect at any one time.

There's no red light on the subsidiary - the main signal red does the job.  So possible combinations of aspects are:

 

Signal A shows red, B red

A red and subsidiary, B red

A green, B red

A red, B proceed

 

The white light at the bottom right of the GPL is called a pivot light as it is always lit.

It isn't really correct to call it a pivot light on the subsidiary, as either both whites are on or both off.

 

Pull plate descriptions are wrong, you can't pull 3 & 4 at the same time as they are conflicting moves (although there should only be one loco there anyway)

 

2 requires 1

3 requires 1,2

4 requires 1,2

 

The GF needs a means of contacting the box to ask for the release.

There would be a locked/free indicator to confirm that the release has been given by the box and then No 1 lever can be pulled.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for the info. 

I think I had misunderstood the labelling rules, I shall correct these. 

Do you have any images to show how the box would be contacted and the release indicator. 

another bit of tinkering, quick design for the fround frame and a wooden relay box. any errors thus far ?

Im working on some sketches to be custom made by cr signals. 

A few questions. im not overly familiar with signal nomenclature. I have gone with SBJ 107 for severn bridge junction number 107 is this okay for 60s wr?

in the example given before in this thread the red light on the subsidiary signal is blocked off, im guessing this is because the red on the main signal makes it redundant. Do i need the red on the subsidiary or am i ok with just the pivot light and the "off" light ?

does the subsidiary need a number plate referencing the gf (and same for the gpl). if so how should they be numbered?

finally is there any details / plates missing from either signal?

2 hours ago, 2E Sub Shed said:

Would there also be a relay cabinet near the signal ?

Good question, I would guess so but again I am a bit clueless when it comes to pw and signalling. 

The shunt signals are controlled from the lever frame. But the starters would be from a box. As my layout is fictional but vaugley Shropshire I'm going to say it is controlled from Severn bridge junction in shrewsbury. 

I'm guessing a relay box of some sort is required somewhere on the layout 

I wasn't going to order them for a while however due to lead times I'm thinking of ordering some custom signals soon ish. 

For the bridge end of the platform what type of pole would be used? Would it be offset or would I get away with a normal post

Thank you for all of the input I can know start looking at implementing some ideas on the layout and I'll post some updates when I get around to purchasing signals in a few weeks. 

4 hours ago, dave55uk said:

Unrelated to the OP's question, but can you tell me please @horsehay where that little station building came from?

Much more detail on the main thread but it is an old Hornby scale Dale building that I have cut in half and re painted. 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/155768-west-canal-sidings-university-portable-shelf-layout

Thank you so much for the help. 

I realise I may never find a truly realistic solution however I feel woth the advice given I can add some lights to both add interest and aid operation. 

 I have the main signal for entering the tunnel and two ground signals protecting entering and leaving the yard. 

A starter at the other end of the platform-this will also aid me in remembering if I have or haven't got the fiddle stick attached and when I have parked something on it already. 

A three lever gf for the crossing and signals and then a simple lever throw at the rest of the points. 

I may well add the recommended stop board if I want to go belt and braces. 

Is this layout reasonable? Again this project is highly fictional and only has loose regional basing... the track plan is not nesescarily realistic anyway and is only intended for fun shunting puzzle operation but I feel signals are key to add extra interest. 

46 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

 

Colour light signal at the toes of the points on the platform just red/green with a subsidiary signal (two white lights) (offset to the left if you can).  Green into the tunnel, white into the yard.

Sounds daft can you do a quick colour sketch of the signal heads just do I can check my understanding 

I'll look I to the ground signal, sounds ideal. Would a full height green and red at the bridge end of the platform be OK too. To signal into the "fiddle stick" 

I have resumed work on a shelf layout of mine called west canal sidings. for those who havent seen the main thread some picture are attatched.

It is a fictional branchline roughly set in the mid to late sixties, operating a mix of steam and deisel. 

I want to add some signals to add realism and interest and want to know what people would recoomend. 

owing to limited height (the layout folds on itself and i dont think there is enough height for semaphores)  and space i am thinking of using coulor light signals, would this be acceptable for a 60s branchline probably a few miles from a larger town?

my current thoughts are dwarf light signals for the pointwork between the main and the sidings, stop signals at both tunnel/ bridge entrances and then simple hand throws/ ground frames for the rest of the points.

what colour signals would be realistic for 1964-66 ish and where would they go. im willing to flex rule one a little.