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Dave Holt

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Blog Entries posted by Dave Holt

  1. Dave Holt
    The shorter porting of the FPL lock bar has now been completed and fitted in situ - still waiting for the glue to set. This just leaves the connection to the FPL bolt. I think I'm going to have to modify part of the bolt mechanism already fitted as it doesn't allow a long enough connecting rod to the lock bar. Not quite as drastic a mod as Coachman regularly makes to Greenfield but a bit of extra work with the added risk of damaging parts I need to re-use.
     
    Here are some photos showing assembly and fitting of the shorter part of the bar.
     
    First a shot of the rod having the pivot levers fitted. I used a simple plastic card jig to help me get these correctly positioned so that they fall in the middle of sleeper bays. 145 degree solder was used to avoid unsoldering the vertical mounting pins or melting the plastic too much!
     

     
    Here's the finish section of bar with the bottom of the pivot levers trimmed to clear the top of the track underlay.
     

     
    Finally, a shot of the bar in situ with hair grips holding it in the correct position whilst the glue sets. I put the adjacent section of board in place to ensure the bar lined up across the joint. It also allows me to position the stools for the remaining section of point rodding which moves the whole lock bar/FPL arrangement. Visible in front of the RH grip is the bolt operating lever which needs to be moved one sleeper to the left.
     

  2. Dave Holt
    It's been a little while since my last entry about the BR Standard Class 2 2-6-2 tank. This has now been painted and lined and is in the process of being weathered by my good friend David Clarke.
     
    Whilst this is underway, I've been doing a few slightly different things, for me, anyway.
    First, I've assembled a Lanakshire Models tender sprung chassis and fitted it to a Brassmasters outer frames and footplate unit to go under a Bachmann ex-LMS Fowler 3500 gallon tender, destined for a Crab.
     

     
    Secondly, I've fitted injectors and associated pipework to a part built (by someone else) ex-LMS Stanier 8F. This is a Hornby body on a Comet chassis.
     

     

     
    I also finished off and fitted the front pony truck, which has a sprung axle and fixed rubbing plates, as per the prototype.
     

     

     

     
    Having completed this work, I decided to start my own next project which is a fully sprung Penbits chassis for the Bachmann EE Type 4 (Class 40) diesel. So far, I've assembled the two bogie frames, complete with the axle carriers, and the front truck frames. The kit is fairly complex but very well thought out and produced. Everything has fitted well with no adjustments except to get smooth movement of the bearings in their frame slots.
    Of course, with two bogies to build, everything is doubled up compared with a steam loco chassis, so I'm trying to progress both, one step at a time, and trying not to mix up the bits between them!
    Here are the two bogie frames and pony trucks, set out in their correct relative positions.
     

     
    One of them has the bearing carriers located in the frame slots which, unusually, open to the top of the frame sides.
     

     
    and the other without.
     

     
    Dave.
  3. Dave Holt
    Friend, David Clarke, has weathered two more of my locos. These have been built some time and were painted and lined by Ian Rathbone but never weathered. As passenger locos and, in the case of the Fowler tank, something of a pet at Lees shed, they have been give only a lightish dusting so as not to obscure the hand lining (with cream line!). I now have no excuse not to complete the Fowler by cab glazing, coal and a crew. Oh, and fixing the cab roof on a bit better than two blobs of bluetac. The Standard 5 Caprotti is already finished. It makes an interesting contrast to the ex-LMS Ivatt type recently shown on some previous posts.
    The photos were taken by Mr Clarke.
     

     

     

     
    Dave.
  4. Dave Holt
    I'm slowly working through the remaining details needed to finish the body on this model. The current work has been on the push-pull vacuum control valves and steam pipes and the vacuum brake ejector. On these locos, these items are quite distinctive and are a major visual feature. Unfortunately, the items provided in the kit leave much to be desired, needing a lot of fiddly work to get anywhere near the right look.
    The cast steam pipes and push-pull valves were grossly out of proportion. The only useable portion was the vertical steam pipe cover and even that was a millimetre too short - hence the 40 thou plastic packer. The horizontal portion was too long and the valve body just massive. A replacement valve body was fitted and the gap filled with low melt solder. Various drain pipes and the actual vacuum controls remain to be fitted.
    BR standard locos were fitted with a Gresham & Craven SSJ brake ejector mounted on the LHS of the smokebox. This was quite different in appearance to previous ejectors fitted to LMS and GWR locos and, again, the kit item just wasn't right. In fact, I'm not aware that anyone supplies a good representation of this item and this is the third I've scratch built so far. In total, there are 22 component parts in the ejector assembly so it would have been more sensible to use the first as a pattern and have castings made! Anyway, another ejector has been made. On this loco, there is the added complication of the discharge pipe having a 90 degree bend to avoid the steam pipe cover.
    Initially, I tried to make the pipes out of tube so I could have joints aligned with brass wire but I found the tube just kinked and flattened at the bends and in the end I had to use a single length of solid wire. This made getting the two right angle bends the right distance apart rather difficult.
    A great deal of adjustment, fiddling and not a little cursing was involved to get it all assembled into position. Despite the struggle, I'm fairly pleased with the result. The steam supply pipes (and blower pipe), which run along the top of the side tank are still to be done.
    A couple of photos illustrate the parts described.
     

     

     
    Dave.
  5. Dave Holt

    Delph - Loco progress

    By Dave Holt,

    I've made some reasonable progress in the past couple of weeks with the various locos under construction. First the Crab had a front AJ coupling added and a shed plate, which I had somehow overlooked, a crew in the cab and coal in the tender. Since then, I've almost finished the Jubilee, the latest jobs being coal in the tender, cab glazing and fixing the roof after adding a crew. Just waiting for the glue to fully dry in the tender before reconnecting loco and tender.
    The Caprotti Black 5 (loco and tender bodies) was collected at the Warley show after painting. Today, I've fitted the buffer heads, AJ couplings, number and shed plates, glazed the cab and re-assembled the bodies and chassis. There will need to be some adjustments to the chassis and body weathering to blend them together and there is still the crew and coal to fit.
    The Caprotti and Jubilee are shown in these photos. It's clear that the Jubilee loco and tender are not connected. Neither is the Caprotti, but that pushed together to the proper positions, unlike the Jub.
     
    First, the Caprotti, with the Jub peeping in:
     

     
    Then the JUb. with the Caprotti tender:
     

     
    And finally, a front three quarters showing both:
     

     
    Dave.
  6. Dave Holt
    Further to my last posting, the motor has now been fitted and the DZ126 chip fitted and all wired up. Pleasingly, the loco ran the correct way, so there was no need to change CV29. After changing the chip address to 4741 (loco number 44741) I've set the acceleration to 20 (out of 31) and deceleration to 3 (out of 31). This enables a fairly smooth acceleration whilst retaining good control over slowing and stopping. Experience has shown that excessive deceleration values makes fine control on a dead-end layout rather hazardous!
    In the photo, the chip is attached to the rear of the motor body by a thin layer of Bluetac(?) and the wires well tucked in to fit withing the loco firebox. The tin of paint balanced on the front of the chassis is simply ballast to compress the light springs within the front bogie, to avoid short circuits via the brake blocks. Normally, this function is performed by the loco body.
     

     
    Dave.
  7. Dave Holt
    I recently had a near disaster with the Caprotti Black 5 when I accidentally knocked off and nearly lost part of the rather delicate lubricator drive mechanism at my local club meeting. Fortunately, a colleague spotted the missing parts under a table - I was convinced it had come off at home whilst packing the body up, otherwise quite a bit of extra work would have been necessary. Anyway, it turned out not to be as hard to put right as I had feared and, indeed, the repaired drive is both stronger and actually more realistic than before, as I have added an internal stiffening rib missing from my original effort. Silver linings and all that.
     
    Buoyed up by the success with the lubricator drive repair, the chassis has been completely disassembled and given a coat of Precision Paints single pack grey etch primer. The instructions stress the need to be sparing with it, but the paint in the (brand new) tin has the consistency of syrup, so constant dipping of the brush in thinners was necessary to get a thin coating. Here are all the bits, except the motor and screws, laid out after priming. Mating surfaces and parts invisible on the finished loco have been left unpainted.
     

     
    Dave.
  8. Dave Holt
    The sea-side holiday excursion which departed Delph (Holt) last week behind Jubilee 45701 returned today with its load of happy holiday makers, refreshed and ready for the mills to restart next Monday. On this occasion, the train was hauled by ex-LMS 2-6-0 Crab, No. 42713. The train has run almost to the buffer stop to get the maximum number of coaches alongside the platform. Once all the passengers have got off, the loco will push the stock back, clear of the cross-over, run round its train and depart empty stock, as recorded in these photos:
     

     

     

  9. Dave Holt
    Wow! It looks like I haven't posted anything since last December. I suppose that's because there hasn't been much to share of late. I finally finished the construction of my Jubilee, which is now away being painted and I have also recently finished off the Caprotti Black 5. The last items on this one being the sand pipes and their support brackets. This loco is now ready for painting and is shown below.
     

     
    As for the layout, sadly there's been almost no progress since I completed embossing the cobble stones in the goods yard and coal drops. However, a friend and colleague in the 35006 P&O restoration team has kindly turned two alternative mill chimneys in wood. You may recall that my original intention was to replace the actual mill at Delph with a much more aesthetically pleasing (in my opinion) mirror image of the Regent Mill at Failsworth; one of the reasons for changing the layout name to Holt. I subsequently decided to revert to the original mill, at least for the initial presentation. As I will be placing the mill and other rear scenic features on separate "hang on" boards, there remains the possibility to have alternative versions of mill. The attached photo shows the huge difference in size and style between the two mill chimneys. The larger, tall one is for the Regent and is a scale 210 feet tall (quaintly, the original architects drawing specifies this as "70 yards"), and the much smaller one is for the actual mill, reflecting the difference is boiler plant for the vastly different sizes and power of engines provided. Obviously, both will need to be covered in brick and stone/brick paper, respectively, in due course.
     

     
    Dave.
  10. Dave Holt
    Phew! I'm pleased to say I've managed to partially recover from the recent set backs described last time.
    First, the replacement illuminated magnifying glass has arrived and is ready for use, so at least I'll be able to see the jobs in hand!
    This morning I got out the mini drill with a rotary burr and ground away more of the inside of the Jubilee resin firebox such that it now fits over the motor whilst missing the whistle. Getting the front fixing screw in before the new lamp arrived was a tricky task but accomplished on about the tenth attempt.
    On Saturday, I thought I had better check to see if my DCC control system was working at all by trying out one of my existing DCC locos on the test track before starting to rip bits apart. That worked OK, so I then tried the Jubilee chassis again, using the default address 03 and, lo and behold, it worked - rather spasmodic - but at least it moved, proving that the chip is not completely dead. I think the issue with the loco now is pick up related so I need to get the tender pick ups connected to the loco and see if that improves the running.
    However, the failure to change address suggests that there is a problem with the programming aspect of my DCC power unit or the way I have it wired to the track. Further investigation is needed with possible replacement in the future.
    Dave.
  11. Dave Holt
    Not a huge amount of progress since my last post. In fact, I didn't do any modelling at all over Christmas and New Year, but have got back to it in recent weeks.
    I had marked out the areas to be cobbled onto 1.2 mm thick mount card using the templates illustrated last time and since then, I've embossed about a quarter of the area needed and cut out some of the shapes to fit round the track and goods shed.
    My original intention was to paint the surface before fixing to the base-boards but have got a bit carried away and have now fixed the first section in place. So much for plans!
    The land form levels were built up with layers of card so that the final surface is level with the platform at the end of the station building and slopes down to track level in the yard area. I used a centre strip of card to produce a bit of camber in the main roadway, although this probably isn't as pronounced as it was on the prototype.
    Close observation of the photos just reveals the cobble stone embossing, but hopefully this will be more apparent after painting.
     

     
    The view looking at the end of the platform. The later addition of the brick-built loading platorm now stands at the correct height. The cut-out nearest the camera is for the gable end and back yard of the station master's house.
     

     
    A more general view.
     

     
    The area round the goods shed is only partially embossed and is not yet cut to final size or fixed down.
     
    Dave.
  12. Dave Holt
    I've been doing some further work on the Dobcross bridge/tunnel which forms part of the scenic break at the exit to the fiddle yard. Recent work has been to add a section of curved wall alongside the steep lane going over the bridge. These days, it is almost completely obscured behind brambles and other thick undergrowth but I imagine it was fully exposed to view at the time the railway is set (mid to late 1950's). It appears in a photo on page 23 of Larry Goddard's Delph to Oldham book.
    Following construction and installation of the new wall, the stone-work has been painted. The above mentioned photo (unfortunately undated) shows that the stone was not completely blackened, as was common around Oldham at that time, with the mortar generally being a lighter colour than the stones. This has necessitated a different technique to the other stone structures. These had been painted a stone colour followed by matt black, which was partially wiped off after a few minutes drying (as recommended by Gravy Train). This is very effective for rough stone but results in the joints being black. For the bridge, the black has been applied by dry brushing over the stone colour, tending to leave the mortar the base stone colour.
    The different stone effects are the nearest commercial embossed plastic sheet to the various types of stone-work on the real thing. I suppose individually engraved stones (a la Geoff Kent) would have have enabled a better representation but I can live with the result I've got.
    Here are some photos of the result, previously seen only in grey primer.
     
    First the "Delph" portal:

     
    The lane side wall, including the new curved section:

     
    The "fiddle yard" portal (and the end shown in the L.G. book):

     
    There may well be some further weathering but the bridge can now be fixed in position and the cess ballast touched up against the walls of the bridge.
     
    Dave.
  13. Dave Holt
    After putting this off for ages and some fairly inconclusive test pannels, I've bitten the bullet and started laying ballast. To ease into the process and learn on the job, so to speak, I've chosen the easyest board first - the one with the single track approach, some of which disappears into a deep cutting and long over-bridge/short tunnel to hide any disasters!
    I've used C+L ash for the cess and 2 mm scale light grey for the track. Originally, I intended to use a rubber based carpet adhesive to provide a bit of give in the track-bed, for sound deadening, but that's one clear result from the test pieces. Perhaps I'd kept the adhesive too long, but it just didn't work for me, so diluted PVA has been used. Doing the ballast after track laying allows electrical testing of the track and trial running whilst adjustments and additional connections are easier, but it does result in a rather laborious process for ballasting as the glue has to be carefully brushed into every individual sleeper bay, in short sections, and the ballast sprinkled on whilst the glue is still wet. The section shown was done over 2 days, allowing other domestic activities and drying time between application and vacuuming up the excess for re-use. I bought a small, hand-held vacuum specifically for this!
    I'm quite pleased with the results, although taking the board out into the garden today for the photos revealed a number of bald patches, especially on the ballast shoulders, that I hadn't spotted in the house. I'm not sure whether to patch these up with more ballast or just rely on disguising them when the track is finally weathered.
     
    Anyway, here are a few shots of the finished result (taken this afternoon in the back garden), seen with and without the over-bridge structure.
     
    Looking towards the station area, without the bridge:

     
    Looking away from the station area, without the bridge, including the buffer stop at the end of the run-round loop head shunt:

     
    Operating end of the FPL:

     
    Two views with the bridge in place:

     

     
    Now to the station throat board. I think this will take a bit longer!
     
    Dave.
  14. Dave Holt
    Apologies to those who managed to find this update and request for help in the history during the recent posting problems, but here it is again. Better luck this time?
     
     
     
    A bit more progress with the coal drops, this week.
     
    For the first time since before Christmas, I've been able to access the workshop and trial fit the coal drop deck with the rails attached. Fortunately, the alignment with the track already fixed either end was very good, although a packing shim (.020" plasticard) was required at the LH end to get the top of the rails level at the joint. The trial fitting also allowed re-checking of some dimensions which affect the scenic part of the drops - the retaining walls. These photos show the deck in position.
     

     

     
    I've also cut the LH end stone retaining wall from Wills coarse stone sheet. This is shown below, with a photo of the real thing behind. I really could do with a bit of help here from someone who remembers the drops in working order.
    In the 1991 photo, there are obviously modern concrete steps leading from the coal yard area (then a car park - now a road/houses) up to the goods yard level, complete with a right-angle turn near the bottom. The capping stones on the upper part of the wall look original, so my questions are:
    - were there earth or stone steps originally, or just a steep path?
    - was the right-angle turn there or did the original just carry on straight down next to the wall to ground level?
    I have a copy of an old photo which shows some sort of access way up the side of the drops, but I can't make out if there were steps or not and the lower section is obscured.
    Any help answer these queies would be most gratefully received.
     
    Anyway, here's my effort so far.
     

     
    Finally, I've finished the wall at the RH end where the deck sat. This wall is split, with the inner section, directly under the deck, on the base-board which carries the drops and the outer section on the adjacent (station) board. Hopefully, the joint won't be too visible when the boards are assembled.
     

     
    This post seems to have dropped off the end, so please forgive me re-posting as I really would appreciate any help with the questions raised.
     
     
    Unfortunately, no one seems to remember any details of these drops, so I'll plough on with something "in the spirit of" rather than a scale model - which will fit in with my "model based on Delph", not an exact replica approach.
     
    I've now made the cosmetic brick support pillars which took the deck and divided the cells. The structural supports are MDF and built into the layout, as previously illustrated, so these are made from plastic sheet to replicate the bricks with stone block bearing pad inserts. Being white cards at present, the details don't show up too well in the photos, but these might give some idea of progress.

    Here's the deck balanced loosely on the 5 pillars which are more or less in the right positions. At this stage, the ends of the pillard had not had the brick card applied
     

    A closer shot of one end, where a bit more detail is visible
     

    Two of the pillars with the end faces completed.
     
    Next job is to paint (or crayon - see Barrowroad blog) to represent a sooty, coal dust encrusted condition. Help!!!!!
     
    Dave.
  15. Dave Holt
    Recent progress has been rather slow and has included cosmetic point stretcher bars on all the points forming the main station throat and a start on the point rodding in the same area. Of course, at the real place, there wasn't much point rodding because the signal box had been removed in the early 1900's and subsequently the points were operated by local levers. However, in my model I've reinstated the box and so rodding and signal wire runs are required. The rodding run connects the box to the two cross-overs and the facing point lock controlled by the signal man.
    I've opted to use MSE cast white metal rod stools which are a lot less fiddly than the fabricated etched brass type and actually represent the LNWR stools slightly better. Rodding is represented by 0.4 mm square section N/S wire, also from MSE. Some of the cranks and rod end eyes are from Ambis etches. I'll also be using Ambis stuff for the FPL and the point blade detector.
    I have temporarily fitted rodding into the stools in order to locate them for fixing down to their mountings to give a smooth run (as best I can).
    These photos show the progress so far:
     

     

     
    A couple of general views showing the rodding run, from where it passes under the track between diamond crossing and the mill siding point, to the king point and FPL. Also visible are the local point levers for those not controlled from the signal box.
     

     
    This is the attachment to the king point. The two extended sleepers are for the point blade and FPL detector.
     

     
    Here the connections to the double slip (cross-over formed with the king point) and the tandem point (cross-over with the mill siding point) pass under the running line to the loop. Each cross run has a rodding stool, partially sunk in the ballast in the running line 4 foot, just visible near the bottom of the photo.
     
    Dave.
  16. Dave Holt
    Hope you all had a good Christmas and are ready to celebrate New Year in whatever way suits you!
     
    I recently collected the platform sections and other Delph (well, Holt, actually) related buildings from Gravytrain, following some minor repairs, additions and modifications. Peter was very keen that I fix the platform sections down to the boards to avoid any further warping of these long, thin plastic card structures - so I have. I'm a little concerned at their vulnerability, especially the lamp standards, during handling and storage for the remainder of the build process. However, too late now!
    I used Evo-stik contact adhesive, allowing it to fully dry, especially on the underside of the platform to minimize the risk of damage from solvent fumes, before positioning the platform sections and weighting them down with substantial steel weights borrowed from the P&O (35006) restoration project I'm also involved in.
    I'm quite happy with the horizontal and vertical alignment of the two sections (split at the base-board joint), but have ended up with a slight gap at the joint - certainly not as tight as the dry run - but it was quite hard to get the exact position and once the glue surfaces touched they grabbed hard and no adjustment was possible. Anyway, it's not too bad.
    The following photos (not the best quality, unfortunately. Also, please excuse the Christmas card background!) show the fixed platform with the station building and signal box placed loosely in position. They won't be fixed till much later.
     
    First, some overall views which also show that the point rodding and stretcher bars, local to the platform, have been painted.
     

     

     

     
    Here's the platform joint mentioned above.
     

     
    Finally, the signal box. The wall at the rear of the platform extends to the box and actually carries on as far as the mill coal unloading bay - yet to be built.
    Recently, I've been having some more detailed thoughts about the mill and it's relationship to the station and the gateway in the platform wall. This has revealed that the track plan is not as close to scale as I originally thought. Seems that a few inches have been lost somewhere along the line (sic). As a result, the unloading bay is too close to the end of the platform. With my original plan to replace the mill with something much more aesthetically pleasing, this didn't matter; but now I've decided to stick to a representation of the actual Bailley's mill, it means some further adjustments will be required. The opening in the platform wall aligns with a doorway in the mill and this will now have to be in a different place along the mill wall than it should be. Still, it's not Delph - see the station name board - so I suppose I'm free to make the necessary changes without altering the overall impression of the place.
     

     
    Dave.
  17. Dave Holt
    In anticipation of fixing the platform in position, I've done some work on the rodding for the platform release cross-over which will be fairly inaccessible once the platform is in position. The cross-over was operated from a ground frame located between the buffer stops via a rodding run which started in the 6 foot, then crossed under the platform road and then ran close to the platform face before crossing back to the far end point blades. I've tried to replicate this arrangement using cast white metal stools from MSE and 0.4 mm square rod from the same source. The rodding cranks are Brassmasters etchings and the point stretcher bars are represented by lengths of plastic strip passing under the rails but not attached. Hopefully, once painted and from a reasonable viewing distance, this won't be too obvious.
    The photos show some of the work so far.
     

     
    The arrangement at the point nearer the buffer stops is slightly unusual. The rodding continues past the point blade attachment (via a lug attachment - not yet modelled) and the passes under the track several sleepers further along. I thing the purpose of this arrangement was to balance the pull/push lengths and so avoid the need for a compensator. Photos of the actual location show no signs of a compensator.
     

     
    Here is the far end connection where the rod passes under the platform road to reach the blades in the loop line.
     

     
    Here's a more general view of the rodding and stools, looking from the buffer stop end.
     
     
    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
     
    Dave.
  18. Dave Holt
    A couple of posts back, I explained how the bell code dinger mechanism had been fitted to the control panel and pondered on possible sources for a suitable battery holder for the PP9 battery.
    Well, nothing appeared to be available commercially, so a custom made holder has been constructed from thick (1.2 mm I think) plastic sheet and attached to the side of the control panel with a couple of 8 BA screws and copious quantities of plastic solvent. The attached photos show the arrangement with the terminal connector held roughly in place using blu-tac. I suspect that actual electrical contact might be more effective in use!
     

     

     
    Dave.
  19. Dave Holt
    Yet another step forward with the electrics - nearly there now. I've had two bell code dinger units made to enable the layout operator (driver/signalman) at the front to commincate with the fiddle yard operator (hidden at the back) using prototypical bell codes. These units utilise a modified door bell mechanism (to give single dings each time the switch striker is depressed) operated by a battery powered circuit board at each block post and a change-over micro-switch. Only two wires are required to join the two units - perhaps as well as that's all I'd provided in the wiring loom!
    Any way, the unit for the main control panel has been installed - except for the externally mounted PP9 battery. I haven't sourced a suitable mounting clip/bracket, yet.
    Photos show the dinger cicuit board inside the panel enclosure and the bell and operating switch on the outside of the panel.
     

     
    Dinger circuit board.
     

     

     
    External panel views showing the bell and operating switch. I hope to mount the PP9 battery on the end of the panel, just below the bell.
  20. Dave Holt
    Following initial function testing of the control panel, I have connected up the panel and two boards to check a bit more, including the yard controller connection points. To my consternation, feeds to the second board (the one with the coal drops) and the DC input were completely dead. Everything on the first (station) board appeared to be reasonably OK (see later) and the DCC input and local point operation/LED's on the second board worked. A slight sense of panic set in as I frantically checked various tag connectiones and continuity. Then, with a massive feeling of relief and realising what a silly mistake I'd made, I noticed that I had only connected one set of jumper cables between the two boards - the other was still neatly held in its clips! Phew!! I sheepishly connected the second jumper and heaved a sigh of relief as everything on board 2 now worked.
    Well, actually, I found that a slight re-thinking of the wiring to the Tortoise point motors was required. I had followed one of the wiring suggestions from Tortoise and used a switched half-wave rectified feed to one side of the motors and one side of the 16 v AC supply to the other. The siding point and associated LED's on the second board worked OK, if a bit slow, but the platform release cross-over, involving two motors and three LED's would only work in one direction. I found that with the LED's removed from the circuit, the motors worked perfectly, so the LED array must be causing too big a voltage drop. I could solve this for the local controlled points by swapping the switches to have an extra pole but the panel mounted switches for he two other cross-overs already were the maximum number of poles available. Mmmm... Then I decided to try wiring the LED's in parallel with the motor feeds instead of in series. I attached jumper leads to try it and thankfully it worked, so it was then a case of rearranging the wiring and connecting on side of the LED arrays, via a resistor, direct to the 16 v AC side which the motors are connected. All now appears to work as intended.
    Next step is to start work on wiring the last scenic board - the one with most of the station throat point-work - that I've been putting off. No more excuses, so I'll just have to knuckle down and make a start.
  21. Dave Holt
    Following a couple of days break attending the Wells Finescale show (helping(?) Robin Whittle and the team with Bristol Barrow Road), Today I got round to function testing the control panel - as much as I can without it being connected to the layout, at least. Everything appears to work as intended but I was puzzled why the LED's indicating the route set by lever No. 4 weren't illuminated whereas the similar LED's for lever No. 8 worked fine.
    Then it dawned that until connected to the Tortoise point motors there was no circuit (No. 8 has a ballast resistor associated with the facing point lock). I then realised that I could simulate connection to the Tortoise by temporarily connecting a ballast resistor between the point motor feed and one side of the 16 v AC supply. As I made the cannection there was quite a spark and I noticed that the 12 v DC power LED had gone out. I then noticed that several other LED's no longer worked. Oops, lesson learned. Don't make temporary connections to live circuits or when the panel is powered up. Fortunately, I had plent of spare LED's and it didn't take too long to replace the damaged ones.
    All working OK again, now!
     
    In between finishing the panel wiring, I have been working towards finishing a couple more ex-LMS Period III open brake coaches made for me to finish off, by Coachman. These are to diagrams 1916 (6 bay) and 2008 (5 1/2 bay) and appeared at ends of an enthusiast special that visited the branch, hauled by an ex-L&Y Class 27 0-6-0.
    The work to complete includes making & fitting the interior, fitting the roof and connecting the water tank filler pipes, spung buffers and making & fitting the P4 bogies.
    The D1916 is now done, as shown below:
     

     
    The interior for the D2008 is currently being painted.
  22. Dave Holt
    Here's my interpretation of the timber baulk buffer stop. Actually made from plastic sections - it probably ought to look a bit more distressed than it is. I've given it a base coat of dark grey to cover the white plastic. I'm not sure if the original was painted with black bitumastic , like the rail built type, or just treated like sleepers - which tended to weather to a silvery light grey.
    The view below is the same general direction as the photo of the real thing in the link posted by Meil "Do you mean this buffer stop?", in my earlier post (Fairly major cosmetic...)
     

     
    I did take a photo of the front, but it's out of focus, so I'll have to have another go later.
     
    ...and here it is - still a bit blurred, but you will get the idea.
     

     
    Dave.
  23. Dave Holt
    It's bee a while since my last post, mainly due to lack of photogenic progress - and that hasn't changed really. However, I have made some steady progress with the wiring of the station board (board No. 4 in my scheme of things). This is now complete with the jumper cables, plug/socket for connection to the control panel, which will be mounted at the end of this board. Due to the position of the panel relative to the bulk of the pointwork and signals, lots of the wires just run from one end to the other but makes the wiring look more complex than it is. Nevertheless, there's certainly plenty of it under this board! I've tried to keep it all as neat as possible.
    There are two jumpers to the panel, one terminating in a 25 pin plug, the other in a 25 pin socket - not that there are 50 wires, just more than the biggest plug i could obtain (37 pins). The following under-board shots show the tag strips with wires attached to the outer ends from the board and the inner ends to the jumper cables. The cables can be seen clipped in their transport positions, tucked out of harms way.
    There may need to be a separate ribbon type wiring and plugs to carry the loco number describer info from the cassette fiddle yard to the main panel display - I think you need something like this when driving DCC locos from hidden sidings (loco address and forward/backward info)
     

     

     
    In order to gather some scenic information, I visited the remains of Delph station yesterday to measure up the roadside retaining walls and try to get a feel for the types of trees/bushes, leaf colours, etc., as i intend to set the layout in April/May time. It's sad to say that the whole station area, with the exception of the station building, has been decimated since my initial visits. I was fully aware that a housing estate had been built on part of the goods yard and in the coal drops area, but I hadn't appreciated just how much collateral damage had been done to the old infrastructure. All quite sad. Still, some very useful information and photos were obtained, which will be a help later in the project.
     
    Cheers,
     
    Dave.
  24. Dave Holt
    After the electrifying excitement of wiring the board and actually driving a loco up and down, it's back to the coal drops, plastic and solvent. Mmm...., does smell quite nice - no, not really! Anyway, the steps up the side of the retaining wall have been made and fixed in place. Unfortunately, these are a figment of my imagination because I could not find any information about how they actually looked. Still got the capping blocks to fit atop each side wall and create some wear on the front edge of each step. Still putting off trying to paint/crayon the retaining walls and pillars.
    Photos show the steps under construction and almost finished. They dont reach the board at the bottom because there is a 2 mm thick surface to go on the road and yard areas.
     

     

     

  25. Dave Holt
    Nothing very photogenic recently but some good progress has been made.
     
    I decided to break off from the coal drops whilst I pondered the access steps from the lower to upper levels. In the mean time, all the droppers have been soldered to the rails and these have been connected together, as dictated by the wiring diagram & schedule, by means of under-board bus rails (bare copper wire supported on brass screws) which run roughly under the track position. Later the busses will be connected to the tag strips at each end of the board. The inter-board connectors will also be connected to the tag strips.
     
    I'm intending to use a common return system to reduce the number of cables, but there's still quite a lot of wires, especially on the station board where the control panel will be located.
    I must say, the appearance/neatness of my wiring isn't in the same league as some of the other entries I've seen on RMweb recently. Definately no photos, please! - A case of out-of-sight; out-of-mind?
    Nethertheless, using temporary jumper leads I was able to power up the Tortoise and swith the point and also run a loco on every length of track on the board (the track over the coal drops will not be powered, as locos were not permitted, so there's no need). All very satisfactory and positive.
     
    Now it'sback to the coal drops or cosmetic chairs on the point.....
     
    Dave.
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