rjh

David, Chris,

Thanks both.

I hope you are aware thar Paul Karau (another admirer of DAW) did us proud in MRJs 246,247,248 by running an accoun of the MJ saga by Andy Avis, drawing on original material from the Williams.collection.

More soon

Regards

Rodney

Chris

from: Rodney

MetJct

Part 3

Miscellenia

SEE the backscene...

The first video below was filmed this last weekend at the REC 2018 Woking Show.

It includesw both outside and inside views.

The second is, of course,from the inside.

Met Jct can be seen from approx 1:01.11 to 1:06.11 (ie about 5 minutes) in this well made video of the whole Woking 2018:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FlUSbdeMVJQ

Finally, for now, I leave you with a link to a short, but precious, piece of 8mm cine film that Doug made in 1990 of the layout in operationw. Enjoy!

It’s available here (only by direct URL):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0xJvKJjfJE

Rodney Hills

.end

Rodney

Chris

from Rodney

MetJct

Part 2

You are right w.r.t. locos, although in his earliest, the King Arthur, post WW2 shortages eg of nickel silver. (Aka “german silver”!) was built of tinplate hence the inevitable choice of Eastleigh Arthur No.799 “Sir Ironside”, the model nicknamed “Sir Tinplateside(s)”.

DAW’s carriages are not metal though. Cardboard. Still looking good after about 70 years.

next para.. gpfully working condition....realistic operation....

Indeed, that was the thinking behind grafting on a cassette fiddle yard (“borrowed” from Swaynton) utiliising one of the two short banking sidings that are hidden underneah the town.

Something we intend to progress further. There is no evidence that Doug went in for timetabled running.

10 foot to 12 foot square. As per the plan (qv) actually 8’ 9” x 10’ 8”.

The MRN chose to replace all Doug’s very clear handwritten italic text with actual type, but lost the 9” off the width.

This unneccessary shrinkage to only 8’ 0” led me to erroneus and misleading assumptions about possible sites.

,end of part two

Chris,

From: Rodney Hills

Thank you very much for your comments on Doug’s masterpiece. I will pass them on to Mrs Pat Williams, who this time was only able to attend on the Saturday.

Going through your “what is good about MJ” list...

Para 3 ..backscenes

‘Ah, as a home layout, it was almost surrounded by the wall of the room amd indeed have have backscenes.

Plese look at the plan for Stand 65 in the REC’s excellent Exhibiton Guide page 23 or at the MetJct Yahoo Group site homepage

https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/metjct/info

Be patient the latter diagram for some reason can take ages to appear.

The door of the bedroom was immediately to the top left corner, swinging open to the left, this aisle giving access to the lifting flap, which is on the stretch of plain track (seven lines, incl H.L. branch rising at 1 in 30!).

Straight wall with chimney breast protusion at centre, Southaven terminus had flat backscene behind a low wall along the baseboard edge.

Wihdow wall to right of plan, top third plus right hand half of top wall having flat backscene behind low relief town buildings (spot the Bilteezis, spot the Superquicks!)

BUT

You visitors were standing OUTSIDE the ‘room’ and through the non-existent ‘walls’.

Perhaps we should have raised some real walls all round the layout and relay whats happening inside the box via video relay, or even use webcams....

Instead we omitted most of the backscenes, so that you could see ‘in’.

Read Cyril Freezer and Iain Rice on the ins and outs of ovals....

.end of part one...by Rodney Hills

Hello again,

Notes from The Metropolitan Junction Railway Operating Department by Rodney Hills.

1.

Due to a number of unfortunate circumstances, I have only been able to attend the Woking REC Exhibition on the Saturday afternoon.

That means that the planned display of vintage controllers has regretfully been cancelled.

2.

There is vintage in plently to be seen on Met Jct layouti itself, we don’t have any future showings lined up at present, so get along TODAY if you want to see it.(PLUS the rest of a fine exhibition)

3.

We were pleased s to the number of visitors we had to Stand 65 on Saturday, including a gentleman who came all the way from Coventry to revisit Doug Williams’s handiwork, having been a visitor to the Beckenham house when his children were young and were fascinated when Doug let them run trins that automatically triggered the sound system. Re-instatement of the latter is on the ‘to-do” list.

4.p

I would welcome copies of photos/videos of Met Jct taken at this Woking show, for inclusion in the layouts’s online prescence:

https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/metjct/info

Send me a msg in the fiirst instancoe, please.

Regards, Rodney Hills

Some excellent layouts this year and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Highlights for me were Gordon Gravett's Arun Quay (a wonderful standard of modelling) , Ferrocarril San Maria Gandia, Cheffley for its buildings and a rare chance to see The Metropolitan Junction Railway. There were also some good demos. Worth going tomorrow (Sunday) if you're anywhere near.

hello

since The Metropolitan Junction Railway got a mention earlier in this topic, I thought that I would post a gentle reminder re the Woking show this weekend by showing this view of it at an "undress rehearsal" not that far from Woking.

Undress, as everything on the top of the baseboards is detachable except:

track, working rodding and lever frames and kever actuated switches, point solenoids(only a few of these).

note also the signature D,A, Williams hallmarks:

the complex P & C work, the baseboard joints through said work, the lattice signal gantry (fusewire, mostly).

Doug even left a manual on how to dismantle the layout.

regards, Rodney Hills

PS -- Alongside we shall have the EMGS display /info PLUS some vintage control items, including all being well:

The legendary ROLLA CONTROLA.

Hello

 

[typos fixed]

 

I just came across a site with download files of the following issues of Railway Modeller...

 

https://archive.org/details/railwaymodeller

 

Issues are ( . Railway of the month .. Plan of the month ... notable article and/or prototype station plan )

All layout plans are by Cyril J Freezer, unless stated otherwise

1963

Jan ( . Ambition in TT-3 by H. Myott .. A modular layout [Minories add-ons] ... Burmham on sea drawings )

Jun ( . Peter Denny rebuilds Buckingham Great Central ..A garage scheme ... Special West Country survey, your last chance)

Aug ( . Borchester by J F Webster, based om RM pl an ..A thoroughgoing terminus ...psp:Blencow ...Madder Valley at Pendon )

1964

Jan ( . Broadland Railway by Bury St Edmunds MRC .. Extendibility. by C J Peacock ... psp: Daventry ...)

Feb ( . Wannetka Warlock & Western by Peter Haddock ..Terminal topics .. motorised Airfix Crane by J. Dugdale )

Mar ( . Glenfern Rly by Geoff Cowmeadow ..Small and Simple .. psp Aylesbury High St )

Apr ( . To be done........."etc )

May

Aug

1965

Apr

Aug

Regards, Rodney Hills

Hello

I just came across a site with download files of the following issues of Railway Modeller...

https://archive.org/details/railwaymodeller

Issues are ( . Railway of the month .. Plan of the month ... notable article and/or prototype station plan )

1963

Jan ( . Ambition in TT-3 by H. Myott .. A modular layout [Minories add-ons] ... Burmham on sea drawings )

Jun ( . Peter Denny rebuilds Buckingham Great Central ..A garage scheme ... Special https://archive.org/details/railwaymodeller Country survey, your last chance)

Aug ( . Borchester by J F Webster, based om RM pl an ..A thoroughgoing terminus ...psp:Blencow ...Madder Valley at Pendon )

1964

Jan ( . Broadland Railway by Bury St Edmunds MRC .. Extendibility. by C J Peacock ... psp: Daventry ...)

Feb ( . Wannetka Warlock & Western by Peter Haddock ..Terminal topics .. motorised Airfix Crane by J. Dugdale )

Mar ( . Glenfern Rly by Geoff Cowmeadow ..Small and Simple .. psp Aylesbury High St )

Apr ( . To be done........."etc )

May

Aug

1965

Apr

Aug

Regards, Rodney Hills

Hello

If the Exmoor half inch Bartholemew is available I would like to have it please.

Regards, Rodney Hills (rjh)

Surrey, UK

Hello

If the Exmoor half inch Bartholemew is available I would like to have it please.

Regards, Rodney Hills (rjh)

Surrey, UK

Hello again,

on-topic with the Rolla Controla......

I am taking it to the expoEM show at Bracknell TODAY SUNDAY 14 MAY 2017 and connecting it to the Test Track

details of show: http://www.emgs.org/events/society-events/?event_id1=13

for more on R C search RMweb onn : rolla

regards ,,.

Rodney Hills

SNIPPED

 

Anyway, I recall that I particularly enjoyed "The Living Lineside", by 'Dax', a series of ideas for satirical lineside accessories, more often than not involving complex animation.

Interesting thread....

Ah, but who was "Dax"?

==================

I've asked Steve Flint at Peco/RM and nobody there now apparently knows...

Apart from the Living Lineside series, you find other little sketches in the same style as headers etc to other items over the same period.

the Rolla Controla

==============

I have one of these...

search RMweb on: Rolla Controla

you should get about seven hits with more gen.

I am hoping to get to ExpoEM at Bracknell on Sunday 14 May 2017 and I am quite willing to bring the Rolla Controlla along and hook it up to the test track by arrangement.

Let me know if you are interested in seeing / using the controller...

"The R-C is to today's electronic pulse width modulation (PWM) controllers as the Baird television is to today's home entertainment systems".

Regards,

Rodney Hills

archivist@merg.org.uk

Hello Rodney

 

I am not a member of the project but would welcome a copy. I'd be happy to reciprocate anything that I have.

 

Brian

Brian,

That was quick.!

I will try and get it scanned.

BTW - there are a couple of typos in my post - I can edit and correct and preview but how do I save the edited version?

regards, Rodney

Hello project,

I have in my collection a photocopy of :h

BRITISH RAILWAYS

SOUTHERN REGION

CARRIAGE WORKING NOTICE

STEAM TRAINS

Commencing 12th September, 1960,

and until further notiice.

SOUTHERN DISTRICT

It has cover plus 55 pages in total, coverage as below

Is all or part of it of interest?

I should be able to scan and send electronically..

regards,

Rodney Hills

Surrey, Uk

.......

Pages 1 to 45-upper cover WEEKDAYS

Pages 45-lower to 55 cover SUNDAYS

Stations included with approx number of workings, weekdays uness otherwise indicated

Alresford 1

Bailey Gate 1

Bournemouth Central 65 ( c 6 1/2 pages )

Bournemouth Central Goods 6

Bournemouth West SX 83, SO 70 (c 6 pages)

Bridport 3

Broadstone 1

Brockenhurst 37

Christchurch 7

Dorchester South 7

Dorchester West 1

Eastleigh c 110

Fareham 16

Fawley 6

Gosport 2

Lymington Pier 16

Lymington Town 11

Maiden Newton 5

Poole 10

Romsey 2

Southampton Central 19

Southampton Docks 20

Southamton Terninus 41

Swanage 21

Totton 1

Wareham 24

Weymouth SX 46 SO 55

Weymouth Quay 6

Wimborne 8

Winchester City 8

Yeovil Pen Mill 17

-----

SUNDAYS

Bournemouth Central 28 Sun

Bournemouth West 27 Sun

Brockenhurst 15 Sun

Dorchester South 2 Sun

Eastleigh 17 Sun

Lymington Pier 9 Sun

Lymington Town 5 Sun

Poole 2 Sun

Southampton Central 3 Sun

.. Docks 2 Sun

.. Terminus 9 Sun

Swanage 6 Sun

Wareham 5 Sun

Weymouth 19 Sun

Yeovil Pen Mill 6 Sun

..

..END

Having spoken to Peco yesterday on other subject matters, the info was proffered that these points are at an advanced stage of development. I got the impression that meant this quarter, but don't invest the farm on that info!

Hello,

snap.

called Peco Technical Advice Bureau (wonderful period piece of a name!) yesterday about something else, but also told that the 00 BH LR points were next to be released after the 0 Setrack points.

regards, Rodney Hills

Helo,

1.

Simple line drawings of many pointwork variants

http://www.gauge0guild.com/manual/02_2_2_Pointwork.pdf

2.

one that got away, the Barry Slip

http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=2583&forum_id=11&highlight=barry+slip

regards, Rodney Hills

hello again

just noticed

this weekend at Wells, Somerset

http://www.scalefour.org/scalefoursouthwest/2016/

regards, Rodney Hills

Ashley,

Are you able to attend Scaleforum? http://www.scalefour.org/scaleforum/2016/

demo stands incl Howard Bolton on track construction

lots of other folks to get good advice from

plenty of 00 modellers attend this , also expoEM at Bracknell in May,

details below,

regards Rodney Hills

Scaleforum 2016

24th & 25th September 2016

Stoke Mandeville Stadium

Guttmann Road

Aylesbury

Buckinghamshire

HP21 9PP

Hello,

re six bolt fishplates..

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5QYmBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=six+bolt+fishplate&source=bl&ots=LHLFhT5zxg&sig=cgyGElqWjVbxoBxSwqocyCCK-UQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiMqv_n6v3NAhXLD8AKHfclDPEQ6AEIPDAI#v=onepage&q=six%20bolt%20fishplate&f=false

extract from: 

2009

Publisher: Mc Graw Hill India (2009) 

ISBN-10: 0070680124 ISBN-13: 978-0070680128

quote, last para below:

Regards, Rodney Hills

Hello John,

I have taken the liberty of snipping one of your photos in post # 9 and placing it here to emphasise your excellent trackwork...

You mentioned at the start of the topic that the layout is constructed to 00-SF track standards.

The narrow 1mm crossing flangeways are good on the eye, as is your single slip.

May  I ask you some questions?:

Q1.

What sort of radius are those curves? minimum? typical?

Q2.

00-SF minimum Track Gauge is 16.2mm. You will likely be using this through the point & crossing work,

but do you gauge widen elsewhere, eg:

a. on curved tracks, if so by how much?

b. in order to use ready-made plain track of 16.5mm TG?

Q3.

Are you using 26mm (8'6" scale) long sleepers or are you reducing them to complement the 2.38 to 2.68 under-scale-gauge, if so to what length?

Q4. 

I imagine that the bullhead rails, chairs etc are from the C&L emporium, but are they

a. the older C&L toolings OR

b. the neater ex-Exactoscale components?

Q5. (relates to Q2 above)

Is the visible trackwork ALL individually chaired, or have you used ready made track bases away from P & C work?  

Q6. is this layout your first essay in 00-SF?

Thank you very much.

Best regards,

Rodney Hills

Good afternoon

I plan to take my Rolla Controla to the Alresford show on SATURDAY 18 JUNE 2016. and hope it may be possible to have it operating

(not suitable for coreless motors)

Thi,s is not a TCS show but is organised by Bob Leggett. There will be a TCS stand, manned by Rod Hannah, that would be the best place to inquire if you wish to contact me on the day.

I shall also try and post this notice to the TCS Yahoo Group.

regards, Rodney Hills

Hello again,

DUE TO HEALTH PROBLEMS LAST NIGHT, I DID NOT MANAGE TO GET TO THE ALRESFORD SHOW, today Saturday.

SO no Rolla Controla on display this year, sorry.

Perhaps next year...

regards

Rodney Hills

hello

thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

regarding showing the Rolla Controla, I am not a member of the TCS (*) but would quite willing to bring it along to a TCS event.

unfortunately your July Biggleswade date clashes with a prior committment, but I see you have something on at Alresford the weekend 18-19 June. That might be possible....

* - My good friend Andy Emmerson, a TCS member, spotted this R-C at a toyfair and put me in touch with the seller.

regards, Rodney Hills

Good afternoon

I plan to take my Rolla Controla to the Alresford show on SATURDAY 18 JUNE 2016. and hope it may be possible to have it operating

(not suitable for coreless motors)

Thi,s is not a TCS show but is organised by Bob Leggett. There will be a TCS stand, manned by Rod Hannah, that would be the best place to inquire if you wish to contact me on the day.

I shall also try and post this notice to the TCS Yahoo Group.

regards, Rodney Hills

hello again

Stephen/Bertidog asked about R-C rotational speed....

(I shall try and scan all the paperwork and upload it somewhere)

quote..

The current fed to your loco is 12 V.D.C. full wave rectified current, in the form of impulses having a variable dwell to control speed. These impulses have a frequency of approx 180 per second.

The commutator has four tapered pickups for each direction.

Yes, shaded pole motor 3000 rpm = 50 rps

about 45 rps in practice which matches Rollason's 180 pulses per sec with four pulses per rotation.

My standard model has NO 12v supply, there are two power pack (pp) models that do

prices inc purchase tax

R.C.1 standard £4-19-6

R.C.2 2amp pp £6-19-6

R.C.4 4amp pp £7-15-0

regards, Rodney Hills

Train Collectors Society summer meeting, usually at Biggleswade in early July these days.

There is quite a bit of interest in old control gear in the TCS. At a meeting at Leicester a year or two ago, one gentleman had a massive display of such kit, mostly from Shenphone IIRC, and plenty of members spent lots of time investigating it all.

Kevin

hello

thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

regarding showing the Rolla Controla, I am not a member of the TCS (*) but would quite willing to bring it along to a TCS event.

unfortunately your July Biggleswade date clashes with a prior committment, but I see you have something on at Alresford the weekend 18-19 June. That might be possible....

* - My good friend Andy Emmerson, a TCS member, spotted this R-C at a toyfair and put me in touch with the seller.

regards, Rodney Hills

Good morning,

A Rolla Controla will be operating TODAY Sunday 15 May 2016 St expoEM,, Bracknelll Leisure Centre, Berks, RG12 9SE, open 1000-1630.

on arrival contact me either at the rear of Stand 25 Metropolitan Junction layout, or by the Test Track. Bring an EM or P4 loco !

(not siutable for coreless motors)

regards, Rodney Hills