Gordon A

Comet / Wizard Models?

Advertising and keeps people in work.

Have a look at Severn Models range. https://severnmodels.com Sorry it wont paste as a link. Gordon A

There are some photo's that show interlaced points as well as others that indicate otherwise so bit of a mixture! They are in keeping with the idea of a backwater light railway as Ruyton is very much a S&MR twig off a branch similar to the Criggion line, and will remain so. Although I do have stock that is appropriate for the line some of which still needs to be built I have also taken some liberties! So in my world the GNoSR carriages were sold off by that company to the quarry and used for a quarry workers train. Likewise the Black Hawthorne is used alongside the Sentinal as a quarry engine.

Some general shots from different viewpoints. Unfortunately it's a tad difficult at the moment to get behind the layout to take a better picture of the front of the station. At some stage I will turn the layout around to get some different views. The station building itself built by John Spencer was based on the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire station at Llanymynech and was intended I believe for a previous OO layout so I estimate it must be about 40 years old. Work is continuing on the signal and the cassette fiddle yards at each end.

From your picture it looks like you are building your point using copper clad sleepers and that the rail is vertical. Printed plans may be slightly out of true due to distortion in the printing of the plan. You should use the gauge to locate the second rail from the rail on the opposite side. Do not rely on the track template. I tend to lay the straighter outer rail first using the template. The next is the crossing V which I set off the first rail using gauges to set the correct spacing between the rails. The subsequent rails I lay using the track gauges to space the rail correctly off the opposire rails. Have you got Ian Rice's book on track building? This is an excellent guide to starting out in track building. Andy ID's suggestion of investing in an inexpensive set of digital vernier callipers is a good one. Gordon

What system are you using to build your points? C&L and some other components are designed to tilt the rail at 1:20 similar to the prototype. Some roller gauges are designed to build the track with the rails vertical. If your rail sits in the grooves you may end up gauge narrowing once the gauge is removed. It may be that the gauge is designed to just sit on top of the rail head without gripping it. Gordon

Make a small indentation using a metal scribe.

Depending on how much detail you wish to include in your trackwork. The track rodding that in real life drives the points often passes under the rails using hollows in the ballast. This is easier with full thickness sleepers. Gordon A

Thank you for reinstating your pictures. I have an interest in this line as I am researching Bitterley sidings at the foot of the incline. Gordon A

An excellent and inspirational show with lots of good things to look at. Well done Jerry and Simon. Gordon A

Why not solder your connections?

Sorry, I thought I had typed "Poole docks".

Try this website: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagons

One suggestion I have not seen mentioned is allow your self plenty of time. If you can pack your vehicle the day before travel - don't rush it. Can you lay the items you want to take out on the floor to check you have everything before packing? Make a packing list and do not be afraid to add items. Once you think you have packed your vehicle allow time to have a good prowl round your modelling area to see if you can spot some thing that you have missed or an item that may be useful. A mug for hot drinks. An information sheet on your layout including size and a bit of fictitious history. Have an enjoyable exhibition.

Brass Masters do an excellent set of wagon axle jigs. http://brassmasters.co.uk/axle_gauges.htm

I have found a double click is required to go back a page.

The cassette entry tracks and connectors are now in place and tested with strategically placed temporary wire and croc clips. Next is back to wiring and the cross baseboard connections and sockets for the handheld. As a break from working on Ruyton I was distracted into building a couple of 4 wheel Great North of Scotland vehicles. Story is that they were sold by that company to the quarry company to be used for a workers train from the station to the quarry. Both the all third and passenger brake are from Prickly Pear and went to gather really well. They are in the painting queue!

Work taking place on the new fiddle yard board also showing the new cassettes which will be built for Ruyton Road. Press agent. Gordon A

Received mine on Saturday.

With track relaying largely complete and new fiddle yard boards built I have recently moved to consider the fiddle yard itself. With 3 exit tracks, the main line, run round and quarry branch I wanted something that was flexible but would keep stock handling to a minimum. Cassettes then! Having helped Robin Gay operate his lovely Rolvenden layout I was mightily impressed by his split cassettes and the ease they connected together and came apart. Sort of a cassette shunting system. The original idea came from a Chris Pendlenton article in MRJ 27. Robin was very kind to give up an afternoon recently to give a hands on lesson in how he made the actual connections. Loco cassette showing the end connectors made from 1.5mm brass bar and thin phosphor bronze strip. There was also a slight setback with the failure of the Bachmann set controller. Wiring for the fiddle yard will include sockets for handheld controllers but in the meantime the Bachmann controller was lashed up for testing. Not wanting to spend much on something that would only be temporary I came across several resources where people had utilised a pwm unit and transformer. Both were obtained from eBay for less that a tenner and a box secret from The Range for 50p. I was surprised by how well it works. An update on the progress being made on Ruyton Rd.

Pictures of Ruyton Rd since its move to Bristol have been renewed. Gordon

Is it me or does the lever on the Morton clutch side , when depressed move the brake shoes away from the wheels?

Let us hope the mechanisms are better than the 00 ones.