Jon Fitness

No bounce on these Dave. The MERG driver boards are progammable to produce bounce if you download a seperate program and use a computer to set them up. I use one of the setting up boxes made from the MERG kits so I can't do it. Bounce would probably be ok on a single post signal with no linkages but theres probably a bit too much play in my mechanisms for it to work properly . JF

Another ex-Talacre signal has been dug out of the cupboard. This will now act as the up&down branch home to either the connecting line (RH) or the main through all the crossings (LH). The top left arm was swapped from a shunt to a full size and the bottom left will be for shunting over the crossings with a view to setting back into the shelf sidings. This signal used to be operated by memory wire but I found I was constantly having to adjust the stuff and the action wasn't really to my liking. This was all stripped off except for a short length of the wood it was mounted to and a (very ) makeshift frame made for 3 servos, these being fastened on with 10 BA nuts/bolts. For the sake of simplicity I have fixed the drive rods directly to the horns this time, something I'll probably regret later! ( lack of adjustment etc, All these have been adjusted for travel and speed on the driver board so in theory, all I have to do is hack a hole in the baseboard and screw the thing down. Once connected they should work without further adjustment. More to follow.. JF

Dinghams; hook and loop on each end of small locos, back end of big 'uns and just hooks on each end of fixed rakes. Hooks on one end of each brake van with rakes of wagons tacked in between. Also about a dozen odd wagons with couplings each end just to knock about in the sidings. Uncoupling by permanent magnet only. They seem ok so far.... JF

Fitted a banner repeater signal and the home signal it repeats. Both are worked by the now standard micro servos. Steve has finished the cottages. Someone's moved in and got the washing out already . Work will now concentrate on building & fitting the rest of the mainline signals and monitoring the working of the Dingham couplings fitted to some of the stock. Someone say Dinghams?... Next time we'll have a look at those.... More Soon.....

As requested, among the pics of the new signals installed on the layout, here's a quick vid of the banner repeater operating. The way it works is a bit wrong as it simply works on the same switch as the signal it repeats. I did consider fixing a microswitch to the servo arm on the home signal to work the banner but well....this was easier! . I'll be reviving another ex-Talacre signal for fitting shortly... More soon JF

Many thanks! I only do the basic stuff though! Try these links for high quality inspiration mikemegs signals and here Also look out for signal building books by both Mick Nicholson and Peter Squibb. Cheers JF

PlasticFantastic!!!!!

Finished the banner and it's ready for installation now. The rear screen was carefully glued in with PVA. The front screen was bashed gently eased into position and fortunately didn't appear to need any glue (no idea how I'd either glue it in or get it back out if I need to!) I've tested it on the servo and it works but as it will be connected to a different driver board when installed on the layout, anything other than basic testing wasn't needed. I'll set the travel and operation speed once it's installed using LNERGE's helpful video clip as a guide! Sorry about the quality of pics.. poor light in the workplace!! JF

Thanks for that! I'll try and and put one on when it's installed on the layout. Its all finished but I can't move it to fot it at the moment as the paint's still wet! JF.

I was once told by a driver that they could keep 10 warm but only pull 5 of them! JF

Near enough finished the banner repeater now. After the fiasco at the layout the other night, trying to re site the gantry and connect all the servos up, I've decided to try to attach the servos directly to the signals where possible. This one is stuck on with heavy duty double-sided trim tape! It's been tested and works fine. With all the gubbins now attached, I had a play with various translucent materials for the back glass. The best turned out to be some backing from the letraset sheet and luckily I have a leather punch that is exactly the right diameter so a circle was duly bashed out and this is the resulting light. Looks pretty much ok to me and I reckon I can get both the front and rear glasses in without disturbing the frame round the front face so this will be soldered up pre- glazing and sprayed up tomorrow. More soon JF

Cheers Alan, Looking forward to seeing your signals JF

Ah yes! Went through a few local books and I see the ones you are talking about now. Am I right in saying the only true pre PSB signals are 81 and 83 on the gantry and under the canopy on plat 3 and down&up main? Was watching a video of a Jubilee class (taken from the old footbridge at the Crewe end) drifting down what is now plat 3 and I could see the 2 signals glowing in the gloom. Cheers JF

Those GW blades get everywhere ........Would that mean the arm now goes the wrong way!!! JF

Hi Richard, it's enamels all the way. Railmatch concrete and then a mucky mix of Humbrol matt blacks beiges and browns dragged over the lumpy bits. I usually use up the last bits of mix drybrushing over the bits that are still a bit bright. Jon F.

Theres still 2 there on the down slow and fasts for CR113 and CR115. Theres also 2 in the station for CR93 and CR95. I think they are all the older pattern still and not LED ones. (unless they've sneaked a couple in when I wasn't looking like they did to the signal heads on the Wrexham line!) JF

My knees ache… after last nights gantry re-fitting session during which just about every problem expected, turned up and brought its mates with it. I must have spent about 2 hours under the baseboards trying to align the gantry with somewhere that didn’t have cross-members, wires through those cross-members, screws, brackets, areas I couldn’t reach, wires that needed lengthening and/or re-routing. The gap between the down main and the loop was only just enough so positioning was critical, especially as the curves are very tight at that point. I ran a mk1 coach back and forth constantly over both tracks until it fitted (just). I couldn’t find the wiring diagram so each wire had to be buzzed out before I recoupled it (after lengthening it) and it took at least 3 attempts before I coupled all the drive rods to the servos and the wires didn’t catch on something or another. One of the servos threw a wobbler and tried to self destruct, to the extent the gears inside went crunch and re-set themselves. I had to take the arm off the servo and re-set it. 2230 before all signals were working again. Lesson learned? Build it up on the bench at home on a baseplate and fit the whole thing from above. If it still doesn’t fit? Well there’s always colour light signals I suppose……. The second job (which I did first!!!) was painting the retaining walls to complete the scenic work that Steve has been beavering away at. He will be building a small hut to cover the point motor until I can get round to doing a tall signalbox for the gap in the wall. I think we’ve got the look we were after…. More to follow.

Cheers chaps! Now I've done the lamp case and lamp (warm white LED) I'll be able to test which is best. I'll try different resistors on the LED until I get the right brightness. In stock are 475ohm 1000ohm,and 1500 ohm. I've also flattened the front face of the LED with a file to change the spread of light a bit (and to get it in the lamp case easier!) The lamp case was made from a piece of square tube and a brass washer beaten into a dish shape and soldered on. This was then soldered to a tube and aligned with the back of the banner and soldered up. Very strong! The LED has had its neg tag soldered to the inside of the lamp case and the poz was attached to a piece of fine wire which was then fed down through the main stem. I'll make a plastic detachable lid for the lamp case so I can get in if need be. Oh and this is the signal that the banner repeater will be ..repeating; a scratchbuilt ex LMS restricted width/height stop signal. More soon

It may well be! I'll have to check out some greaseproof paper from Wifey's baking drawer as well.Other ideas are clear styrene sheet, clouded by mucho scrubbing with a fibreglass pen or a quick spray with white primer. I also have some backing sheet from a sheet of letraset (remember letraset....?). The cover sheet for pressfix transfers might work too. All suggestions will be trialled...

Many thanks for that . I've found some 0.3 brass wire for the drive rod which I think does the trick now and I've shortened the pivot rod and bearing. All seems to work so it'll be the lamp case next. I've also now got to find the best way of making a translucent white rear glass! Any ideas? Cheers JF

Had a bit of a go with the soldering iron this afternoon (please excuse the tatty soldering, things got altered as I went along). I widened the front to back gap and found some scrap brass etch for the casing wrapper which I've soldered to the back only for now. Already on version 2 of the operating linkage as the first one involved a pin soldered to the back of the banner. A loop on the operating wire then engaged with the pin but there wasn't sufficient room in there and the wire kept coming off the pin. Version 2, remove pin, clean out hole and put the operating wire directly through the hole. That worked better but I'll have to find some thinner wire (currently 0.6 N/S) as it's a bit too visible!. Hopefully, once I've cleaned all my rather scruffy soldering up, and straightened everything out, I can align the operating wire vertically with the pivot support. Once the front and back glasses are in, the wire shouldn't then cast any extra shadow than the pivot support when the lamp is lit at the back and there won't be any visible mechanical linkage as the rod passes down the inside of the main post. (If you can see what I mean) The drawing I have of an LMS banner repeater size lamp case at the back seems to match a size of square brass tube I have in stock so that should be one of the easier jobs to do. More to follow.. JF

There's still a bit to do on the cottage Iain, and theres a gantry to put back which will be up against the bridge, and a banner repeater to go on the new loop line for a hidden signal just beyond the bridge. I'll have a look at Newton Jc, but I think any box that goes in the gap will have either a GW or LNW top to it Cheers JF

Steve’s now done the scenic trimmings on the top of the cutting (still waiting for the sea-moss) and has decided to use the converted low relief cottages. They will get a re-paint and re-weather and be bedded in shortly. I then painted the retaining walls a stone colour in readiness for the dark browny gunge colour to go on top. The re-cess in the wall for the surface mounted point solenoid was going to get the ubiquitous PW hut in it to cover it up, but I’m trying to persuade Steve he needs a really tall thin signalbox in there instead. Something on the lines of Northenden Junction ! More to follow.