Darwinian

That had crossed my mind but I thought perhaps I should include protection for locomotive movements using the run around across the slip. I'd envisaged a colliery train being held in the arrival/departure while a passenger train loco runs around. Maybe my trap point are a bit OTT then.

Thanks Ian, Maerdy was one of the locations that influenced the layout design. I haven't shown them on the plan but there is a trap point and sand drag on the line out of the colliery and also a simple one-rail trap protecting the slip on the arrival/departure road. Adrian

I find I have in my stash an MSE kit for McKenzie Holland rotating ground discs (two signals) which can be made to work. However I'm not convinced this could be realistically done on a post mounted signal as the turning crank would need to be very small and below the signal. Could I get away with saying the GWR replaced them with short arm semaphores? That would give an unusual combination of lower quadrant semaphore and somersault on some posts? Presumably the secondary route would be on a bracketed doll rather than on the main post? My Cwmhir location is fictitious so anything with a prototype on the Rhymney will do.

Ooops, that should have been Highworth not Highbridge.

Oh forgot to add. My original intention was to have GWR panniers work the colliery line as that seemed to be the norm so I will stick to that, with possibly an occasional rule 1 foray of an odd industrial loco now and again.

Thanks Mike I will have to investigate RR rotating signals. I only have parts from MSE for the somersault type (and some GWR signals too). Unfortunately I cannot move the signal box as most of the layout is already built and I put it there because it seemed to give the best sighting of the routes for the signalman given the gradients involved. The main line falls away quite steeply down the valley and so the station and good yard side is basically "Highbridge" which has a level headshunt like this presumably to avoid runaways down the hill. Adrian

I'm trying to get my head around the signaling for my Cwmhir ex Rhymney railway (now GWR) branch line terminus layout. I think that most signals in the 1929-32 period I model would still be Rhymney, so McKenzie and Holland somersault signals (fun). I am assuming the colliery branch has running powers for colliery owned locos or GWR. Would both be likely and does it make a difference to the signaling? However I'm not sure what the placing should be so is the diagram below correct? Should there be more ground signals? I'm assuming some moves would be hand signaled. Would the GWR have installed token exchange apparatus? I have the Adrian Vaughan book on GWR signaling practice but that's about all on this subject. Any help or advice would be much appreciated before I embark on building the signals.

They look like the injector overflow pipes that would be under/behind the cab steps. Can't see any on your loco but they seem to be there on others shown on a image search. Sad to hear of the passing of Bigwordsmith, condolences to all who knew him.

Yes my flange way is 1.0mm but I don’t have an issue with the cross head of course.

I’m not sure how helpful or not this is but..... My hand-built track is finescale 00 so has similar clearances to EM. I’ve opened the wheel back to back on my Hornby W4 Peckett to 14.8mm and it runs through all of my point work fine.

Not much done on the C19 in the last few days. I had an unexpected urge to do some electrickery and finally fit the electromagnets to operate the Dingham couplers. So Cwmhir has been dismantled so I can work on the underside of the main station throat board. I have fitted four electromagnets, two Dingham and two DG (from Wizard). The DG pole pieces are a bit short, only reaching to 1mm or so below the top of the underlay but a quick test suggests that they will work OK. I have the thin sleepered C&L track which may help here. I had planned to put electromagnets at the loco release end of the loops too but have realised that loco's will always be uncoupled there so I bought some 10mm x 3mm x 2.5mm neodynium magnets which fit nicely between the sleepers (including on Peco track) and provide plenty of pull to operate the Dingham couplers. 10 magnets cost the same (including postage) as one elctromagnet and they are much easier to fit. Not very photogenic however so here is 2795 caught by a photographer above the tunnel mouths as it pulls up into Cwmhir with a local goods. The lcoo is a Finney kit while the wagons are from various kits.

They look the business Johnster, nice work.

Buffer bodies arrived from Lanarkshire Model Supplies last week and now the Heads have arrived from Wizard models. Excellent service from both suppliers, especially in these times. So work on the clerestory can continue. I have also realised I forgot to add the lower door hinges. Hmm will have to think about how to do that now. In the absence of other progress here is a photo. of GWR SRM 57 on a local to Merthyr. This is the Mallard/Blacksmith SRM. It had been sat in the display cabinet for at least a year and would not move when placed on the tracks. A bit of rewiring and a good clean and it's working fine now. Although I broke one of the power bogie suspension scroll irons in the process. Hoping cyno will hold it back together otherwise I'll have to try to scratch build a matching replacement.

You stand a good chance of overtaking me. I've been building Cwmhir since 2007 and you've already got to the point I was at about 2010. Coming along lovely so it is.

Last shot of the Peckett working the exchange sidings as it propels the wagons of pit props up the incline towards the colliery.

The revised magnet attracting pads have worked. Now that the magnets make contact with the tin can pads I can turn the carriage upside down and gently shake it without the roof coming off or even moving. Given how inexpensive these little magnets are I think this is going to be my go-to roof fixing method from now on. Here is a picture of the set up. The pieces of tin are folded up to double thickness and superglued to a scrap of etched fret that has been soldered on across the gap in the side angle. The small holes in the roof ceiling piece are to allow any solvent vapour to escape from the enclosed space, hopefully reducing any inclination for the roof to warp.

Completed goods shed. It just needs a little weathering and the ground in front bringing up to the correct level.

I quite enjoy cooking. It’s much like model building. Find/make up a plan. Collect raw materials. Chop them into shape with knives, hammers, other tools as required (Even power tools). Apply heat (or not) Admire artistically assembled result. Then it goes downhill as the family demolish my work in a matter of minutes. Then I have to do it all again in a couple of days later and make a different model!

Having dropped off the pit prop train in the sidings the loco picked up the loaded coal brought down from the pits earlier and then headed off back towards Cardiff docks. These are kit built wagons with POWsides lettering except the Cory Bro's which are Bachmann with coke rails removed. The signals here are just place holders I built many years ago (1980s) from Ratio Kits and Mallard models arms. I keep putting off building the necessary R.R. somersault signals for this layout, although I have most of the bits I need.

So far as I am aware they had nothing at all. Whether the crew might rig up some form of screen inside the cab opening I don't know. The cab opening looks slightly wrong (Not high enough) on the Bachmann model but I've not plucked up the courage to attack it. Many years ago at a show the chap on the Bachmann stand told me they were going to re-tool the cabs but it didn't happen and I gave up waiting.

A break from clerestory pictures. Here is 56xx 6676 arriving up the valley to Cwmhir with a load of pit props. Bachmann 56xx with bunker modified to original flat back (not that you can see it). I really should carve off the cab side shutters too as they are really a 1930s feature. The 1st wagon is a Slaters pre-printed (or might be POWsides). The rest are Bachmann.

The main roof structure is complete, I just need to add the gas lighting supply pipes. The magnets set up like this hold the roof in position but are not quite strong enough to hold it on when the coach is turned upside down. This is quite a heavy roof with the etched clerestory deck. I'm not sure but suspect that putting the pieces of steel under the top flange of the sides reduces the magnetic field strength enough for the magnets not to hold on (a combination of shielding and distance). Solutions may be: 4 magnets along each side, magnets in place of the bits of tin can (but their polarity would have to match, which could be used to make sure the roof is attached the correct way around) or maybe just mounting the steel strip into the top flange so it is not covered/spaced away by the brass. I'm going to try the last option first having got this far.

Lower roof today. 1mm Plasticard flat ceiling, shaped end pieces that also located between the sides and lengthways ribs. The vac formed roof material cut to size. To hold the roof on I’m trying 2mm diameter 1mm thick magnets, these are superglued into the ceiling below the small blocks visible here. I have cut some flat pieces of steel tin can to attach to the coach body.

Yes I'd wondered if the Slaters one was the right one so your link was useful in confirming that it was the later type, possibly from the toplight kits. Odd that they do this one but not the earlier Dean type. Anyway I've ordered 4 sets of Dave Franks (LMSupplies) B021 1' 81/2" 13" head GWR fitted wagon buffers with rounded corners on base.

Thanks Penrhos but clerestories had Dean round/tapered body buffers. Russel vol 1 states that the post 1906 builds had 1’10” buffers and these were often fitted as replacements. The earlier buffers were 2’0” which is only just over 1mm in 4mm scale. Lanarkshire Models do a 1’8” unribbed, fitted freight wagon GWR buffer that will pass muster for 1’10”