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Was "Falmer" now "Davigdor Road Goods"


The Bigbee Line

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Now the change of accomodation has been completed.  The boards are to be revised as a Holland Road Goods type layout.

 

Previously:

 

I have produced a track layout based on Falmer.  There are various additions; a signal to allow movements back from the down platform and a connection to allow freight trains to leave the yard towards Brighton.

 

Comments on the wording on the lever plates and locking would be appreciated,

 

Thanks in advance.

 

post-2484-0-49331700-1391514199_thumb.jpg

 

1                UP DISTANT                                                                                                      2. 3. 4.

2                UP HOME                                                                                                          

3                UP STARTING                                                                                                  

4                UP ADVANCED STARTING                                                                            

5                UP STARTING BACK FROM DOWN PLATFORM                                         17.

6                KING LEVER                                                                                                      1. 17. 21.

7                FROM DOWN LINE SHUNT AT POINTS 8                                                      8. OR NIL

8                CROSSOVER POINTS EAST                                                                          

9                FROM UP LINE SHUNT OVER POINTS 8                                                       8.

10              FROM DOWN LINE SHUNT AT POINTS 17                                                    17. 11. OR NIL

11              DOWN SIDINGS POINTS                                                                                 

12              FROM DOWN SIDING SHUNT OVER POINTS 11                                          11.

13              FROM DOWN SIDING SHUNT OVER POINTS 14                                          14.

14              DOWN SIDINGS TO UP LINE POINTS                                                           

15              FROM UP LINE SHUNT AT POINTS 14                                                          14. OR NIL

16              FPL ON 17                                                                                                        

17              CROSSOVER POINTS WEST                                                                          

18              FROM UP LINE SHUNT AT POINTS 17                                                          17. OR NIL

19              DOWN ADVANCED STARTING                                                                      

20              DOWN STARTING                                                                                           

21              DOWN HOME                                                                                                   

22              DOWN DISTANT                                                                                               19. 20. 21.

 

Edited to sort out format of list

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I'm sounding really stupid here....  How do I put the image straight into the post?

Click on the "more reply options" below right of the reply box. That gets you to a more extensive editor. At bottom left is a "Choose files..." button (below "Attach Files"). That allows you to browse your machine and select one or more files. Then you can use "Add to Post" to insert an image at the current cursor position (otherwise they appear at the end).

 

Nick

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Would 5 not be released by 16, which itself would be released by 17?  I am assuming that 16 is a 'one hole' FPL, which only locks the stretcher with 17R. That way, the FPL is proven for a passenger move over 17 before 5 can be pulled.

 

Edit: Typo + the locking table only shows the releases, not the locks; i.e. 11 locks 17 to prevent a conflicting move.  Therefore 17 locks 11.  Also 11 may lock 14 and vice versa; depending on how close they are phyiscally together. PS. Where is Stationmaster Mike when you need him most??!

Good point about the FPL, as it is only needed when points 17 are reversed.  I'm not sure if the FPL can only lock points 17 when reversed, ie the points are normally not secured by the FPL.  If that's the case 16 lever being reversed would free Signal 5.  I will post some pictures of the real Falmer lever frame.

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I used to know the real Falmer in the early 1970s when it still had mechanical signalling and for a year  travelled between Brighton and there every day. I've always wondered though how, with the signalling in the main station building rather than a separate signal box, how the staffing worked. Were/are there dedicated signallers with completely separate station staff or were the roles combined?

 

In continental Europe it's generally been the norm, at least at smaller stations, for signalling to be part of the stationmaster's responsibility. The same person might therefore open and close the signals, operate the block instruments, give trains the right away  and sell tickets. Did this ever happen in Great Britain?

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More pictures of the real Falmer:

 

Signal 3, the Up Home

post-2484-0-10187900-1391555665_thumb.jpg

Signal 4, the Up Advanced Starter, there used to be an Up Warning (No.5) underneath.

post-2484-0-84346800-1391555688_thumb.jpg

The Down Home, on a bracket as it was cantilevered over No.1 Down Siding.

post-2484-0-79666100-1391555728_thumb.jpg

The Down Advanced Starter, located at the tunnel mouth.

post-2484-0-13711600-1391555760_thumb.jpg

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Track laying has commenced.  I'm using the two 4' x 1' boards that were going to be my next Ludgate.....  At the weekend the track was lifted and on Wednesday tracklaying commenced.  I used the Roco track spacing and test laid the main lines and connection to the yard.

 

The pictures of Falmer in 1962 from Flickr prompted a reconfiguration of the main yard connection.  The alignment of siding number 1 swings away from the mainline to a loading dock behind the platform.  Using a couple of Roco radius 20 curves I experimented and swung the turnout on the siding by just under 5 degrees.  Giving a nice gentle curve.

 

I also closed up the track centres on the main line from 62mm to 50mm.  To do this with a crossover I trimmed 20mm from the rails on each turnout.  The diamond crossing on the other board required 40m to be removed the crossing, the turnout cannot be trimmed as the angles would get messed up.

62mm centres

post-2484-0-67530200-1391811053_thumb.jpg

 

50mm centres, better

post-2484-0-89327600-1391811094_thumb.jpg

 

 

Peco track pins are used at this stage as the track is likely to get shifted about before the final layout is confirmed.  I will swap the two crossovers to follow the real Falmer:

post-2484-0-13350000-1391810599_thumb.jpg

Picture from Ian D Nolan

 

Attempt 1.5.  The crossover and main lines closed from 62mm to 50mm centres.  The turnout in the yard has been 'swung over'.  Tomorrow I will swap over the two crossovers.

post-2484-0-26449300-1391810673_thumb.jpg

 

Birds eye view:

post-2484-0-71611700-1391810897_thumb.jpg

post-2484-0-20172600-1391810934_thumb.jpg

post-2484-0-67625100-1391810969_thumb.jpg

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Would 5 not be released by 16, which itself would be released by 17?  I am assuming that 16 is a 'one hole' FPL, which only locks the stretcher with 17R. That way, the FPL is proven for a passenger move over 17 before 5 can be pulled.

 

Edit: Typo + the locking table only shows the releases, not the locks; i.e. 11 locks 17 to prevent a conflicting move.  Therefore 17 locks 11.  Also 11 may lock 14 and vice versa; depending on how close they are phyiscally together. PS. Where is Stationmaster Mike when you need him most??!

Should be released by 16 and 17.  The reason being that if part of the locking is disarranged for any reason you are not just relying on the FPL but also always require the point lever to be reversed.  

 

Concentrating locking through FPL levers seems to have been a practice in the 1920s and there is evidence that the GWR did it so possibly the Southern and/or constituents also did things that way.  On the Western frames were relocked expressly to get rid of such releases according to what I was told many years ago by John Madeley (whose practical knowledge of GWR locking was unequalled).

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Looking at a few locking charts, just releasing through a "one-hole" fpl (obviously bolt in) lever does seem to have been Wimbledon (SR S&T) practice going back to LSWR days. However, "two-hole" fpls seem to be more common than I might have expected and these obviously do need to be released by both the point (normal or reverse, as appropriate for the route) and fpl (bolt in).

 

On the charts I have, there is no obvious sign of the locking having been changed later (up to mid-1960s) as on the WR, but it may well be that the points in contention already had "two-hole" fpls (which wouldn't necessarily need to be bolted both ways for every move, but just the presence of two holes would prevent the use of the fpl alone to provide a release).

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  • RMweb Gold

 

In continental Europe it's generally been the norm, at least at smaller stations, for signalling to be part of the stationmaster's responsibility. The same person might therefore open and close the signals, operate the block instruments, give trains the right away  and sell tickets. Did this ever happen in Great Britain?

Yes. My local station in the 50s/60s, Betchworth, had a porter-signalman (that was the term for the grade) who also sold tickets - and went out to hand-operate the quite busy level crossing gates, dodging the increasing traffic (a B road) to do so. He would also be involved with train despatch, parcels, maybe mailbags - he was the only Joe there!

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Yes. My local station in the 50s/60s, Betchworth, had a porter-signalman (that was the term for the grade) who also sold tickets - and went out to hand-operate the quite busy level crossing gates, dodging the increasing traffic (a B road) to do so. He would also be involved with train despatch, parcels, maybe mailbags - he was the only Joe there!

Was that a block post or were the signals purely associated with protecting the LC? 

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These levers appear to be shorter than the ones I am used to seeing. Is it an illusion because the "quadrant plates" are just higher than normal but the length is actually the same as normal or is it that the levers were shorter and if so did they put extra strain on the signaman's back?

 

Cheers Godders

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These levers appear to be shorter than the ones I am used to seeing. Is it an illusion because the "quadrant plates" are just higher than normal but the length is actually the same as normal or is it that the levers were shorter and if so did they put extra strain on the signaman's back?

 

Cheers Godders

It's a Southern Railway booking office extension design which opened on 1930 fitted with a 22 lever frame, replacing a 15 lever 1877 frame in the signal box.  A replacement 22 lever Stevens Knee frame was installed in 1951.  The signal box was closed on 1985.

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  • RMweb Gold

When was the policy changed Mike, so that signals were released off the FPL and point?

I think it would have been about the end of the 1920s Paul - possibly a bit earlier but obviously any alterations could have taken a long time.  On the GWR it seems that it definitely wasn't a universal method prior to then so it could possibly have been an economy measure although that is more supposition rather than evidence based.  Some things like that simply don't seem to be openly recorded or the records have been lost - for example the Company made some major installations of economic (Prince's pattern) FPLs shortly before the Great War but obviously went off that principle at some time with the 'boxes concerned later having separate FPL levers (and much larger frames as a result).

 

All sorts of things changed on locking principles over the years beyond the fairly static basic principles (i.e what is in the IRSE booklets - although some of that did evolve).  Regrettably unlike the Southern (Railway) the GWR never seems to have published any sort of signalling or locking principles booklet although I am aware that things were issued or amended through Drawing Office Instructions which definitely existed post-war and presumably were around earlier.  This would seem to fit with the way changes appear in the Minute Books as the S&T Dept always seemed to be pretty quick (in railway terms) to be able to respond regarding proposed changes or to implement them.

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The pointwork has now been changed about:

 

This is the version 2 (track centres closed up to 50mm).

post-2484-0-10812400-1391882021_thumb.jpg

 

Now at version 3, movement from the Down Platform is now through the connection to the right for the yard, passenger trains starting back towards Brighton will pass over two turnouts as facing moves, necessitating two facing point locks.  The siding length towards the loading dock seems to be more in proportion.

post-2484-0-27522600-1391882051_thumb.jpg

 

A couple of views of the two boards, the second image showing how the sidings will be arranged;

post-2484-0-87698400-1391882359_thumb.jpg

 

post-2484-0-07429800-1391882402_thumb.jpg

 

Just need to find the left hand turnout to complete the track laying.  Next will be to rough out the end boards.  I'm thinking of platforms at one end on approx. 2'6" radius (not sure what that will look like, has anyone any examples?)

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Ernie,

 

Layout ideal looks good. Those pictures you have found really show the prototype well. I assume the raised cable is the 33kv feeder cable, that will be a nice feature.

 

You have been quick to lay the track which looks good too.

 

Cheers.

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I've revised the signalling diagram.  Removing the crossover and associated ground signals from the East end of the station, reducing the number of stop (home and starting signals), adding the intermediate signals on the Down Line at Ashcombe and adding the Up Warning Signal.

 

The signal numbering needs some shuffling about.

 

post-2484-0-92252900-1391942518_thumb.jpg

 

I've also shown the siding at the end of No1 siding that served the Brighton Corporation Pumping Station.  The reason for higher than normal coal traffic.

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Ernie,

 

Layout ideal looks good. Those pictures you have found really show the prototype well. I assume the raised cable is the 33kv feeder cable, that will be a nice feature.

 

You have been quick to lay the track which looks good too.

 

Cheers.

Paul,

 

The 33kv cable is a real plus for me, one of the things I remember from my youth.  Are there drawings?

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Track laying (really advanced planning and dry running) continues.  Not being able to find things after the house move can be frustrating.  Somewhere I have a couple of Roco turnouts.  After a few searches I opted to lift one from another board (must put a temporary bus service into operation).   That done the connection from the sidings to the up line was completed and a connection from No1 to No2 siding laid in, plus No2 siding itself.

Before (yesterday)post-2484-0-34445800-1392045872_thumb.jpg

After (today)

post-2484-0-51869600-1392045612_thumb.jpg

No2 siding holds a reasonable number of wagons

post-2484-0-61729800-1392045594_thumb.jpg

View from the other board

post-2484-0-19108300-1392045568_thumb.jpg

Need to find some Peco code 75 for the sidings.

 

Also need to find the wire to lay the main bus wiring on the underside of the boards and decide how to link the beards electrically.

 

 

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