7mm Birmingham Moor Street

Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Adding to the above, so far the traversers have cost me very little. I have been using materials rescued from earlier projects or bought for some reason and never used. The C&L chairs, for example, were bought “just in case”, while various bits of brass just happened to be lying around. Even the 15mm plywood sheet had been bought several years ago and carefully stored flat between two house moves. The result so far has been remarkably close to mimicking the prototype as drawings and photos on warwickshirerailways.com have been successfully incorporated into the build.

But now some money will have to be spent. Being Sunday, though, I don’t have to rush!

Last evening I did some tidying up of the track laying, adding sleepers/ties where there were gaps. I am pleased with the efforts involved though I do somewhat regret the decision to use Peco track. It is simply a question of the time that would be required in building a relatively large layout that put me off building track from scratch using Templot. This is, after all, a layout I want to see finished.
 
Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
As I am soon to be doing a lot of wiring I thought I would share this photo taken down the street the other day:

C42C77D3-61B0-43D9-9249-3F15F6A26D95.jpeg

It’s an old “grange” or warehouse that will be turned into a residence. Our village house had a similar building but on a larger footprint. In Houston such projects were called “scrapers” as the bulldozer was the first tool on site. The French are adopting a similar strategy but I guess the neighbours would object to a bulldozer. The house on one side just went up for sale. Bon courage.
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
The somewhat cavalier approach to electrickery reminds me of my days in India.

I must dig out a few photos...

Best
Simon
 
Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
No work on Moor Street today, we went hiking in the Pyrenees to a lake at 2,000m elevation from a trailhead at 1,600m. Listed as "easy" in the French hiking guides, it was anything but easy and took us "anciens" twice as long and left us feeling old, tired but definitely fulfilled.

Here's a photo:

IMG_0321.JPG

The location is étang Laurenti in easternmost Ariège. Saw 11 other people all day, three of them young Gendarmes keeping fit. Sadly, I doubt we will ever go back.
 
michael080

michael080

Western Thunderer
Paul,

the Pyrenees are such a lovely region. I walked a portion of the Grande randonee GR10 many moons ago. We climbed the pic Carlit which is only 10km from where you were. I remember it was very hot, the sun was very intensive and 2500m elevation took its toll.

Did you have a chance to see the solar oven, the grand four soleire?

Michael
 
Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Michael

The way we drive to Axat and the region is along the Agly valley, not the Tet which is where the solar oven is located. Both valleys are stunning but the Agly is less well known and with a good road as far as Axat which is where the Red Train now terminates. To keep "on track" here is a photo from the Red Train at Axat:

IMG_2005.JPG

The locomotive had pulled a load of British rail fans on a tour of the Little Trains of France (I think it is called that). All a big coincidence last June. They piled on to two coaches and drove off, no doubt to experience the Yellow Train in the Tet Valley.

Chris, don't look out of your window!

Paul
 
Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Well, Chronopost delivered three packages from Amazon today and I have unpacked them and have wondered what to do with them, despite Simond's excellent PMs on the subject. A few pieces of the puzzle are still on the road or in the air so I won't start on anything yet. The most obvious pieces are the linear stepper motors for the two traversers. Fine pieces of kit by the look of them. I'll take a few photos later but what I do intend to do is to give a blow by blow account of what I am doing in constructing the traversers. It's going to be a challenge, not only the Arduino part but also the mechanical connection of the motor to the traverser. I am going to need a few metric nuts and bolts!
 
simond

simond

Western Thunderer
image.jpg Out tonight, but will post some stuff over the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, build one of these!

Best
Simon
 
Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Thanks, Simon

Believe it or not I don't have the veroboard I thought I had, so meanwhile I have ordered a pack of them!

That's a nice gabbro work surface you have there!

Paul
 
Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
I am always amused by lay opinions about the colour of granite. I'll say no more because too much knowledge hurts the kitchen work surface industry. Your work surface does however resemble larvikite, a unique igneous rock found in the Oslo graben. As students we called it "montagueburtonite" after the facings on Burton's the Tailors shop fronts. To see one today, go to Waterstones at the top of the Bullring where it meets New Street and High Street. In Birmingham, of course!
 
Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Well, it's raining chats et chiens this morning (I can't remember the French equivalent for this expression, can anyone remind me?) and I have been entering some French Railway photos in a new gallery, but I should really be focusing on Moor Street. I am still waiting on deliveries from suppliers for the traversers and the all important Tufnol sheets for the traverser plates won't be here until sometime next week. I think I need to finish the track laying in the hoist roads today.
 
S

Slow Train

Member
Focalplane said:
Well, it's raining chats et chiens this morning (I can't remember the French equivalent for this expression, can anyone remind me?) and I have been entering some French Railway photos in a new gallery, but I should really be focusing on Moor Street. I am still waiting on deliveries from suppliers for the traversers and the all important Tufnol sheets for the traverser plates won't be here until sometime next week. I think I need to finish the track laying in the hoist roads today.
Click to expand...

It's raining ropes
Il pleut des cordes

Really enjoying the Moor Street and the Southern French thread- keep em coming
Ralph
 
Focalplane

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Ah, oui, d'accord! Merci.

Waiting for cork underlay to glue down and then I can lay some more track. Meantime, I found some Nitromors in the garage and have decided to strip down my LMS Compound paint as it was a poor job, even by my standards. I have the DCC sound decoder ready to install but that will now have to wait. Compounds on the Snow Hill - Paddington line? Unlikely as the last Compound was stored then scrapped from Monument Lane before the WCML electrification program started. But it is one of my favourite locomotives so Rule 1 will apply. Believe it or not, I saw a Caledonian Single at Moor Street along with City of Truro in 1960 on the way back home from a day at Tamworth. I was not alone as this photo attests.

BTW, is Nitromors still legal?
 
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