TFW’s workshop

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
That is interesting - a 3 position upper quadrant signal (with a rule 55 track circuit indicator) amid all the the lower quadrant signals.

Then into a rabbit hole as I initially thought it would be a Westinghouse product. This signal was produced by the British Power Railway Signal Company Ltd which was a division of GD Peters and Co. Turns out they also provided 3 position ground shunt signals for the SECR at Victoria.
There was an intermediate re-signalling at KX & BI in 1922. The colour light signalling scheme was a 1930s development. One would presume that the alternative banner sign would say ‘MAIN’. I can’t see our Pullman train going into the ‘LOCAL’ platforms.

Tim
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
After a bit of fiddling there is now a working somersault signal on the Belle Isle Down signal bridge on CF. There will be another arm working (these two signal a conflicting route) and the other 6-8 can be in fixed positions. I’ll try and take construction photos when the next one is being made.
IMG_9655.jpg
The signal arm was chemically blackened to prevent it being soldered solid.
IMG_9652.jpg
The video shows it simply being pulled on its connecting rodding. There will need to be some cranks and linkages across the bridge to activate it.

Tim
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
Mick Nicholson has sent me this fascinating MRN article from 1935.
IMG_9658.jpg
For our younger readers, here is a comparison picture of a current £1 coin compared to the half-crown (12.5p in ‘new’ money).
IMG_9659.jpg

A little bit bigger than T gauge, but a very, very small prototype.

Tim
 
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John_B

Member
Mick Nicholson has sent me this fascinating MRN article from 1935.
That's fascinating. I've got a still unfinished EM version of AR Walkley's "OO Gauge Portable Goods Yard" that I think I was writing up on RMweb rather a long time ago, although I suppose the photos will be long gone. It's interesting to see what he was up to 10 years later.
 

James Spooner

Western Thunderer
That’s fascinating and what is even more so, reading the article, is that the whole thing, including motor and gears, were created from scratch. Truly watchmaking!

Nigel
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
As mentioned previously, I have taken some photos of the fabrication of the second somersault signal. The main components come from MSE (Wizard Models). The etch doesn’t quite manage the holes for the operating linkage so these were drilled out 0.2mm for the linkage and 0.3mm for the pivot.
IMG_9660.jpg

The signal arm bracket requires a bit of work to help locate it on the doll. Working on the principle that it easier to drill a long 0.5mm hole through the doll rather than 0.3mm, the bracket was bushed with a length of Albion Alloys brass tube, OD 0.5mm, ID 0.3mm. This then acts as the pivot for the spectacle and back blind. The far end of the bracket also needed building out with a washer. These components were located in a vermiculite block using pins and soldered together.
IMG_9661.jpg

The pivot bush makes it easy to locate the bracket on the doll.

IMG_9664.jpg
Once in place, the front face of the pivot on the bracket was filed flush, as the spectacle has to work behind the signal arm.IMG_9666.jpg

The spectacle was soldered to some 0.3mm brass rod and filed flush. It was then linked up with a length of thin phosphor bronze wire through the 0.2mm diameter hole in the actuator arm.IMG_9667.jpg

The PB linkage was bent forward in the position of the application point on the signal arm.IMG_9670.jpg

The three components were then chemically blacked to prevent soldering (but scraped off where the collars / back blind needed to be soldered on.

IMG_9671.jpg

Once on the bracket the pivot pins were retained with a collar and the back blind, which was also used to connect the drive rod.IMG_9672.jpg

IMG_9673.jpg

This arm doesn’t quite pivot as vertically as the other one: the linkage length and pivot relationship is critical, but it is within the normal range. I am jolly glad that I don’t have any more to make as working arms on this signal bridge as my patience and eyes are pretty well exhausted.


Tim
 
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