Rivermead Central
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You’re probably right. Might be a market for them!It looks like the kind of part that could easily be 3D printed,
(and the only person who would know would be the chap who painted the 3DP to look like a metal part)
In terms of a ‘museum approach’, there would even be an argument for leaving the 3DP part unpainted. It shows what should be there, but doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t. As per the missing bits in reconstructed Ancient Greek vases, Roman etc ceramics.
I’m going to keep looking for another Marklin one!
Back in my post #79 (18 April), I reported I had completed repairs of the ‘crossing end’ of the next Lowko Track turnout. I have now repaired (and strengthened) the joints between the tie-bar and the switch blades. These joints had both broken when the turnout came to me (very common), showed signs of an earlier attempted repair (also very common), which had failed (also very common). As explained previously (see my post #4), I do not simply remake all the broken soldered joints in Lowko points — on the basis that the design faults mean the joints will just break again.
My approach to fastening the switch blades to the tie bar means the connection no longer relies on soldered joints — though the joints are soldered, which hides the stronger fastenings I have put in.
Here is an end-on view of the switch blades (tie-bar detached and not present):
The way the rails were made out of sheet tinplate is obvious. The switch blades were created by grinding away essentially one side of the sheet metal rail. The original fastenings between the tie bar and the switch blades were large ‘dollops’ of soft solder — which fracture due to the resistance and flexing of the switch blades during use.
My approach to securing the switch blades to the tie bar is to trap the switch blades between fastenings that will not break. First, to prevent the switch blades moving outwards from their proper position:
I have filed a notch into the tie bar on each side and soldered and riveted on a small nickel silver plate that sits up at an angle. The plates overlap inside and trap the bottom web of the switch blades:
Next, to prevent the switch blades moving inwards from their proper position, I drill a hole through the tie bar just inboard of each switch blade, tap 10BA and put in a countersunk screw, the head of which overlaps (on top) the web of the adjacent switch blade:
Then I re-melt the remains of the original solder fastening to hide the new fastenings and restore the original appearance:
The tie bar will be repainted black to replicate the factory finish.
Even if the new soldered joints were to fail in use, the switch blades would still be held in place by the hidden nickel silver plates and brass countersunk screws. Actually, I am confident the new fastenings won’t fail, but making them is a tedious amount of work.
For this turnout, I now have to modify the original sleeper raft and reposition the point lever so it will fit in the six foot between two tracks.
My approach to fastening the switch blades to the tie bar means the connection no longer relies on soldered joints — though the joints are soldered, which hides the stronger fastenings I have put in.
Here is an end-on view of the switch blades (tie-bar detached and not present):
The way the rails were made out of sheet tinplate is obvious. The switch blades were created by grinding away essentially one side of the sheet metal rail. The original fastenings between the tie bar and the switch blades were large ‘dollops’ of soft solder — which fracture due to the resistance and flexing of the switch blades during use.
My approach to securing the switch blades to the tie bar is to trap the switch blades between fastenings that will not break. First, to prevent the switch blades moving outwards from their proper position:
I have filed a notch into the tie bar on each side and soldered and riveted on a small nickel silver plate that sits up at an angle. The plates overlap inside and trap the bottom web of the switch blades:
Next, to prevent the switch blades moving inwards from their proper position, I drill a hole through the tie bar just inboard of each switch blade, tap 10BA and put in a countersunk screw, the head of which overlaps (on top) the web of the adjacent switch blade:
Then I re-melt the remains of the original solder fastening to hide the new fastenings and restore the original appearance:
The tie bar will be repainted black to replicate the factory finish.
Even if the new soldered joints were to fail in use, the switch blades would still be held in place by the hidden nickel silver plates and brass countersunk screws. Actually, I am confident the new fastenings won’t fail, but making them is a tedious amount of work.
For this turnout, I now have to modify the original sleeper raft and reposition the point lever so it will fit in the six foot between two tracks.
Roger Pound
Western Thunderer
A fascinating solution.
Roger
Roger
I have completed the ‘wood work’ necessary for re-positioning the point lever for the Lowko Track turnout I am currently repairing and modifying. To recap from a post last year, to use the turnout with the lever in the six foot, the point lever has to be moved from its usual position on a Northampton-made turnout. I need to alter what is in the left hand photo (a standard factory-made point) to the arrangement on the right:
(The point indicator lamp is missing from the turnout on the left).
I would have reservations about cutting up and altering an original factory-made turnout in perfect condition. But here, I am renovating a damaged and broken item of no use to anyone unless it is repaired. I am also mindful that the repositioning of the lever I am undertaking was specifically mentioned by Mr Bassett-Lowke himself. Writing in ‘The Model Railway Handbook’, Bassett-Lowke pointed out that the Lowko point lever would fit in the six foot in Gauge 1, but not in 0 gauge where a bell crank would be needed. Bell cranks were included in the range of parts sold for use with Lowko Track, so the alteration I am describing in this post is entirely in keeping with the manufacturer’s expectations for how its track would be used on customers’ model railways.
For the left-hand turnout currently being rebuilt, this is the unmodified sleeper raft as it was a couple of days ago:
And this is what I have done to provide a platform for the bell-crank and re-positioned operating lever:
The new platform has been built up from scrap sleepers and timbers recovered from beyond-repair track panels and turnouts. For a nice appearance, I will put wood filler into the various nail holes and use wood stain on the filler and newly cut ends.
Thereafter, the rails can be reaffixed. I still need to make a double-ended forked joint to connect the point lever to the bell crank, as here:
(The point indicator lamp is missing from the turnout on the left).
I would have reservations about cutting up and altering an original factory-made turnout in perfect condition. But here, I am renovating a damaged and broken item of no use to anyone unless it is repaired. I am also mindful that the repositioning of the lever I am undertaking was specifically mentioned by Mr Bassett-Lowke himself. Writing in ‘The Model Railway Handbook’, Bassett-Lowke pointed out that the Lowko point lever would fit in the six foot in Gauge 1, but not in 0 gauge where a bell crank would be needed. Bell cranks were included in the range of parts sold for use with Lowko Track, so the alteration I am describing in this post is entirely in keeping with the manufacturer’s expectations for how its track would be used on customers’ model railways.
For the left-hand turnout currently being rebuilt, this is the unmodified sleeper raft as it was a couple of days ago:
And this is what I have done to provide a platform for the bell-crank and re-positioned operating lever:
The new platform has been built up from scrap sleepers and timbers recovered from beyond-repair track panels and turnouts. For a nice appearance, I will put wood filler into the various nail holes and use wood stain on the filler and newly cut ends.
Thereafter, the rails can be reaffixed. I still need to make a double-ended forked joint to connect the point lever to the bell crank, as here:
A quick update on my Lowko Track turnout.
I have made the double-ended forked joint for connecting the point lever to the bell crank:
The brass strips are off-cuts from modifying other Lowko Track turnouts (it’s the material used for the tie-bar). The parts are riveted together using a 3/64” countersunk rivet, and silver soldered. It’s not going to break.
I’ve chemically blacked the forked joint and attached it to the point lever:
It’s easier to put in and splay the split pin before screwing the lever in position. The other casting in the above photo is the holder/pivot for the point indicator lamp. Both this and the point lever have to be fastened in exactly the correct positions for the point to work properly. I won’t get those fixed today.
I am wondering about making another forked joint and using it to get castings made. Whilst not a huge job, making up a new one for each set of points does take time.
I have made the double-ended forked joint for connecting the point lever to the bell crank:
The brass strips are off-cuts from modifying other Lowko Track turnouts (it’s the material used for the tie-bar). The parts are riveted together using a 3/64” countersunk rivet, and silver soldered. It’s not going to break.
I’ve chemically blacked the forked joint and attached it to the point lever:
It’s easier to put in and splay the split pin before screwing the lever in position. The other casting in the above photo is the holder/pivot for the point indicator lamp. Both this and the point lever have to be fastened in exactly the correct positions for the point to work properly. I won’t get those fixed today.
I am wondering about making another forked joint and using it to get castings made. Whilst not a huge job, making up a new one for each set of points does take time.
The latest Lowko Track turnout is finished:
A 3’ 2 1/4” radius left hand turnout. This is the sixth Lowko Track point I have fully rebuilt to repair broken soldered joints AND address the design flaws that cause the breakages. In addition, I have what is effectively a scratch built turnout I made up from spare standard lengths of rail, but mounted on a factory-made sleeper raft which had rails that had rusted beyond rescue. So seven turnouts in total that should not break in service. Also, I have a further six turnouts that I repaired (by just remaking broken solder joints) before I decided on the current approach of rebuilding and modifying. So these six are currently useable but would very likely break again if used intensively. I have another seven in ‘as found’ condition needing work.
Because the Lowko Track points were hand assembled, some are better than others. This is particularly true in respect of the alignment of the rails at the crossing and the positioning of the vee. The above left-hand turnout is well aligned on the straight road and would be safe for high speed running on it. The curved track is definitely ‘sidings quality’ so the turnout will have to be used in a location where that is sufficient.
Two better views of the operating mechanism:
The hole in the platform between the lever and the rails is for a screw to fasten the turnout in position on the baseboard. The operating mechanism has now been oiled and works well though a bit stiff. Both switch blades are held firmly against their respective stock rails when the lever is pushed right over into the locking position.
Lowko Track points were sold with a point indicator lamp as a standard fitting. I used a very tatty one to get the socket for the point lamp correctly positioned. I am sure I have a couple of much nicer point lamps somewhere. But, depending on where the turnout gets used on the layout, a point indicator lamp may not be appropriate. I have made the provision for fitting a lamp if needed and will leave it there meantime.
Clearly, it would be absurd to claim Lowko Track is a realistic visual representation of the real thing. And yet, there is a trueness in its representation of railway track. The wooden sleepers that smell like real sleepers because they are essentially made in the same way. The functional roles of the model parts (rails, chairs, holding-down spikes) that mirror the functional roles of the equivalent parts in 4’ 8 1/2” gauge track. The track ‘works’ in the same way as real track — no cosmetic parts here. Many years ago, as a student, I was a volunteer doing p. way work on a preserved line. Working with Lowko Track parts to construct and rebuild vintage track does replicate the types of activities I remember from my days as a student volunteer. A railway built with Lowko Track is definitely a real railway.
A 3’ 2 1/4” radius left hand turnout. This is the sixth Lowko Track point I have fully rebuilt to repair broken soldered joints AND address the design flaws that cause the breakages. In addition, I have what is effectively a scratch built turnout I made up from spare standard lengths of rail, but mounted on a factory-made sleeper raft which had rails that had rusted beyond rescue. So seven turnouts in total that should not break in service. Also, I have a further six turnouts that I repaired (by just remaking broken solder joints) before I decided on the current approach of rebuilding and modifying. So these six are currently useable but would very likely break again if used intensively. I have another seven in ‘as found’ condition needing work.
Because the Lowko Track points were hand assembled, some are better than others. This is particularly true in respect of the alignment of the rails at the crossing and the positioning of the vee. The above left-hand turnout is well aligned on the straight road and would be safe for high speed running on it. The curved track is definitely ‘sidings quality’ so the turnout will have to be used in a location where that is sufficient.
Two better views of the operating mechanism:
The hole in the platform between the lever and the rails is for a screw to fasten the turnout in position on the baseboard. The operating mechanism has now been oiled and works well though a bit stiff. Both switch blades are held firmly against their respective stock rails when the lever is pushed right over into the locking position.
Lowko Track points were sold with a point indicator lamp as a standard fitting. I used a very tatty one to get the socket for the point lamp correctly positioned. I am sure I have a couple of much nicer point lamps somewhere. But, depending on where the turnout gets used on the layout, a point indicator lamp may not be appropriate. I have made the provision for fitting a lamp if needed and will leave it there meantime.
Clearly, it would be absurd to claim Lowko Track is a realistic visual representation of the real thing. And yet, there is a trueness in its representation of railway track. The wooden sleepers that smell like real sleepers because they are essentially made in the same way. The functional roles of the model parts (rails, chairs, holding-down spikes) that mirror the functional roles of the equivalent parts in 4’ 8 1/2” gauge track. The track ‘works’ in the same way as real track — no cosmetic parts here. Many years ago, as a student, I was a volunteer doing p. way work on a preserved line. Working with Lowko Track parts to construct and rebuild vintage track does replicate the types of activities I remember from my days as a student volunteer. A railway built with Lowko Track is definitely a real railway.
Onwards, then, with the next piece of track. I’m going to clean up a post-WW2, scale-permanent-way turnout that I plan to use on the low-level part of the layout, Cavendish Goods.
Just newly obtained via a well-known internet auction site, left- and right-hand 3’ 3” radius turnouts:
These two turnouts have no breakages or damage as such — indeed they show no signs of having had much use. But everywhere the brass rails have been in contact with the acidic cardboard of the box, no doubt over many years, the brass is heavily corroded:
So this is a cleaning job, rather than a repair, let alone any alterations. Unfortunately, this means I will end up with bright golden-yellow, shiny brass rails. They will turn brown again in time.
I’m cleaning the left-hand turnout, which is more corroded, but is a turnout I definitely need for the intended track configuration at Cavendish Goods. The right-hand turnout is less work and may, or may not, also get used in the yard at Cavendish Goods. I was keen to buy these two turnouts because I knew I needed one of them and 3’ 3” radius turnouts are not common. There were two radii offered in the post-WW2 range of scale permanent way track. The usual radius for curves and left- and right-hand turnouts is 3’. The other radius offered, for double track layouts, was 3’ 3”. Whilst I would not describe 3’ 3” radius curves and turnouts as rare, they are far harder to find than their 3’ radius equivalents. All of the Bassett-Lowke standard range of locomotives would happily traverse the 3’ radius curves, but the slight increase to 3’ 3” does make a difference. So I prefer to use the larger radius whenever I can. One challenge with using the larger radius is the need for short lengths of curved track. Using the 3’ radius curves, twelve of the standard 18”-long pieces make a circle. Using the 3’ 3” radius curves, thirteen 18” lengths make a circle, so short ‘make up’ lengths are required for half or quarter circles. Whilst these were included in the standard range of track offered, they are definitely scarce items and really not easy to find. I will probably need to make some short lengths using components sold for home construction of track.
In isolation, it is not always easy to be sure of the radius of a length of curved track. Often, but not always, the radius is stamped into the wood on the underside of one of the longitudinal battens, as here on the point I am starting to clean:
(On Lowko Track, the radius of curves is invariably stamped into the upper surface of one of the battens, as visible in photos in some previous posts relating to Lowko Track. The indentations can be hard to read sometimes, but the radii offered, 2’ — stamped ‘2 FT’ — 3’ 2 1/4” — stamped 3’ 2 1/4” — and, pre-WW1, 4’ — stamped 4 FT — are sufficiently different that the different sizes are easily told apart).
Finally in this post, unlike some enthusiasts, I’m not especially interested in the boxes or packaging items were sold in. But original boxes do sometimes have information on them which is useful to know. In the case of the 3’ 3” radius turnouts described above, there is a hand-written message on the box lid:
So just a glimpse into the lives of a 1950s family. I hope Jon liked the present from his loving parents.
Just newly obtained via a well-known internet auction site, left- and right-hand 3’ 3” radius turnouts:
These two turnouts have no breakages or damage as such — indeed they show no signs of having had much use. But everywhere the brass rails have been in contact with the acidic cardboard of the box, no doubt over many years, the brass is heavily corroded:
So this is a cleaning job, rather than a repair, let alone any alterations. Unfortunately, this means I will end up with bright golden-yellow, shiny brass rails. They will turn brown again in time.
I’m cleaning the left-hand turnout, which is more corroded, but is a turnout I definitely need for the intended track configuration at Cavendish Goods. The right-hand turnout is less work and may, or may not, also get used in the yard at Cavendish Goods. I was keen to buy these two turnouts because I knew I needed one of them and 3’ 3” radius turnouts are not common. There were two radii offered in the post-WW2 range of scale permanent way track. The usual radius for curves and left- and right-hand turnouts is 3’. The other radius offered, for double track layouts, was 3’ 3”. Whilst I would not describe 3’ 3” radius curves and turnouts as rare, they are far harder to find than their 3’ radius equivalents. All of the Bassett-Lowke standard range of locomotives would happily traverse the 3’ radius curves, but the slight increase to 3’ 3” does make a difference. So I prefer to use the larger radius whenever I can. One challenge with using the larger radius is the need for short lengths of curved track. Using the 3’ radius curves, twelve of the standard 18”-long pieces make a circle. Using the 3’ 3” radius curves, thirteen 18” lengths make a circle, so short ‘make up’ lengths are required for half or quarter circles. Whilst these were included in the standard range of track offered, they are definitely scarce items and really not easy to find. I will probably need to make some short lengths using components sold for home construction of track.
In isolation, it is not always easy to be sure of the radius of a length of curved track. Often, but not always, the radius is stamped into the wood on the underside of one of the longitudinal battens, as here on the point I am starting to clean:
(On Lowko Track, the radius of curves is invariably stamped into the upper surface of one of the battens, as visible in photos in some previous posts relating to Lowko Track. The indentations can be hard to read sometimes, but the radii offered, 2’ — stamped ‘2 FT’ — 3’ 2 1/4” — stamped 3’ 2 1/4” — and, pre-WW1, 4’ — stamped 4 FT — are sufficiently different that the different sizes are easily told apart).
Finally in this post, unlike some enthusiasts, I’m not especially interested in the boxes or packaging items were sold in. But original boxes do sometimes have information on them which is useful to know. In the case of the 3’ 3” radius turnouts described above, there is a hand-written message on the box lid:
JON
With much love
from Mummy and Papa
With much love
from Mummy and Papa
So just a glimpse into the lives of a 1950s family. I hope Jon liked the present from his loving parents.
The weather is horrible, so I’m working on my permanent way points. I’ve been busy cleaning dirt and corrosion off the brass rails, which are heavily corroded where they have been in contact with the cardboard box:
It’s a very boring job. Fiddly too, since I don’t want to inadvertently polish the rail chairs or abrade the sleepers.
Inevitably, during such a task, the mind wanders onto other things. It occurred to me that I have never posted a track plan for Rivermead Central — and doing so would give me a break from rail cleaning.
On the high level base boards, track laying has commenced only at Cairnie Junction. The track plan for the other side of the layout (Rivermead Central) is vague at best. Just a concept sketch really, showing the relative positions of the station, carriage sidings and MPD. Cairnie Junction though has probably a third of the track in place and a clear plan for the rest, albeit with some scope for tweaking the design as we go.
Realisation of the amount of work involved has led me to simplify the planned track work at Cairnie Junction. Even so, the slimmed-down layout I am now building requires well over 100’ of plain line, thirteen left-/right-hand turnouts and one double-track crossover. About 20’ of the plain line is electrified (raised centre rail) and four of the turnouts. The vast majority of the track being laid is factory-made track panels which are 15” long. The standard radius for curves is 3’ 2 1/4” and all turnouts are this radius.
I have found, cleaned and, if necessary, repaired more than enough plain line to complete Cairnie Junction, including plenty in really excellent condition entirely suitable for fast running. Further track laying, beyond where I have got to, has essentially been blocked by the need to repair and modify turnouts. I have all the turnouts I need except for a right-hander fitted for third rail electrification. Since electric versions of Lowko Track points are distinctly uncommon, I may have to scratch build this one from original Bassett-Lowke components.
Here’s the plan:
(Not exactly to scale. The room is 23’ long.)
The ‘underground’ track is the Cavendish Goods branch connecting the low level base board to the high level. The branch is under platform 1 as it passes beneath Cairnie Junction station. This gradient on the branch means the upper parts of branch trains are above the level of the high level base boards by this point — but are concealed inside the platform structure.
On the plan, 1. and 2. are the Benham’s factory and warehouse buildings respectively. At 3. I may put in a short electrified siding/headshunt, if I have space. But that requires another electric turnout. At 4. is the double-track crossover. I have a repairable trailing cross-over. The right-hand electric point I don’t have is needed at 5. There will be a warehouse or similar by the sidings at 6.
All the tracks behind the running lines/station are ‘goods’.
And here’s a photo from the position indicated on the above plan:
This is all factory-made Lowko Track except the curve on the right, third track back from the front, which is home made. The points have been repaired and modified with the operating levers moved to positions that fit in the space available. The home-made track panel is a 3’ 6” radius curve to give double-track spacing with the track in front of it (the carriage siding accessed from the centre road). I made up a half circle of 3’ 6” radius track many years ago using Lowko Track parts sold for home assembly of track. I was fortunate to get these original parts but the half circle used almost the entire quantity I bought. I now rely on dismantling factory made track that is beyond repair to source track parts.
Writing the above, I realise a lot has been done. And when I get a few more Lowko Track points repaired and modified, progress should be quite rapid, given that I have plenty of plain line ready to use.
On that note, I suppose I had better get back to cleaning my permanent way points …
It’s a very boring job. Fiddly too, since I don’t want to inadvertently polish the rail chairs or abrade the sleepers.
Inevitably, during such a task, the mind wanders onto other things. It occurred to me that I have never posted a track plan for Rivermead Central — and doing so would give me a break from rail cleaning.
On the high level base boards, track laying has commenced only at Cairnie Junction. The track plan for the other side of the layout (Rivermead Central) is vague at best. Just a concept sketch really, showing the relative positions of the station, carriage sidings and MPD. Cairnie Junction though has probably a third of the track in place and a clear plan for the rest, albeit with some scope for tweaking the design as we go.
Realisation of the amount of work involved has led me to simplify the planned track work at Cairnie Junction. Even so, the slimmed-down layout I am now building requires well over 100’ of plain line, thirteen left-/right-hand turnouts and one double-track crossover. About 20’ of the plain line is electrified (raised centre rail) and four of the turnouts. The vast majority of the track being laid is factory-made track panels which are 15” long. The standard radius for curves is 3’ 2 1/4” and all turnouts are this radius.
I have found, cleaned and, if necessary, repaired more than enough plain line to complete Cairnie Junction, including plenty in really excellent condition entirely suitable for fast running. Further track laying, beyond where I have got to, has essentially been blocked by the need to repair and modify turnouts. I have all the turnouts I need except for a right-hander fitted for third rail electrification. Since electric versions of Lowko Track points are distinctly uncommon, I may have to scratch build this one from original Bassett-Lowke components.
Here’s the plan:
(Not exactly to scale. The room is 23’ long.)
The ‘underground’ track is the Cavendish Goods branch connecting the low level base board to the high level. The branch is under platform 1 as it passes beneath Cairnie Junction station. This gradient on the branch means the upper parts of branch trains are above the level of the high level base boards by this point — but are concealed inside the platform structure.
On the plan, 1. and 2. are the Benham’s factory and warehouse buildings respectively. At 3. I may put in a short electrified siding/headshunt, if I have space. But that requires another electric turnout. At 4. is the double-track crossover. I have a repairable trailing cross-over. The right-hand electric point I don’t have is needed at 5. There will be a warehouse or similar by the sidings at 6.
All the tracks behind the running lines/station are ‘goods’.
And here’s a photo from the position indicated on the above plan:
This is all factory-made Lowko Track except the curve on the right, third track back from the front, which is home made. The points have been repaired and modified with the operating levers moved to positions that fit in the space available. The home-made track panel is a 3’ 6” radius curve to give double-track spacing with the track in front of it (the carriage siding accessed from the centre road). I made up a half circle of 3’ 6” radius track many years ago using Lowko Track parts sold for home assembly of track. I was fortunate to get these original parts but the half circle used almost the entire quantity I bought. I now rely on dismantling factory made track that is beyond repair to source track parts.
Writing the above, I realise a lot has been done. And when I get a few more Lowko Track points repaired and modified, progress should be quite rapid, given that I have plenty of plain line ready to use.
On that note, I suppose I had better get back to cleaning my permanent way points …
The weather is still horrible. I have finished cleaning up the 3’ 3” radius Scale Permanent Way point. Many hours of work removing corrosion from the rails, but a fraction of the time and effort typically required to renovate a Lowko Track point. When (if?) we get a hot, sunny day, to remove any residue of the mild abrasive used for cleaning, I will rinse the Permanent Way point under a tap and leave it in the sun to dry. Brass Permanent Way track was advertised as suitable for use outside, so a wetting is not a problem.
But as I start to accumulate cleaned-and-ready-to-use Scale Permanent Way, I need to work out exactly what I can fit in the space available at Cavendish Goods.
It’s time for some maths.
The baseboards for my layout were constructed on the assumption that Lowko Track would be used throughout. Curves to be 3’ 2 1/4” radius as standard, track panels 15” long. I knew the overall plan of the layout I was intending to build. The baseboards were built to fit, as here:
This shows the sunken channel for the branch to Cavendish Goods (which here will be under platform 1 of Cairnie Junction station). The lengths of the straight sections are all exact multiples of 15”. The curved sections accommodate 3’ 2 1/4” radius curves with adequate clearance each side.
The space at Cavendish Goods works for Lowko Track, but a cunning plan is needed to get a good track layout using Scale Permanent Way. I cannot make any more space. If a potential arrangement is two inches too wide or long, it won’t fit and can’t be built. The longer standard length of Permanent Way track panels (18”) compared to Lowko Track (15”) means points are inevitably more widely spaced. The arc of a standard curve, even if the same radius, is greater with Permanent Way because of the longer panel length. So the whole geometry is different with Scale Permanent Way, and the differences tend towards requiring more space for a given layout. Which, in the circumstances, is a problem.
Because I know I am going to need every inch of space I have, I thought I had better confirm exactly the space needed for a quarter circle.
For Lowko Track, the radius is quoted as 3’ 2 1/4” (971.55 mm). The track panels are 15” long (381 mm). For curves, the outer rail is an intact 15” length, the inner rail is shortened. The circumference of a circle of radius 971.55 mm is 6104.4 mm ie. 2 x 3.1416 x 971.55. Sixteen 3’ 2 1/4” radius Lowko Track panels make a circle, and 16 x 381 is 6096 mm. So allowing 0.5 mm for expansion at each rail join, the 16 Lowko Track panels are precisely the correct length to make up a circle with an outer running rail of 3’ 2 1/4” radius. The curves built into my baseboards are correct for this.
The standard curves for post-WW2 Scale Permanent Way were 3’ and 3’ 3” — according to most editions of the Bassett-Lowke catalogue, box labels and what is stamped on the track. Catalogues also state 12 standard curves are required for a 3’ radius circle, 13 for 3’ 3”. However, so that quarter or half circles could be constructed using 3’ 3” radius track, short ‘distance pieces’ were sold. These ‘ought’ to be 4 1/2” long per quarter circle, so four are the same length as the thirteenth full length. The distance pieces are actually 6” long, as in the curved piece here:
Something’s not right. Also, in the earlier post-WW2 catalogues, this diagram was included:
To work out what is possible at Cavendish Goods, I need to know what are the correct radii of the curves. Laying some track out and measuring it isn’t going to work, as even the slightest dog-leg at one of the joints will produce a different result.
If the larger radius is 3’ 3” (990.6 mm), then the circumference of a circle would be 6224.12 mm. A track panel is 18” (457.2 mm) long (length of the outer rail). Taking 18” as the standard length unit (SLU), a circle would need 13.61 SLUs — not 13. If the larger radius is actually 3’ 2 1/8” (as per the above diagram), then the circumference of a circle would be 6084.48 mm, requiring 13.31 SLUs. Twelve standard length curves plus four 6” length distance pieces is 13.33 SLUs. The diagram is very close to spot on correct. However, a quarter circle of Lowko Track (4 x 15” lengths) is 60” long and EXACTLY 3’ 2 1/4” radius. A quarter circle of the larger radius Scale Permanent Way (3 x 18” lengths + one 6” distance piece) is also 60” long. The actual radius of the Permanent Way, allowing for expansion gaps at the joins, is therefore 3’ 2 1/4” — the same as the Lowko Track I am using.
For the sake of completeness, the smaller radius Scale Permanent Way track, it turns out, is as on the above diagram. A circle of 2’ 10 1/2” radius (876.3 mm) has a circumference of 5505.95 mm which equates to 12.04 SLUs. I’ve always thought these ‘3 foot radius’ curves looked a bit tight. They are.
So the cunning plan starts to take shape. The larger radius Permanent Way is actually identical to the radius of Lowko Track that I use. A half-length Permanent Way track panel, a standard item in the range, is 9” long. The distance pieces for making quarter circles are 6” long. Nine plus six is 15. I can make 15”-long, 3’ 2 1/4” radius, curves in Permanent Way — which are dimensionally identical to a standard Lowko Track curve. OK, it’s a contrivance, and the half lengths (I have two) and distance pieces (I have six) are not that easy to find. Nevertheless, the basis of something that will work, I think.
There is still the issue of the longer points to contend with, but a plan is taking shape. I would like to at least start getting Permanent Way track laid at Cavendish Goods this year.
But as I start to accumulate cleaned-and-ready-to-use Scale Permanent Way, I need to work out exactly what I can fit in the space available at Cavendish Goods.
It’s time for some maths.
The baseboards for my layout were constructed on the assumption that Lowko Track would be used throughout. Curves to be 3’ 2 1/4” radius as standard, track panels 15” long. I knew the overall plan of the layout I was intending to build. The baseboards were built to fit, as here:
This shows the sunken channel for the branch to Cavendish Goods (which here will be under platform 1 of Cairnie Junction station). The lengths of the straight sections are all exact multiples of 15”. The curved sections accommodate 3’ 2 1/4” radius curves with adequate clearance each side.
The space at Cavendish Goods works for Lowko Track, but a cunning plan is needed to get a good track layout using Scale Permanent Way. I cannot make any more space. If a potential arrangement is two inches too wide or long, it won’t fit and can’t be built. The longer standard length of Permanent Way track panels (18”) compared to Lowko Track (15”) means points are inevitably more widely spaced. The arc of a standard curve, even if the same radius, is greater with Permanent Way because of the longer panel length. So the whole geometry is different with Scale Permanent Way, and the differences tend towards requiring more space for a given layout. Which, in the circumstances, is a problem.
Because I know I am going to need every inch of space I have, I thought I had better confirm exactly the space needed for a quarter circle.
For Lowko Track, the radius is quoted as 3’ 2 1/4” (971.55 mm). The track panels are 15” long (381 mm). For curves, the outer rail is an intact 15” length, the inner rail is shortened. The circumference of a circle of radius 971.55 mm is 6104.4 mm ie. 2 x 3.1416 x 971.55. Sixteen 3’ 2 1/4” radius Lowko Track panels make a circle, and 16 x 381 is 6096 mm. So allowing 0.5 mm for expansion at each rail join, the 16 Lowko Track panels are precisely the correct length to make up a circle with an outer running rail of 3’ 2 1/4” radius. The curves built into my baseboards are correct for this.
The standard curves for post-WW2 Scale Permanent Way were 3’ and 3’ 3” — according to most editions of the Bassett-Lowke catalogue, box labels and what is stamped on the track. Catalogues also state 12 standard curves are required for a 3’ radius circle, 13 for 3’ 3”. However, so that quarter or half circles could be constructed using 3’ 3” radius track, short ‘distance pieces’ were sold. These ‘ought’ to be 4 1/2” long per quarter circle, so four are the same length as the thirteenth full length. The distance pieces are actually 6” long, as in the curved piece here:
Something’s not right. Also, in the earlier post-WW2 catalogues, this diagram was included:
To work out what is possible at Cavendish Goods, I need to know what are the correct radii of the curves. Laying some track out and measuring it isn’t going to work, as even the slightest dog-leg at one of the joints will produce a different result.
If the larger radius is 3’ 3” (990.6 mm), then the circumference of a circle would be 6224.12 mm. A track panel is 18” (457.2 mm) long (length of the outer rail). Taking 18” as the standard length unit (SLU), a circle would need 13.61 SLUs — not 13. If the larger radius is actually 3’ 2 1/8” (as per the above diagram), then the circumference of a circle would be 6084.48 mm, requiring 13.31 SLUs. Twelve standard length curves plus four 6” length distance pieces is 13.33 SLUs. The diagram is very close to spot on correct. However, a quarter circle of Lowko Track (4 x 15” lengths) is 60” long and EXACTLY 3’ 2 1/4” radius. A quarter circle of the larger radius Scale Permanent Way (3 x 18” lengths + one 6” distance piece) is also 60” long. The actual radius of the Permanent Way, allowing for expansion gaps at the joins, is therefore 3’ 2 1/4” — the same as the Lowko Track I am using.
For the sake of completeness, the smaller radius Scale Permanent Way track, it turns out, is as on the above diagram. A circle of 2’ 10 1/2” radius (876.3 mm) has a circumference of 5505.95 mm which equates to 12.04 SLUs. I’ve always thought these ‘3 foot radius’ curves looked a bit tight. They are.
So the cunning plan starts to take shape. The larger radius Permanent Way is actually identical to the radius of Lowko Track that I use. A half-length Permanent Way track panel, a standard item in the range, is 9” long. The distance pieces for making quarter circles are 6” long. Nine plus six is 15. I can make 15”-long, 3’ 2 1/4” radius, curves in Permanent Way — which are dimensionally identical to a standard Lowko Track curve. OK, it’s a contrivance, and the half lengths (I have two) and distance pieces (I have six) are not that easy to find. Nevertheless, the basis of something that will work, I think.
There is still the issue of the longer points to contend with, but a plan is taking shape. I would like to at least start getting Permanent Way track laid at Cavendish Goods this year.
I really want to get some more track down. Unfortunately, other — less interesting — things will have to be done first. On the high-level base boards, where I’m using Lowko Track, the next sections I have to do are the junctions at either end of Cairnie Junction station. I will need to repair and rebuild several more Lowko Track points before any significant extension can be made to the track already laid. At Cavendish Goods, where I am going to use Scale Permanent Way track, I first have to lift the Lowko Track previously put down. Lifting track is absolutely not what I want to be doing — but I am sure this is one step back for two steps forward. There won’t be many layouts on WT where nothing has had to be redone in the light of experience. In the case of Rivermead Central, I now realise I have to reduce the requirement for time-consuming repairs to Lowko Track points — by having fewer of them on the layout. I am sure I will be further on in a year’s time for having lifted the Lowko Track already laid at Cavendish Goods. This track will then be available for use on the high level base boards. The replacement track at Cavendish Goods — Scale Permanent Way — generally needs no more than cleaning before it is ready to use. Overall, despite the ‘extra’ task of track lifting, time and effort will be saved. My regrets about lifting the Lowko Track at Cavendish Goods are reduced by another piece of experiential learning. When I laid the Lowko Track at Cavendish Goods, I was cleaning and repairing points before putting them in place — but not modifying them to prevent them breaking again in service. So they might have to have been lifted again anyway. Nor did any of the points laid at Cavendish Goods have their operating lever moved, so the track layout did not use the space available very efficiently. The new layout will be better (an extra siding, I hope) and the Lowko Track points will be rebuilt to address their design flaws before being used again.
One piece of track laying I can do relates to the two long sidings between the Benham’s works and platform 1 of Cairnie Junction station. Now I know what buildings will surround these sidings, I realise I need a bit more space beyond the end of the longer one. Otherwise, there isn’t room for a buffer stop. I took up the two track panels at the end of the longer siding yesterday. I will replace one of the track panels with a piece a couple of inches shorter — a standard factory-made piece which had very mangled rails at one end, so I cut the end off to make a shortened but useable piece. Always useful to have some of these. I will also fit the buffer stops to these two sidings at this stage. I’ve decided on sleeper-built stops. These were the cheapest type of buffer stops in the Bassett-Lowke range, as per the 1933 catalogue entry here:
Very possibly because of their relatively low cost, Bassett-Lowke sleeper-built stops are quite easy to find. They were produced again after WW2, exactly the same as those made beween the wars. This is one of the two I will be using:
One of a batch of eight I bought that came from the same extensive layout. Unfortunately, whoever dismantled the layout didn’t take much care and seems to have just levered the buffer stops up from their positions, rather than undoing their fixing screws. Consequently, most of the eight have broken bases, though this won’t show when I have put them in place on my layout.
They need to be screwed down in position as they aren’t attached to the track. I shall use the existing screw holes in the bases made by the previous owner. The problem then is to fill the buffer stop with (a representation of) ballast (or similar), and yet still to be able to access the fixing screws that hold the buffer stop in place (so it can removed from the baseboard if necessary, without damaging it).
I have a plan — which I have been progressing this afternoon. At the moment, it looks like this:
All will be revealed when I start to put these parts together.
One piece of track laying I can do relates to the two long sidings between the Benham’s works and platform 1 of Cairnie Junction station. Now I know what buildings will surround these sidings, I realise I need a bit more space beyond the end of the longer one. Otherwise, there isn’t room for a buffer stop. I took up the two track panels at the end of the longer siding yesterday. I will replace one of the track panels with a piece a couple of inches shorter — a standard factory-made piece which had very mangled rails at one end, so I cut the end off to make a shortened but useable piece. Always useful to have some of these. I will also fit the buffer stops to these two sidings at this stage. I’ve decided on sleeper-built stops. These were the cheapest type of buffer stops in the Bassett-Lowke range, as per the 1933 catalogue entry here:
Very possibly because of their relatively low cost, Bassett-Lowke sleeper-built stops are quite easy to find. They were produced again after WW2, exactly the same as those made beween the wars. This is one of the two I will be using:
One of a batch of eight I bought that came from the same extensive layout. Unfortunately, whoever dismantled the layout didn’t take much care and seems to have just levered the buffer stops up from their positions, rather than undoing their fixing screws. Consequently, most of the eight have broken bases, though this won’t show when I have put them in place on my layout.
They need to be screwed down in position as they aren’t attached to the track. I shall use the existing screw holes in the bases made by the previous owner. The problem then is to fill the buffer stop with (a representation of) ballast (or similar), and yet still to be able to access the fixing screws that hold the buffer stop in place (so it can removed from the baseboard if necessary, without damaging it).
I have a plan — which I have been progressing this afternoon. At the moment, it looks like this:
All will be revealed when I start to put these parts together.
I’ll start this post by apologising for the poor quality of today’s photographs. It’s raining and there is thick cloud, so not much natural light — hence pictures taken indoors using artificial light.
As trailed in yesterday’s post, here is my first assembled insert for my sleeper-built buffer stops:
The top will be covered with a rounded mound of Green Scene ‘ballast’ glued down and painted. The top is a close fit inside the sleeper walls of the buffer stop and is at the same angle as the top of the side walls:
All fine until the buffer stop needs to be lifted for some reason. The fixing screws (in the ‘floor’, into the baseboard) are inaccessible and getting that close-fitting top out will be near impossible.
Not at all. Merely press down on the lower part of the ballast mound, and:
The higher part of the ballast mound rises up allowing the whole insert to be easily lifted out — and exposing the buffer stop’s fixing screws.
I have hinged the top of the insert, as seen here:
The weight either side of the pivot isn’t very different, but the resting position is ‘lid down’.
I’ll need to make a few of these as I will need to use at least six sleeper-built stops on the layout — owing to not having enough rail-built stops.
As trailed in yesterday’s post, here is my first assembled insert for my sleeper-built buffer stops:
The top will be covered with a rounded mound of Green Scene ‘ballast’ glued down and painted. The top is a close fit inside the sleeper walls of the buffer stop and is at the same angle as the top of the side walls:
All fine until the buffer stop needs to be lifted for some reason. The fixing screws (in the ‘floor’, into the baseboard) are inaccessible and getting that close-fitting top out will be near impossible.
Not at all. Merely press down on the lower part of the ballast mound, and:
The higher part of the ballast mound rises up allowing the whole insert to be easily lifted out — and exposing the buffer stop’s fixing screws.
I have hinged the top of the insert, as seen here:
The weight either side of the pivot isn’t very different, but the resting position is ‘lid down’.
I’ll need to make a few of these as I will need to use at least six sleeper-built stops on the layout — owing to not having enough rail-built stops.
In my post #134, I said I had resolved to replace the wheel sets on my Carette-made, Bassett-Lowke, MR cattle van:
Job done:
The wagon now runs smoothly, a definite improvement. In the Carette-for-Bassett-Lowke wagon range, the MR cattle van has the serial number 1343 (which appears as 1343 - 35 on the 0 gauge models). It was one of the first of these Carette-made wagon models to be introduced, in 1909. The model was offered in gauges 0, 1 and 2. Clearly, the MR cattle van was a popular model as there were several production runs. The running number was updated to reflect the year of manufacture, my example being made in 1914.
I have a very dilapidated and incomplete copy of the autumn 1914 Bassett-Lowke catalogue. It appears that of the models made for the 1914 Christmas season, Carette’s production had reached England (or at least an allied or neutral country) before the outbreak of WW1. The full range of tinplate wagons and coaches (all made by Carette) is offered in the catalogue. By contrast, the catalogue listings for the Bing-made locomotives nearly all have ‘Cancelled’ stamped across the page. I believe the models Bassett-Lowke had ordered from Bing in 1914 were delivered in 1919.
Here’s another shot of the cattle van, with the City of Birmingham mineral wagon:
A couple of points to make here. These wagons, though inexpensive and made of lithographed tinplate, were sold as ‘scale models’ — and they are. The body length and wheel base of the two wagons are both different, in line with their prototypes. The other feature to highlight is the clever design of coupling used by Carette. Note the shape of the hole for the drop-link, and particularly the slot extending towards the wagon body. When coupled wagons are propelled, the drop link is pushed back into this slot and, in combination with the shape of the drop-link, it ensures the couplings remain in line, preventing derailment. Pushing a train of wagons fitted with, for example, Bing single-link couplings is risky to say the least. The Carette design for single-link couplings is the only one that works reliably for pushing vehicles around small radius curves.
Job done:
The wagon now runs smoothly, a definite improvement. In the Carette-for-Bassett-Lowke wagon range, the MR cattle van has the serial number 1343 (which appears as 1343 - 35 on the 0 gauge models). It was one of the first of these Carette-made wagon models to be introduced, in 1909. The model was offered in gauges 0, 1 and 2. Clearly, the MR cattle van was a popular model as there were several production runs. The running number was updated to reflect the year of manufacture, my example being made in 1914.
I have a very dilapidated and incomplete copy of the autumn 1914 Bassett-Lowke catalogue. It appears that of the models made for the 1914 Christmas season, Carette’s production had reached England (or at least an allied or neutral country) before the outbreak of WW1. The full range of tinplate wagons and coaches (all made by Carette) is offered in the catalogue. By contrast, the catalogue listings for the Bing-made locomotives nearly all have ‘Cancelled’ stamped across the page. I believe the models Bassett-Lowke had ordered from Bing in 1914 were delivered in 1919.
Here’s another shot of the cattle van, with the City of Birmingham mineral wagon:
A couple of points to make here. These wagons, though inexpensive and made of lithographed tinplate, were sold as ‘scale models’ — and they are. The body length and wheel base of the two wagons are both different, in line with their prototypes. The other feature to highlight is the clever design of coupling used by Carette. Note the shape of the hole for the drop-link, and particularly the slot extending towards the wagon body. When coupled wagons are propelled, the drop link is pushed back into this slot and, in combination with the shape of the drop-link, it ensures the couplings remain in line, preventing derailment. Pushing a train of wagons fitted with, for example, Bing single-link couplings is risky to say the least. The Carette design for single-link couplings is the only one that works reliably for pushing vehicles around small radius curves.
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I have finished the first ballast insert for my sleeper-built buffer stops:
In place, in the buffer stop:
The granular ‘ballast’ is a ‘Green Scene’ product — ground up fruit stones, I understand. So a waste product re-purposed, which I like. I have a couple of vintage sleeper-built buffer stops that have a fixed-in representation of being filled with ballast. I don’t know which firm made these — Leeds Model Co., or Mills Bros of Sheffield perhaps — but certainly not Bassett-Lowke. The ballast in these buffers is possibly ground up cork — not dissimilar in appearance to my removable insert. I am happy with my creation as being ‘in keeping’ with a vintage approach to modelling.
In place, in the buffer stop:
The granular ‘ballast’ is a ‘Green Scene’ product — ground up fruit stones, I understand. So a waste product re-purposed, which I like. I have a couple of vintage sleeper-built buffer stops that have a fixed-in representation of being filled with ballast. I don’t know which firm made these — Leeds Model Co., or Mills Bros of Sheffield perhaps — but certainly not Bassett-Lowke. The ballast in these buffers is possibly ground up cork — not dissimilar in appearance to my removable insert. I am happy with my creation as being ‘in keeping’ with a vintage approach to modelling.
As per my post #151, I now have a shortened siding in the yard behind Cairnie Junction station. The replacement, shorter, track panel has been laid in place of the previous, full-length, penultimate track panel. The other full-length panel lifted has been reinstated but, obviously, not in quite the same position as before. The siding is around two inches shorter, not much, but there is now space for a sleeper-built buffer stop. No picture of the reinstated siding track, I’m afraid, but nothing much to look at anyway.
Some lessons learnt and plans changed by taking up and putting down the two track panels. The siding I have shortened is shown in this picture:
It’s the second track from the left. It and the sidings either side of it were laid years ago, before the lines through the station were in place. I vaguely recall kneeling on the base boards to lay the three sidings at the back — which is no longer an option. I found laying the replacement pair of track panels extremely difficult, working at the limit of my reach. I haven’t screwed the buffer stop in place yet because it is so awkward. I have to use one hand to stop myself overbalancing, so can’t hold the buffer stop in the correct position and put in a screw. I have made a jig that fits between the rails of the siding and should hold the buffer stop centred on the track and in line. I’ll try screwing the buffer stop in place tomorrow, I hope. Fitting the second sleeper-built buffer stop, to the siding in front, should be a little easier as it will be six inches closer to me.
The track at the back against the west wall, on the far left in the above picture, is the Benham’s private siding. As per my post #40, I had planned to use a rail-built stop on this. I now realise fitting a rail-built buffer stop here, right in the corner of the room, will be very, very difficult or just impossible. Also, the buffer stop on the Benham’s private siding is inside the Benham’s factory building. A rail-built buffer stop, if fitted, would prevent me sliding the Benham’s factory building into place — it would have to be lifted over the buffer stop. I’m not sure that is possible either. So, time for Plan B. The buffer stop for the Benham’s siding will have to built into the factory building. Also, this means I have the rail-built buffer stop available for use elsewhere, a definite plus as I don’t have enough for the layout.
I have decided on a representation of an end loading facility inside the factory building. It will just about be visible through one of the windows in the front of the factory. So a rudimentary representation, but a functioning buffer stop, is all I need. I built the structure this afternoon:
This will be painted to represent brick (the front wall) and concrete (the platform top). I will fit a buffer plank in front of the ramp — an old Lowko Track sleeper will do perfectly. The whole structure will then be fixed inside the far end of the Benham’s factory building.
The distance between the top of the ramp and the end wall of the building is 14 cm, or a scale 20’. A bit restrictive but surely workable for end loading except for very long objects.
Some lessons learnt and plans changed by taking up and putting down the two track panels. The siding I have shortened is shown in this picture:
It’s the second track from the left. It and the sidings either side of it were laid years ago, before the lines through the station were in place. I vaguely recall kneeling on the base boards to lay the three sidings at the back — which is no longer an option. I found laying the replacement pair of track panels extremely difficult, working at the limit of my reach. I haven’t screwed the buffer stop in place yet because it is so awkward. I have to use one hand to stop myself overbalancing, so can’t hold the buffer stop in the correct position and put in a screw. I have made a jig that fits between the rails of the siding and should hold the buffer stop centred on the track and in line. I’ll try screwing the buffer stop in place tomorrow, I hope. Fitting the second sleeper-built buffer stop, to the siding in front, should be a little easier as it will be six inches closer to me.
The track at the back against the west wall, on the far left in the above picture, is the Benham’s private siding. As per my post #40, I had planned to use a rail-built stop on this. I now realise fitting a rail-built buffer stop here, right in the corner of the room, will be very, very difficult or just impossible. Also, the buffer stop on the Benham’s private siding is inside the Benham’s factory building. A rail-built buffer stop, if fitted, would prevent me sliding the Benham’s factory building into place — it would have to be lifted over the buffer stop. I’m not sure that is possible either. So, time for Plan B. The buffer stop for the Benham’s siding will have to built into the factory building. Also, this means I have the rail-built buffer stop available for use elsewhere, a definite plus as I don’t have enough for the layout.
I have decided on a representation of an end loading facility inside the factory building. It will just about be visible through one of the windows in the front of the factory. So a rudimentary representation, but a functioning buffer stop, is all I need. I built the structure this afternoon:
This will be painted to represent brick (the front wall) and concrete (the platform top). I will fit a buffer plank in front of the ramp — an old Lowko Track sleeper will do perfectly. The whole structure will then be fixed inside the far end of the Benham’s factory building.
The distance between the top of the ramp and the end wall of the building is 14 cm, or a scale 20’. A bit restrictive but surely workable for end loading except for very long objects.
David Waite
Western Thunderer
To gain easier access to those hard to get places could you make up a strong timber cover about 2’x2’6” out of 5 ply or similar that you could place over your track work to sit on with a under frame made of 2x1 pine on edge that could be positioned in such a way that the 2x1 would sit either side of the track work where required to support the top.
David.
David.
Hi David
That’s a good idea which had not occurred to me. It would probably need to be made for a specific location where the supports would fit around the curving tracks through the station. It’s only the access to the corner that is a problem. In the section with the straight tracks through the platforms, the base board is narrower and I can stand immediately opposite the position where the work is taking place. I hope I don’t have to make a platform as there isn’t much to be done in the corner, so it would seem disproportionate in terms of effort required. If I can get the buffer stops fixed, I am pretty sure I can slide the Benham’s buildings into place by resting some metal strips (or similar) across the siding tracks. I don’t intend fastening the buildings down as they shouldn’t move due to their weight. There will be no ballast, as per the railways that provided the inspiration for Rivermead Central, so the buffer stops and positioning the buildings are all that’s needed to finish this part of the layout.
What about operating? I have been thinking about that. Firstly, these sidings are long by model railway standards, about 9’ for the one immediately behind the station. I realise that is equivalent to a short siding on the real railway, but many modellers have to manage with less. Given the length of trains I expect to operate, the distal ends of these sidings, in the corner of the room, might not get that much use. Also, a train of wagons coupled together can be shunted by a locomotive that is in the easy to reach part of the siding. And if wagons do need to be coupled/uncoupled in the harder to reach areas, lifting a coupling link with a shunter’s pole is not the same as trying to screw down track/buffer stops into a hard base board. That said, I do think operating a clockwork locomotive with the controls conventionally positioned in the cab would be awkward, especially if, for example, the reverse requires a good push to work. The Marklin arrangement with levers sticking up out of the bunker would be easier, but Marklin locos tend to be fast, so hardly suitable for shunting. I am actively considering what would be the ideal shunting locomotive, specifically for the yard at Cairnie Junction — slow running, powerful and with easy-to-manipulate controls. The real railways built locomotives for specific tasks, and plenty of railway modellers do too.
John R Smith
New Member
I am a little puzzled about your use of sleeper-built and rail-built buffer stops. With all the classic B-L, Bing and Hornby rolling stock the buffers on the wagon/loco/coach will never touch the buffer stop, as the couplings always project further than the buffers. Hence, particularly with clockwork (where there is always a real possibility of the engine getting away from the driver!), you risk damage to the couplings. The only answer to this, in my experience, is to either use the B-L hydraulic buffers (which are not really appropiate except in a major urban terminus), or to use the excellent Hornby O gauge spring buffers which are cheap, plentiful, and which offer adequate clearance for the projecting couplings.
John
John
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Hello, John
Your point about tinplate rolling stock is absolutely correct — the couplings project further than the buffers.
So why don’t I use Hornby buffers? For the same reason I don’t use Hornby tinplate track. A model railway, in its broadest sense, can be anything from a brightly coloured toy to a fine-scale depiction of a real station. Both can be quite lovely and wonderful — but the locomotive from one isn’t going to look right on the other (or work, of course). On that spectrum from finescale realism to charming toy, I have pitched Rivermead Central where I want it. A model could be too fine scale or too toylike to look right (to me, anyway) for the railway I want to create. A Hornby sprung buffer is definitely too far towards the toy end of the spectrum. There were certainly no Hornby buffers on the railways I admire and which have inspired my interest in vintage scale layouts — for example, ‘Paddington to Seagood’ or ‘The Sherwood Section of the LMS’. I am not knocking Hornby 0 gauge. It was a wonderful range of good-quality toys that introduced countless young people to the hobby of model railways. I am glad there are collectors who keep the range alive by operating Hornby 0 gauge systems today. But I am not one of them.
On a practical level, the round head of Hornby 0 gauge rails is a larger diameter than the round head of Lowko Track rails. Also, the two types of track are not the same height. So Hornby buffers wouldn't actually fit on Lowko Track, without some modification to both. But the whole appearance is different. Despite its design flaws, I like the look of Lowko Track and for the sake of appearance would want to use the buffers designed to go with the track system I have chosen.
I should also say, I hope to have alternative ‘sets’ of wagons I can use on the railway. Tinplate, yes, but also the more scale wooden wagons produced by Bassett-Lowke and others. The Bassett-Lowke wooden wagons have three-link couplings and, therefore, functioning buffers.
Mission: Not impossible — as, using my jig, I have indeed fixed the first sleeper-built buffer-stop in place on the layout today. This is the jig:
The inner pair of wooden strips are a snug fit between the rails. They are exactly parallel and to gauge — in my world 0 gauge is 31.75 mm, in the currency of the time, 1 1/4”. The outer, projecting, pair of wood strips are a snug fit to the side walls of the sleeper-built stops. These strips are also exactly parallel and equidistant from the rail-gauge wood strips. The corners of the jig are exact right angles.
This is the jig in use:
The buffer-stop is held in position, centred and in line with the siding. I could put in the fixing screws and tighten them without the buffer-stop moving out of alignment. Actually, the jig will be useful even if there is no difficulty in reaching and being able to use both hands — it will ensure the buffer is correctly positioned, every time.
So, this is it finished:
That’s the difficult one fixed. The buffer-stop for the nearer siding is also going to be awkward to reach to fasten down, but it is six inches closer. I’m now confident everything needed in this area is doable.
I’m pleased with the look of this. It adds some more ‘proper railway’ character to the layout.
The inner pair of wooden strips are a snug fit between the rails. They are exactly parallel and to gauge — in my world 0 gauge is 31.75 mm, in the currency of the time, 1 1/4”. The outer, projecting, pair of wood strips are a snug fit to the side walls of the sleeper-built stops. These strips are also exactly parallel and equidistant from the rail-gauge wood strips. The corners of the jig are exact right angles.
This is the jig in use:
The buffer-stop is held in position, centred and in line with the siding. I could put in the fixing screws and tighten them without the buffer-stop moving out of alignment. Actually, the jig will be useful even if there is no difficulty in reaching and being able to use both hands — it will ensure the buffer is correctly positioned, every time.
So, this is it finished:
That’s the difficult one fixed. The buffer-stop for the nearer siding is also going to be awkward to reach to fasten down, but it is six inches closer. I’m now confident everything needed in this area is doable.
I’m pleased with the look of this. It adds some more ‘proper railway’ character to the layout.