Signalling The Way Ahead

A junction signal controlling at the northern end of Petersfield station.

The first of two two aspect signals at the southern end of Petersfield.

A two aspect signal at the southern end of Gunnmere Junction.

The first of several signals controlling the northern end of Gunnmere Junction.

This weekend we finally embarked on installing some more coloured light signals on to the layout. Those at Sueston, which we installed some time ago now, have, rather embarrassingly, been the only proper signals on the system and the only mitigation that I can offer, in defence of this, is that we have been busy rebuilding the northern half of the layout and wanted to make sure that all heavy building work and track laying was completed before we installed delicate (and expensive) signals!

Well, I feel that we have reached a point now where we can safely install the signals and we have now made a start both at Petersfield and at Gunnmere Junction. 

The latter station, in particular, requires some complex signalling, especially at its northern end with all platforms and sidings needing to access four main running lines plus the branch line!

The signals are not yet in action because I wanted to install them all first before wiring them to the power supply and innumerable switches!

This process of signal installation is, by the very nature of the size of the layout and the cost of the signals, going to take some time to complete but it will be fun to do and will look fantastic when it is finally finished.

Station Refurbishment

We have been spending some time making much-needed improvements to Coneyvale Halt, one of the smaller stations on the layout.

As with some of the other stations, we began with some straight sections of Horny platform plus a couple of platform ramps. Over this we laid some 1/32" cork and painted this grey. We then applied some platform edging and acquired some old Airfix Platform Fencing, which really does look the part, I must admit. 

The buildings are from the Hornby Skaledale range and are pretty basic for a simple halt. On each platform there is a Small Wooden Shelter (R8718) while on Platform 1 there is also the Wooden Platform Signal Box (R8721). This controls access to the small coal yard just seen in the top right of the first photograph. 

Indeed it is the workers at this yard who, probably, provide most of the passengers who use this little station although both platforms do seem to be well populated with people waiting for trains in the photos above. 

There is no footbridge at this station so the only way to go from one platform to the other is via the barrow crossing seen in the lower photograph.

Lights will, however, be provided in the near future since, being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, Coneyvale Halt can be a dark and lonely place on cold, winter nights!

 

Ballast Yard Lights

At long last we have installed lights in the Ballast Yard plus a couple of buffer stops that also have red warning lights. The buffer stop lights are supplied direct from the track while the yard lights, as well as the platform lights at Carswater station, are all controlled via the 12V dc supply on an old H&M controller.

Hornby ACT Freightliner Wagon

This Hornby Freightliner Container Flat with three 20' ACT Containers was produced, I believe, for the Australian market.

I am not sure what ACT stands for but it could be Australian Cargo Transport.

These wagons were only made between 1970 and 1972 and the containers were also produced in silver and blue, as opposed to the white and blue above. These silver and blue versions are rarer to find than the white and blue as they were only produced in 1970.

The Catalogue Number for both versions is R839.

Outlines of Power - Nº 6 : Class 35 'Hymek' B-B

For the sixth 'Outlines of Power' article by Mike Turner, that 'Rail Enthusiast' ran during the early 1980s, we have the Class 35 'Hymek' with a great portrait of D7000 in BR green livery with small yellow warning panels.
The accompanying annotation reads as follows:

With that smooth, busy beat so much associated with locomotives of the Western Region's bold diesel-hydraulic era, the 'Hymek' B-B locomotives produced a notable performance when you consider that their weight in working order was just 74 tons. 

Their 16-cylinder Bristol Syddeley Maybach MD870 engine, producing 1,700 bhp at 1,500 rpm, drove through a Stone Maybach Mekydro transmission and final drive. The short, stubby locomotives, with their endearing inward-sloping front-end design, had a starting tractive effort of no less than 49,700lb, a continuous tractive effort of 33,950lb and a top speed of 90 mph.

Numbered from D7000 onwards, the locomotives were ordered from Beyer Peacock (Hymek) Ltd., in 1959 and they first appeared in 1961. Although they performed many and varied mixed-traffic duties, events led to their early downfall and by the start of 1973 only 20 survived, D7000 herself succumbing in July of that year. Happily, however, a handful of the distinctive "Hymeks" have survived into preservation. D7017 is preserved by the Diesel and Electric Group at the West Somerset Railway; D7018 is preserved by the same group at Didcot; D7029 is working on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, preserved by the Diesel Traction Group, and the Bury Transport Museum has acquired D7076 (together with some parts from D7096) which had been at the Derby Research and Technical Centre.

By way of updating the current state of the preserved "Hymeks"

Both D7017 and D7018 are now on he West Somerset Railway. The former is operational while the latter is undergoing a long-term overhaul at Williton Shed.

D7029 is still undergoing major restoration work and was recently moved from Old Oak Common shed to the Severn Valley Railway for more restoration after which it will be returned to service in BR blue.

D7076 in currently on the East Lancs Railway and was taken out of traffic in late 2008 for repairs. It was then discovered that the engine would need a complete rebuild so a Maybach MD-655 engine from D1041 "Western Prince", which itself was being overhauled, was fitted to D7076 to make it operational. Unsurprisingly, the resultant loco acquired the nickname "WesMek". However the oco was again taken out of service early in 2010 when MD-655 itself developed a fault.

During the summer of 2011, two ex-Hymek MD-870 engines were discovered in a York scrapyard! Both engines were in excellent condition and both were purchased by the East Lancs Railway and one was subsequently fitted to D7076 with the second engine being kept as a spare. So it was that, in the summer of 2014, D7076 emerged in BR blue livery with full yellow ends.

Tri-ang Pullman Cars

These Tri-ang Pullman Coaches were first introduced in 1958 and were scaled at 57ft (9") as against 66' of the real cars.

The body profiles, with the upper sides sloping slightly inwards, was closest to the electric multiple unit Pullmans and could be quite easily modified to represent a Brighton Belle car.

The tables mostly had plain brass lampshades but, sometimes, they were painted pink, as in 'Mary' above. At one stage the lamps were even reduced to a narrow spike!

An example of 'Jane' has apparently been found with blue lampshades instead of pink. I have not seen one myself and, not surprisingly, it is considered to be quite rare.

Other rarer versions of these cars had them with cream coloured roofs instead of white ones and I have seen examples of these.

Later models were adorned with white rimmed wheels, as in 'Jane' above.

In 1962, Golden Arrow stickers were also supplied, separately, together with a locomotive headboard. 

The Catalogue Number for all of the three parlour cars was the same, i.e: R228 while for the Brake Car it was R328.

These iconic coaches continued in production until 1973.

Hornby Signal Gantry

I managed to pick up this Hornby Signal Gantry the other day in a small model railway shop in Plymouth.

It is missing one of the track clips but, apart from that, it is complete and undamaged.

The Catalogue Nº is R140 (later to be renumbered as R203) and this particular gantry dates from around 1979.
It is really quite rare to find one of these in such a nice, boxed condition.