Black Drake Wharf II

[Phil Traxson]

4 hours ago, Andrew Young said:

Seconded about the bus and the lucam. Wonder whether you could convert one to O-16.5?

 

 

That was probably my original intention many moons ago, it is very Colonel Stephens railbus shaped and the body parts from the chassis easily, the chassis is plastic too so would be carveable to provide the wings etc. I wonder if the Airfix Railbus motorizing kit that used to be available ( Branchlines? ) would do for the railway bits?

Edited March 14, 2021 by Phil Traxson

[NeilHB]

Thanks Phil and Graham - there’s a couple of them on eBay going cheap, so have stuck a bid on one. Looks like the Elsbridge Tramway Company may be getting some competition in the near future...!

[Andrew Young]

5 hours ago, Phil Traxson said:

That was probably my original intention many moons ago, it is very Colonel Stephens railbus shaped and the body parts from the chassis easily, the chassis is plastic too so would be carveable to provide the wings etc. I wonder if the Airfix Railbus motorizing kit that used to be available ( Branchlines? ) would do for the railway bits?

 

Thanks Phil. Shall have to get one and see what I can make out of it, the Branchlines railbus motorising kit sounds like a good place to start. Will just liaise with Neil so we don’t bid against each other on the same ones.

[Phil Traxson]

Progress still being made,slowly! A new longer fiddle stick/yard has been produced for the left hand end. As this end has two exit lines which differ in height by 10 mm the fiddle is longer than I would really like as the rear road has to have a down grade to the sector plate. If I had used points it would have made it longer than the layout! It was exhibition tested at the Trent Valley 7mm narrow gauge "do" in Mickleover and certainly added to operating interest.  Excuse the poor start and end to the video, operating and picture taking really needs 3 hands!!

  

[Phil Traxson]

 

A mucky wash has now been applied to the ground and ballast to tone them down a little. after all it is supposed to be an industrial environment. The same treatment has been started on the buildings, most of the low relief back ones have been done but not the ones at the ends yet.

The moving sector plate has been found to be a little too short,as it will only take one wagon with the longest loco's. It is proving possible to add four inches to it without lengthening the base board it is mounted on, fortunate really as the total fiddle areas are as long as the scenic area already. I also have a plan to motorize it's movement to save walking up and down the layout, as it is operated from the front when exhibited. Knowing my snail like progress I have decided to construct every thing to do the alterations BEFORE I rip out the present arrangement, just in case it is not completed before it is exhibited at Borth y Gest in August, or indeed Bala in September! In all probability it will still be manually operated at both of these even if the lengthening is complete, although all the parts are in hand or on order for the mechanisation, mostly Meccano parts and old fashioned push button and micro switches.    

Edited May 26 by Phil Traxson

[7mmin7foot]

Super layout Phil, very atmospheric, great video too.

 

Steve

[Phil Traxson]

16 hours ago, 7mmin7foot said:

Super layout Phil, very atmospheric, great video too.

 

Steve

Couldn't have done it without the sound base layout that Vaughan built and sold to me. It would be very difficult to operate without DCC too, which was also installed by Vaughan. Having no run round facility involves using two loco's just to transfer from one siding to the other without trapping the loco, it would need a dozens of small sections and switches to do it with analogue control.

[Phil Traxson]

Just a small but important modification to the sector plate. I've now completed a new longer, by a few inches, moving plate so that it will take the longest loco plus two wagons . In the process I've also tidied up the wiring to some degree

I've schemed out the method of of motorizing the movement, whether this scheme will work remains to be seen! The trials of a jury rigged version of the mechanical parts of the scheme seem promising.

The layout is on show this weekend (17th/18th August '24) in Borth Y Gest nr. near Porthmadog, without motorization of sector plate, and again on the 21st/22nd of September at the Bala Model Railway Exhibition where there a slim chance of it having been done.   

Edited August 12 by Phil Traxson
Grammar

[Phil Traxson]

Just to give an idea how simple the track plan is this is a aerial view of the scenic part of the layout, part hidden by the lighting arch at the front, just 60 inches long and 19 inches wide.

The sector plate fiddle is on the left hand side and gives access to the back siding which is 10 mm. higher than the rest of the trackwork.  The other end has a simple fiddle stick. Both are removable for transport, The three exits are all between buildings which mask the "holes in the sky".

Just bringing in one and removing another wagon, with a wagon switch from siding to siding can easily occupy half an hour or more and needs two loco's and enough concentration to forget the cares of the day! 

[Phil Traxson]

Well, the short trip to Borth Y Gest and the two days operating was accomplished with no major problems. It proved that by switching eras from pre-group, to post group, to early nationalised, there is enough operators interest to not get bored., and plenty of interest from visitors to the exhibition too. 

The only minor panic was a couple of days before when I discovered that the 08 shunter which has been granted running rights was quite large! The exit from the  sector plate end to the rear track is 10mm higher than the other tracks as has been mentioned before, unfortunately the top of the entrance hole is the same as the others, this caused a roof /arch interface problem i.e. the loco didn't fit. Some rapid, but presently untidy, work with a drill and pad saw fixed this which now needs tidying up. See below.

A tight fit!