Makerfield, my 1970s North West UK layout

[MarkB]

That garage looks very cool mate, very detailed indeed.

[meurglysIII]

Cheers folks!

[paul miller]

Thats a lovely job. Makes me feel ashamed I have not done anything serious to mine for a while.
My grandson wants to get involved. He wants a scrapyard where I was going to put a coal yard. Bet he wins!
Paul

[huytonbrian]

Pete, opening up fine here, Lp, try it again.
Great layout, thanks for sharing.
Brian

[Flying Pig]

Originally Posted by meurglysIII

Thanks John, I really appreciate your taking the time to help with this. I was thinking the same thing, ie to start with the signals on the platform ends, and yes I am intending to use colour light signals. Would these just be 3 aspect signals to indicate a clear route ahead?

If anybody wants to get a really good overview into how modern signalling works, you can download the current Module S1 of the rulebook at this link...http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Rule_Book...%20Iss%201.pdf It's in PDF format, and although it applies to 2009, it's not changed that much from the days of 'Blue'.

As a very rough rule of thumb to how signalling is done on the 'big' railway, distance between signals is determined by the running speed of the line, and the number of aspects is determined by how busy the traffic is.

In the UK there are basically two types of signal;
1) Controlled - which you find at junctions or anywhere that one train's movement may conflict with another's. Signallers make the decisions (known as 'Regulating' trains).
2) Automatic - When a train is chugging merry along a line with no junctions, the only concern is that it doesn't overrun the one in front it. Automatic signals, as you might guess, are worked by the passage of trains themselves.

Most mainline signals have a plate below the lamp assembly showing which type they are.

So if you're conveying the idea of a high speed mainline, Four aspect signals spaced well apart are required. Conversely, if you're modelling a quiet branchline, then Two aspect would suffice.

And of course, you can change the number of aspects throughout a line. If the linespeed/traffic increases or decreases you can vary it as it goes along accordingly. For example a line branching off a mainline might have 4 aspects to begin with, but as it gets slower it goes to 3 aspect, until it's on 2 aspect at the back of beyond. Additionally any signal leading into a bay platform ony needs to be 2 aspect, since only a single yellow can precede a set of buffer stops (which must display a red light).

And although you said that you don't want to signal your sidings, you could have fixed position light signals for authenticity.

This is a handy link here..http://www.signalbox.org/signals/semaphore4.htm

You could use either mechanical discs or colour lights. It wouldn't be too hard to make them out of LEDs (in fact if you're a bit reticent I might even put my money where my mouth is and have a try at making a set of LEDs for you. It's a challenge I keep meaning to have a go at).

Anyway, I hope this is some help to you.

[meurglysIII]

Thanks to my being banned from Saturday shopping trips (no real hardship to me) due to alleged bad behaviour on a previous trip, I've been able to address the signalling situation. A guy on ebay was selling sets of homemade signals, 2 and 3 aspect, I emailed him & asked if he could make four aspect, which he did, at a very reasonable price (£4 each including resistors & a really easy to follow wiring * switching diagram. I kitbashed a couple of gantries from Ratio kits (these are utterly freelance, but if anyone would like to tell me how to improve them I'd be grateful.

So now I have four aspect switchable signals on all four lines through the station, & a 2-aspect starter on the bay platform. I had to hack chunks out of the bridge though to thread the wires through, all repaired now & looking pretty good. Many thanks to the ebay guy, if anyone wants his details I'll be happy to pass them on. & thanks to all of you for your suggestions and advice.

(you wouldn't want to see the wiring behind the control panels though - luckily it's all hidden.)

http://www.clockworkcommunications.c...nals.../24.JPG
http://www.clockworkcommunications.c...nals.../40.JPG
http://www.clockworkcommunications.c....../gantry.JPG
http://www.clockworkcommunications.c...ls.../peak.JPG
http://www.clockworkcommunications.c...s.../south.JPG

Oh, and it looks like that large building has earned a reprieve:

http://www.clockworkcommunications.c..../building.JPG
http://www.clockworkcommunications.c.../building2.JPG

[swisstrains]

The effect looks really good, Pete.
Sorry to be picky because you have obviously put a lot of work into them but are the signal aspects in the correct order? (yellow, green, yellow, red from top to bottom) and the signal in one of your photos is also showing yellow and red at the same time which shouldn't happen.(or have you taken the photo in the split second that the red changed to single yellow? )
I would also suggest that the signal controlling the exit from the bay platform should be much lower so as to be in the driver's line of sight.

[meurglysIII]

Originally Posted by swisstrains

are the signal aspects in the correct order? (yellow, green, yellow, red from top to bottom) and the signal in one of your photos is also showing yellow and red at the same time which shouldn't happen.(or have you taken the photo in the split second that the red changed to single yellow? )
I would also suggest that the signal controlling the exit from the bay platform should be much lower so as to be in the driver's line of sight.

Really? bugger.
That's embarassing.
Oh well, they're staying as they are for now. I was going to ask what the correct combinations are, ie green + yellow etc, i guess it's just either red, yellow, two yellow or green? I can switch between these but may have to rethink the wiring for double yellow.

As you can see, I know very little about real signalling. Should have done more research, I just assumed that the signals as built were correct.
Ho hum.

Maybe I'll redo them in a few months, I'm all signalled out for now though.

[swisstrains]

These things are sent to try us Pete I still can't make head nor tail of the French wiring instructions that came with some Japanese made Swiss signals that I bought for my layout.

[meurglysIII]

Originally Posted by swisstrains

These things are sent to try us Pete I still can't make head nor tail of the French wiring instructions that came with some Japanese made Swiss signals that I bought for my layout.

Ha! Drives you mad doesn't it? We had our combi boiler replaced a few weeks ago. It features an analogue timer clock that reads anti-clockwise. If there's one thing that should NOT read anti-clockwise, it's a clock...