Oakamoor Sand sidings - An OO revival

I’m impressed, however it has one flaw.. the head/tail lights... to be prototypical with a shunter, it should display one red and one white light, which it does, but sadly the opposite end shows the same ie white left and red right when looked head on. Prototype should be the reds should be the same side, so if your working next to a main line, you know which side of you it is. Same goes for a brake van when they carried the lamps on the outside. (During running they would shown two white to front and three reds to the rear- when in a loop, the guard should change the lamps at the rear to two red and one white subject to which side the main line was.)

Going back to the 07, it’s even accurate down to the red Hand rails which we had to check were correct, and they are from the one colour photo we found. The only bit missing is the hunslet badge.

The couplings are a tad tight too and don’t always engage.

 

Been out to a friends today. Mark first held his own exhibition in Warwick 20 years ago at the age of 14!!!! And he’d invited me to help back then with displaying of my then layout Milldale.

We've both moved on, got married, got our own homes (and separated in marks case) with new layouts.

As it was my newest loco, I took the Heljan 07 over for a run.





All was going well, until we shunted the stock around for the 07 to pull... slight coupling issue here from Heljan!



Maybe not quite obvious here but the wagon (correct height) goes well over the top of the Heljan coupling!



It’s a little more obvious here. The coupling is stepped so the loop comes out at the bottom. Note the thicker end on the D loop at the bottom which shows it is fitted the correct way up.

However the solution was litterally to turn it over in the NEM pocket before it was the same height.

Anyone else encounterd a similar issue?

 

I’ve recently fitted the signal box (finally) to Oakamoor Sidings. It’s internal light is from Express Models and hangs inside from the roof. it’s powered from the aux power bus I have around the layout, which has been wound down to 9v for the Dapol Signal.

However, even with a 9v feed and the resistor in place, it was still far too bright.

after speaking to a work colleague who knows about electrical wiring and circuits, he suggested adding in a variable 50k resistor to dim the LED further.


Which I think worked!
Just need to fit the rest of the interior as when the lights on you can see how bare it is inside.



finally, here is the 02 Brightside in the shed with its “aerofoil” fitted to the buffer beam.

 

I’m sad to say that due to focusing else where (dads outdoor layout) that the focus on Oakamoor has kind of lacked this 12 months. My son had continued to operate it and has enjoyed the 3 ft extension I added around 12 months ago, but alas, other than fitting a switching unit for the 3 point motors to work off DCC, the only work this year has been the above re the signal box.

So next year, I’m hoping to add at least another 3ft, another point and maybe start some scenery. Eventually I want it to go all the way around the loft, so there is a single loop for continuous running and also a half loop which feeds the sidings line. Hard to explain without a diagram, but will see if I can draw up a plan.

more in the new year..
Andy

 

Time for an update. It’s been far too long…

but the good news is, Oakamoor will be back on the exhibition circuit on 4th and 5th of March at the Mansfield exhibition at St Peter’s Church hall.

but, having done some checks today, I need to do a fair bit of work as it has suffered at the hands of a 14 year old who won’t admit when he’s caused damage (well it can’t have been me as I never run my own layout these days!)

so the loading hopper needs a fair bit of work. As mentioned before the valve works off a peco point motor but needs resetting as glue has dried and some solder broken on one of the pcb mounts. That will be a separate posting later..

so, the work to do…



The bridge needs some repair works and also new fencing. There is some grass work to do. (Not too worried about the ballast as this is actually the fiddle yard side.)
Looking down on the weighbridge, few bits of scenery damage at the bottom where the surface has lifted from the polystyrene below.
As seen from the front, the white cracks are apparent.
The bridge from the front side.
although fiddle yard side, I want to finish the grass hill here.
Where the embankment was rebuilt a few years ago, I need to re-edge the facia.
Showing the board joint in the sandy yard
Steps down to the box from the road.
Just a shot of the engine shed. Needs a little work.
The fence on the scenic section. It’s Peco flexi fence and not sure it fits. I also want to add some bushes like gorse with yellow flowers or some silver birch trees further up.

lot to do in just over a month and half..

here we go!!!

 

Few hours work. Just waiting the temps to rise a bit in the loft.

 

Making me nervous. it’s the broken stock that’s the bigger issue.

 

Were working on changes, so the broken class 37 (bogie frame broken and broken buffer) will be replaced with Alex’s 8F he bought.

other bits are coupling issues where they fall off. So nothing that can’t be sorted. The 37 was a tad out of place anyway, but sounded nice with a sound chip. May just be a 47 and 24 with sound this time.

 

I’ve finally made a (late start) as it’s a week and half away! I like it when I’m more pushed by a time frame (but some of it has been waiting for some warmer weather re glue drying!!!)

so I’ve brought the sand tower down stairs. The peco point motor that electrically moves the “valve” had come adrift as had all the plastic supporting the valve and the bottom of the hopper.

the actual sliding valve was also out, and jamming when I tried to put it all back together so it came out for a file and sand to make it smooth.


You can see the “green” hole it slides in for the manual operation, however I’m trying to work out why it’s gone green… looks like flux?


Here is the other half of the valve. It’s come apart - you can see the point motor bottom left.. it’s now back together but still need to solder the valve to the point motor shaft.

and if your wondering what the black barrel is top centre… that’s a micro CCTV camera (ok is a USB endoscope camera) that has an angled mirror on to view the top of a wagon when it’s under the hopper. You should then be able to see the sand entering the wagon and when it loaded.
More to follow in the next few days!!

 

Well I gave up trying to resolder the point motor to the shaft and that green hole is now oval so it’s had some superglue on it.. I suspect it won’t hold.. the shaft on the point motor for some reason just will not take solder.
So, moved on to the layout…

Took everything apart and all stock off.. at some point I best also give all the track a good clean but want to get on with the scenery.

I’ve started to refit the buffer stops after breaking the boards from the home extension. I have some wiring to tidy and things like the signal to remove. The fence needs securing on the top of the bridge.. not sure if to do this before, during or after the grassing?



This is the base to one of the lamps. They were mounted in plastic tubes with a flat cap over the top so slid in to place.. when some ballasting has taken place this one has stuck and broken.. it’s since been pushed out and re-glued and the hole fettled.

Figures to go back on…


Here is the board break with the buffers now back on.

this is the place where the hopper sits. The real thing did have some kind of grill around the rails… I’m not sure why, but decided to replicate this on the layout.. it actually falls through to an old Philadelphia tub mounted underside on two channels so any sand spilling is caught and can be emptied out.

the base of the engine shed


Stairs and signal box, both new since last time she went an exhibition and still needs to be secured!




work continues.. I’d start the grassing but didn’t have any wood glue.

 

makes sense. Grass grows around the railings then! I’ll drill the holes to fit it in. Grass then glue the railings.

 

These last two photos didn’t upload last time as was limited to 10 and forgot!


The signal needs bedding in a little better. Sadly, I no longer know where that ground scatter is or was…have to blend in..



Damage just in front of the signal area. This will just be a paint and flock over.. gives a bit more terrain.

So I now move on to the progress work..



installing the railings.. only drilled and loose fixed.

new LMS p-way hut similar to those found on the route out to Stoke. The guy I did these for found some with chimneys and some without. As it’s across from the signal box and not far the weighbridge both of Which have a stove, I didn’t bother..


first of the new static grass gone down.. not happy as I don’t think the electric unit fired up..



With the fence. Guess I can always place a bush here?

Finally, I’ve fitted two old hawkseye boards in the old platform.


Story has it, the platform was gradually robbed away, hence it being a short stop, just big enough now for a loco to stop at and the driver to change ends at when running round.

And we’re up to date.. few more bits on the go..

 

Looks like some kind of P-away working?


I quite like this last one..
didn’t paint under bridge though 18 years ago!!

 

I’m not sure. One of Alex’s and comes with a Sherman tank on it.. it may be Oxford Rail??
Need to check if the buzz unit is working. It’s been sat for 18 months..