Developing a Manual Point Control System.

Discussion in 'Workshop Benches' started by gormo, Sep 11, 2020.

  1. Keith M

    Keith M Staff Member Moderator

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    Another fantastic product from 'Gormo Engineering'.:thumbup:
    Keith.
     
  2. Walkingthedog

    Walkingthedog Full Member

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    Certainly is.
     
  3. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Keith and Walkingthedog....:thumbs:
    Glad you both like it.
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  4. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    Brilliant project Gormo and it's nice to see it working, I'm looking forward to seeing how you limit the lever travel :tophat:

    Cheers, Pete.
     
  5. Walkingthedog

    Walkingthedog Full Member

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    It is just beautifully constructed.
     
  6. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Pete,
    Limiting the lever travel will be a bit like me...........quite simple......:avatar::avatar::avatar::avatar:
    I am thinking at this stage that I will use terminal block inners at either end of the wire in cable run so that when the wire is pulled or pushed, it will travel through the cable covering until the terminal block inner butts up to the end of the covering.
    The levers forward motion is stopped in the box by the Aluminium angle. This is our starting point. The limit of the throw when pulling the lever back towards you will be determined by the adjustment of the terminal block inners position on the cable.
    Hope that makes sense..........:scratchchin:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  7. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Thanks Walkingthedog,
    For your kind words.
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  8. Walkingthedog

    Walkingthedog Full Member

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    Praise where it is due mate.

    Where in Oz do you reside?
     
  9. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    I am in the Western suburbs of Sydney, NSW.......born and bred ........how about you.?
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  10. Walkingthedog

    Walkingthedog Full Member

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    Other side of the world, Hazlemere 20 miles east of Oxford UK.

    Went to the Edinburgh Tatoo in Sydney last year. Travelled there by train from Perth with our friends who live there.
     
  11. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Wow!!!......that`s quite a journey from Perth to Sydney by train......4,352 km`s ....or 2,704 miles...:thumbs:
    Well I live in Sydney and I`ve been to Edinburgh, but I`ve not yet seen a Tatoo live in either place.......it`s on my bucket list though.
    I was in your neck of the woods in 2017.......we stayed at Bicester for a couple of nights.
    It`s a small World.
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  12. Walkingthedog

    Walkingthedog Full Member

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    35 minutes to Bicester.
     
  13. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    Yes mate. We had a steam powered oil pump where I used to work and that is exactly how the steam valves operated.

    Pete.
     
  14. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    OK Thanks Pete,
    It sounds like I may be on the right track then....:scratchchin:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  15. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    OK....now we are definitely on the home stretch.
    The frame has been dismantled down to it`s wooden components only, and I`ve applied the first coat of varnish.


    DSC09671.JPG


    Have to wait eight hours now for a rub back and re-coat and then do it all again.......it will take three coats to give a nice finish.


    DSC09672.JPG

    In the meantime the metal components are waiting to be re-installed and they are lined up like little soldiers.


    DSC09673.JPG

    All that needs to be done to remove them from the box, is remove the four screws that secure the brackets. The connecting rods are holding it all together.
    You can see there is just enough friction in the system to hold it in position, however it all moves freely.

    DSC09674.JPG

    So now I can concentrate on the signage and get that prepared.
    More to follow
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  16. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    The first coat of varnish had some difficulty drying overnight. It was quite cold overnight and when I checked it this morning it was still tacky. I placed it out in the sunshine for a few hours and let it harden up and then rubbed it back and subsequently gave it it`s second coat of varnish. The second coat was applied somewhat earlier in the day than the first coat, so I`m hoping that it will cure properly overnight this time. Anyway sometime tomorrow it will be ready for the final coat.
    In the meantime I have prepared the signage for the box and again following the same theme as the rest of the railway.
    The track plan and instruments etc.... and the cat of course....will be cut out and applied to the box in behind the levers to mimic a signal box. The drawing dimensions match the full inside width of the box and the bottom edge of the image will be just slightly covered by the combing, still yet to be made.
    I have also created duplicate images of the smaller signage just in case I stuff things up when cutting them out.

    little bardfield signal box.jpg

    A link to a PDF if you want to see it in a larger format.
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TYDsDyU8r5AzCP_FplAkrO3dpgkwafyd/view?usp=sharing

    More as it happens
    :tophat:Gormo
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2020
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  17. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    I wish I had taken photos of them, we had around 7 in total, all scrapped when the place closed down. The one I was in charge of was about 50/60 years old when I was there and I left in 2003.

    Cheers, Pete.
     
  18. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    Oh well.....not to worry Pete,
    We can`t cover every possibility in life.......that`s just the way it goes....:scratchchin:

    I`ve got three things on the boil at home at the moment and I`m not sure when the lever frame box will next get a look in, so I may have to be out in the shed in the wee hours, pottering and tinkering and tapping bits of wood and generally looking and sounding industrious, to keep it moving forward.
    Life gets in the way sometimes.
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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  19. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    G`day Folks,
    Well the third coat of varnish has cured, so the task today is to prepare the final finish.
    At the moment it looks like a wet finish....very glossy....which does not appeal to me.....I`m more of a satin finish....old but cared for look, type of guy.


    DSC09678.JPG

    So this finish needs to be knocked back to a flat, almost gone look, and that will be done with grade 0000 steel wool...the finest grade.

    DSC09680.JPG


    You can see the contrast between the two finishes here, where on the left the gloss has been cut back to a flat satin look, yet on the right the gloss remains waiting to be removed.


    DSC09677.JPG


    It depends on the light, but you would think there is no finish on this piece at all. All trace of gloss has to be removed. There are still three coats of varnish under this and they are well embedded into the timber.


    DSC09679.JPG

    Once all the finish has been dealt with and dusted off, we now need to polish it with Beeswax, to get that classy look to it.
    I am using this one at the moment. It has the consistency of toothpaste, but I have used others in the past that had the consistency of butter. It doesn`t really matter which one you use as long as it`s Beeswax. It`s a beautiful natural product and it smells great.


    DSC09682.JPG


    You need to whack it on liberally and work it well into the finish. Then take off the excess with the application cloth and then buff it up very well with a soft cloth. Take your time and buff it well.
    An ideal polishing cloth is old cotton nickers. They must be old because they are thoroughly softened with wear and washing and of course they save the environment a little by having a recycled use.


    DSC09683.JPG


    Once it`s all buffed, you`ll achieve a satin finish like this one, that is smoother than the paint on the door of a Rolls Royce. It feels amazing....no little pimples or unevenness in the surface, and with the scent of the Beeswax lingering, it smells good too.!


    DSC09687.JPG


    It`s assembled once more for display purposes, but still needs a few bits added on to tart it up


    DSC09688.JPG

    More as it happens
    :tophat:Gormo
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2020
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  20. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

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    I`ve been busy pruning shrubs and trees in my garden over the last few days, and have not done too much on the railway.
    This afternoon, I cut out the opening in the baseboard framing that will allow the lever frame to pass through it.
    There will be a fascia over the lever frame that will block all this from view, but that is the very last stage in the process.... a long way off just yet.


    DSC09690.JPG


    Then the lever frame was positioned under the baseboard top and sat squarely within the opening in the baseboard, shown above. I`ve used two bronze screws that pass down through the baseboard top and into the tops of the side walls of the lever frame. The Bronze colouring in the screws goes some way to disguising them in the ballast on the baseboard top, however they will be ballasted over eventually anyway.


    DSC09689.JPG


    We then remove the baseboard top with frame attached and proceed to the workshop to plan the routes for the wire in tube system with bellcranks.
    Ideally the routes will be set out in such a way as to not cross over each other.........some thought required here and some drawings on the underneath of the board may help decide the routes.
    Fortunately, there are only five points to deal with and only one of those is a problem, as it`s on the other board, so a connecting removable link will be required for that one.


    DSC09692.JPG

    More as it happens
    :tophat:Gormo
     
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