An NSR Absolute Block instrument

The originals were dark.. look back at the early photos inside.. it’s almost black.

I won’t be going that far though.
See how it looks after 3.

before I do the third, do I need to rub any back with the wire wool again or just wipe it over again for the next layer? It’s still feeling very smooth as it is.

I have some wax polish, but can’t recall if it’s specifically Bees wax? It was for timber floors in a dolls house of all things!
I’ll look when home later.

 

A small photo update of the assembled top. Will be broken down again for the third coat and maybe 4th.

then I’ll glue it up and screw up. Hopefully not screwing it up in the process!


Bottom half to do next, but as I’ve said, need to disassemble the door for that.

 

This morning (before a midday start at work) I decided as it was sunny again (no kids, no school run, wife in bed off nights) I’d turn my attention to the bell box and give that its first cover of Shellac.

it had another gentle clean back before as it’s been stood over a year doing nothing. And still I found bits of missed on the underside.
So wire wool, meths and dry and wipe on the first coat. I then carefully did some selective parts of the screw holes and lock hole and the striker hole with a small paint brush.

it’s now drying in the sink.
the base where the lid sits and the actual bottom of the lid have had a second coat brushed on as a little bit of added protection for wear…

 

Hello all,

I’d been hanging off posting these from yesterday as I wanted @Mossy to see them first as he had kindly drawn the new artwork for me so we can get another step closer to getting over the finish line.

On Thursday the front panel was removed and took a 45 mile trip back to an NSR station and signal box, the first time it’s been close to “home soil” since I’d purchased it.


it’s here at Cheddleton. The signal box is being restored also after 50 years sat in the yard (in use I must add) it’s needing some TLC and also being refurbished else where ready to put it back in to service on the main line (NB some of this may be slightly more modern kit with what is normally known on heritage railways, but sometimes you have to go with what’s available.)

Work was ongoing down the line.

The reason was to collect the new art work for the rather run down work worn plate front.


These have been printed in colour (ie with White !!) by Endon Valley Custom Transfers. They are actually local to the line and Tom the owner does some great model railway transfers from the small to full size (Infact he was also coming down to measure up some transfers for the class 47 which is being repainted.)



he has kindly done me 2 sets so if I make a mistake I will at least have a spare. Down side is it’s cost me £44 for this despite supplying my own artwork etc, but as you can’t get it anywhere else, what do you do? You pay up!!

(incidentally, £44 was also how much my first model cost me of the same signal box in the back ground of the photo! Some 10 years ago!)

more soon.

andy

 

Working display at home. Peter is making a simulator to connect this up with the bell box.

it’s a work in progress around family and work time and sometimes weather.

 

Whilst getting stuff ready for the next stages I happened to flip the heavy brass front panel over.. no idea why I’d never spotted this before, but…. I’d say that’s stamped NSR 20 or 30??. im still of the mind with none of the other woodwork other than that old bottom where I reused it to make my new top being stamped NSR, I wonder if someone has cobbled two instruments to start making one (of which I now appear to have nearly completed with the donation of parts from a CR top.?? Or maybe it was swapped during a repair?
We will never know..

as an aside, I decided to remake the hammer rest for the bell box. I could never get the thread and nut to the right spot. I redesigned it slightly taller, a different thread and bought a tap of the same spec.



the tap ran though the post and the nut beautifully, showing the 3d print was fairly accurate. I didn’t order a die and with luck and a little turning, I managed to get the screw thread to tap through


Now to see if I can make it brass looking!!
I did look at costs to produce in brass, but was rather costly!
Andy

 

You could well be correct. I doubt I'll find out as I don't intend on stripping the back and leaving it original.

 

Ha. Well, that didn’t go quite to plan.. but…

I put the first coat of paint stripper on the front and… not a lot happened.

So after a scrape back, i tried again. Same stripper..



Took off the black side letters for the up and down lines, but not much else.

time for another try.. nip out to wickes and get some nitromors, rather than some cheap brand stuff the Mrs picked up.

Et Voila… interesting how the arch’s for the sector displays have shadowed on the plate.
One pass with the paint scraper and it all just peeled away.


some stripper must have crept under at the bottom, and had already removed paint on the back side as see at the foot of the photo.


so sadly the pencil text at the top was going to be going, no idea why it was there.. so here is the last photo of it for record.

which meant we managed to find out what the number was.. and it NSR 29. Still none the wiser. There were two other marks I had also not seen before at the top left and bottom left.

a 9 top left

and a z bottom right. (Excuse my jeans!!)

now to finish cleaning up (any suggestions??) ready for new paint and transfers.

it’s all progressing now.

 

No polish?
I’ve had to gently sand back a high rough spot.
The wire wool brings up a good finish, but can’t get over the amount of scores in the original surface under the paint!

 

Oh aye, that’s why i went for it. But it’s an aerosol can now! Not the old tin with the plastic bath tub on the top.

makes less mess actually just spraying on.

 

First layer of primer on the back. At the moment the letters still stand out.


for the top layers I’ve chosen Cream RAL9001

 

The back side is now nicely in cream.



I’ve now moved on to the front.


Won’t be long till I’m adding these details!
Andy

 

I wonder how it was painted originally. I suspect powder coating was not around then. It didn’t seem brushed. But also doubt it was sprayed.