Another NSR signal box?

Before I go back to the modelling side and discuss what I've amended there, I will just finish off about the changes to the frame and gates.

Firstly, the important bit, Getting the levers right and the correct colour. These have come via Nick Allsopp, to whom I'm most grateful for his help and information.



This is pre 1966

Now we come to the big change and this paperwork shows some of the changes to the frame, All the levers moving up to number 7 to make way for 3 browns on 2,3, & 4 and 5,6 7 becoming distant and two homes and loosing its former spare use.

Note there is a descriptive error in that they refer to lever 1, which should be lever 2 and nudge one along respectively, but makes interesting reading.



And again detailing the changes.

Modelling next...

Andy

 

Returning to the modelling side… a few years ago some new photos surfaced (from what year we’re not sure, but could be 1982 when the box closed)
These were by the late Terry Essery and one gave me a view of the rear telling me I had made 2 big errors.



First of all, I had been unaware that the chimney breast ran external to the box back wall, so this had to be amended and added.. that then meant the chimney stack was in the wrong place, so this obviously meant it had to move.. fairly simple…

then I noticed my second error. The porch came all the way to the back of the box, which I hadn’t done, thinking it just covered the doorway in as most of them did.

that in itself wasn’t difficult, but.. and it was almost a big but, it meant the whole roof section had to be redrawn. Due to how
I had made the original and hollowed out to save on printing material etc, it wouldn’t be straight forward and was made again from the start. It’s a later roof which appears to be lead sheet lined. I suspect the earlier version was tiled as I’ve seen two similar design and sized boxes with tiles and lead ridging, so I may make a back dated version at some stage.


At the time the photo was taken there appears to be some work on going with the road closed.

the externals were now up to date..

but then I noticed the stone lintel over the locking room door on the left under the stairs. (This is the issue when originally you draw up from only two photos!) So that was added this last week.

now I had done at least 2 models of this before, I can’t remember who I supplied this to, but I was emailed about 2 weeks ago by a gent who had been commissioned to paint said print for our joint customer (I think I may have supposed the files to a 3rd party printer thinking about it.)


it made a nice model, it was after the chimney and porch were amended, but before the new interior I’ve now made.


Have to say, it’s a wonderful feeling when you get photos sent of how someone has done your models..

This picture shows the modified back chimney and the extended porch..
I didn’t model the guttering. Something I think I can soon regret for the finishing touch.


And speaking of finishing touches, here it is on the painters layout. He liked it so much head asked for one himself!

next, updating the interior.

 

With apologies for the delay, the planned next update hasn’t quite come about, mainly as
I have been printing the said model.

In lue of this, I will bring you some pictures of said model.

What we will be looking at is the development of the inside detail.

anyway , here are some photos

Pack 2 which is the roof and internals. There are two lever frames and two block shelves to cover the two periods. Here we have the later lever frame and items such as the fire, fire place and tables.
Pack 1, the main building and stairs and a few of the pre 1966 items.
The brick work
Testing the interior

 

Thanks Gormo.. note also the time frame it’s been done over..

im currently working on a track diagram.


It’s not yet finished. Still a few tweaks to do and also to add the gradient profile which I'm having a problem with as my version of Word for some reason will not allow me to rotate text. Which is not brilliant when it comes to this profile as I need to right Level vertically. (There is an irony there somewhere?? )

 

Ive completed the diagram, but I had an issue with some reprints where as they didnt actually print. I think I need to clean the vat.



Here is the final diagram I've used. Its a bit mixed bag as it covers 2 time periods, but I can by removing certain parts make one or the other pre and post 66 mods as discussed before.


Anyways, I have said I would return and discuss the modelling side.

It stems back to new photos of the interior as posted earlier becoming available, and one thing I noticed was that the whole wall up to below the windows was double brick, apart from a small area around the lower cabin windows. For printing, weight and resin use issues, I had skimped on the original model and made them only 1 brick thick with a plaster covering below the window ledge inside. However, the photos showed me it was double and how the window ledges curved over the change in bricks internally.


This shows the insides with the one brick thickness before mods. (it also includes the floor, which pushes up and meets with the skiting board to secure it to with glue).

Compared to the later version which now shows a step a brick or so after the window cut outs. (compare this to the photo on page 1 of this topic)

The same had to also be done with the cabin top wooden structure.

The early window frames had a straight and narrow window ledge.


Now you will notice the curve areas outside of each of the lower windows that were to allow easier view of the crossing with it being such a tall box.

Internally I also updated some planking and the roof interior and lighting runs


Here you can see very plain roof inside.

Now we have the planking an light runs

I'll leave you with some of the new renders before we discuss the internal fittings..

These are the post 1966 internal details

For some reason the system has ignored the letters on the "penguin" instruments.



But has included the here. Note the original styled NSR lever collars on the shelves.

 

For the models interior I chose to model both the pre and post may 1966 changes in the level crossing when the frame and block shelf are thought to have been changed when the 4 gates were changed to 4 lifting barriers.

We shall start with the pre 1966 amendments, probably almost as was built in NSR days

Although I don't have an actual photo inside of a pre 1966 box, between a number of discussions we believe it would have looked something like this.



Here we have the two Tyers Absolute Block instruments (similar to what you have seen me restore full size) The track diagram and lamp fail unit (black box on the right) which would sound a buzzer and light a lamp if one of the parafin lamps had gone out on the signals. next to that is a track circuit display (this links in to the yellow section shown on track diagram I posted above, so when a train is in this section, the bar would move horizontal.
Below that is a signal repeater and the other two repeaters are known as "slot on's" which will display if the next box had pulled off a particular signal off.


Here is the original model, you may note some difference in the position of the Tyers AB units on the timbers. We are still trying to decide if balance on the boards would have been equal, as I think knowing the weight of mine on its own, there would have been a huge load on those two timbers with two on there and I doubt they would have sat it so far out.

This leads on to the earlier lever frame...


A Mckenzie & Holland 20 lever frame (although No1 is the gate wheel) with only lever 7 and 8 as spare. 2 & 3 are the wickets gates.

In comparison, The later post 1966 change saw the wheel disappear and some levers moved along - loosing 7 as a spare and creating 3 browns at the left hand side with the new number 2 lever now controlling the barriers, 3 and 4 now controlling the wicket gates.



Finally the new block shelf, a modern day BR example.


The same lamp failure unit is present, along wit the repeaters, the Tyers have been replaced with the BR Penguin block instruments and on the far left (which I appear to have inadvertently chopped off) is part of the light repeaters and switching for the barriers and also an emergency override. Normally a pedestal was installed but there appears to be mixed feed back as to if one ever was present at this box.

Next I'll come to some of the other refinements inside.