Yes my friends - It's me again - Corky, back to fill your heads with my seemingly never ending inane ramblings, delusional dreams and a veritable smorgasbord of Ned and Crank nonsense! The last update seemed to be particularly well received and I was pleased to receive a few enthusiastic comments from Corkettes regarding the Monochrome Memories section so I think a regular trip down memory lane or the memory mainline is called for from this point on. I will try to pick a subject that links in with something I am doing currently on the Corkscrew-Lines but expect the link to be very tenuous at times...Dreadful! As an example, the Hoover pictured below is not the only loco in this update to carry the name Valiant.
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| Another digital decades gem - 33 103 & 50 015 - Salisbury - 25.08.82 |
Constructing the Base for the Helix
Brace yourselves my friends - the theme for this month's update is without a doubt the Helix. I am sure you will all remember the "shed-fest" that was the last update - many of you probably haven't fully recovered! Well the whole point of building the Helix-House was of course to contain and cage the wild animal of a helix that I am now in the process of constructing. This behemoth will link the 4 levels of baseboard within the Corkscrew-Lines inner sanctum (or garage if you'd prefer me to be less hyperbolic) but will sit off stage of the main layout and when completed will not even be visible to operators. However, that doesn't stop me wanting to make the whole helix construction look as aesthetically pleasing as possible. This won't just be a series of plywood sections all thrown together, I want it to be as interesting to look at whilst trains are running as the rest of the layout. In fact, I want people to sit in the Helix-House and be engrossed by the trains ascending and descending the helix. Basic principles to allow this include painting all visible surfaces to coordinate the look and to fit a full depth fascia to hide all of the legs, cross-members and "under-gubbins!" from view. But more of that later.
First things first - lets get cutting some plywood...Hellfire! You'll remember that last time I showed you my sketches of the different layers required to form the helix base (Corky's analogue CAD) and a cutting plan for the sheets of 18mm plywood. This heavy duty plywood is not cheap so I wanted to avoid wastage if possible. Also, to try and make the whole assembly as rigid as possible when finished I ideally wanted to have as few sections as possible. I managed to get the 3 separate sections which form the base cut from just 2 and a bit sheets of plywood although the actual marking out and cutting took a little extra effort. Trying to find a space in the house where I could lay a pair of 8'x4' sheets of plywood next to each other and then add another section at the base for marking out proved tricky. In the end I moved the dining room table and chairs out of the way and took over the whole dining room area for the day. A little tip for maintaining domestic harmony is to make sure your better half is otherwise engaged or not present for this type of activity. Especially when you start to cut the sections out with a jig-saw and cover the entire area in sawdust - Oh My Lords!
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| The plywood sheets are laid flat in the dining room |
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| Additional section of ply is attached ready for marking out |
Having transferred the dimensions and the radius points onto the plywood I proceeded to use a trammel (see below) to draw all of the arcs and lines required to form the complex shape for the helix base. Then the sheets were lifted and the sections cut out using a jig-saw. All went well and I even managed to get the dining room reassembled and reinstated before Mrs Corky returned from work - phew!
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| The largest single section has just been cut out |
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| Components are now moved to the Helix-House |
Once I had cut out the sections I took them to their new permanent home and laid them out on the floor to make sure everything fitted as planned. Everything did indeed look as I'd planned and I could even start to imagine how the Helix-House would eventually look with the full sized helix erected. Everything was going well so it was time to erect a temporary workbench, play some Prog' rock on the stereo, get the essential mug of tea and start work on the framework to go under the plywood sections. I already had my plans showing how the timber sections would fit together so it was simply a matter of cutting, screwing and bolting everything together. I used the same softwood timber as the baseboards for the Corkscrew-Lines and to be honest it all went together easily. The only real issue was the predictable one of the lack of space to work in as the helix base grew in size. At times it was a little cramped trying to work in the Helix House with 2.4m lengths of timber but I got there in the end.
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| The first section has the framework added |
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| This is no different to baseboard construction |
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| Legs fitted and the section is placed into position |
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| The large central section now sits on the workbench |
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| More legs are fitted (with more to follow) |
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| The first two sections are now bolted together |
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| Final piece is completed and whole base is assembled |
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| Centre of the spiral gives ample access room |
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| Solid and strong - so far so good |
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| Essential components for a Corkscrew-Lines leg |
Trackbed Templates
Having constructed and assembled the helix base components, the next step was cutting out the various plywood sections which will actually be supported by the threaded rods and carry the actual track. After producing yet more tracing paper sketches (see the last update for details) I realised there will be a total of 6 types of trackbed section required to complete the entire helix. Some sections are used only once (the bottom level return loop splitting section) whilst the quarter turn spiral sections for the helix itself will need to cut dozens of times. Accuracy is key to making the helix easy to assemble so I needed to produce a set of master or template boards which will be set aside and used only to produce duplicates until no further copies are required. Then the templates can finally become the last boards to be fitted and join the rest of their number on the helix.
To ensure the template boards are as accurate as possible with regard to radius and size I purchased a very handy Trammel set from Amazon for a tenner. A piece of timber is cut to just over the required radius for the helix and a series of markings are added showing track centres, foam track underlay positions and the cutting lines for the plywood. The first piece of the trammel set with a sharp point is placed into a small hole in the plywood sheet and the other component which holds a pencil is adjusted along the piece of timber to draw the arcs required for cutting. All very easy and I am able to use it as many times as I like.
As the helix is completely bespoke all the choices with regard to track radius are down to me. I decided to go for a radius of 28.5" and 31.5" for the two tracks and I am happy with this decision as I feel I will be able to have broad curves and not too hard a climbing grade. There is one problem with this however - there are no Tracksetta templates available for these radius so how can I ensure the track is laid accurately? The answer was to cut my own templates out of plywood using the aforementioned trammel. I measured the distance between the rails and then transferred this onto the plywood sheet. A huge advantage with this is I have an enormous template which is probably about 6 times longer than the commercially available ones so maintaining a constant curve is so much easier - Hellfire! As the home made Tracksetta templates will only be used with flexi-track it doesn't actually matter if the edges of the template are a little ragged in places because the flexi-track will hold the radius until it has been secured to the foam track underlay. I will explain more on this in the next update when I intend to be laying the first sections of track.
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| A total of 6 types of trackbed section will be required |
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| Ten pounds well spent |
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| Track bed section markings on the wooden bar |
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| Arcs drawn quickly and accurately for the trackbed sections |
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| Home-made Tracksetta templates ready to be cut out. |
A rather noisy and dusty session with a jig-saw produced my set of 6 master template boards. I immediately marked them as such to prevent me inadvertently sticking one onto the helix and losing it and then placed them onto the helix base to make sure everything looked right. Thankfully all looked well so I then took some time to mark out the positions for all of the threaded rods and proceeded to drill 1mm pilot holes through the master templates into the helix base where the rods would be fitted. The reason for drilling such a small hole through the master sections is to maintain accuracy throughout the construction of the helix. It would be very easy to place the master section on top of a newly cut section for the helix and then drill through from above using an 8mm drill bit. The chances of the hole on the master template remaining at only 8mm after it has been used a couple of dozen times however is slim. The hole would expand with time and accuracy for the placement of the holes to accept the threaded rod would be lost. I use the 1mm hole on new sections as a pilot hole for the larger drill bit once the master has been removed.
Working from the helix spiral section first, I placed the template boards into their positions and ensured the rods would not be positioned where they could compromise the future alignment of the tracks onto and off the helix. Once I was satisfied and I had tested everything using bolts to represent the threaded rods, I drilled through the helix base using the previously mentioned 1mm pilot holes and the positions were then set. As a final check that everything was positioned correctly I placed all of the template sections onto the base and secured them with the bolts to prove different levels would fit and could share the same threaded rods despite their relative heights in the helix. It worked fine - Hellfire! The next stage having produced the master templates and determined the positions for the threaded rods is to get some more plywood and start to mass produce all the components I will need. The most numerous by far will be the quarter turn boards which allow the track to climb. I will need dozens of these so I will try to knock out plenty now before my enthusiasm for cutting yet another 12mm plywood sheet with a jig-saw begins to wane.
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| Red crosses mark the positions for the threaded rods |
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| Master template is shown with 3 slaves forming a loop |
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| Overlapping boards to ensure alignments are correct |
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| Templates in background and newly cut sections on base |
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| M8 bolts masquerade as threaded rod - it all works! |
Traction Action - What on Earth!!??!!
Hmm - yes, I'm going to struggle to justify this purchase! As the Corkscrew-Lines is based on the Southern and Western regions in the south west of England, the chances of this particular beast making an appearance is stretching credibility in a fashion resembling elastic.
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| Napier Nonsense! |
So why did I purchase one of the Locomotion Models limited edition Prototype Deltic models?...because I wanted to of course. My great mate Johnny (Napier-Boy) Herbert purchased one of these years ago when they were first released and when he let me examine it I was blown away by the quality of the mouldings and detailing and the sheer presence of the model. Surely one of the finest OO-Gauge RTR models ever released. A series of further batches have come and gone and I have wavered but not purchased. But a couple of weeks ago my finger clicked the "add to cart" button when I realised a new batch had just become available in mainline livery without the awful weathering option. I have been teasing Johnny over the last few weeks by telling him I have a new piece of traction and he will never guess what it is. So what do you think of that Johnny? Some of your Napier inspired obsession may have rubbed off on poor old Corky! Oh My Lords!
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| Vroooom! Vroooom! - Absolutely Hellfire! |
Latest arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines
Returning to less contentious purchases, I have once again had my bank account raided by those cheeky monkeys down in Cambourne. Yes my friends, Kernow Models have played on another of my modelling weaknesses and produced another gorgeous model of a signal box which was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Rather than a LSWR structure, this time we have a delightful model of the large GWR box at Truro. This box will sit at the station throat of my Western Region terminus on the third level of the layout although it's identity will obviously need to be changed. That part of the layout is years away so for now the box its in my study and very nice it looks too.
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| How I love the models commissioned by Kernow Models |
I am now starting to gear up for a mammoth helix construction and track-laying session so I have been stocking up on essentials such as solder and flux ready for dropper wires and the DCC bus being installed. I have decided to try out the DCC Concepts flux and solders ranges which although expensive promise excellent and easy results. We shall see. Powerbase packs have also been stockpiled ready for the helix spiral sections. I love the woodworking and carpentry tasks associated with the construction of the layout and I have been purchasing some ironmongery and power tool sundries.
Finally I have purchased another book to add to the Ned Cave Library. This is another historical photo album detailing the long since closed line which ran from Didcot to Southampton via Newbury and Winchester. The line was used intensively during the second world war and seriously upgraded in the run up to the D-Day invasion. In it's latter days it saw frequent bulk oil trains running to and from the Fawley branch hauled by 9Fs and the shots of heavy freight trains passing the austere ARP style signal boxes are absolutely fascinating.
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| Latest arrivals |
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| I find die-cast models like these irresistible |
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| Powerbase by DCC is being purchased in bulk ready for track-laying |
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| Ironmongery and woodworking kit |
The final new arrival is not actually anything to do with model railways but I am sure will prove to be very popular on the Corkscrew-Lines never the less. As the layout is being built on multiple levels then it logically follows that the lowest level will be too low to operate or indeed view properly whilst standing. To maintain comfort for operators and to make it easier to follow trains as they trundle around the layout I decided early on that a stool on casters would be an option worth investigating. Well those jolly nice chaps at Amazon recently sent me the stool you can see below and at a total cost of just over twenty pounds I think it is a bit of a bargain. I have carried out extensive testing by propelling myself around the layout whilst sitting on the well padded cushion and I consider the idea a complete success. I may even order a couple more so operators always have a seated option without taking up too much of the valuable floorspace.
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| Cheap, comfortable and surprisingly fast...Hellfire! |
Visiting Corkettes
At times our move to Sussex from Lincolnshire seems like a bitter sweet experience. There is no doubt that I regret leaving such close and loyal friends as Napier-Boy, Rooster, Wibble and Lord & Lady Dowsby behind. We definitely do not see enough of these fine folk now we are back in the south. It is not all bad news however because other friendships have been rekindled with long standing friends based in the south. Just the other day our great friend "Posh-Colin" popped round in his Aston Martin to survey progress on the Corkscrew-Lines because Colin, quite sensibly, realises that being cool means being a Corkette - Oh yeah! - Dreadful! Now Posh-Colin is not actually a railway modeller (poor chap) but that doesn't mean he's not interested in the project and as he is a bit of a boffin when it comes to computers I think he may prove to be a very useful addition to the Corkette ranks. I am a self confessed numpty when it comes to technology so an ally when it comes to installing the Roco Z21 DCC system and associated wireless router and mobile phones is obviously very welcome. And besides, Posh-Colin has been a good friend for decades and really is an all round jolly good egg! Welcome aboard Colin.
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| The one and only Posh-Colin |
You will possibly remember from earlier this year that I briefly popped in to the Lavender Line at Isfield and took a few photos - as you do. I promised myself that I would return on a running day to properly explore the line and check out all it had to offer and that is exactly what I did a few weeks ago. Happily I was joined by my delectable wife and our now regular partners in crime for this type of adventure - Jo & Neil. Being a confirmed Ned and Crank, Neil loves a bit of heritage thrash and Jo loves nothing more than a decent cuppa and a slice of cake in the station buffet - Oh My Lords - Dreadful!
Now the Lavender Line is not the longest preserved line in the country. It runs from the delightful village of Isfield in East Sussex to a single wooden platform halt at Worth in the parish of Little Horsted and the total distance covered is probably no more than a couple of miles. So it won't rival the North York Moors Railway for spectacular length or grades and it doesn't have the same roster of locomotives that the East Lancs or West Somerset Railways can boast - but that doesn't matter. You see this is a charming and friendly little line that provides the perfect fix of nostalgia and atmosphere that we Neds crave. A couple of hours were spent exploring the station and yards before we took a return trip to Worth Halt and back whilst seated in a GWR Toad brakevan with traction provided by a rather splendid 1961 vintage Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 shunter named Valiant.
Riding on preserved railways in brakevans is becoming a bit of a habit this year - not that I mind! It has been another of my long held ambitions to have a real brakevan in the garden to act as a summerhouse (cue Mrs Corky rolling her eyes!) but that certainly won't be happening at the current Jones-Towers because some plonker went a built a Helix-House instead!
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| Isfield Station heritage traction |
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| The day's passenger train - Absolutely dreadful! |
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| Valiant - Quite a beast! |
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| The wonderful ex LBSCR signal box |
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| The legends that are Neil & Jo |
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| I want one of these for the Helix-House! |
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| A view of about half of the railway! |
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| End of the line at Worth Halt |
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| Yours truly aboard the Toad |
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| The fantastic four hurtling through the Sussex countryside! |
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| There are short trains and then there are very short trains! |
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| A real gem based in the East Sussex countryside |
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| A Wickham/Meadows combo - not many of those about. |
Another very interesting member of the Lavender Line's traction roster is the impossibly cute Wickham Trolley that sits just off the end of the platforms at Isfield. It just so happens, as I am sure most of you already know, that Bachmann are in the process of producing a OO-Gauge model of the Wickham Trolley, albeit with a trailer to house the motor. Not something I have been very excited about but I could envisage a day when I might be tempted to have one of these little scamps bouncing along the mainline during an engineering blockade on the Corkscrew-Lines.
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| Not sure I'd want to venture onto a mainline in a Trolley! |
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| Marvellous period details abound |
Thumpers are amongst my favourite trains of all time. Happily the Lavender Line has one but unfortunately it is not presently running. That didn't stop me taking some shots of the wonderful machine though and I absolutely love the way the face of the unit has been given a full cosmetic makeover so the visiting public can see how she'll look when fully restored.
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| All looks ship shape at this end |
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| Don't look at the sides - Whoops! |
Finally, I am considering producing a Corkscrew-Lines version of the famous Pirelli Calender featuring a bit of model railway glamour - Oh My Lords! Only kidding of course - I don't think the idea has legs - unlike the subject of the wonderful poster below.
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| Makes me want to visit Portsmouth - Dreadful! |
The humble Signal Box
It occurred to me whilst describing the new Kernow model of Truro signal box that I am now starting to gather quite a collection of images of signal boxes via my Digital Decades scanning project. Below are a collection of images of assorted signal boxes from all over the network which were taken in the early 1980s. Some are scanned from colour slides and some from black and white negatives. It is the intention of Network Rail to ultimately replace all signals boxes whether small lever framed or power boxes with 14 ROCs (Rail Operating Centres) of which many are already in operation. Indeed, Mrs Corky already works in one. This is certainly not the place to discuss the merits or drawbacks associated with this centralised approach - this is the place to wallow in nostalgia for the traditional railway and the humble signal box. Having worked myself as a signaller in absolute block lever frame signal boxes I will always have a soft spot for these iconic structures which hark back to the glorious days of the Victorian railway building boom. There will no doubt be more images of signal boxes in future updates as I fortunately seemed to take a photo of almost every box I encountered. But for now, enjoy this bunch of gems. The usual caveats apply regarding the poor quality of some of the images as I was just a boy with a camera set to Auto - normally to be found with my head stuck out of a Mk1 coach window - Absolutely Dreadful!
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| Newton Abbot - 26.09.82 |
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| Colwyn Bay - 30.07.82 |
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| Broad Street - 01.05.82 |
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| Exeter Middle Box - 26.10.82 |
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| Wigston South Junction - 26.06.82 |
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| March East Junction - 08.05.82 |
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| Audley End - 01.05.82 |
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| Manchester Victoria - 28.07.82 |
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| Ferryside - 10.04.82 |
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| 47 440 - Exeter St Davids - 19.09.82 |
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| Gillingham, Dorset - 26.09.82 |
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| Clapham Junction - 08.05.82 |
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| Exeter Central - 19.09.82 |
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| Parkeston West - 27.02.82 |
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| Rhyl No.2 - 28.07.82 |
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| Welland Bridge, Spalding - 08.05.82 |
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| Wrabness - 27.02.82 |
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| 50 029 - Dawlish - 19.09.82 |
So there we have it, the end of another mammoth update. The helix construction project is proceeding quickly and so far without any major problems so next time I hope to be able to show you the completed base and first sections of trackbed fitted and working. Yes my Corkette chums - that's right - the next update will indeed include laying track and there will be actual moving trains just like a real model railway layout - Oh my Lords - Hellfire!
That's all for now Folks,
Corky!
