WEST ORTON

[Chops]

Mr. M, I've had a moment to go back through West Orton's archival posts. Clearly, something on the level of museum quality, if I may say. The stills do not do justice for what you have achieved here. Perchance could you shoot up some video?

[Steve M]

Mr. M, I've had a moment to go back through West Orton's archival posts. Clearly, something on the level of museum quality, if I may say. The stills do not do justice for what you have achieved here. Perchance could you shoot up some video?

Thank you Chops. I intend to shoot a video in due course and hope to include a driver’s eye view (if I can get my minicam working - I have to find where I put it first. ).

I want to finish the signalling project first - I started work on extending a gantry to span the main and branch lines adjacent to the MPD. The intention is to have working semaphores - this will involve a fair amount of scratchbuilding for the linkages. Plan B is a cluster of bracket signals - I know how to do them.

2022-07-20_07-22-03 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

[Steve M]

I fabricated the crank pivot block for the gantry this morning. Basically it’s just laminated plasticard with alternating thicknesses (0.5mm &1.0mm) drilled to accept a pivot wire. I then added a couple of etched legs to tart up each end.
The prototype control rod is in place although the offset needs to be a bit larger - once that is finalised, I can make up four rods that need to be attached to the cranks before the block is permanently fixed in place.

2022-07-21_12-23-04 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

[Chops]

Remarkable.

[Steve M]

Progressing the linkages to/from the pivot block.

2022-07-23_02-55-43 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

[Bandit Mick]

Cor, that’s clever!

[Steve M]

All above board linkages completed.
I think the next job will be to prepare the switches on the control panel while I’m waiting for a fresh supply of handrail stanchions to arrive.

2022-07-26_12-03-13 by Steve Mumford, on Flickr

[Mountain Goat]

Excellent.

[sandy]

Fantastic work Steve.

[Brian]

Great work Steve. Look forward to seeing the gantry operational.
Think I'll take up model boating now that you have produced such great results
... For Sale, extensive OO layout. Disenchanted owner.
Ha ha, not really for sale.