Today saw the installation of two LMS signals.

The left signal controls the bay platform whist the right signal controls the Down line towards Kenilworth/Coventry.

Today the outer cut-away was produced to enable lower level streets and buildings to be constructed around the bend. Here is the impression you get from a Down express approaching the Leamington General station.

Yesterday’s hole in the baseboard has been used today to prototype the correct depths for key scenic features:

• the building with its advertising board has been positioned close to the tracks to gauge the correct ground level; the photograph shows it looks very realistic;
• the coach in the background is positioned where the girder bridges are proposed to span the roadways; there appears to be sufficient clearance for lorries and double-decker buses to pass under the tracks.

So, the temporary base seems to be at an appropriate depth below the track and tomorrow will see the start of making a permanent base in this area.

The photograph above shows the major part of a hole that has been cut into the baseboard at the southern end – in order to allow the construction of the downtown streets and buildings of Leamington Spa. The one below reveals the extent of the hole.

At some future time a similar cut-away will be needed on the outside of the tracks, but the current priority is to establish the ground levels on the inside portion.

The work required new supporting beams to be secured in place before existing ones were sawn through and removed. The intention is to maintain the integrity of the level baseboard surface – but only time will tell whether the work has been successful!

Today I spent more time in investigating the cause of one of two problems with points on the LMS service: the set which would switch in one direction only.

I decided to simplify the wiring by moving the spare points motor across to the control panel – so that the there was only a single connecting block from the motor to the controlling switch. The problem persisted and that surprised me because I was using a ‘new’ motor and a ‘new’ wiring harness – and the wiring was as simple as it could get.

I decided to use another new motor and also another new wiring harness. This combination fixed the problem – the motor switched in both directions. Hooray – I had found something that worked.

I then exchanged the latest motor for the previous one and tested it – it worked in both directions. This led me to the conclusion that the harness must have been causing the problem!

So, I reconnected the original points motor (on the LMS circuit) to the control panel via the ‘working’ wiring harness and retested – bingo! It worked straight away. I decided to throw away the original harnesses that had been used on the layout as well as the one I had used in my earlier testing of the problem.

Hopefully I will not see that problem again. On to the next set of points giving me a problem…

In the last week there have been two points incidents on the LMS side:-

1. One set can be operated from the control board – but only in one direction;
2. Another set will not switch at all – even manual operation is difficult.

Today I investigated issue (1) but was unable to resolve it. I started by finding a new points motor so that I could prove whether the fitted motor was the cause of the problem. I disconnected the wiring harness from the problematic points and connected it to the brand new motor – supported on a couple of blocks of wood. It showed the same problem, i.e. that the motorised pin could be operated in one direction (remotely from the control board) to the other side. But it would not move back. That eliminated the original points motor as the cause.

I then checked all the wiring connections and reran the tests – still the problem persisted. I even ran a new cable from the points wiring harness across to the control panel connections – still the problem persisted.

I then connected a new switch to the wiring so that I could eliminate the control board. The problem persisted.

At that stage I gave up for the day and am now contemplating what to do next. I think I will use new connector blocks to link the new switch to the new points motor via two new lengths of wiring. Surely that should resolve the issue???

Here is the real thing – 4-6-0 class 4079 Pendennis Castle photographed as a standing exhibit at the Didcot Railway Centre on 26th May 2019.

The work to install the LMS home signal at the end of Avenue platform 1 was completed today.

The signal is an upper quadrant one – which was the type favoured by LMS after suffering problems with snow weighing down the signal arm and preventing the arm from raising again into the ‘stop’ position – a dangerous state to leave the signal in bad weather conditions.

The above photograph shows the signal arm raised to indicate the train can continue in the next track section. Note: the black base of the signal has been recessed into the baseboard so that it can be covered over with grass and ballast.

The signal wiring was pretty straightforward: two power cables were wired to the 12v DC terminals on the controller; and two wires for operating the signal arm were wired to a switch which has been added to the LMS control board.

The worst aspect of installing the signal was the physical work under the baseboard. The desired signal position just happened to conflict with some of the baseboard supporting structure – some of which had been added to enable the construction of the subway ramp. Obviously, if you can predict where you will be needing signals at the layout design stage then the space under the baseboard can be planned. But how many modellers have such foresight?

Installation of the very first signal has begun on the LMS track.

The Dapol LMS home signal was purchased from Hattons and it will be located at the end of platform 1 of the Avenue Station – to control of departing trains for Rugby.

The location has created difficulties due to it coinciding with supporting wood under the baseboard. A trial small hole was bored through the baseboard in order to understand the severity of the problem. The hole appeared underneath just clear of the wooden support – but the clearance requirements specified for the signal base meant an amount of wood would need to be cut away.

A large drill bit was used to cut holes into the wood from below the baseboard, and this action appears to have been successful. The next stage is to drill the specified hole size through the baseboard to enable the signal base to go through and then secured in position by a nut tightened from below.

1. The last few days have been spent ballasting the track that runs behind platform 2 of the LMS Avenue Station – the line which joins the LMS service with the GWR. The photograph above shows the work in progress.

2. Above is a photograph from the opposite direction and showing a grassy bank that has been created. You can also see the beginnings of the backdrop behind the station building on platform 1.

3. Here is track layout experiment showing the possible addition of a goods siding into the GWR General Station – the line and points on the right of the photograph have been positioned on the baseboard to examine if it visually enhancing to have this capability, and to also understand if the Leamington goods shed can be squeezed into the space between that line and the edge of the baseboard.