Project 26 - Hewish Gates #3

How can a large hand wheel in the signal box cause four level crossing gates to open or close? It had me baffled until I researched the matter.

The hand wheel rotates a vertical shaft by means of bevelled gears. The bottom of the shaft in the signal box basement drives rack and pinion gears that connect to rods that move the gates via cranks in the same manner as turnout control. In addition road and rail side gate stop locks and wicket gate locks are controlled similarly.

At Hewish Gates in the 1930s the cranks and rods outside of the crossing area were covered by boards. By the 1950s the boarding appears to have been removed exposing the mechanics. I have modelled the boards in place to save modelling the mechanics. I only had to show rods where they cross the open track bed.

In the prototype there are more mechanics under the road surface that were accessed by removeable panels but most of the road was an asphalt covering over wooden boards, judging from photographs.

To Part 1.

Card Kit of the Week

 A different model displayed here every week.

Swanage pre-heritage signal box.(Click for details).

Project 26 - Hewish Gates #2

As usual, I made my own Code 75 flat bottom track, being not too happy with the Peco offering. Problem for me is their sleeper dimensions and spacing which may be more suited to H0 (3.5mm scale). My sleepers are resin 3D printed, originally designed by me for Graham Farish Formoway Code 100 flat bottom rail. Interestingly, Peco Code 100 rail did not fit but their Code 75 does perfectly.

I don't know if the Peco chairs are accurate to prototype but mine mimic UK BR1 chairs that were common in the 1960s.

As I only needed about 3 feet of track I bought the Peco SL100F and stripped off the sleepers to use only the rail.

With the rails covered for protection using drinking straws split down the middle; the sleepers were spray painted with brown/black acrylic. Rail sides and chairs were brush painted.

Ballast is my own mix comprising reclaimed and new material. In there to give variety of colour (does not show up well in the photo) are cork, coal, granite, pumice and maybe cat litter (not recommended) from earlier mixes, all ground and sifted to about 1mm length.

Ballast is fixed in place with diluted PVA remembering to add a few drops of washing up liquid to make it flow easily.

To Part 3.

To Part 1.