Project 16 - Down Siding

The siding running beside the down platform is not a platform bay but serves a cattle dock instead. It is based closely on the arrangement at Crewkerne. There is scope to extend it another six inches but I'll wait and see how much rail I have left over from laying all the sidings.


The head shunt for this siding has also been added, which needed an extension added to the bridging baseboard to support it.

The rail in the sidings is Bullhead whereas on the mainline is Flat Bottom. This reflects what was going on in the 1960s when rail was in the process of being changed from bullhead to flat bottom for maintenance efficiency and cost savings.

I feel I have made a 'rod for my own back' by deciding to make my own sleepers because what amounts to just six feet of track took about 3 days to lay. Why? Because half the time went on  printing, painting and threading sleepers onto the rail. The rest of the time was in laying the track, making off the ends that span the baseboards, wiring in the resulting dead sections and adding the small extension to the bridging baseboard.

The 3D printed sleepers are made in pairs with integrated chairs and oak keys. The quality of the 3D print is variable and does not stand close scrutiny but at normal viewing distance the track is more authentic looking than off the shelf stuff.

This unkind close up photo below shows the finished result. I failed to print integrated fish plates so am using some old Colin Waite brass etch stock. These are quite nifty because they have a clip on arrangement that does not require solder or glue. No longer available in the market but Brassmasters.co.uk have something similar - not sure if they clip on.

That round black end to the middle sleeper is a nail to hold the track in place. I explained this method in an earlier Post. By the way, the nail is not so noticeable once the ballast is laid around.

To Part 15.

To Part 1.