The Potters Orchid Railway

[FWLR]

Superb photos Dazza. MAM's artistic quality's look even better has the portal receives more work on it.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

The base of Home # 8 is permanently installed at the Potters Orchid Railway. The operating wire and the lamp light wire are unclipped as the cement sets. The permanent way head is paying attention to the drainage as the storms in this local can be considerable. The signals will only be installed for special run days when the good wine and smelly cheeses are brought out

[Peter Butler]

It's all looking wonderful now, but I'm sure that we would all like to know the secret of ensuring the electrical connections remain waterproof, especially as you describe the area as having considerable storms?
Personally I'm probably more interested in the smelly cheese variety!

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

It's all looking wonderful now, but I'm sure that we would all like to know the secret of ensuring the electrical connections remain waterproof, especially as you describe the area as having considerable storms?
Personally I'm probably more interested in the smelly cheese variety!

Peter, I hear you, I checked the workings of installation and removal many times with the test prototype signal and those pics may be in this thread a year or two ago. We will not be operating or have the signals in place when the storms are about, for fear of the crashing tree branches about the place and hail. The battery end will be in a weather proof box at the signal box. (this box is on the Red Room work bench at this time) The unbroken figure 8 bell wire is also in a casing of heat shrink from the battery box (soldered to the brass bus bars that I am to make this weekend) to the signal base. The wire end that emerges from the ground at the signal base is a small RC model type plug with another sleeve of a more expensive heat shrink sleeve over the joins that has internal glue for extra pull strength and to prevent water seepage along the wire entry to the plug. When not in use the plug at the signal base has a dummy plug inserted to keep dirt and water spray out out. The signals are to be only intended to installed for a special run session, they are installed by sliding the signal onto the fixed in place base and a light nip of the M5 cap head using the ball end of a long series 4mm hex key, then the cover plug is removed the signal lamp light wire plug goes into the plug that is attached to the operating wire casing at the base. The operating wire is simply nudged into the bell crank hole. When the signals are not in place the signal bases are covered by ceramic bases that MAM made. Also the plug ends are above any standing water and rail level in heavy rains. A day of our warmth and sun and it will be dry ! Also the heat shrink and the ceramic base cover keeps the UV off the plugs and thus crumbling plastic which is my main concern here. The stainless steel operating wire is inside an unbroken length of Shimano Teflon tube inner lined bicycle gear cable casing with a non drying very light grease and the end caps have rubber seals to keep moisture creep along the push pull wire out. I will attempt to take pictures to explain. If this does not work properly then we resort to plan B. As yet there is no plan B Trying to think it out so the plan B is not called upon. However, there is always something...
In the next life it would be fun to design and produce a commercial signal system for garden railways however right now I want to get back to my metal work.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

We will see how well this works as "The Earth's elemental forces work upon the parts"
I forgot to take a picture of the cover over the base when the signal is removed for storage.

[Peter Butler]

Got it, very neat, thanks.

[ge_rik]

Got it, very neat, thanks.

Ditto.
Those weatherproof electrical connectors look cleverly designed. I do hope they've used rust proof metal components. I can't understand why manufacturers seem to make short cuts. For example, the bolts holding the handlebars on my bike are rusting. Why on earth didn't they use stainless steel?

And, worse still, the plastic greenhouse I bought for my wife seems to be constructed from twinwall clear plastic which isn't UV resistant ....

Rik

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Got it, very neat, thanks.

Ditto.
Those weatherproof electrical connectors look cleverly designed. I do hope they've used rust proof metal components. I can't understand why manufacturers seem to make short cuts. For example, the bolts holding the handlebars on my bike are rusting. Why on earth didn't they use stainless steel?

And, worse still, the plastic greenhouse I bought for my wife seems to be constructed from twinwall clear plastic which isn't UV resistant ....

Rik

I am sure the connectors are not weatherproof. They are radio control model parts. The heat shrink is my attempt to keep water from creeping into the plugs when not in use. I am confident the metal parts are nickle silver or such like. I am not confident the red plastic parts of the connections are UV proofed, hence covers when not in use. The signals may be placed once a month on average each year. If we have wet weather, a good baking day of sun here drives every thing dry. We have concerns with some of the plants amongst the rocks. I would love to design a snap plug in signal post to base system with integral electrical connections but only if some one can fund me for 100K for the year. The reason they do not use stainless in bolts and screws on bicycles is simply to make a wee bit more profit x thousands of units. It drives me nuts as well. The upped end of the bicycle market is where you find stainless and or titanium fasteners but still the profit making creeps in there.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

In your best Phil Harding voice,
"What we have here Tony are signs of Anglo Saxon activity"

Besides a few pieces of buried wire, no coins or pottery finds as I dig the holes for the Bonsai pots, like drop in cricket pitches, and also the road which is also for 12"/1'human foot access. Station and signal box slabs to be boxed and poured, maybe later today. Crikey there is a lot of concrete in this gig.



Meanwhile MAM was re-potting Bonsai # 1 which I got her for a Christmas present and a few years later she has a marvelous collection growing and some will be incorporated into the POR.

[Peter Butler]

Wonderful workspace there, open-air and natural light. I like to be able to work with my workshop doors open, although sometimes it can be windy or cold. However, I couldn't put up with extremely high temperatures such as you have, so I'm not complaining!

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

The Orchid House loop station, signal box, goods loading ramp and road area with more concrete and with the drop in Bonsai cavities. The road crossing is yet to be created.

[SeamusOD]

It's all starting to come together I just love the girder bridge something about bridges and tunnels you just have to have them on a railway

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Wonderful workspace there, open-air and natural light. I like to be able to work with my workshop doors open, although sometimes it can be windy or cold. However, I couldn't put up with extremely high temperatures such as you have, so I'm not complaining!

Yes, open living spaces are nice. My Red Room workshop has two sky lights, window and a pair of large sliding doors to the carport, opens up the space, light and cool ai flows. MAM's Pottery shed is mostly covered in shade for most hours and under the back deck is also her Orchid and Bonsai work area. In the shade is nice, but summer in the sun is a bit too harsh.

[FWLR]

Loads of concreting done there Dazza. Can I ask a silly
What have you used the colour pigments for we can see in photos 7-8. Were they used for colouring the concrete and on those rocks too...Or is the colour a natural one for them.

[Andrew]

That's all coming together beautifully! Looks like it should provide very smooth running too - I doubt you'll be contributing to the "disasters" thread!

All the best,

Andrew.

PS a belated thank you for the Douglas Adams quotes too, which I enjoyed very much. Don't know if you've ever read Kurt Vonnegut, but I've a strong feeling Mtr Adams was a fan - "The Sirens of Titan" in particular...

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Loads of concreting done there Dazza. Can I ask a silly
What have you used the colour pigments for we can see in photos 7-8. Were they used for colouring the concrete and on those rocks too...Or is the colour a natural one for them.

The colour pigments are mortar colouring pigments, obtained at the Big Green Box. One of MAM's discoveries and she brought them home one day and they proved very useful. It is used for colouring the mortar mainly, but can be added to concrete if one so desired, but I only use in the mortar and for sprinkling on the little piles and fill in areas of ready mix concrete. It is not used on rocks but I might sprinkle some on the rock and water it down so it ran down the crevasses and run onto the piles of concrete DO NOT USE BRICK RED ! crikey it is a strong red. I use Blue Stone, Chestnut and Chocolate. We have black but I think that will be for the engine shed area. I keep some cement powder in a jar as well to spinkle on areas I think needed it and some small 5mm stones and sand. I use a squirt bottle of water to wet it down and I just pad and play. So far after curing only a few stones are washed away with the garden hose or with the next decent rain. I am conscious of run off poisoning parts of gardens until the residue is well washed away.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

That's all coming together beautifully! Looks like it should provide very smooth running too - I doubt you'll be contributing to the "disasters" thread!

All the best,

Andrew.

PS a belated thank you for the Douglas Adams quotes too, which I enjoyed very much. Don't know if you've ever read Kurt Vonnegut, but I've a strong feeling Mtr Adams was a fan - "The Sirens of Titan" in particular...

I have not read anything of Kurt Vonnegut. These days I read very little of substance which is disappointing. I do not travel with my work any more which reading was used to fill in many hours, now full size railway loco crewing and the Model engineering and this year the garden railway has me slipping into bed, read one page and I am snoring.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

The Potters Orchid Railway's drone was launched for a fly about look at the intended location of the Pendle Valley Midi Halt (kit in storage), location of the goods loading ramp, however the signal box location was ignored as it was getting dark. The concreting contractor made a few dimensional errors under the location of the goods ramp so this will be corrected before the final invoice is settled.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

Last Friday at the Potter's Orchid Railway the head horticulturist and chair person of the board was doing some final plantings before the intensive track and operations testing on Saturday and Sunday evening.



Station building and platform edging are temporary.

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

The directors on the POR board inspected the plantings done in recent weeks and reported to the share holders that all is progressing to their satisfaction.