Request from the S&T Department

[IrishPeter]

The points on the S&CLR are Aristocraft units (I live in the USA) with a sprung mechanism that can be removed.  The sprung mechanism is a PITA as although it can be trailed by steam locomotives, my rolling stock is not heavy enough to trail through.  The mechanism can be removed, but as we all know 'floppy' point blades are a recipe for disaster (or at least derailments) when a facing point is not as closed as it should be.

Now for the question...

Are there any decent weighted levers out there that  have enough weight to them to hold the blades shut against a facing movement, but are still light enough for four-wheel passenger stock to trail?  My preference would be for some that looks like the old Isle of Man Railway cast iron style and can be installed parallel to the track operating the points through an angle crank, so the lever can be painted to act as its own indicator.

Mr Google is happy enough to try and sell you point motors (spit!) but weighed levers are a different matter!

Reverting to (IMR) type I am already working on a functional slot detector so I can interlock the home signals with the points. It helps to pass the time when listening to disgruntled PCC members complaining about their Vicars on the phone, and the various other time wasters one gets in my line of work...

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[hussra]

I have a couple of weighted levers which came from Keith Bucklitch's line a couple of years ago - very effective they are. Dave Watkins of this forum also has some of basically the same design, which was written up by John Oliveria in 16mm Today No. 25.

It's a bit dark and wet just now to go and take a photo, but here's a cruelly resized screengrab from a recent video which should give the idea. The points need to be pretty free moving for these - regular oiling from the S&T gang - but with that done pretty much everything except the lightest of slate wagons and tippers trails through safely.

[IrishPeter]

Don't worry the screen shot is quite clear enough. And yes, that is the sort of thing I have in mind.  The main matter that needs attending to is the loop that divides the S&CLR into two sections.  A lot of the time the long section staff is in use, so it makes sense to lock the 'up' side OOU so all trains use the 'building side' or 'down' platform.  Going through right handed means that trains have to negotiate not just facing loop points, but the goods siding is facing when one uses the platform line wrong line.  I would be a lot happier with a weighed lever on both of those, as I do not facing making FLPs and the present sprung arrangement is, to be polite, cumbersome and unsightly.  I am not going to tell you what I really think as there may be under-14s reading!

I have considered building a ground frame to sit on the down platform, but that seems like a very time consuming project, especially as I would get halfway through and decide to interlock the blooming thing. As it has already taken me three years to get this far, I am not looking for any major technical projects! I need to get a reasonable number of buildings out there so the Missus can see what it is all about.

Ta for the pic!

Cheers,
Peter in AZ

[hussra]

What may not be totally clear from the photo is that there are three bits here: the stand, the Y shaped bit that pivots in the stand and drives the point blades, and the lever and weight that also pivots in the stand and moves the Y shaped bit.

The dimensions seem fairly critical (at least, one of mine works rather better than the other, and there seems to be more to it than just the weight and how free-moving the point blades are) so I will try to take some dimensions in due course.

[hussra]

A brief possession earlier this evening by the S&T gang enabled some photography and measuring.