Scalefour Forum

P4 or P87 BS 109 FB Switch Blades are perfectly practical. It just takes a practical approach and suitable tools.

The hastily prepared (and thus apologetically not great quality) scanner pictures below show the ends and undersides of code 82 model point blades for P4/P87 (and of course EM and 00 if desired ) use. The actual parts are of better precision and accuracy than the poor pictures infer.






These particular ones are my own work, but Rene' Gourley of the Proto:87 SIG published an article in a an early edition of our magazine showing some made entirely by hand filing.

The advantage of theses blades is that the FB stock rails do not require any cutting away of the rail base. Which is an obvious flaw if modelling true BS 109 or US practice.

Andy

There's always one!
Regards
Tony.

Andy,

Not sure what you mean when you say the rail web should not be ground back. BR practice is certainly to grind back the web on stock rails where the blade closes up. Quite a distinctive feature, and not only worth modelling (well, for me anyway), but also assists in turnout operation.

Perhaps wild west American practice didn't use it?

Ooops, ignore this nonsense, see informative note from Keith below!

John

John,
Are you confusing web with foot here?
I've never known a stock rail have the web ground back, it would have a serious effect on the strength and serve no purpose anyway.
Some designs of switch require part of the stockrail foot machined off to provide space for the switch to fit against, others machine off part of the switch rail foot underside so it can override the stockrail foot.
Both types are in use in the UK. Tony illustrated both in his topic.
Current designs use the special UIC switch rail section which has reduced depth so the issue is avoided and there is no need to machine the stockrail foot.

Hi Keith,

Yes I am! Thanks for the clarification of terminology, and of course I was referring to the foot.

Regards

John