We finally have a new home (well, have done for a month now!), and after erecting Steinruecken my thoughts returned to Bad Horn, and how it should be current priority with an exhibition booking in November.
In lieu of any procrastination, I finally feel I have nailed the signalling. Wolfgang Meyenberg's website is essential reading for anyone trying to get to grips with German signalling, and along with a couple of cribs in the form of prototype plans today something just clicked in my mind, and it all made sense. Well, mostly. In Herr Meyenberg's own words,
Quote
"Only true experts (which certainly I am not) may dare to take a look at German Rail's rulebook which I think were made by The Conspiracy to drive brave people insane"
Perhaps I just lost my marbles, and it only seems to make sense! In any case, the biggest mental obstacle to overcome was my understanding of British railway signalling. Although superficially similar, there are sufficient differences that mentally referring to British practise caused me more problems than it solved. I was actually quite comfortable with the meanings of the various signals, it is the practises which differ- and in trying to realistically portray German railways, that is what counts. And so, with good old fashioned pencil and paper, I have attempted to translate my apparant lucidity into something concrete.
And not quite so old fashioned and considerably sillier, I used the GIMP to mock up signal placement. Ignore the displayed aspects, they don't relate at all to one another!
A slight hinderance to the right feel is the heashunt. It's a most un-Germanic thing to have at a branch terminus. I suppose it adds flexibility though, and enables two trains to be moving at once. Shame I only have one brain which isn't too hot at such multi-tasking.
Finally, I got round to pricing up the appropriate Viessmann signals. Ouch. I could buy a loco for each road signalled using their semaphores. But I can't bring myself to have an unsignalled layout, and luckily, it is possible to directly substitute the Hp semaphores with Hp light signals, which reduces the cost by a huge amount. A departure signal with shunting signal costs less than just the semaphore shunt signal, let alonge the Hp0/2 signals... they're not as pretty though. But I'd rather have dull signals than no signals.
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