Sh0 / Sh1 operating signal

idlemarvel

idlemarvel

Neither idle nor a marvel
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My first real "design and build" 3D printing project was to create a working Sh0 / Sh1 line protection signal. These are often found on German railways in stations and shunting yards. Here is a picture of a prototype:

And here is an explanation of how they operate:
Protection Signals

Here are the parts I designed before assembly:

20230511_102632.jpg

And this is the final assembly:

20230511_114157.jpg

In the slightly out of focus picture you can't really see the wire from the base to the signal head, but I can see it needs a bit more work.

And showing Sh1:

20230511_114203.jpg

As you can see I have designed it to fit on top of an LGB signal motor assembly as that already provides a compatible mechanical signal actuator. It is hard to obtain those without buying a complete signal so phase 2 is to design a cover to fit on an existing simple LGB point motor.

I will put the STL resource files on thingiverse when I am satisfied with the design.
 
idlemarvel said:
My first real "design and build" 3D printing project was to create a working Sh0 / Sh1 line protection signal. These are often found on German railways in stations and shunting yards. Here is a picture of a prototype:

And here is an explanation of how they operate:
Protection Signals

Here are the parts I designed before assembly:

View attachment 313370

And this is the final assembly:

View attachment 313371

In the slightly out of focus picture you can't really see the wire from the base to the signal head, but I can see it needs a bit more work.

And showing Sh1:

View attachment 313372

As you can see I have designed it to fit on top of an LGB signal motor assembly as that already provides a compatible mechanical signal actuator. It is hard to obtain those without buying a complete signal so phase 2 is to design a cover to fit on an existing simple LGB point motor.

I will put the STL resource files on thingiverse when I am satisfied with the design.
Click to expand...
Very impressed, Dave. Maybe a future project in the same vein, which could find paying customers for printed products, might be the turnout indicators on columns, as used in US, Switzerland, Spain etc (hint)? To attach direct to an LGB point drive, made hollow to allow wiring an LED, and with heads printed in clear, designed to be country specific? The customer would be responsible for painting and applying (coloured) lens paint as appropriate. I'm full of useful ideas for somebody else to do! :giggle:
 
viaEstrecha said:
Very impressed, Dave. Maybe a future project in the same vein, which could find paying customers for printed products, might be the turnout indicators on columns, as used in US, Switzerland, Spain etc (hint)? To attach direct to an LGB point drive, made hollow to allow wiring an LED, and with heads printed in clear, designed to be country specific? The customer would be responsible for painting and applying (coloured) lens paint as appropriate. I'm full of useful ideas for somebody else to do! :giggle:
Click to expand...
If you give me a link to a site or picture that describes said Spanish turnout indicator I'll have a think. I like a challenge! :-)
 
idlemarvel said:
If you give me a link to a site or picture that describes said Spanish turnout indicator I'll have a think. I like a challenge! :)
Click to expand...
How hard would it be to replace the signal with a semaphore on the top do you think?
 
idlemarvel said:
If you give me a link to a site or picture that describes said Spanish turnout indicator I'll have a think. I like a challenge! :)
Click to expand...
spanish_turnout_indicator.jpg
P1000488 (Medium).JPG
This is the sort of thing I was suggesting, with a 90 degree swivel.
Randy Mower in the US has produced something very like it in American style, to attach to an LGB motor:
G C & E Garden Railway design
 
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You mean something like this?

20230512_115608.jpg


20230512_115615.jpg

For simplicity I used the standard LGB Weichlantern as the turn mechanism and just removed the normal German railways indicator and bulb. It is already integrated into the switch motor and has separate light bulb wiring built in.

20230512_115632.jpg

I just used blue as that was the colour of the filament I had in my 3D printer.

If you can give some dimensions for the prototype I can adjust the design accordingly. The shaft is probably as narrow as you can get in printed plastic if you want to thread some wires to an LED bulb. I could probably make the base less chunky but not by much, and from 6 feet away you wouldn't notice.
 
Mark 2. I used coloured insulating tape as I didn't want to get the paints out.

20230519_162116.jpg

20230519_162121.jpg

Short video of it operating - "finger of God" operating the point off-screen:

 
idlemarvel said:
Mark 2. I used coloured insulating tape as I didn't want to get the paints out.

View attachment 313719

View attachment 313720

Short video of it operating - "finger of God" operating the point off-screen:

Click to expand...
Nice units, I have used coloured insulating tape for similar purposes on signals, some last for ages outside others not that long. I guess it is all about the quality of the tapes and how long you have had them in stock and where stored.
 
If its not teach grandmothers etc. The important thing about using insulation tape is to not stretch it.
 
idlemarvel said:
Mark 2. I used coloured insulating tape as I didn't want to get the paints out.

View attachment 313719

View attachment 313720

Short video of it operating - "finger of God" operating the point off-screen:

Click to expand...
That is truly amazing - well done! The dimensions seem spot on for our scale - I've seen pictures of the real thing with different heights and styles/sizes of head, so there was no single standard design and I think any finer would just invite damage! Plus it needs to be visble to more mature eyes.

I know nothing about 3D printing, could it be printed in clear plastic - I presume it is a solid piece? In my imagination, to illuminate the head, one would one use an LED bulb in the LGB base. The coloured indication diagonal and 'normal' rectangles on the head would then be masked before painting everything else thick black? The unpainted diagonal could then receive some red or yellow Tamiya coloured lens paint and the entire item would act like a light prism or tube, similar to head and cab lights on some of the very first LGB locos, Varying the masking etc would then permit other variations for other country's regulations. Is that a feasible idea?

In old discussions on this forum, the LGB 12140 lantern seems to be a bit of a Marmite accessory, with some hating and discarding it, others using it successfully. I've got a couple coming, so I'll have to make up my own mind!

Apologies for hijacking your thread - perhaps the title needs to be amended to add 'y Señales Indicadoras de Posición de Agujas'!
 
Thanks for your comments.

I think I will start another thread on this Spanish variant.

For illumination, rather than printing in transparent filament, which is possible, I have made the lozenge shape (the white and red bit) removable. Users who wanted an unlit version could just leave the (what would be in the production version) white lozenge in place, or push it out and replace with an LED and some transparent plastic to be painted as required.

I'm not sure the "light tube" solution would work as the pole is quite thin and once the light that got through that and through the paint/lacquer layers it would not be visible in daylight. But I'm only guessing.
 
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