SOUTHERN
RAILWAY/REGION
OFFSET SIGNAL
BRACKET
Suitable for 1 to 3 dolls
Note: this kit contains bracket and
landing components only. For a complete
signal, you will need: a rail-built base post
(S0032); dolls (S0022); signal arms
(S0012 series); finials (SC002); lamps
(SC006); and a ladder (S009 series).
Obtain good photographs before starting
work. Remember that changes may have
taken place during the lifetime of the
prototype, although probably limited in
the case of these post-grouping signals.
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
Burnish both sides of the fret before
removing any parts.
Prepare the two S0032 base posts by first
removing the cast-in bearings and lamp
brackets. Find some material 1.5mm thick
which will be unaffected by soldering
heat, and cut a piece 4mm wide and
120mm long. Sandwich this between the
two posts such that the rail bolt heads and
the thickness of the spacing material are
facing you, and secure with clips or
elastic bands etc. Most signals did not
have one post extended for bracing
purposes, as shown in the heading photo.
Remove the two rectangular post bracing
pieces from the centre a bracket. Solder
them to the large rectangle in the bracket
in the positions shown overleaf: the upper
one goes on the outside of the bracket,
and the lower one on the inside. This unit
should now be soldered to the top of the
post.
Turn the post over, and repeat the above
for the second bracket and set of bracing.
Finally, cut the post to length, ensuring a
minimum of 13'6" clearance remaining
between the rail head and the underside of
the cantilever, at any point where it will
foul a running line.
Before removing the landing from the
etch, establish the handrail stanchion
positions from your prototype
photographs, and drill the landing
perimeter at the chosen intervals with a
no.75 drill. Solder the landing to the
bracket tops, with the front and rear
overlaps in the proportions shown below
(the rear overlap is the longer one!).
Cut to length sufficient S0022 dolls.
Complete them by adding arms, lamps
and balance weights. Finials should be
left until last to avoid breakage.
Carefully make holes in the landing to
accommodate the dolls. For a junction
signal, these should be at least 6'6" apart;
dolls applying to parallel roads should be
at least 10' apart. Solder in the dolls.
All working motion should now be
undertaken to a satisfactory stage, before
the addition of handrails, so as not to
impede access. Small cranks tend to lose
their efficiency due to poor bearings, so it
is wise to provide small tubular bearings
soldered unobtrusively into the bracket
frame, and then to put the cranks onto
short lengths of nickel silver wire as
axles, with a washer soldered on the rear
end to give a good movement. The wire
linkages will perform that much better.
For the handrails, insert scale 3' to 4'
lengths of wire (no more than 0.33mm
diameter) into each previously drilled
hole, from below, with a short "L" turned
on the bottom of each one. A quick solder
joint on each one will fix them in place,
then they can be aligned by eye, and a
handrail of soft iron wire fixed around,
one stanchion at a time. Leave a hoop at
the rear where the ladder will be attached.
Finally, trim off all excess wire.
Solder the chosen ladder to the rear of the
landing, adding two bracing stays from
thin brass strip midway up the base post.
Due to the rigidity of the rail-built base
post, ground bracing was often
unnecessary. However, doll or base post
bracing was sometimes provided, as
shown in the illustrations.
PAINTING
Clean the signal by immersing in warm
detergent water, rinse under a running tap,
then allow to dry overnight. Spray overall
with white primer. The bottom 4'6" of the
base post should be painted black.
However there are many variations, e.g.
black brackets, so beware!
© Wizard Models Limited 2017
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