The Electrical Volunteers Report Sunday 10-3-2013.

[asbibby]

On Saturday Jonathan came in to prepare four canopy light covers for painting, these had to be stripped of old paint and the hand angle grinder used, to grind off some metalwork which is not required. These covers will eventually be used for the canopy when it is erected over platform two at Bury Bolton street station.

I was joined on a bitterly cold morning by Jonathan, Clive, Len and John after a first brew of the day Jonathan and myself went off to test out the fire alarm call points as usual in The Trackside and BBS information office, all was satisfactory and the findings recorded in the log books.
Simon was in also earlier on before heading up to Rawtenstall Station to carry on with the new electrical installations in the soon to be opened rub a dub dub.

We had previously been asked if we could rewire the LMS Coronation carriage in Buckley wells, the LMS drawings had been looked at to see what was required.
Armed with a tape measure we made our way down to Buckley Wells shed to see what the job would entail, the carriage was measured lengthwise approximately seventy foot long by nine feet wide. Inside are three compartments and a toilet, in the other half is the saloon with six tables, three down each side. The tables each have their own switchable table lights, along with three ceiling lights.
There are two vestibule lights and one corridor light, each of the three compartments have four switchable reading lights as well as a ceiling light.
All the lights of course are twenty four volts, with a dynamo slung on the underframe along with a battery box, fuse box and a regulator box, these were all recovered off a badly damaged LMS carriage a long time ago by Keith Battersby.
After various more measurements and finding out were the wiring should go along with the location of a new fuse distribution board, we retired back to our workshop for a warm, some lunch and a brew.

The drawings were then studied again to ascertain what the volt drop would be when wiring up the lights and to what gauge of fireproof wire would be required. The lighting circuits will have to be split up to avoid too much volt drop, once it is decided on the gauge of cable we require and the total quantity, it will be ordered.

The carriage plug link cabling was then looked at and how it is wired, this feature allows the guard on the train to switch all the carriage lights on in the train when it is going through a tunnel, etc.

That was it after another brew a chocolate slice of cake each, there were six slices but Chris was on Mother's Day duty so Chris missed out, not to worry!
See you all next week, let's hope it is a bit warmer, talk about brass monkey's you could hear them dropping everywhere.

[marflow]

All the lights of course are twenty four volts, with a dynamo slung on the underframe along with a battery box, fuse box and a regulator box, these were all recovered off a badly damaged LMS carriage a long time ago by Keith Battersby.

We will have to get low voltage DC circuit breakers for this job or use the old rewireable fuses on the underneath outside (next to the regulator).
I like the idea of 9 separate fuses in a new internal fuse box behind a seat near the centre of the coach:

controlled by guard's all-coach master switch
fuse 1 10amp saloon (3) and vestibule (4 x 60watt)
fuse 2 10amp toilet (2) and 1st 2 compartments (4 x 60 watt)
fuse 3 10amp corridor and far vestibule and far compartment (3 x 60watt)

not controlled by guard's all-coach master switch
fuse 4 10amp tables (3) saloon left side (3 x 15 or 25watt)
fuse 5 10amp tables (3) saloon right side (3 x 15 or 25watt)
fuse 6 10amp tables (3) in compartments (3 x 15 or 25watt)
fuse 7 10amp wall (4) in 1st compartment + wall in toilet (5 x 15 or 25watt)
fuse 8 10amp wall (4) in 2nd compartment (4 x 15 or 25watt)
fuse 9 10amp wall (4) in 3rd compartment (4 x 15 or 25watt)

Using 1.5mm cable, the maximum volt drop is 2v and that's less than 10% of the 24v battery.
C