Build a wagon retarder
No hump marshalling yard is complete without a set of automatic wagon retarding equipment. GEORGE DENT shows you how to build your own.
No hump marshalling yard is complete without a set of automatic wagon retarding equipment. George Dent shows you how to build your own.
Hump marshalling yards were virtually extinct by the time I had become a budding enthusiast, but the sight of wagons trundling along on their own must have been something to behold. And then there were the wonderful ‘Master and Slave’ Class 13 shunters at Tinsley Yard, but that’s another story. After discussing this subject with Paul Lunn, we wondered how easy it would be to create a convincing representation of the retarding equipment, while ensuring that it didn’t interfere with the free move‑ ment of the trains. After a bit of thought and some digging to find suitable prototype images, I set to work with plenty of plastic strip and section from Evergreen and Plastruct. My demonstration piece aims to capture the essence of the retarders installed at Healey Mills. However, I’ve estimated the dimensions and simplified much of the working gear. Naturally, there is the need for compromise, not least to allow ‘OO’ guage stock to navigate the equipment safely. Indeed, with my re‑creation, all wagons will pass over the section easily enough. However, some locomotives have trouble clearing the components within the ‘ four‑foot’. Having tested it successfully with a Bachmann Class 08, I later realised that the chassis covers of some diesel and steam locomotive models project further downwards than others and can foul the retarding equipment slightly, which could do with being about 2mm shorter between the rails. Luckily, this isn’t an issue as far as my requirements are concerned. However, I strongly recommend that you test your own retarders thorough‑ ly with all of the traction types that you’re likely to employ. As well as the retarding gear fitted to the tracks, other items of infrastructure are essential, including relay cabinets and concrete cable troughs for each retarder. Additionally, pits were provided for the large reservoir tanks and these were covered with timber slats. This is an essential piece of kit to include on a hump yard layout and prototype research is vital, as the exact nature of equipment differed from yard to yard. Scratchbuilding most of the parts, aside from being the only realistic means of progress, also makes for a very economical option.