Semaphore Signals

First a look at the signals themselves.
Any comments about commercial products are personal opinions and should be treated as such.

The club, being based in Edinburgh, usually bases its layouts on lines originally built by the North British Railway. The NBR used lattice signal posts and for these we have used kits from the following manufacturers:

Ratio Kits:

These plastic kits are used on Glendevon. With care they are easy to build and fairly simple to make operational using only the parts supplied in the kits [The operating motor and its associated linkage are not part of the kit and have to be added]. They are quite fragile, but the ones on Glendevon have survived over 20 years on an exhibition layout. The most common damage is to the ladder, usually caused while track cleaning. The lattice post versions are only available in 4mm scale.

Model Signal Engineering:

MSE produce a range of good quality etched brass components with whitemetal fittings. The 4mm scale range were used on a member's layout and although the results were very good there were some problems making them work satisfactorily. On subsequent modifications to Glendevon we returned to using Ratio kits.

In 7mm scale for Puddle Bridge, MSE were the only choice, the larger size making building and getting them operating easier. The additional experience gained from building the 7mm versions has meant that for Newcastleton we have decided to use MSE signals again.

To a certain extent whether you choose Ratio or MSE depends on whether you prefer working with plastic kits or feel capable of soldering etched brass ones. MSE have the advantage of a large range of components allowing variations such as upper or lower quadrant. Our experience is that repairing damage to the Ratio plastic signals is often easier; straightening a bent brass lattice post is not a simple job!