All ‘Consolidated Shales’ locomotives are single (slow) speed in concept, and have bi-directional operating facilities.......
 
 
The controls, traction equipment and electrical circuitry have been standardised as much as possible, and each locomotive and each electrically associated item of rolling stock on the railway is equipped with jumper cables and associate plugs, together with live and dummy receptacles at each end, so that multiple-working in ‘consists’ with other locomotives and electrically associated items of rolling stock can be performed on the ‘company’s’ railway.
The Traction Batteries in each equipped vehicle must first be charged via the 2.5mm ‘Input’ socket provided, with the vertically mounted double pole double throw main isolating switch in the up or ‘Charge’ position. - Both this 2.5mm socket and the switch, which is of a larger sliding type, are mounted below the sole-bar on the left-hand side of the vehicle involved. – When the traction batteries are ready for use, switch must be set to the down or ‘Discharge’ position.
  
 
Connected to the ‘Positive Discharge’ contact on the main isolating switch is a self-resetting circuit breaker. - This device is placed in series with a red positive feeder cable, and protects any on-board cabling and equipment from overload or general misuse.
The red positive feeder cable from the output of the circuit breaker, and the black negative feeder cable from the ‘Negative Discharge’ contact on the main isolating switch, are individually connected to two of the four sets of cables that form the ‘Train Line’ in each locomotive and associated item of rolling stock.
The red and black sets of cabling provide the power for all on-board equipment, whilst the other two sets of cables (both of which are white in colour), are used in connection with the distribution of traction motor current.
 
 
By using the jumper cables at the end of each locomotive, up to five locomotives can be connected electrically in multiple, together with any other electrically associated items of rolling stock that may be required to make up a ‘consist’.
Traction Controls where provided have been kept as simple as possible, and consist of two ‘direction-reliant’ single speed slide switches, both of which must be in the same position for the locomotive to move in the direction selected. - Where sound units have been fitted, these two switches have been set either side of two individual push-button controls, one red and one black, for the warning horn and yard bell respectively. – Traction Controls are usually mounted either on a compressor housing on the left-hand side of the locomotive, or somewhere on the roof of the vehicle.
  
 
It is vitally important that the correct direction of travel is obtained by each locomotive when electrically connected together with other locomotives in a ‘consist’. - The method for setting this up during the construction of the locomotive is as follows:
With the cab of the locomotive facing to the left and looking down from above, if positive current is applied to the traction motor terminal on what in the forward direction of travel would be the right-hand side of the locomotive, and negative current is applied to the terminal on the left, then the locomotive should move cab forwards to the left…
 
 
All head and tail lights are ‘High-Bright’ white or red light-emitting diodes, fed at 12volts DC through 560ohm 0.6 watt resistors - They can be turned on or off by using the smaller horizontally mounted slide switches that are also situated under the sole-bar on the left-hand side of the vehicle concerned. - The top switches operate the headlights which will only illuminate whilst the vehicle is moving in the correct direction, while the bottom ones operate the tail lights which will remain illuminated at all times when they are switched on
‘PhoenixSound’ sound units where fitted, have been programmed to shutdown after two minutes when the locomotive is at ‘idle’. They have also had their warning horns and yard bells set for manual operation only. - Each sound unit has to be started individually by pressing and releasing its associated biased toggle switch. This switch again is situated below the sole-bar on the left-hand side of the locomotive.
  
 
Locomotives that have been fitted with ‘Soundtraxx Sierra’ sound units, will start the sound unit up automatically when the main isolating switch is placed to the ‘Discharge’ position, and the unit will continue sounding until the switch is again placed to the ‘Charge’ position. – Again the warning horns and yard bells have been set for manual operation only.
 
When driving more than one locomotive in multiple, it is imperative that the ‘consist’ is driven from the lead locomotive at all times, and that the traction control switches on each the trailing locomotives are all in the ‘Inner’ position - Failure to do this can result in circuit breaker activation and possible damage to the cabling!
 
Finally, all Traction Equipment has been standardised by using the ‘MFA Comodrill 940D’ motor with its built-in 5:1 epicyclic gearbox. - These motors individually drive each powered axle and its associated 24mm diameter driving wheels through a 25:1 worm and pinion final drive as supplied by ‘Bonds ‘O’ Euston Road, Midhurst, West Sussex. - Where bogied wheel arrangements exist, the inner axles are powered as usual, but in addition a ‘Delrin’ chain-drive, as supplied by ‘Home of ‘O’ Gauge’ in London, is used to transfer additional power from the inner axles to the outer axles of each wheel-set accordingly.
 
 
 

Two views of a Hemingbrough Workshops Standard Bogie as used on all Consolidated Shales Double Diesel locomotives

Note the MFA Comodrill 940D Traction Motor, Bonds 25:1 Worm and Pinion Drive, and Delrin Chain Drive that connects the two axles.
 
The Engine Charging Stand
 
A need was soon discovered for the storage and ready access of fully charged locomotives at short notice, and to this end an eight bay Engine Charging Stand has been built - This Stand resides in the Indoor Model Railway Room which was formerly the garage..................
 
     

The Charging Stand immediately after completion - Note the rows of chargers on the front

  
Close-Up view of the locomotive bays and charging plugs
     
 
     
Close-Up of No: 7827 'Double Hunslet' - 'being fuelled'!
  
The completed Charging Stand with the entire motive power roster charging on it, in situ in the model railway room..