coombe junction - moorswater

i have been following coombe junction for quite some time now and what you have done is fantastic! is that easitrac in your pics? and can you use rtr stock on it? as i am looking into using it for my next n gauge project but dont realy want to rewheel all my stock? keep up the great work its realy looking great.

stuart

i have been following coombe junction for quite some time now and what you have done is fantastic! is that easitrac in your pics? and can you use rtr stock on it? as i am looking into using it for my next n gauge project but dont realy want to rewheel all my stock? keep up the great work its realy looking great.

 

Stuart - thanks for your interest and your kind comments.

 

It is easitrac and providing that you have no turnouts, then the latest Bachfar/Dapol rtr rolling stock will run fine on it. For example, the CDA's in the above photo (straight out of the box) negotiate the curves and straights no problem, but they wouldn't go through my turnout until I swapped the wheels out for 2FS ones. There are however a few threads running on the forum where people are taking advantage of the fineness of the easitrac low profile and then building their own turnouts using code 40 rail and PCB to N gauge back to back standards...if you go this route, you need not swap out the wheels - hth - Pete

The other option is to use code 55 and correct the sleeper spacing- Cut out some of the webs that hold the sleepers together then slide them along. Not quite as pretty as easitrac but then you can use stock points.

Neat uncoupling solution- post some pics/video of it in action when its finished?

Pete, that doesn't look crude at all. Glad that it worked ok in the end. Now, I'm guessing that it was somethign to do with Jaws's teeth... was it Moonraker..? or was it something to do with a watch and a dress zip..? Hmmm, is that more likely..?

Neat uncoupling solution- post some pics/video of it in action when its finished?

 

Thanks - will do...I haven't managed a youtube type upload yet to my blog so that's a good incentive.

Now, I'm guessing that it was somethign to do with Jaws's teeth... was it Moonraker..? or was it something to do with a watch and a dress zip..? Hmmm, is that more likely..?

 

Jon - thanks - once the wiring is complete and tested I will make the concrete apron to virtually bury the tracks...it's on the curve too so am really looking forward to that

 

For the record it was - Live and Let Die - 1973 - RM's watch with the magnet which undone the long zip on the back of the ladies dress - what the camera did not show (according to my brother who is a Bond anorak) is the guy laying on the floor beneath her slowly pulling a piece of cotton which ran inside her dress and attached to the zip...all RM had to do was to track his watch downwards to follow the zip...technology eh

There I was thinking the watch was real!

 

 

Stu

Glad you said about the concrete covering Pete. There was me wondering how you were going to get the extra sleepers in. If your doing the concrete will you be adding check rails? That is the one part missing from Easitrack - a good solution to continuos check rails.

There I was thinking the watch was real!

 

...you mean you don't have one of those watches stu?...mind you, there's only one guy out there who can save the world

 

joking aside, a lot of the gadgets that were used in the bond movies did actually function...the watch excepted of course...

Kris - thanks - good point - I don't think I will be using check rails. I was contemplating using them and infilling with DAS modelling clay but I think I will try and do it in card and fill any small gaps afterwards as I can't see myself managing to get a nice smooth finish using an applied product.

Hi Pete.

 

I am also following CJ with interest.

I too have been experimenting with fixed magnets and DGs on my test track, though I know they are not recommended.

The magnets I have are also tiny, but do seem to work end on when planted between sleepers on easitrac.

 

Regards

Chris21bc

Chris - thanks

 

Now you got me worried - why are they not recommended...is it because they are not reliable or does the magnet mess up the locos if they pass too many times? If the former, they seem to work okay for me....if the latter, then hopefully my locos won't dwell on them too long...unless I am missing something...

Chris - thanks

 

Now you got me worried - why are they not recommended...is it because they are not reliable or does the magnet mess up the locos if they pass too many times? If the former, they seem to work okay for me....if the latter, then hopefully my locos won't dwell on them too long...unless I am missing something...

 

[Pure guess work] Might they magnetise the coupling? [/pure guess work ]

[Pure guess work] Might they magnetise the coupling? [/pure guess work ]

 

Maybe your right Kris...couldn't you just replace the loop then?...which is no big deal I guess...

Only check railed track I've seen is from proto87 - it's meant for seriously fine scale HO work which also happens to make it about right for 2mm providing your wheel gauging is good and you put the bits closer together.

Maybe your right Kris...couldn't you just replace the loop then?...which is no big deal I guess...

 

Guys

 

Unless the magnet can be physically moved away from the the track, then every truck that is pushed over the magnet will uncouple. This may or may not be a serious issue for the way you operate your layout. If you run block trains and only push over the magnet when you do want to uncouple, then that's okay.

 

In a fan of sidings with various switchbacks (eg Brafferton) permanent magnets would cause all sorts of trouble whilst I'm shuffling that little 04 around. There will be five or six electromagnets (made from free second hand SEEP pointmotors) dotted around the yard to provide convenient uncoupling when I do want it.

 

Cheers

 

Tony

Tony - thanks to clarify - in that case I think I am ok, as in my intro OP I described how the loco will arrive, setback and disengage from the wagons and then move onto the sliding mini traverser and either head back to the fiddle or idle before reattaching to the back of the wagons - I have done a few tests with 2 x 12T vans and all seems to be tickety boo - I think I will leave out magnets on the start of the sidings though as I can see that may yield a few problems with train loads passing over them....Pete

Looking good Pete

If you are going to bury it in concrete you might as well use copperclad pcb which would solve the checkrai; problem. Its on exposed trackwork that you have aproblem with checkrails.

You can have problems with permenant magnets if your stock is free running it can slaken off the DGs as the loco slows possible uncoupling at that point. Perhaps best to avoid magnets on a downgrade.

DonW

Hi Don - thanks for this.

I did 'uhm + argh' for a long time about using PCB as most of it would be covered but for convenience I decided to use easitrac - I am not sure there is a checkrail at moorswater - I will check marks photos in a couple of weeks time.

I am more relaxed about the DG magnets now as operations will be limited to runaround and perhaps setback of wagons in either of the loops.