Castle Aching

[Edwardian]

One of the reasons for choosing finer standards is that apart from the look it also tends to reduce bumping at crossing where the finer wheels drop slightly into the wider crossing gaps needed to accommodate the coarser wheels. However on a light railway this may not look so out of place as on a mainline express. 

Don

Indeed, but l would trust that modern RTR locos have reasonable wheels and for a layout set c.1905 rolling stock will have to be kit or scratch-built allowing me to standardise with Gibson wheels.

 

I hope this would not be too demanding on the Code 75 track planned.

 

.

Looks like you're succeeding in moving the great Peco track controversy on to your thread?

Only if you reject the self-evident truth that announcing Code 75 BH PO plain track (a product already available) without committing to turnouts/slips (not so readily available RTL at accessible prices) is the non-event of the decade is there any scope for controversy!

[BlueLightning]

Indeed, but l would trust that modern RTR locos have reasonable wheels

 

I wouldn't count on this. My Oxford Adam's Radial has flanges comparable to some of my Tri-ang stock! It's not quite as prominent and is OK on Oak Hill which is code 100 however whether it will run on Hailsham when built is another matter as that will all be code 75 but unfortunately its all at the office so I can't plonk the loco on to test it.

 

Gary

[Edwardian]

Crudest likely to be14Xx

[cklammer]

You have it all wrong all of about the nature and properties of the dark side: it is Märklin M-track - code 123 in H0 3-rail AC.

 

 

 

Christian

[Argos]

"Not wishing to court controversy, but the picture to my mind illustrates the false dichotomy that I have seen "Gauge" societies present to Ignoramuses like me, whereby a horrible bit of Code 100 OO set-track is nailed on a plank next to a graceful piece of EM, or whatever, gauge track and the punter is invited to accept the superiority of the latter."

 

 

Is it safe to come out from behind the sofa yet?   

Edited May 28, 2016 by Argos

[Edwardian]

"Not wishing to court controversy, but the picture to my mind illustrates the false dichotomy that I have seen "Gauge" societies present to Ignoramuses like me, whereby a horrible bit of Code 100 OO set-track is nailed on a plank next to a graceful piece of EM, or whatever, gauge track and the punter is invited to accept the superiority of the latter."

 

 

Is it safe to come out from behind the sofa yet?   

 

Well, to paraphrase Rev. Awdry's 'Duck', that paragon of Western engines:

 

There are only two ways of doing things; the West Norfolk way and the right way.

[Caley Jim]

Is it safe to come out from behind the sofa yet?   

Good question!  It's getting claustrophobic back here! 

 

Jim (2FS)

Edited May 28, 2016 by Caley Jim

[Edwardian]

 

Good question!  It's getting claustrophobic back here! 

 

 

Is it safe to come out from behind the sofa yet? 

 

 

Oh for goodness sake, I'm not the Daleks or the Cybermen!;

[mullie]

In 2008 when I started building track I really had no idea where I was going, brought some tools, some rail, read some books and had a go, mainly did it because it would be cheaper than buying Peco but had no idea if I would be able to do it. This short video shows my ancient J39, still running on a DCC equipped  split chassis shunting a short rake of empty and therefore lighter open wagons of very mixed parentage across the two three way points I built. Admittedly it took two attempts and a lot of fettling to get them right but they do work.

 

 

 

As I've said previously, if I can do it pretty much anyone can and hopefully this will encourage you to persevere and I don't think you will regret it.

 

Hopefully the layout will have some scenery soon.

[Donw]

I think most people if prepared to make the effort can make track. Whether having done so you decide that I would rather spend money on buying ready made trackwork is a different matter although in 0 gauge the price of ready made track is a big incentive to make your own. Other than price the ability to make track to suit the location, that looks more like the real thing are real plusses.

Don

[Edwardian]

"I may have mentioned track gauge, but I think I got away with it"

[Edwardian]

Meanwhile, since last posting on 28th, I donned my Brave Pants, and without any idea of what I was doing, beyond the brief tutorial on soldering from RAR David, I fired up the iron and took the express to the Land of Bitter Experience, via Plenty of Mistakes on the Way (which, I was delighted to discover recently, is a real place, in the Cotswolds, I believe).

 

Now, advice has been to use at least a 25W iron for track.  RAR David has most kindly donated a 30W iron to the WNR's Permanent Way Department, so that bit I got right. I am also the grateful recipient of Carr's 224 General Purpose Solder and Templer's telux soldering fluid (which isn't fluid, I notice.  Think "ear wax", and you've got a pretty good idea of it).

 

So, without a baseboard I thought the best thing to do was build a jig to lay the sleepers in.  Then, as advised, I could solder one rail and then bend to suit, stick down to the required curvature and add the second rail.

 

You know when, in the school holidays you let your children do "baking" - hugely messy and results, if you are lucky, in something almost resembling a cake?  Well, turns out, that's me building track. 

 

Here is the progress so far:

 

1.  Built a "jig".  Given that I was using intense heat, I thought it best to use something flammable, so chose cardboard.  This was the longest part of the job by far.

 

2.  Checked the sleepers fitted.

 

3.  Attacked the sleepers with A Big File.  The raggedness is, believe me, deliberate.  I read something somewhere about electricity and the need to isolate the rails from each other. Never sure about electricity; missed that day at school, I suspect. 

 

4.  Attacked the sleepers with a little carbon brush thingy (also from RAR David) on the basis that this might make the surface clean.

 

5.  Tinned the sleepers.  Appear to have used far too much solder.  Worked out that I could transfer it to the other side of the sleepers using the iron, thus resulting in slightly less far too much solder.  Tinned the bottom of the rails whilst I was about it.

 

6.  Soldered rail to sleepers.

 

7.  Removed from jig.  4 sleepers had not been soldered.  4 more were weak joins that broke on removing the cardboard.  8 failed joins out of 102.  Can live with that.

 

8.  Attached the 8 recalcitrant sleepers.

 

9.  Have a yard of sleepers with one rail, all ready for bending to shape to form a siding at Castle Aching. 

 

Only the hard bit left to do.  Yay!

[Edwardian]

I am feeling the want of a baseboard.  This week I will head south and pick up my tools from the old house.  Then it will be shopping for cork tiles and plywood.  The length from the end of the station board to beyond the first turnout is 7', and the maximum width of the station area less than 3'.  This means I can use a singe standard size 8'x4' sheet of ply to provide the base for the station and yard. 

 

Obvious I will need templates for the turnouts before I can finalise the arrangement.

 

In the meantime, the nearest I can get to setting it up is shown below.  I believe that I should be able to fit a 40' turn-table and the platform length I require.  The station will, I hope, have a spacious feel.  I imagine that most WNR branch trains will come out at around 2' in length.  A visiting mainline train with 6-wheelers is likely to be no longer than 40".  I should just about squeeze in 48" of platform face.   

[mullie]

Meanwhile, since last posting on 28th, I donned my Brave Pants, and without any idea of what I was doing, beyond the brief tutorial on soldering from RAR David, I fired up the iron and took the express to the Land of Bitter Experience, via Plenty of Mistakes on the Way (which, I was delighted to discover recently, is a real place, in the Cotswolds, I believe).

 

Now, advice has been to use at least a 25W iron for track.  RAR David has most kindly donated a 30W iron to the WNR's Permanent Way Department, so that bit I got right. I am also the grateful recipient of Carr's 224 General Purpose Solder and Templer's telux soldering fluid (which isn't fluid, I notice.  Think "ear wax", and you've got a pretty good idea of it).

 

So, without a baseboard I thought the best thing to do was build a jig to lay the sleepers in.  Then, as advised, I could solder one rail and then bend to suit, stick down to the required curvature and add the second rail.

 

You know when, in the school holidays you let your children do "baking" - hugely messy and results, if you are lucky, in something almost resembling a cake?  Well, turns out, that's me building track. 

 

Here is the progress so far:

 

1.  Built a "jig".  Given that I was using intense heat, I thought it best to use something flammable, so chose cardboard.  This was the longest part of the job by far.

 

2.  Checked the sleepers fitted.

 

3.  Attacked the sleepers with A Big File.  The raggedness is, believe me, deliberate.  I read something somewhere about electricity and the need to isolate the rails from each other. Never sure about electricity; missed that day at school, I suspect. 

 

4.  Attacked the sleepers with a little carbon brush thingy (also from RAR David) on the basis that this might make the surface clean.

 

5.  Tinned the sleepers.  Appear to have used far too much solder.  Worked out that I could transfer it to the other side of the sleepers using the iron, thus resulting in slightly less far too much solder.  Tinned the bottom of the rails whilst I was about it.

 

6.  Soldered rail to sleepers.

 

7.  Removed from jig.  4 sleepers had not been soldered.  4 more were weak joins that broke on removing the cardboard.  8 failed joins out of 102.  Can live with that.

 

8.  Attached the 8 recalcitrant sleepers.

 

9.  Have a yard of sleepers with one rail, all ready for bending to shape to form a siding at Castle Aching. 

 

Only the hard bit left to do.  Yay!

Don't know about others but I find tinning unnecessary and would worry that I wouldn't be able to lay the rail completely flat. The profile of my finished track matches SMP plain track so I assume I'm doing it right? At least as you can see above it works and in general is very reliable so I'll stick to what I know. Like I've said before I  am completely self taught. 

[Donw]

As they say fortune favours the brave. The jig looks just the job to me. The soldering will improve with practice. 

 

Don

[BG John]

I don't tin the sleepers. I clean them with a fibreglass brush, hold the rail in place, apply a dab of liquid flux with a paintbrush, hold the iron on the outside of the rail for a few moments, then add solder. I solder a few sleepers along the whole length to hold the rail in place, check it's straight with a steel rule, and also look along it with a small mirror, then I solder the rest of the sleepers randomly, so I don't heat up the rail too much in one place and risk distorting anything.

 

I like the jig. My dad machined one out of wood for me for my first attempt at track building, but nowadays I tend to use double sided tape to stick the sleepers down to a plan printed from Templot, or just lay a steel rule along a piece of board and measure as I go. I think what you've got is easier though.

 

Keep at it, you'll improve with practice.

Edited May 30, 2016 by BG John

[Donw]

Don't know about others but I find tinning unnecessary and would worry that I wouldn't be able to lay the rail completely flat. The profile of my finished track matches SMP plain track so I assume I'm doing it right? At least as you can see above it works and in general is very reliable so I'll stick to what I know. Like I've said before I  am completely self taught. 

 

I wouldn't bother with tinning if I was trying to achieve blobs that resembled chairs the tinning will spread the solder out. Ideally a thin tinning on the rail an the sleeper will allow a joint to be made just applying heat and result in minimal solder but the same result can be achieved without tinning just using the minimum of solder required. As always practice and find a method that suits you best.

Don

[mullie]

Blu tac is also very helpful during track building, in fact couldn't manage without it

[Argos]

Good progress! 
The first step is always the hardest!
 
For templates Fast Tracks have a load of printable templates for download FoC.
The only problem being from the colonies they only have American (sleeper spacing that is...).
I have used them and superimposed British sleeper spacing on them.
 
http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Fast-Tracks-Printable-Track-Templates-s/11.htm
 
Alternatively Templot does repay a evening or two of playing.

If using it just to generate point templates it is relatively straight forward.

[Nearholmer]

I've never pre-tinned copper clad when making track, simply make sure the rail is flat on the sleeper (weighting it down can help), get plenty of heat in, then a quick dab with the end of a piece of solder-wire, pause briefly, and on to the next one.

[ChrisN]

Well done! Having never soldered track that is quite impressive, you should be very pleased with yourself.

 

If you buy your ply from B&Q they will cut it for you for free on their machine.  Do not go on a Wednesday though as it is their Diamond Club day and the car parks are rammed with OAPs, who drive, er like OAPs.  How do I know?  I have a Diamond Club card.  

[Nearholmer]

Heartily, massively seconded!

 

I'm currently the victim of poor quality plywood, and it is possibly the most annoying material yet devised by man. Like all good annoying things, it looks perfectly innocent, but it warps for no obvious reason, delaminates (ditto), and had voids in it, which are only revealed when cutting.

 

As a bad workman, I'm ever-ready to blame my tools and materials, but on this occasion I'm not exaggerating: the stuff is terrible!!!

 

Kevin

[Caley Jim]

 

........... I fired up the iron and took the express to the Land of Bitter Experience, via Plenty of Mistakes on the Way .....

 

I visit these places on a regular basis.  Anyone who tells you they've never been there is either a liar or kidding themselves!

 

9.  Have a yard of sleepers with one rail, all ready for bending to shape to form a siding at Castle Aching. 

 

Only the hard bit left to do.  Yay!

Whoopee!!!   Now that wasn't so difficult, was it?  I told you that thinking about it was the scary bit! 

I'd agree with the others. 1. you will get better with practice and 2. don't bother to tin things first.

 

If by 'only the hard bit..' you mean a turnout, just take it a step at a time and you'll be fine!  

 

Jim

[Andy Hayter]

If you are going to spend more on ply (and like the others I think this is money well spent) you can probably make a saving on the cork by buying sheet rather than tiles.

http://javis.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage_norm&product_id=3382&category_id=3&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2

 

to give some idea - although you cannot purchase direct from them.  Many model shops stock cork sheet, so availability should not be a major issue.

 

Elsewhere, others have suggested that cork sheet  does not cut cleanly, but in my experience a sharp blade will give a clean cut - unless the quality has changed of course since I last bought a roll some 20 years ago.
 

[BG John]

Elsewhere, others have suggested that cork sheet  does not cut cleanly, but in my experience a sharp blade will give a clean cut - unless the quality has changed of course since I last bought a roll some 20 years ago.

 

Javis cork cuts perfectly with a sharp knife, both before sticking down, and afterwards if you need to remove bits for point operating or wiring. I've done it several times in the last year.