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Nile's NG Modelling


Nile
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Welcome to another of my workbench type topics. The idea is to gather all my narrow gauge modelling in one place rather than have it spread over several topics.

I'm going to start with a layout that I've been recently rebuilding. This started a few years ago as a HOn30 project on which I could display and shunt my 3D printed American stock. As usual this project stalled and it's been doing a good impression of a shelf since.

I used insulation foam (the pink stuff known as Spaceboard) for the main structure, I had a 4ft x 8in bit left over. It's surrounded by 3mm MDF, all glued together with PVA. Track is Peco 009 mainline track and points.

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Point control is with modified servo motors driving wires in tubes. The tubes are buried in trenches cut into the foam surface. The micro-switches on top of the motors are for frog polarity switching, the wires for each point are also buried in the trenches.

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More recently I developed a desire to build a small 009 layout on which I could do a bit of shunting. After drawing up a few plans I had another look at this layout. I thought that the addition of a couple of points (that I already had) would turn it into a suitable plan.

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This creates a run-round loop, with a platform at the top. The headshunt at the right end is long enough for a 009 loco.

This looked easier than starting from scratch, so I got on with track lifting. I soaked the old track with water and then prized it up gently.

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Because the layout was originally designed for American stock fitted with Microtrains couplers I had fitted a couple of Kadee under track magnets. These are far too strong for 009 stock fitted with Greenwich couplings, so I had to dig them out.

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The resultant holes were filled with bits of foam from an off-cut.

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Edited by Nile
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Interesting.  I had a small packet arrive this week, and in it was a Boston Largs Works 009 resin kit for a SAR B wagon...

 

I was very impressed with the quality of the mouldings, and its part of a long term notion for building a small amount of SAR ng.  I find the combination of narrow gauge but heavy duty bogie stock and big locomotives irresistible.  Problem is... the locomotives!  Anyone fancy building a Backwoods NGG16 for me?  :)  

 

I shall watch your efforts with interest!

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Before installing the new points I made some mods to improve their reliability. Two small links on the underside were removed and replaced with wires linking the switch rails to the adjacent stock rails. This eliminates any contact issues between these rails at the point blades.

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This leaves the frog and adjacent rails isolated. I soldered a wire to this, which goes to the microswitch on the point motor.

 

The new points and track now installed, stuck down with copydex. The new wire and tube runs are visible as white lines.

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While I was at it I added another point at the other end of the loop. The spur from this will lead to a small engine shed, adding a bit more operational interest.

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Three new points means three extra point motors. Just as well I had all parts needed for these. This photo was taken before they were wired up.

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There is a reason why all the point motors have been grouped together at one end of the layout. It's to make it easier to hide them inside some buildings. To try this out I've mocked up some buildings from pieces of card (about 1mm thick).

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They also hide the track going behind them that will eventually be an exit point.

At the other end I'm trying out a goods shed.

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Basic buildings like these don't take long, they are just boxes made of card. The proper ones will take a lot longer.

This is the new control box I built for the layout.

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It's a basic ABS box from Maplin. The track diagram is made with coloured tape, the section switches have matching coloured sleeves. The non-sleeved switches are sprung centre off types for the points, they have to be held in position for about 1 second while the motor operates. The two batteries provide the power for the point motors, they are wired to give + and - 1.5 Volts. The controller input is at the bottom, with a polarity switch above it.

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With all the new bits working I gathered together enough stock for some test running (aka playing trains). Things mostly went well, but I found times during shunting when the lack of siding and head-shunt capacity at the right hand end caused problems. So I decided to do something about it. There was already a hole in the end wall, so I made an add-on section that extends the tracks here by 10 inches. I didn't want this extension permanently attached as it would make the layout difficult to transport, and a folding section would be too long. The add-on has tabs that fit into slots added onto the end board. The photos should explain how it works.

This is the bare unit pre track fitting. Mostly made from 3mm MDF.

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The bits added to the layout end board.

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The extension fitted.

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Track fitted and wired, apart from the furthest one which links to the goods shed. Foam pads at the ends to protect against hard shunts.

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The new socket and wiring will have to be hidden by something.

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Edited by Nile
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A model railway isn't much good without stock to run on it. I've already covered the building of some stock in my workbench topic, I'll be covering any more building here.

I'll start by repeating this photo. It shows two 5 wagon rakes of Bagnall wagons (aka bag-wags) that will be used for mineral traffic.

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When I joined the 009 society some years ago I received a free gift of a Colin Ashby kit. I've only just gotten round to building it, it's the open wagon in this photo.

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To its right is a Parkside Dundas (PD) kit of a Glyn Valley van.

I didn't like the brake gear that came with it so I've used left-over parts from Colin Ashby kits instead, plus some plastic rod.

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The wheels are from Graham Farish, they have the advantage of not being magnetic.

 

Next is another PD kit, a Lynton & Barnstaple van. I've used the kit's brake parts (without the vacuum gear) but mounted the lever differently. That's a Peco RTR one next to it for comparison.

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Finally for now a pair of Ashby hopper wagons.  I wasn't happy with some of the joints on these, hence lots of white filler.

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These will operate as a close coupled pair (fewer couplings to make) using a simple rod coupling.

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The wagons are now painted, weathered, numbered and fitted with Greenwich couplings.

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The next project is a loco to haul all these wagons.

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Thanks Corbs, in answer to your questions-

 

1. The wagons have been for a spin around my friend's layout and encountered no problems.

 

2. Yes, all will become clear later. All I will say now is that it is on an island, not the mainland.

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And now for a bit of loco bashing. I have a couple of Tillig HOe locos that I'd like to make use of for this layout. This is the first one as it came, mods and all.

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It needed new Greenwich style couplings to be of any use. I mounted the rear one on a block of plastic to get it at the correct height.

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It then went for a test run, where it proved to be a very good runner.

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I then added another coupling at the front, glued to the keeper plate.

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It all looks a bit of a mess at the moment, but things will improve.

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Looks a solid start though with nice detail on the valve gear etc, lots better than the old 0-6-0 geared chassis that always look a bit wrong.

 

I've always liked those cab spectacle windows with the 'eyelids'

Edited by Corbs
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The cab is plastic and held on by a couple of clips that make it easy to remove. The boiler is a solid lump of metal that provides most of the weight. I set about removing the moulded on detail and other bits to make it look less German and more British. This was the result after a lot of filing.

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I still wasn't happy with the finish, and that smokebox just didn't look right at all. So I bought some Evergreen 1/2 inch diameter plastic tube and made a new boiler. This was the first trial fit.

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Happy with that I pushed on. I made new, longer, tank sides and a smokebox saddle from plastic card. Sorry Corbs, those 'eyelids' had to go.

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For the smokebox wrapper I used 15thou plastic. I tried 10, but it split as soon as I tried to glue it. The dome and smokebox door are from 3SMR, the chimney is an old Meridian part. The side windows have disappeared under filler as they don't look right either.

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The front half of the boiler was filled with 'fluid lead' and sealed in with a disc of plastic. This balances the weight of the motor at the rear.

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With the addition of the tank tops I was able to glue the whole assembly together to form a single unit. Boiler bands are thin strips of sticky tape.

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The original clips inside the cab are enough to hold everything together.

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Detail bits added. The tank fillers came from a pack marked SR tender. The safety valves are made from bits of plastic strip and rod. There is a hole in the middle through which a screw will be inserted later, after painting, for the spring.

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And then I painted it all black.

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To provide a bit of relief from all that blackness I painted the handrails gunmetal and the safety valves brass.

After a good test run I parked it next to an engine shed, along with another un-modified loco. This will eventually get the same treatment, although there is an issue with the motor to be sorted out first.

I haven't decided what to do with the loco paint-wise yet. I could leave it black, or go for another colour such as green. There's no hurry and plenty of other things to do.

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I shall return to the loco eventually. In the meantime I've been working on the layout.

For the fiddle yard I've added a fold down flap on the back, with fold out supports.

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On the near corner I've added some blocks of wood to support the sector plate that will allow the trains to access the fiddle yard.

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The fiddle yard and supports fold flat against the back of the layout.

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Track now stuck down onto the fiddle yard and sector plate, this is an overall view.

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There is room to park three trains round the back, which should be enough most of the time.

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The reason for having a point at the right end, rather than two stub tracks fed by the sector plate, is that it means the sector plate only has to operate in two positions. This will make its wiring and operation easier. More on that later.

 

The sector plate in its other position.

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The plug in the end board is for the sector plate tracks. I placed it there rather than inside as it would be far too fiddly to use. The sector plate has to be removed for storage.

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A bit more on the sector plate operation. My aim is to make its use as simple as possible (idiot proof). Having only two positions makes lining up tracks easy. I'm going to use micro-switches to automatically route the track power to the front or rear of the layout, I've screwed these onto the stop blocks that limit its movement and line up the tracks.

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Because these switches exert a small force, pushing the sector plate away, I've fitted some tiny magnets to overcome this force (2x3mm).

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