Huggy Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Really looking good. I've been getting the itch to do a really small urban shunting layout, and all this stuff is gold! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted April 24, 2018 Author Share Posted April 24, 2018 Thanks for the kind feedback! Very kind and keeps my spirits up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted April 26, 2018 Author Share Posted April 26, 2018 I have taken a big step and started the wiring process. The droppers to the bus wires seem fairly easy! Next up will getting a DC bus wire running and then it will be points I guess, followed by signals and then street lights! It all sounds very complicated, but I'm just taking one job at a time and hopefully it's less intimidating than when you feel a spaghetti junction under fully wired layouts!As well as this I have added some detail to the track side and have weathered up the platform edging a little bit, adding some what I assume are engineer's marks that I spotted at Patchway station. I'm very aware that when it comes to ballasting I have to be a little carefully of the brick paper and paint work on the side of the platform. I'm thinking about hitting it with a coat of matt varnish, although I'm not sure that will be enough to keep it in good condition. Does anyone have an ideas or advice? Thanks in advance. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy water Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Hi! Great start ! Love canal! If the track is not fixed yet, it would be better to solder the electrical connections to the bottom of the track where they are not seen. If needs be practice on some scrap track first. Protecting the platform with cling film or thin bits of card held with small bits of blue tac. Keep up in the good work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 Hi! Great start ! Love canal! If the track is not fixed yet, it would be better to solder the electrical connections to the bottom of the track where they are not seen. If needs be practice on some scrap track first. Protecting the platform with cling film or thin bits of card held with small bits of blue tac. Keep up in the good work! Thanks very much! The track is fixed now, so I'll have to learn for next time and disguise as much as possible in the mean time. I'll certainly give the cling film and blue tack ago for protecting the platform edging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 OK - I've had a little bit of time over the weekend doing some more wiring - but I'm a little stuck and could really do with some help. Electrics are very new to me and I'm always panicking that I'll electrocute myself or burn down the house! My questions are basic - so basic that I can't find the answer despite much searching. The answer is either so obvious no one has ever had to ask it, or are too afraid to ask for fear of looking like a complete moron! So here we go!!Question 1:I'm using a Bachmann EZ Command (because that's what I could get very cheaply on eBay - although I do have my eye on an NCE Power Cab if I can get everything working properly! It has a connector like this:My question is... how do I connect my controller to my DCC bus wires (3.3mm overall diameter wire rated at 21A). Also, I assume that the other end just goes into a terminal block?My second question is similar...I'm wiring up my SEEP P1 point motors, and after a lot of research and confusion I think I understand where everything goes. A and B go to the switch. C goes to 0v (negative on the DC), the circuit is completed by the positive DC to the centre point on the switch. Then D and E go to the DCC bus wire and F goes to the frog to supply power to the track in the correct polarity. The thing I don't quite understand is where is the DC power coming from?! I'm looking to set up DC bus wires, as I'm hoping to run signals, platform lights and other non-DCC powered lights on the layout (all controlled from a control panel).But what powers the DC bus wires? I understand I need an adaptor to turn mains power into safe 12v DC power but what is the best thing to use for that? I see some people say using phone chargers and things like that - but that sounds like dangerous bodging and that scares me! So what is the best thing to use, and again, how does that connect to my bus wires? Sorry for my ignorance!PLEASE HELP! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 I have been working on the platform over the last couple of evenings and have made some good progress! I have used textured plastikard on the edging to get some texture akin to the one at Patchway Station which I'm pretty pleased with. Once it's been painted I hope that individual tile effect will be a little clear like it is on the canal tow path. I have then filled the rest with a very thin layer of polyfilla. I need to tidy up where the polyfilla has got onto the plastikard, but I'm really happy with it as a start! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry1975 Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Very impressive and my favourite class of diesel going over the canal bridge too, looking forward to seeing more. Jerry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShildonShunter Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Some really nice modelling and weathering within the layout looking forward to seeing more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Looking rather good. Like what you have done with the trackwork and other details. Look forward to seeing further developments. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Mike B Posted May 5, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 5, 2018 I have been working on the platform over the last couple of evenings and have made some good progress! I have used textured plastikard on the edging to get some texture akin to the one at Patchway Station which I'm pretty pleased with. Once it's been painted I hope that individual tile effect will be a little clear like it is on the canal tow path. I have then filled the rest with a very thin layer of polyfilla. I need to tidy up where the polyfilla has got onto the plastikard, but I'm really happy with it as a start! For future reference, Polyfiller may be a little tough to work with and takes forever to sand down. Go to the range and get a tub of their cheap lightweight filler - the last lot I bought was in a white and green tub. The textured plasticard is great and it'll look the part once you've painted it up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 (edited) I actually don't find the polyfilla too hard to work with - but I'll certainly give the other stuff a go when I need some more!Thanks for the tip! Much appriecated! Edited May 10, 2018 by richscylla Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 I have been working on the ballasting (which is coming along nicely, but I will save the photos for now). I don't want to ballast the points until the point motors are working correctly and installed. So I have tackled one of the jobs I'm most scared of - point motors - and it hasn't gone that well! I wired it all up and it doesn't work. And I'm not sure why. Can anyone see if I have done anything wrong? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 It looks as though it might be the power output being too low - seems it's 15v AC and needs to be 16v AC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Hi, I might be missing something but the wiring through the CDU switch and point motor looks fine but from the limited view you may have the power source as the 12v DC output of the controller. The CDU needs an uncontrolled output of about 16v AC to work. 12v DC will not work the CDU. The controller that is in the picture looks as though it may be from a starter set without an AC output. If you have any more platform work to do some masking tape over the parts that you don't want polyfiller on saves a lot of cleaning up afterwards. Hope the above is of use. Woody Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 I have been working away at getting all the wiring for the point motors done - and I'm there (I think - more of that later). The track is now ballasted in the most part. I need to do the points and there are a few bits that need touching up, either by filling some in where the ballast didn't stick, or by cleaning a few sleepers from where it moved around a little and got stuck. Generally I'm pretty happy with the results. It needs to be weathered and lots of weeds and grass added to the under-used sidings but it's a good start. The point motors took a while - well one in particular. Once I'd worked out the wiring (which took a while I must admit) the fitting of them was a tale of two halves. The first one leading into the station went in like a dream! The second one - not so much! Firstly, the hole I drilled wasn't quite in the right place. I actually had to increase the size of the first hole a little but it went smoothly. The second one was a nightmare - I used a hand drill with the idea of drilling until I hit the foam the track is laid on, but a slip meant I went right through and lifted the point and some of the surrounding track. So this had to be glued back down. Then it appears that the rod on the SEEP PM1 that I have feels a little loose. It moves around quite a lot and changes the angle which meant it hasn't really been working. Finally I got it in the correct position and it was working briefly, and then the rod moved and it will only fire the point half way again. Having looked around, it seems this is fairly common unfortunately. Lots of people say putting a tiny blob of super glue on the rod helps. I've made sure it's in the right position and given it a go. I will see in the morning if it's worked! Next jobs will be working out the best way to trim the rods down, ballasting the points and then tidying up the rest of the ballast. Then I'll look at adding the signal and painting up the platform. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 I have put the first coat of paint on the platform now! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 Looks great and that 156 fits in nicely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShildonShunter Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 The 156 is at home on this layout excellent progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 Not too much has gone on today - but I did manage to wire up my signal! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huggy Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 I understand your pain with regard to points mechanisms; I've only got two on the scenic side of my layout, and tried a wooden dowel and wire system, neither of which worked out very well, mostly because of getting through the baseboard in the right place! I've left the three in the fiddle yard hand operated. Will get it right next time, haven't even tried with a motorised one yet (and my "next" layout will have no points at all...just got to build a sector plate instead ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 I've been busy today! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Wow! Looks fantastic! The colour of the lights is spot on as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 That does look very good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richscylla Posted May 23, 2018 Author Share Posted May 23, 2018 Wow! Looks fantastic! The colour of the lights is spot on as well. Yeah - really pleased with the light levels. Just need to add the lights to where the buffer stops will go, and add a switch so the station lights are controllable, and then I think the electrics on the whole layout are done! Rich Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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