luke the train spotter Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Well I'm back with yet another micro layout. I think I'm properly addicted. Despite being in my exam season I thought I would start a new layout as a but of fun and to re explore the possibilities of 009. I've chosen to do this in 009 as I am already quite confident with my oo gauge modeling so it makes sense to try it. I did try it about a year ago but it never really got to anything or was properly completed. I enjoyed it but I was imaging more than I could actually afford financially and space wise. Another reason for this layout is I would like to refine one of my other ideas, being able to operate a fully functional layout on a moving train with no inconvenience to others with it. I also thought that if this layout was a success then it would be fun to take it on 'tours' where I take it to well known railway locations and operate. It's just a bit of fun really and trying something different. The layout will be stored and transported in this aluminum box I've had for about 10 years. Here's a picture of it. I've also got a baseboard sorted which is an off it of mdf measuring just under 6 inches each side. It's pretty small and just larger than a drinks coaster. Because the radius of the curves will be to tight the track will be hand built (something I've wanted to try for a long time) and I will re use the rail from my old 009 layout and sleepers made from copper clad pcb board. I ordered a 7cm by 10cm piece of copper clad pcb board for £1.98 off eBay from a UK supplier and it came within 4 days. This will be cut up into sleepers which I will then solder the rail too. I've no idea what the scenery will be like on this layout but since there's not much space I will probably just make it up as I go along. Thanks for looking. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShildonShunter Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Hi Luke like you mentioned its going to be fun but it sounds really interesting also especially the overall size of the micro layout. Will be watching this one with interest looking forward to seeing more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 4, 2018 Author Share Posted May 4, 2018 Hi Luke like you mentioned its going to be fun but it sounds really interesting also especially the overall size of the micro layout. Will be watching this one with interest looking forward to seeing more. Thanks Shildon. The size of the box really dictated the size of the layout. These curves aren't ideal but they will do. I've heard of people using Kato chassis on 1.5 inch radius curves and mine are 2.5 in think so my Kato chassis 'should' run fine. I've opted to make the layout more of a square so I can utilize the spare bit of mdf but also have room in the box for stock, batteries etc. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 5, 2018 Author Share Posted May 5, 2018 I have progressed with the layout a bit now. I did some modeling work this morning before going out in the afternoon and getting turned into what looks like a stripy tomato. Well I guess its my own fault for not putting enough sun cream on but I will probably try to stay out of lots of sun for the rest of the bank holiday just so I don't make it worse. This means I will get more done on the layout though. I have cut up some of the copper clad PCB board into chunky strips which kind of resemble sleepers. They are out of scale but I need them for strength. I then drew our the radius curves with a compass and worked out where the sleepers should go. They were then secured down with quality PVA glue. I'd just like to point out that I have insulated the sleepers by cutting the slightly in the middle to break the strip of copper. Without this the track would just keep shorting out. It's not the most elegant job but it is necessary for the track to be strong. Anyway, here's a picture of it: Whilst I was in the modeling mood, I made up some more homemade rail jigs. These are really basic and are just cuts in some scrap bits of ply wood. The cuts are 9mm apart made with a small saw then opened up on the outer side with a Stanly knife. Nice and simple and a very cost effective way to gauge your rail with minimum expense and effort. Thanks for looking everyone. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShildonShunter Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 Hi Luke i like your homemade rail jigs simple but really effective mate. Nice progress on your micro i like the chunky sleeper looking forward to seeing more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 6, 2018 Author Share Posted May 6, 2018 Well the tracks have been laid. I laid the inside rail first before laying the outside rail. Half way through laying the outside rail I realized one of my jigs was slightly out so I have a couple of spots to rectify before I will have a train going round without derailing. I'm just using my trusty Kato chassis for this at the moment. As usual I try to keep my eyes peeled for any bargains but I am still yet to find one. Here's a picture of the track. I've also gone round the edges of the layout and painted them black with some acrylic paint. Just a simple touch but does neaten it up a bit I think. That's probably all the work I will get done on this layout as I going to go and do an outdoor photo shoot with Cronton Colliery sheds. Thanks for looking everyone. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShildonShunter Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 Hi Luke the track work looks really good very neat. Enjoy your photo shoot of colliery sheds. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Hi Luke the track work looks really good very neat. Enjoy your photo shoot of colliery sheds. Thanks Shildon. I've spent this morning ironing out (quite literally with the soldering iron) all the serious problems. After I finished all the soldering work and was just running a train around, I noticed that the track was filthy. I then cleaned it and the wheels of the Kato chassis. Both nice and clean. I left it for 5 minutes and the track was filthy again. It must be the heat! I'm glad you like the photos of Cronton Colliery. I will try and get the other pictures off the camera and onto rmweb later on in the week if I can find time for it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Testing testing testing. One more fault to sort out then the track work is perfect (well good enough for the loco and me). Here's a pic of the testing loco. For its long wheel base its making light work of the tight curves. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 Another interesting project here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Another interesting project here. Thanks Andy, glad you think so. It's a bit of a quirky project but hopefully it will turn out all right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 What's the radius of the track now that it's down? You said you were looking for 2.5 inches further up - did it end up at that? Ta. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 What's the radius of the track now that it's down? You said you were looking for 2.5 inches further up - did it end up at that? Ta. The inside rail has a radius of 2 1/4 inches and the outside rail has a radius of 2 1/2 appropriately. My Kato 11-104 chassis gets round it fine though I dont think a larger chassis could get round it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 Well now that the track is laid perfectly and the loco runs around it without any problems (apart from dirty track) I can turn my attention to the more scenic section of the layout. As a start I have laid some dummy wooden sleepers. The gap between the copper class was too big so I added these wooden sleepers in between. They are made from a lolly stick split in half length ways and cut to shape. I'm going to paint all the sleepers a dirty brown so it doesn't matter that the sleepers are made from different textures/materials. Here's a picture of all the sleepers in. I didn't think that it was necessary to fasten the wooden sleepers to the rail so they are just PVA glued on to the baseboard. Also, I have been looking into making a rechargeable battery pack and controller. I've done some research and I've found a way to make one quite cheaply so I will need to order those bits off eBay. Once that is sorted the layout will be fully portable. Thanks for looking. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 9, 2018 Author Share Posted May 9, 2018 Well I've made some quite significant progress on the layout today. Firstly my electrical bits have come. I ordered a micro connector and 4x AAA battery holder with switch. It all came up to just under £4 including postage which isn't bad considering I ordered it all on Monday. Here is a picture of the electrical bits as they came in the post. I have decided to use a set of micro connectors to make the battery pack removable. I removed the two wires coming from the battery pack. It looked like this: I then soldered the wires from one of the micro connectors onto the battery pack so I didn't have any exposed solder joints. The track feed wires were extended to a terminal block where the other micro connectors wires were screwed in place. This was all secured down with hot glue. I plugged the two micro connectors in and turned the battery Pack on and it worked. It was out putting about 5 volts which gives the train a suitable if not slightly too fast speed. Here is a pic of the whole electrical set up. I have also begun to paint the track and the sleepers a dirty brown with a Humbrol enamel paint. Its taken a couple of coats but I just need to touch up a few areas then its done. At the moment I'm incredibly happy that the battery pack is working and I know that the layout is properly portable in practice as well as theory. I dont know how long the batteries will last for but I have 18 rechargeable AAA batteries left over from when I used to have a Lego trains set up (before I got my first Hornby train set). Thanks for looking everyone. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShildonShunter Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 Hi Luke a splendid job on the electrics and I like your idea of using a battery pack for portable model railway fun. Nice colour also on the sleepers. Luke are you using your Kato chassis and does the battery pack produce enough power for The chassis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 Hi Luke a splendid job on the electrics and I like your idea of using a battery pack for portable model railway fun. Nice colour also on the sleepers. Luke are you using your Kato chassis and does the battery pack produce enough power for The chassis. Thanks Shildon. I am using my Kato 11-104 chassis which runs fine on the layout. Despite its fairly long wheel base it does negotiate the curves fine. Without and additional weight it makes a kind of grinding noise but with a blob of blue tack on it, it works fine with no additional noise. When I was running the layout off my hobby train set controller I felt that the optimum voltage was between 4.5 volts to 5.5 volts. Its still a bit fast for a prototypical speed but this layout is no where near being prototypical. The battery pack can put out up to 6v which is slightly to high for me so yes the battery pack does provide enough power. I can always take a few spares with me. In the future I might rewire the electrics so that I have a polarity switch and variable resistor so I can change direction and speed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 10, 2018 Author Share Posted May 10, 2018 Well the layout had its first informal outing today. It performed very well despite it being a last minute plan. It made me realise how boring a layout is without any scenery and that I really need to build a body for the loco instead of it being just a chopped up chassis with some blue tack on it for weight. I took the layout to a friends house to run some trains on his layout. He has some n gauge mk1s (graham farish I think) so I placed one on the layout. Maybe the mk1 is slightly too long for it. I think after I finish the loco I will construct a basic wagon to go behind it. Until then my attention is going to be turned towards building a protective card board box for the layout so it doesn't suffer ant damage in my camera bag. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShildonShunter Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Hi Luke I'm sure it won't take you long to build a body for the loco plenty of good cheap kits on the market for Kato chassis. It will be interesting to see what scenery your planning to model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 Hi Luke I'm sure it won't take you long to build a body for the loco plenty of good cheap kits on the market for Kato chassis. It will be interesting to see what scenery your planning to model. well I've actually already spent my budget for this layout so it looks like I'll be making a plasticard body. At the moment in thinking a hut in the middle with some old barrels and stuff and maybe a small tree. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ShildonShunter Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Luke i like the sound of your scenery plan and that your going to scratch build your loco body. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 Luke i like the sound of your scenery plan and that your going to scratch build your loco body. I think I can get away with minimal scenery if I make the railway an estate railway and call the hut in the middle the owners workshop. The scale scenes free hut looks about the right size for the job but I will probable modify it and just use it for dimensions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted May 11, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 11, 2018 You could add a wall across the middle of the layout, diagonally, as an estate kitchen garden wall. With arches for the track to pass through, one side could be the garden with a small platform to load the produce. The other side could be either a more formal gardens, or sheds & workshops. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke the train spotter Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 You could add a wall across the middle of the layout, diagonally, as an estate kitchen garden wall. With arches for the track to pass through, one side could be the garden with a small platform to load the produce. The other side could be either a more formal gardens, or sheds & workshops. I like the sound of that! I'll have a play around with it later and see what I come up with. There really isn't much room but I will see what I can fit in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted May 11, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 11, 2018 The wall itself doesn't have to be just a straight line. It can be angled around the sheds if necessary, so they can be full size. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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