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Hayfields turnout workbench


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Not much modelling time due to various calls on my time, but some 7 mm scale chairs from Off The Rails within Shapeways arrived

 

post-1131-0-46525200-1524307945.jpeg

 

A switch chairs

 

post-1131-0-76224400-1524307952.jpeg

 

Check rail chairs

 

post-1131-0-46048700-1524307965.jpeg

 

Closer view of some of the switch chairs

 

post-1131-0-03793500-1524307973.jpeg

 

What I believe are tie rod fixings

 

From initial viewing a great product and one well worth pursuing a bit further as the detail seems well suited to 7 mm scale. Would be very interested in hearing from those who use these products with tips etc on their use

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good weather and shows getting in the way of modelling

 

post-1131-0-62454900-1525276061.jpeg

 

Curved turnout in 0 gauge which I have been building at the club, I think the radii is around 8' and there was plenty of room for a 1-8 crossing

 

post-1131-0-84263300-1525276068.jpeg

 

This half scissors has been on the bench for ages, thought I had finished it but somehow the crossing had gauge narrowed on one side, still the delays over the past few days have let the solvent dry out as I rebuilt it in several stages, as there were plenty of droppers it was easier to double check the crossing using a loco under power 

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  • 3 weeks later...

What a past 21/4 years that have passed, moved house 2 years ago lost my work room and had limited modelling space. Last year we had our building project which includes a new railway room/workbench which ran into troubles with an unreliable builder having to either finish the work myself or arrange contractors. This year suffered a health problem where I was off work for 3 months, thankfully the NHS came to my rescue and on the way to full fitness and now landscaping both front and back gardens

 

At the end of last year I joined a local club and have been hijacked on to the 0 gauge layout as they needed some new trackwork built. They wanted to replace a scissors with a double slip combo with a facing crossover into a single slip and a curved turnout

 

post-1131-0-33197500-1527063262.jpeg

 

The layout has had its last exhibition runout and is permanently up in the clubrooms, built and fixed into place. Wired up for DCC, waiting for DC wiring, point motors fitting and ballasting

 

post-1131-0-89224700-1527063269.jpeg

 

The curved turnout allows access to what was the dead end of a bay platform, which turns it into a through platform, condition the same as above, work in progress

 

C&L bullhead rail, sleeper base and most of the chairs with the exception of a few Exactoscale bits. I did suggest using the Off The Rails switch and check rail chairs, but that fell on deaf ears. The layout is all about running trains (as it should be) DC on Mondays, DCC on Wednesdays. Based on LNER but many members model different regions and eras 

 

Still gave me somewhere different to go whilst I was ill and something to do.

 

Back to the garden and digging out the patio

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Peter will take a few shots in a couple of weeks as we have a bank holiday this monday. One of the members has just made a cracking signal for the curved turnout, the layout is great for running and was a draw for the paying public, as a big layout with big trains. Not finescale nor to any prototypical area or running, just built to run trains for the members enjoyment. Creaking a bit due to its age and like me pensioned off

 

New layout being built based on Chelmsford goods yard, my track building is a bit radical for those building it. As it happens all the trackwork was obtained prior to me joining the club. Many are devoted fans and for some reason hold crosses up when I pass, I think some think handbuilt track is the devils work

 

My order of 7 mm chairs from Shapeways is on its way, should be with me tomorrow.

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Yes Peco has served us well, why change and make more prototypical trackwork. I was never in a club when I lived in the UK I think I would of been thrown out for being too opinionated.

 

 

PS Who was it who said they would never want to be a member of a club that would want them as a member.

Edited by N15class
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Yes Peco has served us well, why change and make more prototypical trackwork. I was never in a club when I lived in the UK I think I would of been thrown out for being too opinionated.

 

 

PS Who was it who said they would never want to be a member of a club that would want them as a member.

Wasn’t that Groucho Marx?
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Think the check rails on the curved turnout need attention

 

 

Stephen 

 

Thanks, I handed the turnout to other members to fit which was done in a bit of a rush as there was a special running session on Tuesday morning for a class of special needs children

Wasn’t that Groucho Marx?

 

 

Thanks

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Stephen 

 

Thanks, I handed the turnout to other members to fit which was done in a bit of a rush as there was a special running session on Tuesday morning for a class of special needs children

 

 

Thanks

Hi,

I could see the chairs were there but that the rail had moved to where it shouldn't be. It happens.

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Mt Shapeways order arrived,

 

post-1131-0-63230200-1527150513.jpeg

 

Extra set of switch chairs, pair of common crossing chairs and some plain chairs

 

post-1131-0-92290500-1527150523.jpeg

 

A pair of common crossing chairs, which will need adapting from S7 to 32mm standard

 

post-1131-0-62843000-1527150531.jpeg

 

Close up of the standard chairs

 

Thought I would try these as they may be a bit easier to thread owing to the separate keys, just need to find time to build them

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  • 1 month later...

Very little to report as the good weather + long daylight hours has meant all the spare time I have is being spent on the house renovations (patio building in the rear garden landscaping the front, but I have found this topic which has a brilliant idea on how to build common crossings.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/129453-kinlochmore-%E2%80%93-west-highland-4mm-p4/page-2

 

I think its from post 41 on page 2, don't be put off from it being in P4 gauge, the principals are exactly the same for EM and 00 gauges

 

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi John I got some of the check rail chairs from Shapeways and I have to say they are very brittle, I’d say three out of every five snapped trying to thread them, also they don’t seem to set well using Butanone.

 

Hope you get on better than me with them ;)

 

Cheers

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Hi John I got some of the check rail chairs from Shapeways and I have to say they are very brittle, I’d say three out of every five snapped trying to thread them, also they don’t seem to set well using Butanone.

 

Hope you get on better than me with them ;)

 

Cheers

 

 

Paul

 

Thanks for the heads up, not tried them yet, however i normally cut the Exactoscale check chairs in two, also I was under the impression superglue was best for these. Also makes sense of why the keys are separate, that's why I bought the extra chairs so I could use the same construction process .

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  • RMweb Gold

Paul

 

Thanks for the heads up, not tried them yet, however i normally cut the Exactoscale check chairs in two, also I was under the impression superglue was best for these. Also makes sense of why the keys are separate, that's why I bought the extra chairs so I could use the same construction process .

No worries I superglued the ones I used in the end although the keys are part of the mold on mine.

 

Cheers

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Not much modelling time due to various calls on my time, but some 7 mm scale chairs from Off The Rails within Shapeways arrived

 

attachicon.gif03.jpeg

 

A switch chairs

 

attachicon.gif02.jpeg

 

Check rail chairs

 

attachicon.gif06.jpeg

 

Closer view of some of the switch chairs

 

attachicon.gif07.jpeg

 

What I believe are tie rod fixings

 

From initial viewing a great product and one well worth pursuing a bit further as the detail seems well suited to 7 mm scale. Would be very interested in hearing from those who use these products with tips etc on their use

I ordered a few sets of check rail castings, they were crap quality wise extremely Brittle to the point I couldn’t use them.

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I ordered a few sets of check rail castings, they were crap quality wise extremely Brittle to the point I couldn’t use them.

 

 

Thanks for the heads up, I think the standard chairs with separate keys will be an easier ft, and will take care with the check chairs

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi John,

 

I know you like to use the Exactoscale plastic fishplates. A recent post on the Scalefour forum has highlighted a problem with these in hot weather, in that they leave no allowance for thermal expansion of the rail.

 

When building track in cooler conditions, I suggest leaving them loose on the rail ends, i.e. so that they can slide forward and back with say 0.5mm of freedom between the ends of the rails.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

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Hi John,

 

I know you like to use the Exactoscale plastic fishplates. A recent post on the Scalefour forum has highlighted a problem with these in hot weather, in that they leave no allowance for thermal expansion of the rail.

 

When building track in cooler conditions, I suggest leaving them loose on the rail ends, i.e. so that they can slide forward and back with say 0.5mm of freedom between the ends of the rails.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

So do I but I have never experienced this problem. Mainly, I think because of where I use them. In and around the common crossing there should be little or no trouble because the rail lengths are relatively short and normally the switch end can absorb any expansion.

 

Might be a problem at the vee end but the use of long lengths should be avoided where possible anyway. I seem to remember 50cms being the practical maximum to avoid such problems and as long as some give can be incorporated, all the better.

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Hi John,

 

I know you like to use the Exactoscale plastic fishplates. A recent post on the Scalefour forum has highlighted a problem with these in hot weather, in that they leave no allowance for thermal expansion of the rail.

 

When building track in cooler conditions, I suggest leaving them loose on the rail ends, i.e. so that they can slide forward and back with say 0.5mm of freedom between the ends of the rails.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

 

When I first came across these. Len Newman was selling them at the Watford and District Finescale show, he explained that a notch in the web of the rail should be filed to allow for expansion

 

I think the main problem is with both the Exactoscale and C&L ranges is a lack of clear and precise instructions about how to use the system, Example is the simple fact about chairs having an inclined cant of the rail and the potential problems of gauge narrowing if the track gauges used hold the rail vertically

 

I think the answer is quite simple, lay the track in  prototypical lengths, and in winter do not lay the rails tight against each other. If anything this method may well be the best route to take. Even using a feeler gauge to maintain a gap to avoid this happening. Perhaps someone who knows the science of expansion could advise of the gap distance required in summer and winter. Perhaps a thread in Templot may be the best place

 

So do I but I have never experienced this problem. Mainly, I think because of where I use them. In and around the common crossing there should be little or no trouble because the rail lengths are relatively short and normally the switch end can absorb any expansion.

 

Might be a problem at the vee end but the use of long lengths should be avoided where possible anyway. I seem to remember 50cms being the practical maximum to avoid such problems and as long as some give can be incorporated, all the better.

 

I also have not found any issues with expansion, but I can see how it occurs when temperatures soar. So I would use the same principals using these fishplates as any other rail joiners. In practice ply and rivet track will encounter more issues that plastic chaired track, as the rail in both methods will expand and contract at the same rate, rail in plastic chairs will move through the chair, rails soldered to rivets expanding at the same rate will over time degrade the weakest soldered joints

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think the answer is quite simple, lay the track in  prototypical lengths, and in winter do not lay the rails tight against each other. If anything this method may well be the best route to take. Even using a feeler gauge to maintain a gap to avoid this happening. Perhaps someone who knows the science of expansion could advise of the gap distance required in summer and winter. Perhaps a thread in Templot may be the best place

 

Assuming it's dominated by the expansion of the rail itself (according to google, plywood has an expansion ~1/4 that of nickel silver so it's a reasonable assumption), then for nickel silver rail you get ~18 micrometers expansion per meter per degree... So, for a 60ft panel (240mm in 4mm) over a 30 degree temperature range (5C to 35C?) you would need a gap of >130 micrometers (~5 thou) at the coldest temperature to avoid them touching at the warmest temperature.  Steel rail would be about a factor of 1.5 better (i.e. 3.5thou gap for each 60ft panel).    If the rail section is longer, you need to leave a commensurately larger gap.

 

Perhaps more usefully as a rule of thumb, if you lay track at 20C, and want it still to work at 35C, then you should allow total gaps of ~0.3mm per meter of rail to be safe.

 

I have no idea what the stresses on the chairs are if they are bonded to the rail -- though the stress will be worse for longer sections.
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FraserClarke

 

Thanks for doing the maths, I think for any rail thats in a plastic chair (flexi track or hand built) the rail should slide through it. the real issue is for long sections of track and the same care should be taken laying track whether its hand built or RTR, so this is a case of modelling requirements over prototypical appearance. As for issues when building turnouts and crossings they will be negligible, but for long lengths of plain track care must be taken when laying it   

 

Thanks again for the info

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  • 2 months later...

With the major works on the house and gardens completed I now have a bit more time, still plenty of snagging but can grab the odd half day.

 

I have found it hard to get back my track building enthusiasm, just been flitting between a few projects. Still this three way (or is it a tandem?) 

 

post-1131-0-33543900-1539620490.jpeg

 

The building sequence is in a slightly different order, as I have found the most problematic area is the centre road. I have also deviated from normal builds by making an additional subassembly with the straight stock rail,owing to the close proximity of the check and switch rails to the stock rail. I plan to do the same with the curved stock rail owing to the check rail length  

 

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