I've not made any progress with the layout, for a very long time! That's because I have not felt able to grab the Bull by the Horns, so to speak, and solve the major problem. The phase that up to now, dared not speak it name, is electrical pickup quality.
When I attempt to run a train along the trough line, at a scale speed it almost always stalls on the goods yard entry point. The problem stems from a design decision onthe manufacturer, in this case Farrish, to pickup from the back of the f
In the previous post, I used a micro baseboard to test the use of a hand held magnet to activate a Peco Elsie coupling with a Coupler Lift Arms. The baseboard was originally built to prove that it's possible to operate N Gauge points, using Peco surface mounted point motors. In the catalogue they are only shown being used with OO gauge points.
The secondary objective was to prove whether or not analogue points could be powered from a DCC bus signal, without interrupting digital operatio
I have been looking for a coupling system that will allow hands free shunting on a N Gauge layout for several years. This has been without success until I walked into our local hardware shop yesterday. I have previously, looked at B&B, DG and even Greenwich couplings, which are intended for OO narrow gauge. When in the local hardware shop I realised that a magnet sold for general applications could be the solution to my quest.
The solution was under my noise all the time, and was found i
It occurred to me after reading November 2015 edition of BRM that Clovelly road could be operated as an inglenook puzzle, as well as using an operating sequence which simulates the operation of the prototype. It has all the track elements a main line, which is where the train is assembled and two short sidings, which can hold 3 wagons each.
Using a set of hidden sidings, several other trains possibly including a passenger train could be run, giving more variety. The direction of exit of
Following a complaint from a Mr M Oxley received at Waterloo, the area manager and civil engineer where requested to look into the situation. They reported back that the complainant did have a valid complaint. In recognition of this they sent him a letter offering him a free 1st ticket to a destination of his choice. He took up the offer and the railway issued him a period return to London Waterloo.
The lengthening by 15 feet and the raising of the platform height by 9 inches was sanctioned
When the track was laid a paper template was made by placing a sheet of paper over the track, using the outer rail and a pencil a line was drawn. Then the process was repeated for the baseboard edge. The template was then cut out and checked against the track and baseboard edge. After several iterations, it was used to cutout the platform base.
The photograph below shows the site of the platform at Clovelly Road, just before the overbridge on the Hallwill Junction side.
Below is the
Laying track on a micro layout is a more involved process than a larger layout. This is because there is less of it, and thus on Clovelly Road it is essential that every mm of track gives excellent running. On a larger one, if there are a few stretches of track that have problems, then perhaps you can refrain from using them at an exhibition or club open day. Without all of the track, the running of Clovelly Road for even a morning session will become very tedious.
Thus I have spent a cons
Below are photographs of the Sheep shed and it's relationship with the track, and thus the trains, and the sky support.They are taken from a variety of angles.
The next stage is to add the sky support between the end panels, which straddles the track.
Julie
PS I've added a view of the sheep barn and the creep too.
I've been scratch building a sheep barn, which is designed to be placed next to the sheep creep. Partly because the barn and the creep make up a micro scene, but also to act as view blocker.
I've made a conscious decision to make all the buildings be unique and have 3D roofs and walls.
There is a 2mm gap between the sheep barn and the sky support, to allow the flexible backscene to fit between.
The passenger trains is photographed next to the sheep barn, to check the proportions
The court case is over, I can once again think about other things, including railway modelling. Below are two photographs of a first attempt at adding a checkrail on the approach to the goods yard entry point. It does Improve the slow running through the point.
Of course it needs painting rusty Brown colour.
Julie
P.S. I've been forced to pay my assailant £100, Judas money, for an non existent assault on her!
I've been filling in the gaps, by adding the missing sleepers. They are also referred to as timbers, to distinguish them from concrete ones.
PS I'm sorry about the slow progress on my micro layout, this is due to being worried about being prosecuted, simply because I have 'learning disabilities'! I think I live in a police state.
Julie
I have now done all the track laying on the scenic part of the layout. I can now decide where the boundary between the scenic and the fiddle yard should be.
I can also enlarge the bridge box.This is the cutout in the top surface cut out to allow scenery below the track level.
Julie
No lads, not anything to do with satellite TV!
It's a system to support a flexible backscene. This is because the layout has to fit into a small case for transport.
The loco crabbing problem has been solved by the addition of a small piece of plastic which reduces the width of the crossing flangeway.
This also stop the coaches occasionally hitting the bridge, by keeping their wheelsets from crabbing too.
Julie
I still experiencing problems with my Farish 04 running slowly over the goods yard entry point on Clovelly Road.
I have discovered that the problem is that it is crabbing. This means that the loco wheels are moving towards the outside rail. This has the effect of increasing the distance of the loco tyre from the inner rail and thus increasing the electrical resistance.
I have proved that my diagnosis is correct, when a stall occurs, I very generally push it towards the inner rail. The lo
I've been Running the 04, it was the first time I have run it since it returned from Farish after a warranty repair.
It now seems able, after a run in, to run much more smoothly.
Julie
When building micro layout if you use proprietary track, you will nearly always need to bend points if you require your trackwork to flow!
When you start bending points you have to be prepared to break your first couple of points. BUT with practice you will be able to get excellent results without breaking them.
The photographs below show the sequence of operations.
The points as supplied by Peco
The outer rails removed and bent to required curvature.
The rails re-i
In model railways we need to put the railway in context. This is done by using scenery and a backscene. Clovelly Road is designed to fit into a small case for transport. Therefor there will be a permenent backscene & in front of this a flexible backscene which is higher.
This initial part of the backscene behind the road bridge is glued in position using wood glue. The gap between the bridge and the support is to allow for the thickness of the flexible backscene.
My computer has been hacked. Please treat all messages from me as suspect until further notice.
I have now secured my smart phone, so am now able to communicate in a secure manor! Hooray!
Julie
PS The proof is that I can now change fonts
I was running in a Dapol Terrier today, using the track work of Clovelly Road as a test track. This is one of the advantages of building a roundy roundy type layout, that one does not need a separate test track. I noticed that sometimes it stopped when negotiating the point crossing and that this triggered a short circuit indication on the controller.
Close examination of the point revealed the source of the problem. When I curved the point the rail from the dead area of the crossing had mov
I have now taken the fixed coach wheels on the brake 2nd coach and reassembled it after removing some material to allow the coach to be level when placed on the track. The first photograph is before and the second after the modifications.
I have also removed excess material so that the coach ends flat and I have applied the first coat of paint.
The coach need to be detailed, but we ar now basically there. The coaches run around the curves on the layout. The next stage is to co
I went to visit some friends who also build model railways, and in order to transport the coaches I used the original box, see the photograph below. I find that working on models with others inspirational. But you also have to be very organised to make sure you have everything you require. When working with very small parts I work withing a plastic box, which usually catches any small parts that fly off when I work with them. I get simular help in giving me get up and go also I get inspiration f
The 6 wheeled coaches that I have modelled were purchased by WH Austen, who took over the HF Stephens light railway undertaking after his dead in 1931. As with many Stephens enterprises the modification of the coaches for use on the railway was carried out in unorthodox manor. They started life on the LDCR railways as bogie coaches, which were sliced in two and the wheel arrangement changed.
The photograph below shows the origionally a brake third coach, although by the date I am modelling i
As my grandmother use to say, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating". After I solved a small problem with a short on the point crossing I managed to back the train complete with guards van into the goods yard siding, without having a derailment. I then reversed the locomotive and drove the train out onto the running line, again without any derailment.
So I can now both pull and push the guards van around a 120mm radius curves without problems. This is made easier because I have a p
I have now soldered the connections from the socket on the back edge of baseboard 2 to the power bus and linked the new track which links the scenic section to the fiddleyard, see photograph below.
Before power was connected the wiring was checked out using the buzzer feature of my multimeter, to make sure that no shorts exist between North – black and South – red.
I have now solved the problem of getting the guards van around the fiddleyard curve without it derailing. The solution
A major part of the problems that I have had, re getting trains to negotiate the curves to enter the fiddleyard, was because of problems with the flexibility of the couplings. The photograph below shows two 5 plank wagons on the main curve, through the goods yard entry points.
The second photograph shows the same two wagons going around the much sharper curves into the fiddleyard.
When carrying out the cut and shut modification of the guards van, I successfully reduced the over
