Something has to be done with my languishing Churchill project this year. The trouble is I am going of the idea of having a through station and don`t relish the work to make two fiddle yards at either end.
I`m leaning towards changing it all to a GWR country terminus complete with an Engine shed so that I can keep it all in the shed and just play trains whenever I feel like it. And of course start another layout project afterwards.
The signal box is based on St Mary`s Crossing
This coming summer I intend to return to this project once again........................
She has rested in an uninsulated garden shed for two winters and one summer to test the quality of construction.
This week I hoovered and cleaned the track then switched on the power for the first time. Apart from a few rail levelling issues that need minor attention it all works very well.
So today saw a bit of further `playtime` starting with the arrival of the morning passenger................
It has taken me a while to get this model to work and look right. I hope this has been achieved.
It was important to dig in the two gate mechanisms and then to lay the track.
The servo`s worked well once I had callibrated them to be in crossing gate mode. However, I had not realised that first you needed to cancel out the bouncing signal mode and so although this short video
looks reasonable, both gate hinge mechanisms broke when the servo flicked back into signal mode and slammed
With all the important wiring up done there has been vigorous testing of track and pointmotors. Mogul 9316 runs through her paces today as this week I converted her to DCC sound.
There has been much tribulation with setting up and motorising the crossing gates using servo motors.
Finally got somewhere, so here is my effort in the true spirit of Michael Bentine....
This project is to be DCC sound driven but under the baseboards will be the traditional wiring of point motors and servos. Fortunately all my kit built and single RTR locomotives have modern motors with very low ampage requirements and have run well with all of my 4mm controllers and wiring preferences so I hav`nt seen a need to change much.
I have recycled most of my previous 4mm wiring looms using low ampage ribbon cable as connections to and between units . These don`t require any so
Trackplan is now down and a single slip has replaced the originals catchpoint to improve operating potential.
Wiring follows the traditional dropper method disguised with suitably modified chairs......
Turnout operating rods are now in place and awaiting completion under the baseboad.
So trackbuilding progresses at a sedate pace in the `senior` scale..... The way I had made the `servo` assisted crossing gates meant that I needed to fix them in place on the diorama before driving the `railroad` through.....
I`m not gluing the track in place yet but am building in `sets` as I go along.....
I`ve halted at the turnouts as I need to fabricate some 7mm sized turnout operating units.
I `m intending to use the same system I have used in 4mm......angle crank
Nothing particularly new or exciting with trackmaking . Having used Exactoscale point kits in 4mm, I continued the theme by using C&L 7mm point kits which have everything you need and with which you can specify preferred rail chairs.... GWR twobolt of course.
Having experienced annoying rust problems, and to some extent, soldering issues, with steel bullhead rail in 4mm I have chosen nickel silver rail for this project, which I am sure will make soldering joints more reliable over time a
As some of you know the platform and signal box are already completed..........
This project will be based on an actual location, not I may add, down to the last jot as I intend to add an extra siding or two by adding a single slip point into the equasion to improve operating potential and possible extension at a much later date.........
At the signal box end I needed to think about the crossing gates and a working distant signal that in reality was probably a tubular post at t
Each module is to be lit with the latest superbright LED strips supplied by LED Lighthouse.
I`ve settled on an equivelent of at least 100 watt brightness for each module which can be dimmed if needed.
These new type of LED lights available produce about 100 lumens per watt of power input. A 100 Watt filament bulb produces about 1200 lumens , so I would need an LED strip of at least 12watt per metre length.
I chose 4 meters of NANO TECH flexible LED strip 2835 60/LED/M at 14.4 Watt pe
Woodwork is not my strongest skill....... But the plan is to build a modest diorama/layout to feature my Churchill Halt model. Lightness and ease of transport is paramount with quality inbuilt lighting built early on so as to match the scenic work to my choice of illumination.
It all has to fit into my shed without any fiddleyards set up....there will be one at each end of the project.
I`ve based my modules on an article in RM Aug 2012 by Neale Burrows.
MDF is too heavy so I was
