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Layout Based on the Oldham Loop

Entries in this blog

Warehouse End Rebuild

Hi   It's been a while since the last update, and, as ever, a lot is happening that is uninteresting - point motors, baseboard ends, rail alignment, wiring, DCC - but we have now started to redevelop the scenic side at the end that underwent the massive rebuild.   We managed to work out how to separate and incorporate some of Trevor's original buildings which we were unable to use as designed as we had to shorten the layout, but which we feel will fit in well and enhance the urban feel we a

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dikitriki

January 2010

Hi   We managed to have a group meeting the end of January, and since we can play trains now, it's about 75% work, and 25% play!   There's little progress on the scenic side as we are still getting the infrastructure done. The trackwork in the fiddle yard is very nearly complete, and we have 5 storage roads on the outside loop, 4 on the inside loop, 5 sidings for branch storage, and room for 1 further branch train on the link road between the branch and the inside loop. That's 15 trains in a

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dikitriki

First Running Session

Hi   Monday's first running session went very well, and a great time was had by all. Everyone was able to see their models run properly for the first time on meaningful trains, and there were a number of very broad grins on display. Tim also brought along his DCC controller and a sound equipped Hymek, but it wasn't on long enough for me to grab a photo (sorry Phill). The layout behaved very well considering that it had just been bolted together, and none of the rail ends had been fine-tuned be

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dikitriki

Ready for inaugural running session

Hi   I've spent a fair chunk of the last two days in a frenzy of tidying after the big push in December to get the layout runnable. The inaugural running session takes place on Monday, so the room has to look its best; besides which, I couldn't find anything, and it was getting a bit frustrating. So everything is in its place, the boards have been vacuumed, and the carpet is down.   Since it won't be this tidy again for months, I took a few photos. I haven't cropped any of these so you can s

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dikitriki

First Run

Hi   It's been a hectic few months, seemingly a huge amount of work for little progress, as the trackwork and wiring have slowly taken shape.   1 year ago to the day, I went to the Wigan show to collect Heyside. Fast-forward to this morning, and at 10.00am the very first loco, symbolically, the Aspinall saddle tank I have been working on, went gingerly round the full circuit. Since it didn't come off, excitement got the better of me, and I thought I would test the Brit.   So, I am proud to

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dikitriki

Heyside Trackwork

One of the areas I had to address was the trackwork in general, and pointwork in particular. Since the rebuild was to be so extensive, I was faced with building a good few points. I didn't realise just how many until I got stuck in, but suffice to say that none of the original ones remain, apart from 4 Vs and 9 stock rails! In many ways that is a good thing in that there is going to be a consistency of construction, and it will be nobody's fault but mine if it doesn't run well.   At the outset

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dikitriki

Heyside: The Beginning

Hi   At the Wigan show in 2008 I bought the 7mm scale layout Heyside. It was acquired as a short-cut to getting something running at home, though as with all such things, it is never as great a short-cut as one hopes. This blog will detail the trials and tribulations of the extensive rebuild of the layout.   Heyside is a fictitious station set in Lancashire around the Oldham Loop. The layout was built as an exhibition layout by Trevor Smith, and exhibited just 4 times in the UK. It was featu

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dikitriki

The Matrix

Is now hooked up to the point motor control board. Took some working out with some boolean logic and luck. I now need to mount it on something, so that the whole shooting match can be detached from the layout. The feed from the control panel and the outputs to the motors will probably be added on site.   I'm looking forward to getting back to modelling!     Did anyone spot the deliberate mistake? I wired the second row of chips input into the output of the first row! Duh!        

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dibateg

Tortoise Motor Control Circuits

Work is in progress to make up the diode matix and point motor control boards for Heyside's storage sidings. Basically it's just a single push button to set the storage road required. I'm indebted to John Bailey for Vero board design and component choice for this project. Further information can be found at http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/CircuitIndex.html   Here is the first control board, with the breaks being cut in the second.

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dibateg

Visiting Locomotives

Every so often, a visiting loco appears, a cop if you will. Today, a B17 appeared deputising for a failed B1 on the Red Bank Parcels. It was briefly on the goods reception road, so I took the opportunity to grab a few photos. (OK, I know it's a Great Eastern Loco really)         Another very good model from Clive :icon_thumbsup2: , but probably not on the exhibition roster.   Richard

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dikitriki

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