kyle 2014 - phase II - fiddling around...
Good evening,
As Phase I of the 2014 refurb draws to a close (second coat of paint added to fascia and new lettering has been applied) I turned my thoughts to the new fiddle yard.
As mentioned previously I would like to give cassettes a rest for a while and revert back to a traverser running on mini 150mm shelf runners that I acquired some place in BCN.
One of the issues to be addressed was due to the track layout, for run-a-round the train needs to back the stock almost halfway into the fiddle yard so a short 'transitional ' piece was required which was worked out the other day to be about 200mm. This means the traverser can move independently without the train bridging it.
Another issue was not being restricted by the travel length of the traverser meaning all roads could be used. It occurred to me a cheeky little slot could be formed in the facia allowing the traverser to slide out as and when required and also give sneak pics of the rolling stock (don't you just love to crank your neck at shows and get a preview of what's about to emerge?)
With this in mind, sketches were happening during my work week as follows:
Yesterday I had a brief visit to the Epson and Ewell show and suitably topped up with enthusiasm from seeing St Ruth and Diesels in the Duchy, I decided to make a mock up this afternoon. This is to test a few ideas as most of it will be laser cut at work so I wanted to flush out any immediate problems.
Using a couple of sheets of 3mm foamboard I began to map out the enclosure to first get the continuity of the all important front presentation to the viewers. This will all be painted dark grey to match the recent fascia work. I also wanted to express the 'transitional' piece on the front (which also masks the join between the scenic section and FY) so have done so by introducing two 3mm shadow gaps to provide a neat solution. This will also incorporate the 2mmFS logo which I have from the first time it was exhibited.
The traverser itself will have 5 roads which should be enough for say 3 fixed train formations and a couple of spare for run around etc. The ends of the roads will have a simple DPDT switch to isolate each individually - no complex sparks from me I am afraid
There is also scope for one possibly two shelves built above the traverser to hold additional stock - will need to review this with the lighting positions.
Having completed the mock up I can already see a few areas that need further work but overall I am happy with the results. One thing I quite like is the possible glow from the traverser slot when seen from the front.
Here's a few iPhone pics with a little stock provided for scale...sorry about the light etc...its not so easy to take the layout outside as I used to do in BCN...
Any comments most welcome...
Pete
- 11
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