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"... lessons have been learned." *


Ian Simpson

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I always said that my micro-terminus was an experiment - and the whole point of an experiment is to learn lessons. I quickly realised that my layout had two major faults:

(a) the foamcore baseboard was so light (250 grams including rails and fittings) that I had to put a finger on top of it every time I changed a point to prevent it moving about on the tabletop, and

(b) the traverser, driven by a rod under the baseboard, suffered a bit from friction and it often needed some finger-poking to get the rails to join up accurately with the rest of the track.

There was also a minor irritation that the wiring, point controls, etc were all underneath the board, so that the layout had to be turned over to work on them. This wasn't a problem when the layout was being built, but it did become inconvenient when I added some rudimentary scenery.

So when I found a piece of wood 50 cms by 15 cms that weighed a hefty kilogram, it seemed a fine opportunity to build a replacement layout (in foreground below, with original layout at rear):

 

Expt_-_old_and_new.JPG.f5fa688fec13291c99f2240b59703e4a.JPG

 

This time I started with the traverser, rather than leaving it to the end of the track-laying process, because I had learned the hard way how essential its smooth operation is for the track design.

 

I made a 12 cm base for the traverser from a couple of freebie plastic Lottery cards (after checking that the smooth plastic coating of the cards did run smoothly over the surface of the wood). The paper envelope shown in the photo below provides a covering surface for the top of the traverser, while the base (which glides over the wooden baseboard) is left as the smooth plastic coating advertising the lottery:

 

Tinories_Traverser.JPG.8aa36ccedc3580456f649aad83d58b25.JPG

 

A length of PECO flexitrack glued on top gave the traverser base a bit of rigidity, and I added sides from wooden coffee stirrers mainly for cosmetic effect:

 

1157272501_TinoriesTraverserLotteryCard.jpg.cd9619f5d889ca26efcc2e074e0dc41a.jpg

 

Expt_-_traverser.JPG.2d896ad60e2c5b582276fe29668dee80.JPG

 

I also used the coffee stirrers to make guide rails for the traverser along each side, and when the connecting track was laid I put strips of stirrer at the front and back to make sure the traverser stops in the right place:

 

Expt_-_traverser_and_point_control.JPG.98c20e19b3266695cd951c434ca08de7.JPG

 

A copper rod (actually Mercontrol tubing) is used to operate the traverser from the back of the layout. Since the traverser only rests loosely on top of the board (hence the guide rails) it can be easily operated from the front of the layout with a finger tip.

Points are operated by stiff copper wire above the board. The wire and the plastic brackets I used came from PECO's 009 uncoupler kits, but similar homemade brackets could easily be made:

 

1237161727_Pecos-l500.png.932cbb3188c82b64670eb1f79ceae3d5.png

 

Electrically, block connectors and PECO pre-soldered fishplates cater for my Can't Solder, Won't Solder phobia.   

So far I'm very pleased with the second attempt. It seems to work well and it was cheap to build. The next stage will be a bit of scenery ...

 

Note for overseas readers: when British politicians are caught doing something especially deplorable they always say "I can assure the House that no wrong-doing was intended, and that lessons have been learned". This mantra is seen as an acceptable alternative to actually learning anything or trying to do things any better in future.

Edited by Ian Simpson
Reloading photos

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That looks good. I like that you have fitted points to it. I've sometimes thought it would be fund to build a traverser that contained a shunting puzzle in itself, with no need to attach a layout to carry it out.

 

Incidentally I use these 3M rubber feet to avoid baseboards sliding on the tabletop. They are so good I sometimes have trouble getting the baseboard free of the table. It has to be these heavy duty ones though, the smaller ones aren't much good.

 

61aU3hstsKL._AC_SL1500_.jpg.cad96c460299898ccdfcda3f07982e4f.jpg

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Many thanks, @Mikkel. I think traversers scare a lot of modellers because some of the examples we see have so obviously been created using careful, accurate design and good model engineering skills. But they are such useful space-savers that I couldn't let my lack of skills stand in the way of having one!

The push-along design I've used is very simple, with a minimum of working parts to go wrong. I think a sector plate pivoted with a pin at one end would be even easier to build and align properly. But adding a third track would complicate things - I don't know how I would tackle that!

Those rubber feet look very useful, and not just for modelling projects. Thanks for the tip!

@Florence Locomotive Works, I think all our politicians get a laminate card with the magic mantra on it when they take office.  I'm sure we'll hear the phrase a lot when we start examining our response to COVID-19.

By the way I've just discovered your amazing Sena Sugar Estates blog. Now that is clever stuff!

Edited by Ian Simpson
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5 hours ago, Ian Simpson said:

Many thanks, @Mikkel. I think traversers scare a lot of modellers because some of the examples we see have so obviously been created using careful, accurate design and good model engineering skills. But they are such useful space-savers that I couldn't let my lack of skills stand in the way of having one!

The push-along design I've used is very simple, with a minimum of working parts to go wrong. I think a sector plate pivoted with a pin at one end would be even easier to build and align properly. But adding a third track would complicate things - I don't know how I would tackle that!

Those rubber feet look very useful, and not just for modelling projects. Thanks for the tip!

@Florence Locomotive Works, I think all our politicians get a laminate card with the magic mantra on it when they take office.  I'm sure we'll hear the phrase a lot when we start examining our response to COVID-19.

By the way I've just discovered your amazing Sena Sugar Estates blog. Now that is clever stuff!

Many thanks sir. I’m not sure what ours get, other than more sometimes undo attention, but I try to stay out of politics whenever possible. Its an extremely volatile subject in my part of America, which is only barely out of the Deep South.

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On 08/05/2020 at 10:02, Ian Simpson said:

 I think traversers scare a lot of modellers because some of the examples we see have so obviously been created using careful, accurate design and good model engineering skills. But they are such useful space-savers that I couldn't let my lack of skills stand in the way of having one!

 

Couldn't agree more. Much as I admire the expertly built traversers that we sometimes see, I find that it's possible to get away with more relaxed tolerances than I originally thought.

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On 09/05/2020 at 09:27, Mikkel said:

... I find that it's possible to get away with more relaxed tolerances than I originally thought.

That's been my experience, too. :)  I've found that filing a slight taper on the inside edges of the rails (and also on the top of the rails to allow for any mismatch in height) can make those tolerances a bit more forgiving. With less-than-perfect alignments, this will reduce jolting as the loco runs on and off the traverser.

Edited by Ian Simpson
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Thanks for that Ian, I haven't tried filing a taper to the inside of the rails, that's a useful tip.

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On 08/05/2020 at 09:02, Ian Simpson said:

...

The push-along design I've used is very simple, with a minimum of working parts to go wrong. I think a sector plate pivoted with a pin at one end would be even easier to build and align properly. But adding a third track would complicate things - I don't know how I would tackle that!

...

 

Ian, if you ever wanted to add a third track you could try some pairs of neodymium magnets on the traverser and the baseboard to provide an index for the middle position. I did this on a Peco 00 turntable and it worked.

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I think adding some form of locking bar/ bolt might help, so when you line up the tracks, you can hold them in alignment. Traversers do like to creep when you’re not looking.

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  • RMweb Gold

That's a very good suggestion, @Northroader. Yes, it's amazing how bloody-minded the average traverser can be!

P.S. Perhaps @47137's magnets would keep the traverser in place, as well as helping line it up with the tracks?

Edited by Ian Simpson
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There is an account of my magnets here - I can't believe this was over five years ago!

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94323-compact-fiddle-yard-for-165-mm-gauge/&do=findComment&comment=1751052

 

For a traverser I'd go for the next size up for the magnets, because a turntable have its spindle to provide a point of reference but a traverser doesn't.

 

Longer ago I built a NG sector plate using small ball bearings on springs, moving vertically. This worked after a fashion but it was quite tricky to set up. The magnets just sort of "worked".

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2 hours ago, 47137 said:

... The magnets just sort of "worked".

 

Thanks, Richard, I will definitely try this, magnets seem to work well with the lottery card:

541529189_TinoriesMagnets01.JPG.9e619f4321c41835bb911b9f19c00e4c.JPG

 

Although my next post will probably be on my rotating signal:

1945639368_TinoriesSignal10.jpg.ba554b34d3fed588e9b1e05ab82edaf6.jpg

The copper wire I had in stock wasn't stiff enough to operate it, so I fell back on the coffee stirrers again. (Not much use to modellers who can't access their favourite coffee shop at the moment, I know.)

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I guess cycle shops will still sell individual spokes, these are quite good as push rods.

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But looking at the price of modern bikes, I hate to think how much a spoke costs nowadays ...

Yes, a very good suggestion, thanks!

Edited by Ian Simpson
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... and so lessons still being learned, thanks to @47137:

491015781_TinoriesTraverserMagnets01.jpg.fb7d1e282f0c1c9f20b3a11281a91254.jpg

The filler is there because the drill bit I had was bigger than the magnets.

Many thanks for the clever tip, Richard, the magnets are working very well!56071942_TinoriesTraverserMagnets02.jpg.ad98bb8ddbb412e6ac8acab82ed1a557.jpg

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