Entry posted by Ian Morgan
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1 May 2009: Not a lot of visible progress for a while, but I have been beavering away building track, using copperclad sleepers and soldering. Having built a couple of points using the jig I have (equivalent to about 3 foot radius) I scanned them, and printed paper copies which were cut out and used for trying to mark out the track layout on the baseboard. Try as I might, I just could not get the track to match the original layout, with the outside slip. So, I decided to revise my plans, and follow the later track layout without the slip. This also means losing the locomotive facilities, but does reduce the number of points that need to be built. The revised layout plan is shown below:
I also used the scanned images to put together a template for the crossover at the buffers end of the platform road. With some care and attention, I managed to build most of it in the point jig, re-inserting the construction into the jig in different orientations a few times.
If I had realised that the jig is exactly the right width, I could have used it as a sawing jig for the full length sleepers. Note, I have not used chairplates for this layout in a bid to save time. Previously, when I have used chairplates, the daylight gap beneath the rail disapeared during ballasting anyway.
Here is the track built so far. Three more points and plenty of plain track needed for the layout board. More needed for the fiddle yard.
Having tried traversers, sector plates, turntable points and cassettes on previous layouts, proper points have proved to be the most reliable solution, albeit they take up a long length of the fiddle yard. I will be attempting a 4-way point for this fiddle yard. Wish me luck.
25 October 2009: There has been a bit of a pause in progress while constructing the track required. As I only have one evening a week to allocate to modelling at the moment, it has taken longer than I would have liked. I also found a new way of slowing up progress by deciding to try filling the insulation cuts in the copper-clad sleepers with milliput (after checking the gaps were actually insulated). With a spray of primer (after washing with Cif and a finger nail brush) they really do look better for being filled.
I also built some MERG servo control boards and a tester/programmer box, as I will be using servos to operate the points and uncoupling magnets. More on these subjects will come later, I hope.
Anyway, the first length of track to be laid is across the board join to the fiddle yard. I am trying out the easytrack brass sleepers for this. Six of these sleepers were soldered in with concrete sleeper profiled copperclad, and the whole lot primed. I had to smooth out my poor carpentry by planing the surface slightly, and digging out a little to cater for the brass sleepers being fractionally thicker than the copperclad ones. The whole length was fixed down with Araldite and weighted down overnight. This morning I have sawn the rails across the gap, and sawn the brass speepers in half to restore insulation between the rails. A little more Milliput filling is required before painting the sleepers, and ballasting.
The photo also shows some foamboard being used as a basis for the river banks. The river is still tidal here, so it will have steep, deep banks.
The first point will be situated just beyond the bridge, so I now have to decide on, and build the operating mechanism, more on that next time.
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