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Fiddling About


-missy-

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Hello.

 

I like fiddleyards. I like the form and function of them, the way they are designed and built with no scenery in mind, just to do a job and nothing else. The way they are (usually) as simple as possible, just enough to do the job they have to do and nothing more.

 

Well, thats my thoughts. I know that some fiddleyards are, in what I feel far too over complicated and why? As I mentioned above they are there to do a job, to hold trains ready for displaying on the scenic part of the layout.

 

Progress on Highclere is still moving at a snails pace. The fact that my mind has been elsewhere recently hasnt really helped the situation, but spurred on by the impending Abingdon Exhibition (4th March, White Hourse Tennis and Leisure Centre, Abingdon) where Highclere will make its next appearance (along with Witney Euston), I am determined to get the fiddle yard ready in time.

 

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blogentry-2065-0-44042500-1328389610_thumb.jpg

 

The solitary wagon has been pressed into service as a test vehicle for the trackwork on the rear cassette board. The aluminium angle in the foreground is used for the cassettes to slot into. I have added some Beryllium Copper contacts to each side to aid electrical contact which will be electrically fed directly from the bus bars underneath the layout (hence the eyelets but no wires yet!) I have had a bit of trouble getting all the track and cassette heights correct but with the help of some plasticard shims everything now slots together nicely.

 

EDIT:

 

Here is a plan of one end of the fiddleyard, the opposite end is identical (but just a mirror image)

 

blogentry-2065-0-43144700-1328455311_thumb.jpg

 

Missy :)

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10 Comments


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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Julia.

 

Very interested to see how your fiddle yard develops having being giving some thought to this area recently also. Is there a track plan for the yard?

 

Tom.

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Hi

 

There is a problem with the link from the 2mm website, it only takes you to the main rmweb page, and not to this entry.

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  • RMweb Gold

Very neat Missy - I like the copper sprung contacts idea.

 

Can you just remind me on your fiddleyard idea again...are you making an overall roundy roundy single track circuit with a turnout to a spur so you can plug in individual cassettes? Have I interpreted correctly?...

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Cassettes - definitely the way to go - and I like the copper contact idea - very neat, but typical of your work :-) Where do you get beryllium Copper strip? Looks much better than my bulldog clips!

 

Regs

 

Ian

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Hello folks.

 

Thank you for the comments, I know its not the most exciting of times for Highclere but its good to know some people are still watching what I do!

 

Hi Julia. Very interested to see how your fiddle yard develops having being giving some thought to this area recently also. Is there a track plan for the yard? Tom.

 

Hi Tom, I have added a sketch of the fiddleyard I did a while ago and hopefully it shows the idea I have. I have tried to keep it simple and straight forward to use.

 

Very neat Missy - I like the copper sprung contacts idea.Can you just remind me on your fiddleyard idea again...are you making an overall roundy roundy single track circuit with a turnout to a spur so you can plug in individual cassettes? Have I interpreted correctly?...

 

Hi Pete. You have got it spot on! The whole idea behind a 'roundy-roundy' layout

came about because I want to try and recreate the long Fawley Oil trains which ran on the line and I couldnt see how to make it possible with a fiddleyard at each end.This way I have plenty of length to fit some nice big trains, if I ever make enough stock for it is another matter!

 

Cassettes - definitely the way to go - and I like the copper contact idea - very neat, but typical of your work :-) Where do you get beryllium Copper strip? Looks much better than my bulldog clips!RegsIan

 

Hello Ian. The contact strip is something I 'aquired' a while ago now. It was a sample of something called 'Finger Stock' and its used to shield doors on electrical cabinets to help with the EMC. I think RS Components do it although its not cheap, you could always do what I did and rung up a company asking for a sample!

 

M. :)

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Tom, I have added a sketch of the fiddleyard I did a while ago and hopefully it shows the idea I have. I have tried to keep it simple and straight forward to use.

 

Thank you! This looks like a very simple and elegant way of doing things. In fact, it's given me an idea...........

 

Tom.

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Hi Missy, that is a lovelly simple design. I really enjoy watching your work (it is immaculate).

 

Keep up the good work!

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Only one comment, in my experience, aluminum angle does not make a good reliable running surface. Aluminium angle is great for alignment, but I'd be fitting steel (or similar) rail to the inside corner for the wheels to run along for both the alignment angles, and any cassettes which use aluminium.

 

( I could dredge up my physics and chemistry of conductivity of aluminium oxides, but it would be a long deep dig ! )

 

- Nigel

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