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Crosland

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  1. Crosland
    Moving on from the old layout has allowed me to focus and actually contemplate doing something.
     
    The "something" being my first DIY track in any scale or gauge. Not for me a simple turnout, lets build a crossover
     
    Thanks to those who gave advice on the 2mm VAG and to all involved in the "Track" book http://www.2mm.org.uk/products/trackbook/
     
    Finished, still on the work board (two layers of 5mm foam board):

     
    I attached the sleepers to a sheet of OHP film with a minimum of double sided tape. After assembly the film was peeled off carefully.
     
    A cruel close up before cleaning:

     
    As an experiment I made some wing rails as separate pieces, some as extensions of the switches, isolated with a piercing saw after assembly. The latter produces better results, at least in my hands:

     
    On a plastic chopping board for cleaning. The residual stickyness holds it in place and allows for a reasonably vigorous scrub with CiF:

     
    So, how do you clean track that is built in-situ, on a non-waterproof surface, too big to get under the tap?
     
    The finished item, just waiting sleeper gapping, tie bars and operating unit. The sleepers are a bit uneven, but I'm well pleased with the trackwork and a test wagon runs through in all directions

     
    Go on, have a go yourself!
     
    Andrew
  2. Crosland
    After very slow progress and a lot of dithering, I have decided this layout does not meet my requirements and am offering it to anyone who can collect it from Haddenham, Buckinghamshire.
     
    Please PM me for more details of the state of the layout.
  3. Crosland

    Those Point Switches

    By Crosland,

    There are no more dead sections. The power was routed by the frog switches to a lot more track than I thought, but all the dead sections are sorted now.
     
    Confession time. The permanent short was the classic error, that I really should have spotted, of there being no isolating gap between back-to-back points. Or, at least there was, but I didn't spot that it had been linked across. Some clever DC power routing I suspect. The short happened when I added extra feeds for DCC.
     
    The point operation is an interesting mix of wire-in-tube and OO rail held in bent nails , sometimes both:
     

     
    You can just see the OO rail going top to bottom on the underside of the baseboard. It connects to the wire-in-tube a few inches away, which then returns to the switch.
     
    I am now left with four gaping holes in the scenery but at least there's plenty of access to attach servos to the tie bars. All of the switches are make-before-break and cause the command station to shut down. I'm using an EZ-Command for testing. Eventually it will, of course, be a SPROG but I can't be bothered to turn the laptop on every time I want to test something
     
    I don't want to disturb the points too much but two switch rails have come adrift from their tie bars, which explains the large gaps commented on in an earlier entry. It's an object lesson in what can go wrong with soldered joins between switch rail and tiebar. The throw of the existing switches is too great, contributing to the larger than finescale gaps. I suspect the alignment was not quite correct, putting pressure on the soldered join when the switch rail was pushed against the stock rail.
     
    Thanks for all the comments!
     
    Andrew
  4. Crosland

    Silent Running

    By Crosland,

    Not quite as much progress to report as I had hoped. The missing track has been replaced by easitrac.
     

     
    The layout has been (re)wired for DCC, i.e., all track sections live. I had to fix a few loose sections and the point frog adjoining the Easitrac had to be fixed back down, but nothing too serious. These little blighters,
     

     
    however, are becoming a right pain. They are the polarity switches for the frogs, buried in the baseboard and only accessible by removing bits of scenic finish One seems OK, two are make-before-break (what???!!!!???) and cause a short as the point is changed and one doesn't break at all, causing a constant short when set for one route. I had hoped to keep these switches, to avoid too much messing with the tiebars, and connect the existing operating links to servos, but it looks like replacement with microswitches is now on the cards.
     
    So, the choice of routes is very limited at the moment, but as the title suggests here's a short, not particularly good, clip:
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8PsSFcWkK8&feature=youtu.be
     
    The loco is a Farish Jinty on a 2mm SA chassis. The chassis has been through the wars a little and I can't seem to get reliable pickup at the moment (even with simpson springs) so I may build a new one and put it down to experience.
     
    Andrew
  5. Crosland
    The layout needs to be squared up a bit to be able to create a new frame. The bridge has been removed for reuse, possibly as a scenic break in more or less its original position.
     
    Here's the first cut
     

     
    Only two more sides to do.
     
    Andrew
  6. Crosland

    The Name

    By Crosland,

    Thank you for the comments and encouragement.
     
    I've settled on a name. But first, meet Arnold
     

     
    Arnold was a much loved family pet who is sadly no longer with us.
     
    Arnold was a rescue catand I now have a rescue layout (can you see where this is going?), so...
     
    The layout will henceforth be known as Arnoldale. Playing fast and loose with etimology, it comes from the old English and means the valley of the powerful eagles
     
    Arnoldale is somewhere in deepest Yorkshire where ex-L&Y, LNWR, Midland, LMS (and anything else that takes my fancy) locos will be seen, just as soon as I've built them
     
    Andrew
  7. Crosland

    The Beginning

    By Crosland,

    Through a bequest to the 2mm society and with help from the society (thanks to the Oxford area group for storing it) I am now the proud owner of part of the late Tony Andrew's 2mm finescale layout.
     
    I hope to find the time to blog as I restore and hopefully enhance the layout. Here is an overall shot of the layout:
     

     
    The baseboard construction is interesting :-)
     

     
    A nice surprise were the (potentially) working and illuminated semaphore signals. This is the result of a somewhat over bright 1W Cree LED torch (sorry for the poor focus):
     

     
    A farish Jinty with association replacement chassis arriving on scene:
     

     
    A somewhat posed arrangement :-) The eagle eyed will spot the lack of couplings on some and N gauge couplers still to be removed from others:
     

     
    I need a name for the layout. Suggestions on a postcard...
     
    All for today.
     
    Andrew
  8. Crosland

    You've Been Framed

    By Crosland,

    I promise I will soon run out of ghastly title puns
     
    The new frame is taking shape. The first picture is the end that had the "carbuncle" removed.
     

     
    I decided the cross piece at the other end needed to be inset a bit to give the best support. I don't want to lose the building so this end will not be trimmed.
     

     
    Hopefully I've got the pictures down to a more reasonable size.
     
    Andrew
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