WhiteRose158

Would this be a suitable power supply for the point motors (run through a CDU, of course)? It's more or less what I was using before but not for any great length of time, so I'm not sure if it would be unsuitable long term. https://www.actionslotracing.co.uk/products/scalextric-mains-power-supply-transformer-adaptor-c990-16v

Thanks for all your replies. So my proposed solution wouldn't be as simple as I originally laid out it seems. I'm trying to make everything as simple as possible as I'm pretty low on circuitry knowledge beyond the basics. I have an NCE Power Cab with which I power the track, I already have a dedicated simple 12v plug that will power my lights (a few LEDs, buffer stops, etc) and just need something simple for the point motors.

Hi, yes, I've sourced a 24v transformer that could be used with it. I've got a CDU in place, which I used with the previous power supply (an old cut Hornby transformer, I think it was).

Good evening all, Having just broken the 16v supply I was using for my point motors, I'm on the lookout for a replacement and possibly something that can provide a solution for a few power-related needs on my layout. I've come across this and wonder if it would be suitable. I see that the max output from it is 15v....would that be sufficient for points motors? Also, having an extra 12v output is always useful, but as I'm using a point motor system whereby I touch a probe to a connected up screw, delivering a momentary jolt of power to send the point motor over, I'm wondering if at the point of executing a point switch that it would affect the other output supplies (e.g. a quick dimming of connected lights). Not sure if that is something that could happen, but I'd rather check for any advice before forking out the money. Any help is much appreciated

Having more or less sorted the electrics on board 1, I've taken a few pictures of the layout as it is at the moment in order to make final decisions on the scenery side. I'm looking for some suggestions/opinions on a few points in bold below if anyone has any to share The building under which the lines disappear will be a shopping centre, complete with company logos and a few other bits and pieces. In the first picture, the gap that currently exists in the wall beyong the TMD will be filled in once I get some more plasticard. At current, I'm not sure if I'm happy with the buildings pasted onto the backscene behind the buffer stops. I think they look a bit faded and outdated. In the station area I also think they make things look a bit flat, particularly alongside the flat factory/warehouse buildings that I've put together. I'd really like to hear any opinions about that. In the second and third pictures the exposed wood will also form part of the shopping centre, blending in with the rest of it as it bends round towards the TMD. Another reservation I have is about the shops on the bridge. The bricking is different to that of the shopping centre and, whilst it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the centre could have been built around and incorporated the existing old buildings, I can't decide whether the shops will just look 'plonked on' as it were. Again, any opinions are welcome. Finally, in picture 4 you can see the grey, paved area between the station approach and fuelling point. Originally this was going to be a used car dealership or scrap yard of some kind, but other offers of inspiration would be welcome. For the grey area at the far end next to the station, I don't know if I'm keen on the office building that's currently there and have been toying with the idea of either a bus station to link with the railway station, or a supermarket (e.g. the Aldi supermarket available from Faller, I think it is). There are a few things that I'm going to redo or take out as the rushed way in which I did a lot of this in the past hasn't left me all that satisfied. Any suggestions would be most welcome in respect to any part of the layout

Having had the longest run at the layout in several years I've done some much needed tidying and organising of the wiring (on one of the two boards so far). The rush job I did before is no way to have a layout wired up so hopefully the improvements I've made will stand things in good stead. The pictures below are before and after shots, although I'm waiting for some blue wire to arrive that need to run from the control panel on this board to the point motors on the second board. These will be added shortly. The only damage done is a blown buffer stop light when I forgot to include the resistor in the circuit, a loose dropper wire to the fiddle track and a loose piece of fencing. Not bad for someone known for the odd clumsy incident or three.

The problem is almost certainly the lack of agreement between the T-Tap and wire width. I've manually cut through the wire cover down to the strands, pushed them right down into the tap and hurrah. Lesson learned as my layout has been ten years in the building (with several of those years spent abroad so no progress made) I've got a mix of wire widths and types going on, which in the end will need standardising!

No, I've got a basic LED strip from Maplin (I think), small TMD lights (the origin of which I can't remember) and two buffer stops from express models. I've checked all of the T-Taps, cut the wires more in the ones that weren't conducting, tested all of the junctions etc. and still nothing. I've also just blown one of the buffer stops when individually testing each light (I put the power to the wrong side of the resistor and it went pop). I'm at a loss as to what's happening, especially considering the fact that there is power clearly going through the whole circuit in very much the same way as it was before I re-wired things

I've found that the T-Tap's haven't cut properly through several of the wires....which, in theory, would explain why there is a problem. I'm going to re-check them all tomorrow to make sure they're properly cut and will provide an update

I believe so. If one of the lights in the circuit was the wrong way round, would it stop the whole circuit?

N.B. I've also reduced the number of resistors in the whole circuit to just one, but to no avail.

Evening all, I've just re-wired my layout and have hit a snag with my 12v lights. I have only a basic knowledge of wiring and electrics, but have wired it up according to my knowledge of the basics as I normally would. However, despite my circuit checker detecting a 12v supply at all terminals, junctions and right at the light input themselves, none of the lights come on. When I wire them up individually, they all come on. I've tried to illustrate my map below and should add that I've tried using T-Tap junction clips for the first time with this setup (if that's a relevant point). I've tried powering it with the 'track' output from an NCE PowerCab and also a simple 12v supply from a cut plug, which has previously worked. On the circuit are two buffer lights, a small LED light strip and three tiny LED lamps. If anyone has any ideas I would be very appreciative. Forgive me if I've omitted any key details...

Hello all, I'll be moving back to the UK at the end of next month after a few years away and can get back to making progress on one of my two layouts. I started to put this one together a couple of years ago using mostly leftover bits from other projects. I wanted something to move a DMU on and off of with a little loco stabling/movement too. I'm already not keen on the rocks as the weak newspaper draped on polystyrene doesn't look so clever. I'm considering replacing it with plaster of paris or something more suitable. Also, in my rush to make progress, I've left myself with the difficult task of attaching a fiddle yard (a running theme as the problem occurs on my other layout in progress here) . I'm toying with the idea of rerouting the lower level track and making both roads into a loop (I like the idea of running a coal train along the bottom level). All of the above will slowly be solved in the coming months but in the meantime I thought I'd share a few pictures of where it's up to and would really welcome any suggestions, tips or comments to help me on my way. It is Northern-based from the late 80s to present day.

Hello all, I'll be moving back to the UK at the end of next month after a few years away and can get back to making progress on one of my two layouts. This one has been under construction for several years (with little done for the last 5) and will likely be the first one I've actually completed following a couple of poorly-planned efforts in my late teens. I'm aware of several mistakes I've already committed with this one too and some imperfections I might struggle to smooth out, but I'll do my best with those once I get back and refresh my memory. I can immediately say, however, that the signal box will be replaced as I think it looks a bit cheap. I quite like the abandoned signal box made by (I think) Bachmann. In the meantime I thought I'd share a few pictures of where it's up to and would really welcome any suggestions, tips or comments to help me on my way. I'm sure I'll have questions over the coming year and must say that I really appreciate the huge resource that RMWeb is from previous experience (my last account, which had updates from this layout on, was the victim of a forgotten password and long-banished associated e-mail account). The pictures show the layout in various time periods and stages of progress but I will update the thread with pictures of the layout in its current form when I return back and give it a quick tidy. The layout is Northern-based from the late 80s to present day. It's DCC and doesn't have a suitable fiddle yard yet, which was the result of poor planning and has affected my other layout (see here).