C&L Finescale

[Re6/6]

Don't know of anybody stocking steel stuff but these people do sell it in nickel-silver.

http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Track2/track2.html

 

I did notice that there are no prices on the listing for it but I guess you could ask.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Re6/6

[hayfield]

1 hour ago, RedgateModels said:

Is everything OK with C&L? placed an order earlier this week and cannot get through by phone to pay for it, tried many times at the appropriate times but all I get is "Sorry this mailbox is full"

 

Don't suppose anyone knows of a stockist of C&L code 125 steel rail do you?

 

 

When I was with Phil at Alley Pally he told me his mother sadly passed away the week before, last week the office was closed so Phil could catch up on his tax returns and from the chats we had in addition dealing with his late mothers estate.

 

I guess he has a lot on his plate over the next few weeks dealing with the funeral details and the personal loss he has suffered. Having said this I would imagine he is dealing with the mail orders as quickly as he can

[martin_wynne]

2 hours ago, RedgateModels said:

Don't suppose anyone knows of a stockist of C&L code 125 steel rail do you?

 

Slaters list code 125 bullhead in steel, see: https://slatersplastikard.com/accessories/rail.php

 

Martin.

[RedgateModels]

24 minutes ago, hayfield said:

 

 

When I was with Phil at Alley Pally he told me his mother sadly passed away the week before, last week the office was closed so Phil could catch up on his tax returns and from the chats we had in addition dealing with his late mothers estate.

 

I guess he has a lot on his plate over the next few weeks dealing with the funeral details and the personal loss he has suffered. Having said this I would imagine he is dealing with the mail orders as quickly as he can

 

Thanks for that info, sad to hear, I'll leave him to more important things.

[hayfield]

I know that between a parent passing away and the funeral you are a bit in limbo, plus Phil and his siblings have to sort out their mothers house (he was dashing off after the show on the Saturday evening for a family meeting.

 

I would put in an order via the internet, though I think its 500mm lengths through the post

 

At York show during Easter if that helps

[RedgateModels]

Thanks John,

 

I have placed an order on-line for 4 x 0.5m lengths but can't get through to pay. I'll send him an email cancelling the order, he has enough on his plate at the moment.....

[Park]

Marcway do rail which being fairly local to Sheffield, I go an collect to save postage and can get 1m lengths. I also picked up Peco slide and plain chairs whilst I was there

[sharris]

22 hours ago, hayfield said:

When I was with Phil at Alley Pally he told me his mother sadly passed away...

 

John, if you're going to be seeing Phil again soon, please pass on my condolences. 

 

[PenrithBeacon]

Are there any recommendations for using the new TOU with Cobalt point motors?

Regards

[PenrithBeacon]

17 hours ago, PenrithBeacon said:

Are there any recommendations for using the new TOU with Cobalt point motors?

Regards

Clearly not. Having said that it is probably suitable for servos and, possibly, solenoid based solutions. It's a pity, though, that I wasn't told that when I bought four of them at a fiver a pop.

[Jol Wilkinson]

David, 

 

is this the "universal tie bar" shown on the C&L site? If so, it looks as though it is meant to be mounted below the baseboard with operating wires up to switch blades. Or at least that is the only explanation I can think of, but perhaps Hayfield of this parish may know better.

 

Jol

[hayfield]

I thought I would let others reply as I am not familiar with Cobalt motors

 

As Jol has stated its a universal design from N/2mm scale to at least 7mm scale, as a hole range of pre-drilled pairs of holes have been drilled on to the copperclad tiebar. The carrier has 2 screw holes drilled through it to attach it to the base board

 

The idea is to drill two holes through the base board adjacent to the tips of the switch rails of sufficient diameter to throw the switch fully

I would then open the holes out to accept two thin tubes rather than wire, which you then can fit a L shaped piece of wire which is soldered to each switch blade (allowing the blade to rotate in the tube

You then fit your point motor to the base board in the most convenient position (this could be some distance away) and fit a wire from the point motor to the unit

You do not even need a point motor as it will work equally well with any wire in the tube method

 

Its a modern day twist on the early P4 turnout activating units, with a universal gauge pre-drilled under baseboard tiebar, how its activated is up to the builder, quite neat but quite large for added strength, but does away with the above board tiebars

[PenrithBeacon]

4 hours ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

 

 

4 hours ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

David, 

 

is this the "universal tie bar" shown on the C&L site? If so, it looks as though it is meant to be mounted below the baseboard with operating wires up to switch blades. Or at least that is the only explanation I can think of, but perhaps Hayfield of this parish may know better.

 

Jol

Jol and John,

That's what I think too. But I cannot see how to interface it to a Cobalt point motor. I can see how it might work with servos or solenoids but not Cobalt or it's equivalent. Perhaps John will oblige with a sketch.

Regards

[hayfield]

Me and drawing do not go in the same sentence.  I have had a look at a photo of the Cobalt motors and this is my take on it

 

You would have to shorten the wire of the Cobalt so that when the motor is screwed to the baseboard the wire either stops short of the baseboard rather than pass through or the wire is bent at  90 degrees just before it would touch the base board

 

In the second instance the wire can be attached to the tiebar, in the first instance the wire would either be directly fitted through the tiebar or a wire is attached to both the Colbalt wire and the tiebar

 

One of the biggest draw backs of using point motors is their accessibility under the base board, using a wire in the tube method you could fit the point motors either in a better position under the board or hidden on top of the baseboard  (at the edge) with the Cobalt wire going through the baseboard attaching to a wire in the tube connection to the turnout operating unit. Certainly in fiddle yards its becoming more common to see the point motors on the top on baseboards at the edge where they are accessible for maintenance and repair. Perhaps a bit of blue sky thinking point motors can be sited where they are  more accessible to maintenance or repair

 

On the other hand why not buy a Scalefour lever frame and have a manual control system (your own signal box !!)  as you can fit micro-switches into the Scalefour lever frame

[PenrithBeacon]

John,

Thanks for that I think I'm just hard of understanding today.

I'll try to work something out.

All the best

 

[hayfield]

David

 

I am going out soon but happy to chat over the phone tomorrow or Monday,

 

The C&L unit is just a method of having a tiebar out of sight under the board, and has pre-driller holes in it to match up with the switch blades.

 

The only other unit I know is the Exactoscale unit for the Tortoise motors, which may or may not fit the Cobolt motors 

[PenrithBeacon]

The attached photos are of a Tortoise unit assembled to an Exactoscale TOU. Clearly this can't be done with the C&L design but it seems to be the simplest solution to me.

I'm going to have to put my thinking cap on and do some experimental work but I can't do it this weekend because the grandchildren are having a sleepover.

I'll see what I can workout on Monday or at any rate next week.

Cheers David

[PenrithBeacon]

S#d it impatience got the better of me, the kids are downstairs engrossed in their iPads.

A tidied up version of this might work

[hayfield]

David 

 

You have got the basic idea, the point motor does not have to be above the centre of the tiebar,  could be at either end or further away with a link to the tiebar

 

I would do as per the Exactoscale instructions suggest, in that open up the holes and fit fine bore tubes (not wire) then use L shaped wire dropped into the holes and soldered to the switch rails, this method will be easier both to fit and adjust, plus less stress on the soldered joints as the wire can rotate in the tube

[Ian J.]

Many years ago, I made my own turnout operating units from various suitable plasticard and plastic components, and they included plastic tube to hold the dropper wires from the blades. I don't have any easily to hand at the moment that are separate, but I was able to get a couple of pics of one that's visible on the underside of my currently stored layout:

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

[PenrithBeacon]

9 hours ago, hayfield said:

David 

 

You have got the basic idea, the point motor does not have to be above the centre of the tiebar,  could be at either end or further away with a link to the tiebar

 

I would do as per the Exactoscale instructions suggest, in that open up the holes and fit fine bore tubes (not wire) then use L shaped wire dropped into the holes and soldered to the switch rails, this method will be easier both to fit and adjust, plus less stress on the soldered joints as the wire can rotate in the tube

I think I have the basic idea because I been observing it for the last 40 years! What I'm trying to do here is to reconcile those observations with the C&L product which claims to be 'a universal tie bar'.

Last Saturday, at the Watford show, it was suggested to me that the best approach would be to take the Exactoscale design, modify it dimensionally to suit the Cobalt and then make it using Plastistruct sections. Sounds to be a great idea to me.

Cheers David

[hayfield]

The one thing about the C&L unit is the pre-drilled tiebar and that the unit can be used with

 

a)  Many different different scales and gauges  

b)  Many different different forms of actuation methods (manual and electrical), or makes of unit

c)  Next to or remote from operating unit/lever

d) Like the Exactoscale unit does away with the tiebar on the surface 

 

The prototype was a third of the size, which I thought was better, the benefits over the Exactoscale unit, a pre-drilled tiebar and the unit can be remote from the operating unit

[PenrithBeacon]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

The one thing about the C&L unit is the pre-drilled tiebar and that the unit can be used with

 

a)  Many different different scales and gauges  

b)  Many different different forms of actuation methods (manual and electrical), or makes of unit

c)  Next to or remote from operating unit/lever

d) Like the Exactoscale unit does away with the tiebar on the surface 

 

The prototype was a third of the size, which I thought was better, the benefits over the Exactoscale unit, a pre-drilled tiebar and the unit can be remote from the operating unit

Firstly the tie bar isn't pre-drilled at least not on the examples I have. This is itself an issue because the tiebar is made from fibreglass for which you really need tungsten carbide drills to do the business. Secondly it's not so much that 'the unit can be remote from the operating unit' that it  has to be remote from the operating unit.

Cheers, David

[hayfield]

David

 

The writing should be etched the holes are pre-drilled 0.5 mm, take the burr off the ends of 0.5 mm rod and it should go through it

[PenrithBeacon]

As I said in my earlier post the holes are not drilled!