Aberaeron Station

[Les le Breton]

After testing the width of stock travelling over the bridge, I built the central girder, then altered the track underlay to house it. Next I undercoated all three girders with Humbrol Acrylic 33, matte black.

 

 

 

 

This is a view of the three girders in temporary positions.

 

 

 

 

An overhead view of the bridge girders.

 

I now have the delight of creating the boards [or steel] which surrounds the central girder; I assume that this stops ballast etc. from falling down into the river, allowing drainage of the track to be protected. If my lay person's idea is incorrect, I would be grateful if members of RMweb University enlighten me.

 

 

I think Terry Pratchetts words below are really relevant for newbies using DCC sound.

 

 

 

 

It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done.

Terry Pratchett

[Les le Breton]

My post of Kerhostin Station and level crossing, on the Quiberon Peninsular, has triggered some interest in Breton railways. Although, as before, this posting is off piste, I hope that the dons of RMweb University don’t object. There is a tenuous link with U.K. railways however.

 

I have a few photographs taken by a wonderful model-maker, friend of mine, who lives in Morbihan. They are of Pontivy Station, sadly in a state of dereliction.

 

 

Pontivy Station facing the track.

 

 

The link is in the name of Pontivy before a certain battle with the Duke of Wellington.

 

 

The rear [backside?] of Pontivy station

 

 

The slowly disappearing track in front of Pontivy station.

 

I hope this post is of some interest.

 

 

 

 

 

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

[spiket4]

It's sad to see it in this state.

[doddger10]

Hello

 

I have just started a thread, asking about camping coaches, but as it's campimg coaches in Aberaeron, I though that I should also ask the question here.

 

I am trying to identify what camping coaches were used at Aberearon , Aberayron station.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Steve

 

Sorry for the hijack.

[Les le Breton]

Hello

 

I have just started a thread, asking about camping coaches, but as it's campimg coaches in Aberaeron, I though that I should also ask the question here.

 

I am trying to identify what camping coaches were used at Aberearon , Aberayron station.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Steve

 

Sorry for the hijack.

Hello Doddger10,

it seems that you are more informed about Aberayron than me! I must confess that my knowledge of it's history is quite small, I have gained my information mainly from surfing the web, plus a lot of advice and information from helpful members of the RMweb University. I am surprised that Aberayron had room for a camping coach, it's layout is quite cramped and as yet I haven't seen any pictures including one. In truth, my reasoning for my choice of layout was based on a few criteria:-

(1)  The possibility of fitting such a small terminus into my domestic real estate, [my wife still thinks the layout is too large]!

(2)  My fascination with the GWR between two word wars.

 

Apart from researching in my local libraries, my main sources have been on the www; the photo's taken by Ian D Nolan in 1963 and historical web information from Ceredigion archives. Thus the fragile skeleton of knowledge for my layout's provenance has been outed!

 

I hope your search is successful and I'm sorry I'm not in a position to aid your quest. If you do manage to find out more I would be Interested to increase my limited knowledge.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Les le Breton

[doddger10]

Hello Les le Breton,

 

The camping coach was parked on the siding between the main station area and the shed. I think it was there from the '20s.

 

I have sent you a pm, with a scan of the photo.

 

Steve

[Siberian Snooper]

There is an article in GWJ no 16 I think it was, with a number of photos.

[Les le Breton]

I haven’t posted for some time, apart from health issues I have been struggling to get my turnout servo system to work, despite contacting the manufacturers.  I have therefore started to remove the motors, the pictures speak for themselves.

 

 

The servo parts that I haven’t mastered

 

 

The mess of removing them

 

If only I had come across the University of RMweb, before purchasing the servos, I would have learned which turnout motors would be easier for this septuagenarian to use. Isn't hindsight wonderful!

 

Why make life difficult when, with a little bit of thought, you can make it damn nigh impossible?

Edited December 7, 2017 by Les le Breton

[Les le Breton]

Wishing all the users of the RMweb Internet University a Happy New Year in 2018, all those members who use their valuable time giving tremendous help, information, advice and encouragement to others and modellers who give so much inspiration with their layout pictures; thank you all.

 

 

This is a photograph of my grand-daughter enjoying Dinmore Manor as it reverses onto the Santa express at Cheltenham Racecourse.

 

 

The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it.

 

Terry Pratchett

Edited December 31, 2017 by Les le Breton

[Les le Breton]

I have been studying the numerous options for me and with a lot of advice from Mick at DCCconcepts I decided to purchase ip analogue point motors. Today I started to plan HOW to wire them; I want to be ready for each stage. The first plan is to consider how each individual motor should be wired, with or without LED track signalling. The connections of resisters and installation of LED’s can be left until the motors are fitted and working. I am indebted to the aforementioned company for their pdf instructions. The following is a translation of the instructions to help me create installations which don't use yards of cable!

 

 

Having the design for wiring individual switches above, it now needs to be transposed into the plan required for the switch board electrics, principally the switches.

The plan below has the following parameters:-

• It displays the view behind the first of my three switch panels. (One for each baseboard).
• My layout turnouts are numbered from left to right, as my layout will be controlled from the front, requiring the illustration below to be transposed laterally.
• Turnouts 1 and 3 operate a crossover, switched with one movement.
• Because I had planned for four switches (now abandoned,) there is a spare hole for other electrics, most likely for the locomotive shed lighting!
• For clarity I have not illustrated all of the motor’s contacts.

 

 

 

If anyone spots errors I would be grateful to read the solutions.

With any luck I’ll be installing the motors soon.

 

When all else fails read the instructions.

Edited January 7, 2018 by Les le Breton

[Les le Breton]

        Greetings fellow RMweb browsers, I gave myself an annoying wakeup call today; when trying alternative positions for the new point motors, I discovered that the soldering-free connectors were 2mm proud of the baseboard sides and ends! This means I will have to add timber to the baseboard bottoms, preventing damage to the connectors, when the baseboards are flat on a table. From previous posts you may recall that I abandoned another manufacturer’s product which was lower than the Cobalt motors. It seems that I should take up knitting, with my wife  instead..

 

 

        Perhaps I’ll be heating my garage tomorrow and attempting more carpentry instead.

 

Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.

Terry Pratchett

[timbowilts]

Apologies if this appears elsewhere in this thread but what is the depth of your baseboard framing? I am about to begin baseboard construction for my first layout for 30 years and have ordered pre-cut 100mm deep plywood for the framing

 

Regards, Tim T

[Les le Breton]

Apologies if this appears elsewhere in this thread but what is the depth of your baseboard framing? I am about to begin baseboard construction for my first layout for 30 years and have ordered pre-cut 100mm deep plywood for the framing

 

Regards, Tim T

Hi  Tim T, I'm pretty much sure that apologies aren't required with the RMweb University. There are so many posts now, the search engines have a huge number of choices, thus many have overlapping topics.

 

My baseboard frames are currently 70mm deep beneath the track base of plywood. I will be adding 10mm for safety and I'm sure that your 100mm will be fine with Cobalts. As a septuagenarian I was erring on the side of lightness so I don't have to rely on an a.b. person to help me lug the baseboards about.

 

Good luck with your modelling.

 

Regards, Les.

[GWR57xx]

Hi Les,
I was following your thread with interest and was shocked to see your second photo in post #83.
It all seemed to be going so well.

I have also bought a Peco Smartswitch system for my as-yet-to-be-started project, but haven't even taken it out of its box yet so was unable to help with your queries.
I have read a few reviews on the Peco/ANE system, some good some bad, but some folks seem to have great success with it so I'm hoping I can get it going.
I have read one review (sorry, can't remember who's thread) saying that the power supply voltage and current rating has to be powerful enough otherwise it just won't work, and simply changing to a slightly beefier supply turned a pile of junk into a perfectly good system.
Have you given up on it completely?

 

I'm not a wiring expert, but I'm sure that your first diagram in post #85 has the LEDs wired wrongly. They are on the supply side, so will not change when the switch is thrown. I'd have thought they ought to be wired to the centre connectors of the switch to reflect the polarity of the DC being sent to the point motor? Also not sure why the resistors are wired as shown - LEDs usually have the resistor wired in series.

 

 

I wish you better luck with this system and look forward to seeing your progress.

All the best.

 

(Edited to add sentence regarding placement of the resistors)
 

Edited January 10, 2018 by GWR57xx

[Les le Breton]

Hi fellow RMweb browsers. I have been making slow process with Aberaeron and have the following observations:-

As my layout is for home use only and relatively small, LED’s are not really needed to inform me of the turnout statuses, so the individual plan will be as follows:-

 

 

 

I have installed six of DCCconcepts Cobalt ip analogue turnout motors and looking forward to the delivery of their DCP-PSU2 Dual Output Power Supply. I had originally considered using an unused 12vDC switching power supply, but I don’t want to damage or reduce the effectiveness of the motors.

As the layout will eventually have only nine turnouts I don’t think I will gain the benefit of the ip “Advanced wiring diagram”.

My baseboards will need to be stored individually between operating the layout, so I have arranged ways to link the baseboards electrics.

The track’s DCC wiring is connected via the steel bolts (salvaged from a redundant sofa) which aid the engineer’s dowels to connect baseboards.

The turnout wiring has been set up using 3.5mm stereo Jack Sockets and Plugs, wired like this:-

 

 

 

The baseboard joins will therefore have sockets connected by short double ended Jack plugs:-

 

 

 

 

Perhaps not an elegant solution for the front of the layout but with the DPDT switches nestling on the frontage it is merely workmanlike hopefully.

I know I am probably posting what are old ideas to many, (sucking eggs with granny peut-être) but I hope it is of relevance to others.

 

I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

Edited January 18, 2018 by Les le Breton

[GWR57xx]

Hi Les,
Are you intending to install each point switch on the same board as the point it controls, or have all the switches mounted together on a mimic panel?

Peter

[Les le Breton]

Hi Les,

Are you intending to install each point switch on the same board as the point it controls, or have all the switches mounted together on a mimic panel?

Peter

Hi GWR57xx,

 

I have indeed planned to have the turnout switches on the same board as the Cobalt turnout motors, this reduces the number of cables to traverse the baseboard joints considerably, which removes the need for even more connectors!

 

As an addition/edit after posting above I tested the Cobalt PSU2 on baseboard 4 which has two motors wired together for a crossover, yippee it worked brilliantly, the real bonus is the ease of changing the Frog polarity so readily by swapping wires 4 & 5 on the motor.

 

Now all six motors working with proper Frog polarity. Hooray!

Edited January 18, 2018 by Les le Breton

[GWR57xx]

Hi Les,

Glad you got it sorted.

Looking forward to your future updates.

Regards,

Peter

[Les le Breton]

Hi there fellow RMweb browsers, I'm having a break from wiring.

 

I have just assembled the 5 PECO SL-40 Rail Type Buffer Stops. I am using code 75 track so, because they are really for code 100, I thought lowering them would be a good way of making them look more authentic. On a small length of track, I discovered that removing 3 outer sleeper chairs on each side, allows the top of the horizontal buffer parts bolted to the track to be at the same level as the top of the rail. As the buffer stops will be glued in place it should be safe to retain the tracks. I hope the birds-eye view below is self -explanatory.

 

 

Birds-Eye view of one Buffer

 

The three sleepers with dabs of grey paint had the outer chairs removed, allowing the buffer to look more realistic.

I hope this is of some value to the steam era and preserved railway modellers.

 

It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done

[Les le Breton]

          Greetings RMweb followers, I have finally managed the installation of nine DCCconcepts, ip analogue, Cobalt Point motors. In the process I managed a number of issues which may be a help for folk like myself with little experience of dealing with current technology. After the motors were in position I created the following agenda for myself:-

• I regularised all the turnout switches, arranging them, so that when operated towards the top of the facia, most the turnouts, will be allowing stock to travel lengthwise, parallel to the front of the layout. [The asymmetric three way is an exception to this rule!]
• If the turnouts did NOT have their blades set for traffic to travel parallel, I swapped the 9vDC cables of the motor connections 1 & 2, [yellow and pink on my layout], then checked that the switches operated as required.
• When satisfied with the switch positioning and operation I then tested the polarity of all the frogs. Any incorrect frog polarity was changed by swapping the brown and blue cables using motor connections 4 & 5, [brown and Blue on my layout,] double checking the connections etc.

I have kept a record of all the relevant cables; what follows is the record of the current cable positions of Baseboard 2.

 

 

BASEBOARD 2 TURNOUT MOTORS

                                                MOTOR 1      MOTOR 2      MOTOR 3      MOTOR 4

POWER         SWITCH 1       YELLOW         PINK                 PINK                 PINK

POWER         SWITCH 2       PINK                YELLOW           YELLOW          YELLOW

                       SWITCH 3      NOT USED     NOT USED     NOT USED    NOT USED

TRACK          SWITCH 4       BLUE             BLUE              BLUE              BROWN

TRACK          SWITCH 5       BROWN         BROWN          BROWN         BLUE

FROG            SWITCH 6       GREEN           GREEN          GREEN          GREEN

 

I apologise yet again for teaching many RMweb experts to suck eggs but hope my scribbling will be of value to someone.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, sorry about the delay – someone forgot to fill the choo-choo with diesel.

The guard of a London to Oxford train

Edited January 31, 2018 by Les le Breton

[Les le Breton]

        Hi fellow RMweb followers, I mentioned in my post of 8^th January 2018 that the Cobalt turnout motors were slightly proud of the sides of my baseboards. I added plywood to the bottom of the built baseboard and I have just finished reinforcing the three cross members of each baseboard, I hope the pictures below, (not a pretty sight), makes sense.

 

 

 

 

        I am gambling on the hope, that placing the baseboards onto a flat surface will not damage the motor cabling on the 9 way spring terminals. However, I will add some kind of protection above the motors if I have any problems.

        I am pleased that “baseboards and other boring bits” (as Iain Rice describes), are mainly finished and I can concentrate on real railway modelling!

 

“Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can”

Terry Pratchett

 

Railway Modelling is another exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.  Thank you Terry.

Plagiarism by Les le Breton

 

 

 

[Les le Breton]

          Hi fellow RMweb followers, I thought I was making good progress with the Cobalt iP motors, until it came to the baseboard which has the code 75 PECO double slip. I have spent many hours trying to get everything sorted. The only way this septuagenarian could cope, was to painstakingly record the polarity for every change of direction; using my multimeter to test the connection of each adjacent length of track. The following four plans are my results:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

          The nasty surprise was discovering that two of the double slip point rails were unconnected to the DCC track. A temporary solution has been to fit two Hornby spring connectors to test the track, which may be O.K. on code 100 but not code 75 for probable issues with fine, modern wheels and because of the appearance. I don’t know the cause of the failure but remedial soldering is rather a challenge on track which is glued to underlay.

 

 

 

          I hope the illustrations are understandable; and not a bore for the many modellers more knowledgeable than me. I was deluded when thinking that railway modelling would be restful; however, with any luck, the various challenges will be keeping my grey cells fit, in the same way that my exercise bicycle, aids my fitness, [allegedly]!

 

"Why make life difficult when, with a little bit of thought, you can make it damn nigh impossible?"

 

Terry Pratchett

[GWR57xx]

Hi Les,
I think there is a problem either with your frog wiring or with the labelling on your diagrams.

 

e.g. take your second diagram, where the path is supposed to be from A to D. There will be a short circuit as soon as a loco touches the red frog above the label "Motor 4", which should be blue.

 

Your diagrams 1 & 2 show that motors 3 & 4 have not moved, yet somehow the polarity of the two slip frogs have changed?

 

Similarly diagrams 2 & 3 show that motor 3 has moved, but the polarity of the two slip frogs has NOT changed.

 

The simplest way to tackle a double slip is to think of it as two points back to back and overlapping. The frog should be switched by the motor furthest from it, NOT closest to it.

 

I assume you also have insulated rail joiners or air gaps between every frog rail and the connecting track?

HTH
Peter

[Les le Breton]

        Greetings fellow RMweb folk. A special thanks are required for those members who have advised me how to proceed with my layout. Today I managed to get one of my locomotives to travel along every length of my track and safely over every turnout. I am now able to get on with modelling etc.

 

        In between my attention to the electronics, I have managed some modelling, including the water tower. I had quite a lot of fun adding the water heater with a heap of ash for the staff to remove, also the locomotive water hose. I’m not sure that the decrepit look I have added, is what would be the norm in an inter war terminus, with a growing holiday traffic. {Modeller’s license at work here!}

 

 

 

      

"A layout is a little theatre and the trains must act in character; it's all about illusion."

“Swiss Rail Passion.”

[Les le Breton]

Hi fellow RMweb followers. I have been pondering how to make life easier to understand how my model of Aberaeron works!

 

Adding control switches on the front of the baseboards has been fairly easy, but if friends and family are to enjoy it they needs some help. As posted earlier, the switches are arranged to operate the turnouts on the fascia of individual baseboards, in the way that the prototype signal boxes are organised from left to right. I came across a photograph of brass signal box tags, formally used on Henwick and realised that this might be useful.

 

 

Since switches for lighting are also fitted on the front and the power for turnout motors as well, it made sense to use more tags with dedicated colours etc. I have made tags for the controls I have installed up to now, with more to come later! When turnout switches are up, the route information is just below the switch; and when down, the lower route information applies.

 

 

I hope the above makes sense and if I’m not using proper prototype nomenclature I would be grateful to be told.

 

“The dreaded soldering iron and solder are the reason why swearing was invented”

James May in “The Reassembler”