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RMWeb Modular Meet 2 - Hampshire - NOW CANCELLED


cromptonnut
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Pick a date  

12 members have voted

  1. 1. Pick all dates that are convenient for you

    • Saturday 6 April
    • Sunday 7 April
    • Saturday 13 April
    • Sunday 14 April
    • Saturday 27 April
    • Sunday 28 April
    • Saturday 4 May
    • Sunday 5 May
    • Saturday 18 May
    • Sunday 19 May


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We are building to the UK modular standards as discussed and agreed in this thread several years ago: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/88537-rmweb-modular-project-standards/

 

There is a lot of compatibility with other modular standards however.

 

ok so won't be compatible as Fremo has a 2 track spacing of 46mm instead of 50mm, was hopping to by a premade Fremo end board and just use that

Edited by Adamphillip
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The boards don't usually come with the track installed, so I don't see how that would be a problem. You just need enough length to get to the right spacing from whatever you've used, a compatible end plate with the banana plugs and legs that give you the right rail height.

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"Dave" standards require track to board ends spaced with the Peco gauge, so you'd just need short lengths of track to get to the end of the board on Fremo.

 

Tim Horn makes some "Dave Compatible baseboard kits" or make your own, I have the carpentry skills of a grapefruit but can still manage to knock up boards that don't fall apart when you look at them.

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We'd best be 100% committed now, I just bought a Hornby SR Van C... (Constructing a milk train specially, I don't even have a British engine right now - though there is a nice black/sunshine Maunsell N class in the Bachmann range).

Just fit it with kadees... No, that's not going to work is it?

post-25860-0-55973000-1532631211_thumb.jpg

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Shows how big American trains are that a HO model of a not especially big engine is still taller than an OO model of a normal sized carriage...

 

And SP black widow shows what we missed out on in favour of "BR Green".

Edited by Zomboid
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I don't know if anyone here is into the British Touring Car Championships but I've found out that the same weekend of our event is when it's at Thruxton, a few miles down the road.  Sunday tends to be the races proper and saturday the qualifying laps so it's not quite as exciting, but it may make a nice weekend out for those interested.

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I'm all set for May then, I opened a few boxes...

Passenger train:

post-25860-0-44433800-1533467565_thumb.jpg

Milk train:

post-25860-0-86840200-1533467608_thumb.jpg

 

And tension lock couplers - what horrible things, this sight appals me.

post-25860-0-21956800-1533467658_thumb.jpg

 

I put the boxcars behind to provide a comparison (they're athearn blue box, which as I understand it means they're the american version of cheap 1980s junk) - those are body mounted kadees which can be happily propelled through 18" (pretty much 2nd radius) curves, and couple nice and closely, but these milk tanks... I'm going to have to do something about it. The passenger carriages couple pretty closely as it is, so they'll probably do, but I might look at improving things on them too as they'll run as a fixed set in proper Southern fashion. I bought a sixth milk tank which arrived with a broken coupler, so that's getting attention anyway.

 

The N class feels nice and heavy, should be able to shift a reasonable train.

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No, not a set. Bachmann do a set with an N class and a couple of coaches which I considered for a while, but decided against because malachite green on a loco is a bit too lairy for me if it's not on a spam can. The coaches are pre-owned Hornby Maunsells (BTK, CK, BTK).

 

I've got a plan to build a curved 2 track module as well, which will feature a Brighton style substation and 3rd rail, but that is contingent on this idea actually taking off enough that I'd get to use it, and not before I have Grand Lake looking more like what it's supposed to. Not sure what I'd do with the other 45*. Maybe just some fields.

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I've got a plan to build a curved 2 track module as well, which will feature a Brighton style substation and 3rd rail, but that is contingent on this idea actually taking off enough that I'd get to use it, and not before I have Grand Lake looking more like what it's supposed to. Not sure what I'd do with the other 45*. Maybe just some fields.

 

Simple boards are just as useful as complex ones in the overall plan, as you'd be surprised what a difference an extra couple of boards (and 6-8ft of track) between junctions or stations can make.

 

I've made some 45 degree boards, 48" x 16", mark the top edge 5.5" in from each end then carefully cut from that point down to the bottom corner so you end up with a trapezoid shape

post-8328-0-70754200-1533475833.gif

Frame around it, and you have as near as dammit 22.5 degrees and 18" end faces from which you can work out the centreline and track parallels, and still just get the 36" minimum radius between the ends (I used a Tracksetta).

 

Although not strictly exactly 22.5 degrees x 2, and you wouldn't want to make a complete circuit out of 8 of them without some issues, it's as near as dammit as makes no difference for our purposes.  The only way to get more accuracy would be to get them laser cut.

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Finally received confirmation from the venue for the date so it's all systems go.

 

I will of course be in touch with them several times beforehand but here's how things are looking at present.

 

1) We should have access from about 8am and need to be clear by 5pm or thereabouts.

2) Chairs and some tables will be available for us in our 'spot' however they won't really be suitable for doing any modelling work on - but fine for resting a drink and putting layout boxes on.

3) I will bring my Lenz base unit and 2 controllers, plus a laptop running JMRI enabling WiThrottle / Engine Driver connections - as well as some patch panels and long cables.  If you have any Lenz compatible controllers please bring them along, or pre-install the app and we can get you connected on the day.

4) There is a possibility of a short guided tour of the museum, I'll be gauging interest nearer the time as to whether that will work for us.

5) I will publish a 'floor plan' in March 2019 for attendees to check that everything that should be coming is, and that I haven't made any glaring mistakes.  If any of the modules you have intended to bring don't make it for whatever reason please let me know asap so I can adjust plans.

6) Final information will be sent out to all attendees at the end of April.

 

Do keep us updated with your progress, either on a separate thread in the modular forum (as I've just updated one of my module threads) or on here.

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3) I will bring my Lenz base unit and 2 controllers, plus a laptop running JMRI enabling WiThrottle / Engine Driver connections - as well as some patch panels and long cables. If you have any Lenz compatible controllers please bring them along, or pre-install the app and we can get you connected on the day.

That'll also need a WiFi router, unless you had that planned and just haven't mentioned it. Or does the Lenz base unit do that?

If there's public WiFi it might work on that, but having our own would probably be more reliable.

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That'll also need a WiFi router, unless you had that planned and just haven't mentioned it. Or does the Lenz base unit do that?

 

Apologies, yes it's all set up ready from last time still in its bag :)  I will test it before the date though.  I repurposed an old BT router and changed its mode to work connected to the laptop.

 

You have to be connected to the network that the laptop connected to the layout is, you can't go via wifi generally (at least not in a way that I've found).  Plus it's an aircraft hanger with a metal frame so we aren't likely to get much of a signal anyway.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've been working on the new modular 7 road fiddle yard this week, and once it no longer looks like a bomb has exploded in the shed, I'll take some pictures of it.  It's 12ft long, 8 road fiddle yard with the shortest being 66" and the longest about 90".  It's my intention to install LED lights which show you which road is set from the single line into it. 

 

That assumes I can fit the microswitches trackside which I haven't yet figured out if they'll all fit - and likely to be manual operated points unless I can find a way to do switches and a diode matrix.  If it's anything like SG's nuclear powered CDU from the last meet, god help us all.

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I've been working on the new modular 7 road fiddle yard this week, and once it no longer looks like a bomb has exploded in the shed, I'll take some pictures of it.  It's 12ft long, 8 road fiddle yard with the shortest being 66" and the longest about 90".  It's my intention to install LED lights which show you which road is set from the single line into it. 

 

That assumes I can fit the microswitches trackside which I haven't yet figured out if they'll all fit - and likely to be manual operated points unless I can find a way to do switches and a diode matrix.  If it's anything like SG's nuclear powered CDU from the last meet, god help us all.

 

Don't worry, I've taken that apart. Hand operated points were far more effective :)

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  • 1 month later...

Great to see a bit of progress there Zomboid - anyone else got any progress to share?  I'm afraid that due to family health issues over the last few months (and not helped by the weather making it 30 degrees plus in the shed every time I had some time to do stuff) my progress has been disappointing to say the least.

 

I'm still trying to find a way to make my single track entrance storage yard a double entrance … but can't seem to find a way to make a crossover as well without having a separate board.  I may just leave it as a single and find workarounds where necessary.  There simply isn't enough time, space or money to make everything...

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I'm still trying to find a way to make my single track entrance storage yard a double entrance … but can't seem to find a way to make a crossover as well without having a separate board.  I may just leave it as a single and find workarounds where necessary.  There simply isn't enough time, space or money to make everything...

 

As "Pendle Meadows" is still only a baseboard kit in a brown paper parcel, it could become "Fiddleton Approach" if that would help - would still serve as a learning curve for me, just different bits of learning …..

 

post-6206-0-72246100-1539602909.jpg

 

This assumes your storage yard to the left, the siding could be for loco stabling maybe.  

 

Any good?

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With great admiration I have been following your efforts to realise the 2nd modular meet next year and I have been discussing with Henk, my cousin (00Gauge on this forum) about the possibility to join in.

We are quite a bit outside your area but nevertheless intend to come over for the weekend next year to participate to the meet.

 

We are both members of the BMB-layout:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/132233-the-bmb-a-british-modular-layout-in-holland/

 

We think of it as an adventure. It will be a new experience and we are looking forward to it.

 

We're sorry we won't be able to bring our scenic modules, because they are simply too large to fit in a single car.

However we do have straight boards, bends.................

 

Leen.

 

We are still on schedule to join the party on May 19th. The coming months we will be working on our two single track modules. One is 1m20 long (+/- 4 ft) and the other 90 cm (+/- 3 ft)

We could also bring two 90 degrees double track curves with a radius of just over 3 ft if desired.

 

Leen.

Edited by 3737
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