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Gort Station


NoelG
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5 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Very nice!

I thought I might be going a step too far painting some seagull droppings onto a structure last night, so I’m glad I’m not the only one representing poo!

2DAC2C72-A128-4AD0-93AF-CE466E0FDB23.jpeg.80c10e1c3c1ed4b3cbea10d96cbc2dae.jpeg

 

Thats a fab layout feature.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The cattle add to the scene but if you look at pictures of that era it would be beef cattle that were transported, unfortunately most manufactures supply dairy cattle, perhaps the  use of the paint brush could transform them... I'm only saying.

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7 minutes ago, kirley said:

The cattle add to the scene but if you look at pictures of that era it would be beef cattle that were transported, unfortunately most manufactures supply dairy cattle, perhaps the  use of the paint brush could transform them... I'm only saying.

Cheers kieran. Yes having grown up on a farm I know about beef cattle, I didn't spot any udders on the model cattle. :) But a light weathering might be in order. :) 

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Just now, NoelG said:

Cheers kieran. Yes having grown up on a farm I know about beef cattle, I didn't spot any udders on the model cattle. :) But a light weathering might be in order. :) 

Sorry it just a pet hate seeing the  proliferation of Friesian type cattle on layouts.

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Its a relief to see what started out as a layout design in RailModellerPro evolved into something real

 

Gort1TrackPlan_1a.jpg

 

Which was inspired by this photo from "Rails Through the West'

Gort_RTTW_P29.jpg

 

Starting to look like this

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When it started out like this. After it started a dry test fit like this a few years ago now using old bits of toy buildings

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Spent today finalising track fitting, eliminating any rail or sleeper gaps, loading gauge and clearance tests for platforms and loading docks using a variety of wide rolling stock (eg Laminate+Craven coaches, cattle wagons, etc). Also tested track work with stock and tested the uncoupling magnets. I'm hoping to use magnets to hold the buildings and platforms in place so that they remain removable for transport.

IMG_0314.jpg

 

Looking south in the direction of Ennis. B188 uncoupled from the afternoon Limerick-Athenry passenger working to shunt some wagons in the yard ready for the Limerick-Claremorris evening goods train to collect.

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Looking North in Athenry direction. Next step should be ballasting once the point motors have been tested.

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Track pins will be removed once ballasting has been completed. Really enjoying this project. I've learned so much along this journey and its far from finished yet, but patience is the one thing I've really had to take on board and avoid the urge of trying to run trains too soon.

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Some final quilting needed to blend elements together

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Have learned so much along this journey so far and there's a lot more to do, but I think the back off the workload been broken. Really enjoyed this learning process. Now to fit and test the point motors, then ballast, then landscaping . . . and then drive trains!!! :) 

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  • 2 weeks later...
8 minutes ago, Robert Shrives said:

Good ballasting - takes time but the clear sleeper tops and ballast clear of track fittings shows the care taken - good patience levels!

thanks for showing

Robert   

Cheers Robert. It was very time consuming, especially the points (ie avoiding gluing the mechanism). With the benefit of hindsight I might have been better to use woodland scenics ballast which has no dust content unlike the Javis extra fine granite that I used. Was tedious using cotton buds to remove this dust from sleeper tops before the PVA/Water/IPA mix dried. Woodland scenics ballast seems to be lighter too and more plastic in nature so responds better to the spoon tapping trick to bounce over spray off sleeper tops. The ballast plough I used seems better suited to code 100 track than code 75 as it dispenses a little faster than I'd experience before on code 100 which due to thicker sleepers can accommodate more ballast between the sleepers.

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Some more happenings.  Split the two main baseboards for the first time in nearly a year. Disc cut the tracks and sawed the sleepers and ballast, scalpel had already cut the two layers of 3mm closed cell dense foam, so it was a matter of pulling the two boards carefully part and then reconnecting to ensure 100% alignment. The brass baseboard alignment dowels help.

Light between the two 5ft boards

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The join will be disguised with a tiny amount of sacrificial ballast material and perhaps walkway planks. Relived to see that the glued track and ballast is firm enough for good alignment. No need for copper strips for brass screws at rail ends, etc.

 

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Some more scenes 

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Provincial wagons Bulleid general open wagon being loaded by dock crane

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Goods yard on mart day. Neighbouring builders merchants will be expecting a delivery of a few wagons on the afternoon pick up goods train from Limerick so the cattle wagons will have to be gone before that on the passing Limerick-Galways mixed goods train.

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5 hours ago, kirley said:

A scary time cutting those boards.  Hope the track alignment works out for you. 

No, Oh apologies I probably wasn't clear. The boards were made separately two years ago, and connected up a year ago using their connecting bolts and butterfly screws, but hadn't been taken apart since last year. I didn't cut the base boards, just cut the rails, some sleepers and through 1-2mm of dried ballast mix. The closed cell form base had been cut at the baseboard joint a year ago. Now that the baseboards have been separated I can flip them on their sides and finish wiring stuff underneath without crawling underneath. One of the benefits of the WMRC baseboard design.

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Layout stripped for more wiring. IMG_0783.jpg

 

On its side now for ease of access under the baseboards

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Lots to be done under here. Baseboard sits happily on its side using back scene for added stability.

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Made a test harness for fitting the Cobalt Analog point motors which will run off a portable 9v battery.

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Fitted Cobalt Analog point motors today and wired up the integrated frog polarity switch. Made a portable test harness using a 9v battery and DPDT switch which was useful for testing alignment and throw of the point blades. Really impressed with the Cobalts ease of installation, a little noisy perhaps but at least no 'gun shot' solenoid switch noise. Nice to see blades move more slowly and prototypically. The pressure contacts on the Cobalt PCB makes wiring really easy and swapping frog polarity is really quick and easy to do.

 

 

 

While these are Analog motors they will be switched digitally using an ADfx8 decoder module, so that cab controls can be used to switch points, but there will also be an AEU encoder wired to a lever frame set of switches plugged in to the Cab bus for physical switching of points. The lever frame will only need two wires connected to it so I will be able to move the lever frame around the layout rather than run a bundle of wiring to each switch. I hope to make a plug in signal box modules and use the same digital interface to control signals.

  • Only two wires to each point motor for both power and switching
  • Local frog polarity switch on point motor for electrofrog point
  • All point motors powered by the ADfx8 decoder
  • Only two wires to power and control the ADfx8 decoder from the DCC track bus
  • Points can be switch by physical lever frame switches or digitally from DCC cab
  • Virtual signal box containing the lever frame switches is portable as it only needs a single cable to connect it into  the CAB bus of the DCC system, so it can be moved between the front and back of layout using just an RJ12/45 plug like a cab. The AEU encoder gets its power from the CAB bus.
  • Lever switches short pair of wires to the local AEU board.

 

CobaltPointMotorSystem01.jpg

 

Once all the dropper PCBs have been wired up the lot will be ready for testing, and once the wiring has been fully tested then the scenic landscaping can take place above.

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Ennis/Limerck board wiring is now complete and tested. Had one minor short to sort on one of the Cobalt connector blocks. Test ran loco on DC to check frogs polarity switching ok. Smooth as a button. While I was at it tested the under tack uncoupling magnet as now is the time to rectify any problems. Just in case. So far all good, now finishing the Athernry board wiring. The boards will be connected with 25pin D type computer connectors (ie the type used on RS232 serial printer cables 35 years ago). I'm bored now, what's happening next?  With hindsight it was well worth painting the underside of the base boards even though it seem unnecessary at the time they were constructed, handy for self adhesive cable keeps and tempoary alignment of Cobalt point motors.

 

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49 minutes ago, jhb171achil said:

Those plastic leg things you have it all sitting on - what are they? Can you get them different heights?

 

Hi Jonathan. I don't know I bought from from amazon and for from local B&Q store. They are very light and fold up neatly

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01ANYIAEA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I have also bought some adjustable feet for testles I plan to make myself. The B&Q and Amazon ones seem to be a standard height targeted at DIY home builders, etc.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LSGC5H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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1 hour ago, jhb171achil said:

Superb...... I have a small portable "mini-layout" in progress, about 18 ins wide by 7'6" long - are things like this suitable for supports for such a thing?

 

Gort is 2' x 10ft (ie two 5' x 2' boards) with two trestles under each board, so I guess 7'6" long will need only two. One day it might grow with a loop behind the back scene, but for now an end2end shunting layout which is what it was designed for.

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12 hours ago, jhb171achil said:

Superb...... I have a small portable "mini-layout" in progress, about 18 ins wide by 7'6" long - are things like this suitable for supports for such a thing?

 

Apologies correction I got this pair in Woodies €35, they cost less than on Amazon

https://www.woodies.ie/stanley-junior-sawhorse-twin-pack-1127038?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1a6EBhC0ARIsAOiTkrFLMz6dVc1X5J1-7p1n-NndePdRRrPkQOfIXn0-6K7IjHOalZF6UbMaAvw0EALw_wcB

 

image.png.e4a739a3a6fa878d7e91eea0b86abc21.png

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