Warren Branch

[chuffinghell]

22 hours ago, Julia said:

 

What radius are you using on that curve? do you have a straight section on the reverse curve? 

 

J

I’m using 2nd radius curves with a straight section between the reverse curve, not ideal I know but the best I could do within the space available.

 

I’ve tested all my locos and rolling stock and they all manage without a problem
 

I’ve designed it so the curves are not visible ‘on stage’ so to speak

 

Edited September 6, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

Not a lot going on at Warren, I’ve been very busy at work so by the time I get home my ‘get up and go’ has already ‘got up and gone’

 

Anyway I received this in the post today

 

 

Should look okay on the layout

 

 

Although it’s a DCC layout I couldn’t see why I couldn’t control the lighting in an analogue style

 

To be honest I don’t know why I bothered with DCC anyway being a one engine in steam

[Julia]

1 minute ago, chuffinghell said:

Not a lot going on at Warren, I’ve been very busy at work so by the time I get home my ‘get up and go’ has already ‘got up and gone’

 

Anyway I received this in the post today

 

 

Should look okay on the layout

 

 

Although it’s a DCC layout I couldn’t see why I couldn’t control the lighting in an analogue style

 

To be honest I don’t know why I bothered with DCC anyway being a one engine in steam

 

Because you want to drive the train, not the track ? For all the other arguments for or against DCC, this to me is what it boils down to.

 

My layout is fully DCC, and cos I'm an electronics geek, I've spent months I should have spent modelling on designing circuit boards so I can control all my LED lighting on each board section. That way I only need to have DCC between the modules. It's overkill... but it's about the only time I get to put my degree to use... 

 

J

[chuffinghell]

7 minutes ago, Julia said:

 

Because you want to drive the train, not the track ? For all the other arguments for or against DCC, this to me is what it boils down to.

 

My layout is fully DCC, and cos I'm an electronics geek, I've spent months I should have spent modelling on designing circuit boards so I can control all my LED lighting on each board section. That way I only need to have DCC between the modules. It's overkill... but it's about the only time I get to put my degree to use... 

 

J

 

Locos, points and signals etc are DCC controlled via touchscreen but as a mechanical engineer I don’t fully  understand electronics or electrickery so I’ve made it nice and simple for myself

 

However I envy anyone who understands it and does clever stuff with it

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

Not sure if I prefer switches with an ‘on’ indication light or not

 

 

thoughts anyone?

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by chuffinghell

[AlfaZagato]

How distracting is it for you to have the light on?

[chuffinghell]

20 minutes ago, AlfaZagato said:

How distracting is it for you to have the light on?

That’s a very good point! I’d not really considered that. In that case I’ve decided to go for the non-illuminated switches.....

 

.....otherwise it might end up looking like a dishwasher 

I’m not impressed with the ones I have (cheap sh*t off eBay) so I’ve ordered some better quality ones from elsewhere

 

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by chuffinghell

[FoxUnpopuli]

I'd use the lit switch on the non-lighting circuit - your smoke generator.  Then you'll know if you left it on but it's not generating for some reason. 

 

 

[chuffinghell]

4 minutes ago, FoxUnpopuli said:

I'd use the lit switch on the non-lighting circuit - your smoke generator.  Then you'll know if you left it on but it's not generating for some reason. 

 

 

That was my original intention, hence only having one LED switch but my OCD kicked in and I don’t think I’d cope with an odd switch 

 

Also I’ll know if it’s been left on when there is a puddle of plastic next to the pump house

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

46 minutes ago, FoxUnpopuli said:

I'd use the lit switch on the non-lighting circuit - your smoke generator.  Then you'll know if you left it on but it's not generating for some reason. 

 

 

If I’d thought about it properly I could have had the smoke generator switch separate from the lighting panel and had it as a momentary switch so it couldn’t be accidentally left on

 

I don’t think I’ll use it that often as it was just a bit of a gimmick really

 

Unless I manage to overcome my OCD and do as you have suggested

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by chuffinghell

[MrWolf]

You think you have problems with OCD? I still use metal toggle switches, not only is the action positive, but they're solid and reliable, as well as it being obvious whether they are off or on. My distrust of plastic rocker switches or worse still "click" switches is born out of messing with cars. When the plastic switch in your Ford or whatever broke, it's cheap and nasty nature was evident by the fact that the same switch had already been stripped out of every car in every junkyard. 

If toggle switches are still good enough for weapons systems, then they're good enough for my train sets. Besides, the ones I have were free, came out of the bin, so I figured that the MOD wouldn't miss them. Still had to sign them out though!

Got to agree with you about the lights being a distraction. A little light tells me that something is broken as a rule!

[chuffinghell]

19 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

You think you have problems with OCD? I still use metal toggle switches, not only is the action positive, but they're solid and reliable, as well as it being obvious whether they are off or on. My distrust of plastic rocker switches or worse still "click" switches is born out of messing with cars. When the plastic switch in your Ford or whatever broke, it's cheap and nasty nature was evident by the fact that the same switch had already been stripped out of every car in every junkyard. 

If toggle switches are still good enough for weapons systems, then they're good enough for my train sets. Besides, the ones I have were free, came out of the bin, so I figured that the MOD wouldn't miss them. Still had to sign them out though!

Got to agree with you about the lights being a distraction. A little light tells me that something is broken as a rule!

In that case I’ll have to use something like this on my next layout....

 

....if Warren ever gets finished

[MrWolf]

They're the ones, though even I thought that the safety clips were overkill!

[Julia]

4 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

In that case I’ll have to use something like this on my next layout....

 

....if Warren ever gets finished

 

On my desk there is a small black metal box. Installed on the box is a button. The label next to the button says "Do not press this button". 

 

Temptation thy name is a big red button. 

 

J

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

Anyway I received this in the post today

Ah, a proper railway-style Traffolite panel!

[chuffinghell]

16 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Ah, a proper railway-style Traffolite panel!

I do like traffolyte labels, I think they look neat & tidy. I’ve even used them on my testing/programming track

 

 

I’m hoping I can eventually remove them from this and put a program/test track on the free space next to the fiddleyard

It appears to work quite well, it also means Sarah, other family members and friends can switch the lights on/off.....I’ll leave control of the locos to myself though 
 

 

I need to wait till this evening to adjust the voltages as I want a dim light to achieve a gas light type effect

 

I want the lights to softly glow instead of being lit up like a Christmas tree

 

Apologies to any electricians out there for my haphazard wiring.

[MAP66]

Chris

Loving it that your back onto the layout again. No one seems to have mentioned it yet but congrats on getting a pic of Warren Branch featured into the October edition of BRM, nice job.

 

All the best

Mark

[Bluemonkey presents....]

Chris I always enjoy seeing pictures of your layout and did not realise you have been published, congratulations. Nice that you will let Sarah and family push your buttons 

 

Please can you tell me about how your removable section works regarding rail breaks across an angle. I have had to redesign my layout boards from permanent to potentially semi-moveable meaning I would have a large amount of track over board breaks including a lot of mainline curves. Any thoughts from your experiences please? I have serious concerns about it with mainline trains derailing at speed etc, hence further delays in progressing my layout.

 

Thank you for any pointers/help. Happy for a PM if too much to put in your thread.

[chuffinghell]

49 minutes ago, Bluemonkey presents.... said:

Chris I always enjoy seeing pictures of your layout and did not realise you have been published, congratulations. Nice that you will let Sarah and family push your buttons 

 

Please can you tell me about how your removable section works regarding rail breaks across an angle. I have had to redesign my layout boards from permanent to potentially semi-moveable meaning I would have a large amount of track over board breaks including a lot of mainline curves. Any thoughts from your experiences please? I have serious concerns about it with mainline trains derailing at speed etc, hence further delays in progressing my layout.

 

Thank you for any pointers/help. Happy for a PM if too much to put in your thread.

Thank you

 

As far as the break across the angle I just glued the track in place and once dried I cut across the join with a fine tooth saw.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/135507-warren-branch/&do=findComment&comment=3552501

 

Its probably not the right way to do it though!

 

My removable section will only be removed very occasionally and my locos will only be running at shunting speed.

 

I’ve got dropper wires on every single individual piece of track though so I’m not relying on fishplates and used these to electrically connect the boards

 

...also used patten makers dowels for alignment

 

 

and thumb screws....

 

 

and tee nuts

 

 

to fasten the boards together.

 

I think the correct way (old school way) to do it is to solder the rails to copper nails/screws

 

 

...or the more modern approach to solder the rails to copper plates

 

 

....but I don’t like the look of those plus at the time my soldering looked like arc welding

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

It looks brighter in the photo....

 

 

.....but I won’t be running locos in the dark 

[chuffinghell]

I’ve recently purchased a Peco single tunnel mouth, now I know they are vacuum formed but I’m not entirely happy with the quality. Luckily it was cheap off ebay

 

it was in very old packaging so I wondered if the later ones are better quality?

 

I quite like the Wills kit but I wasn’t sure if it was look out of place being brick whilst everything else on the layout so far is stone

 

 

The Gaugemaster tunnel looks interesting too

 

 

I’d appreciate anyone’s thoughts, opinions or suggestions

 

[Julia]

 

 

Would the scale scenes one in a suitable block texture work? 

 

https://scalescenes.com/product/r014-tunnel-portal/

 

J

[chuffinghell]

3 minutes ago, Julia said:

 

 

Would the scale scenes one in a suitable block texture work? 

 

https://scalescenes.com/product/r014-tunnel-portal/

 

J

Probably but unfortunately I’m one of those unpopular weirdos that’s not very fond of paper or card kits

[lezz01]

I totally get you Chris. I'm not fond of working in card myself either. It does however make a very good template for building it in plastic.

Regards Lez.

[Bluemonkey presents....]

For what it is worth, personally I would go for the stone effect especially as it should compliment all your current layout buildings and features. Is there anything in the Wills range?