Leeds London Road . Yard magnets and control panel

[LNER4479]

Shining on the righteous perhaps?

 

Nice work!

[Martin S-C]

Sun beam me up, Barry!

[Sasquatch]

Taking shape very nicely.

Shame you don't live closer. I could have fired up my chain saw and cut down a pine then milled it up for you. Different worlds huh!

 

Keep it coming Baz 

Regards Shaun 

[Martin S-C]

A question for either Robert or Barry - whichever of you knows the answer. You have reduced the standard PECO double track geometry haven't you? I want to do the same thing where I have dual track - how much do you chop off PECO points (of the different sizes - I'm using the long code 75 bullhead, the medium code 75 and the long Y code 75). I'm guessing that closing up the double track geometry to British scale dimensions will require some rail to be removed from the diverging road of each turnout, and obviously how much is critical. Thanks.

[Barry O]

@LNER4479 can you help @Martin S-Cplease?

 

Baz

[LNER4479]

Yep - just need to dig out some previous photos ...

[LNER4479]

OK - found some (pictures). Wot I took for a series of articles in Railway Modeller a few years ago.

 

Used as supplied, a pair of points result in a 'too wide' track centre spacing (modellers of ex-GWR broad gauge routes look away now. and see note at end)

 

Remove a length of wing rail (as you surmised) and sleepers (first rough cut for now) like so.

 

You'll need to - carefully(!) - slice away the chairs from the sleepers either side of the cut like this in order to get rail joiners in

 

Repeat with other point and trim sleepers in relation to each other until they just nicely butt up against each other. Note that this thereby removes the 'silly' angled end sleeper arrangement.

 

Ta-daa! Note how the careful sleeper trimming gives the illusion of long central crossing timbers, much more satisfying visually than the opening photo.

 

Exactly the same technique for a pair of large radius points.

 

Same can be done for slips to create a classic steam age trailing slip / crossover arrangement (for reversal into goods yards). However, the angle of the sleepers on the slip (and long crossing) means that the join isn't quite so good in this instance.

 

And now the caveat - ONLY suitable for straight or gently curved stretches of double track. Do NOT attempt this for three foot radius curves (unless you want all your door handles knocking off). The main curve at Grantham North End is six foot radius and that's about the minimum radius I'd advise trying this on. See separate tutorial about curving points ...

 

Hope that helps.

 

'Robert'

(Graham, really - AKA Red Leader)

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Remove a length of wing rail

Stock rail?

 

[Martin S-C]

Graham (!) this is absolutely fab. Thanks for the reminder that this works only with straight tracks and larger radii. My main line is single track and the only place this would impact things (pun intended) is the ends of my curved carriage sidings but I will ensure they space sufficiently far apart as they curve.

[St Enodoc]

21 minutes ago, Martin S-C said:

Graham (!) this is absolutely fab. Thanks for the reminder that this works only with straight tracks and larger radii. My main line is single track and the only place this would impact things (pun intended) is the ends of my curved carriage sidings but I will ensure they space sufficiently far apart as they curve.

They should be further apart anyway so that folk can walk between them safely.

[Barry O]

Looks like a sound basis for a Zoom presentation to the Leeds MRS there Red Leader.

 

Many thanks for answering the query..

 

Baz

[LNER4479]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Stock rail?

 

You say tomayto, I say tomarto ... you'll be telling me next not to call it a 'frog'.

(You are of course 100% correct - I never was very good with terminology. A picture tells a thousand words in this case)

[Barry O]

Meanwhile..

 

Next date for Red Leader to visit is in the diary. I have one piece of walling to fit before adding capping stones and a few more scenic bits. About to build a temporary power/control panel so that I can start to work out where I need uncoupling magnets...more updates soon.

 

Baz

Edited November 14, 2021 by Barry O
spellung

[Barry O]

Last bit of wall and coping stones have been added.. but major work yesterday and today has been the addition of some sockets to plug hand held controllers into...

 

 

sounds simple?  Well it would be until I realised I had wired a work around in which now needs to be removed and replace with some new wiring... followed by the installation and wiring of a Signal controlling the exit from the fiddle year "branch" onto the main lines..

 

Baz

Edited April 21, 2022 by Barry O
pictures

[Martin S-C]

"The fiddle year" - a good description of my life this last 12 months...

[BoD]

If those are for walkabout controllers you won’t have very far to go.

Edited November 14, 2021 by BoD

[Barry O]

On 14/11/2021 at 20:19, BoD said:

If those are for walkabout controllers you won’t have very far to go.

Only temporary.. the Goods yard needs to be linked in and also the Colliery and.. the station and the MPD and the...

 

Baz

[Barry O]

I bought a laser cut coaling stage kit a while ago. With the next visit from Red Leader due I have started to glue it together..

 

 

More work to finish it but so far.. so good.

 

Baz

Edited April 21, 2022 by Barry O
pictures

[LNER4479]

Insert Tab A into Slot B ...

 

Very impressive! Looking forward to inspecting it tomorrow - hope we left enough space between the tracks ...

[Barry O]

Red Leader has been very busy today.. some point operation rodding fitted, track laid and woodwork completed.  Great work!

He took some photos so I will let him show the results of his hard work.

Baz

[LNER4479]

Yes, another enjoyable day at 'London Road'. Three specific tasks undertaken. In order:

 

Can you spot the difference?

 

One of those niggling 'round tuit' jobs tackled first before we get on to the fun stuff. Although, I do quite enjoy doing this sort of stuff as well. The top right point here was unable to be motored from underneath due to proximity of timberwork and (I think) hinge. Anyhow, I reckoned it could be worked like so, powered by its corresponding point (bottom left), using nothing more sophisticated than a couple of MerControl (GEM) angle cranks and some 1mm steel wire. So the difference is that ... top picture points (crossover) normal; bottom picture reversed. I routinely use one Peco motor to drive two points in a crossover in this way, they're usually powerful enough, particular with a CDU involved.

 

And now the real fun stuff - tracklaying! This is the throat of the loco depot, always going to be left hand curved points to the fore. I was a little apprehensive when I originally drew it up because it looked a little tight but trusted my traditional 'graph paper and known radii' way of working and this turned out to be the kindest combination of said points.

 

And hour or so later and ...

Starting at the rear, two roads - each holding three locos - that are the engine shed roads. Then a longer road that will be alongside the shed wall, capable of holding four locos. Then the pit (ash disposal) road, with the coaling road (featuring the impressive coaling tower) alongside, with its attendant coal wagon siding. We had a play around with the coaling tower and decided that it worked best positioned such (probably not QUITE so close to the turntable) as it leaves an unobstructed view of this nearer end of the shed, where locos will be more on view, plus some manual point changing required so you don't want it (the tower) getting in the way.

 

I took this view 'cos it's the pits, man! If you remember back a while(!), the roads were carefully positioned, marked out and then rectangular slots cut in the ply as the basis for three pits, two (inspection pits) outside the front of the shed and the main ash disposal pit. So the track had to go as shown. The Peco track is pinned each side every fourth sleeper as its straddles the pit then the middle section of the sleepers can be cut out whilst still maintaining the gauge. This also influenced where the coaling tower was best sited - as you can see, an extra bit of board will have to be grafted on to accommodate the coal wagon siding.

 

This view shows how the road out of the fiddle yard climbs (steeply!) between the depot and the goods headshunt. Barry's been doing some great work installed the stone wall sides and - of course - ballasting. Already beginning to look 'interesting' with the different levels and falling / rising gradients, as it often was (is!) in inner city areas.

 

Leaving the completion of the depot trackwork to another time (that extra piece of board needs sorting first), so to the last job of the day. The previous visit had seen the battening pieces laid out on the floor where the main terminus is going so now it was time to go up aloft and start the baseboard supporting frame work itself. Although the overall shape is known, I do tend to make it up as I go along in terms of where the legs go and how it's all fastened together. One constraint here was a storage cupboard which you can see in the far corner. In order to both accommodate and access it, the battening has to bridge its width hence the use of a couple of sturdier pieces compared to the more usual 2 x 1.

 

More supporting structure needs adding, but this piece of temporarily positioned (for now) 6 x 2 ply is roughly where the main station and platforms will be. Beyond will be 8 foot or so of station throat to get us out onto the main circuit top right.

 

All good fun. Nice to see a plan drawn out on paper actually taking shape in practice and - more or less - working out as planned.

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by LNER4479

[Martin S-C]

The loco depot is going to look fab. Great work aiming the pointwork exactly at the pre-cut inspection pits - I'd never have the confidence to do it that way around.

When you refer to pinning the track do you actually pin through the sleepers or tack them down by using a broad-headed pin put in next to them? I find pinning through Peco sleepers almost always results in some unhappy distortion of the plastic and ruins the look.

Second photo from the bottom looks like there is quite a length of unsupported ply - which I assume is 9mm? Or will there be some light sub-framing under the ply and on top of the main legs/stretchers? Having suffered from wibbly-wobbly ply in my last project I'm concerned now about bracing it regularly and frequently.

[LNER4479]

1 hour ago, Martin S-C said:

The loco depot is going to look fab. Great work aiming the pointwork exactly at the pre-cut inspection pits - I'd never have the confidence to do it that way around.

When you refer to pinning the track do you actually pin through the sleepers or tack them down by using a broad-headed pin put in next to them? I find pinning through Peco sleepers almost always results in some unhappy distortion of the plastic and ruins the look.
MANY years of using Peco track has taught me to pin it lightly such that the head of the pin is just kissing the top of the sleeper. The pin is largely determining the lateral alignment but of course you can also - unwittingly - influence the VERTICAL alignment if you bash the pins down too hard(!) One thing I always do nowadays is press the sleepers down ever so slightly where I'm about to pin. If there's too much vertical movement, then that could indicate an unwanted dip and / or corresponding 'high spot'. A bit of packing (sliver of card) underneath the sleeper concerned before pinning usually does the trick to even things out. The ballasting afterwards will hide it all subsequently.

Second photo from the bottom looks like there is quite a length of unsupported ply - which I assume is 9mm? Or will there be some light sub-framing under the ply and on top of the main legs/stretchers? Having suffered from wibbly-wobbly ply in my last project I'm concerned now about bracing it regularly and frequently.

As mentioned in the post, there's more structure to add yet - I'm probably going to add a load of transverse battens in that area (approx every 12 inches - but avoiding potential point motor locations!) to give it sufficient support. Also, there'll be extra legs such that the battens are supported every 2 or 3 feet. For my exhibition layouts, I use ply throughout, cutting 3in or 4in strips to act as the battens to create a lightweight but strong box structure. That usually sorts out the wibbles and the wobbles.

Edited November 30, 2021 by LNER4479

[Barry O]

So now to business.. well the wiring and control panel will be done over the next few weeks but lets see what the  MPD looks like with locos in place

 

 

A variety of LM locos on view here..

 

 

and all bar one of these is kit built

 

 

The coaling plant is very large .. and a NER loco has snuck in under it!

 

 

Our intrepid photographer has scaled the walls of the coaling plant (the ladders are not in place ..yet).. Some of Sir William Stanier's' and  Sir Nigel Gresley's finest.. These are where the shed will be..

 

 

spot the tank loco!  Notice the laser cut holes for the supplied handrails.. I will add these when the building is painted.

 

Baz

[Sandhole]

Just now, Barry O said:

So now to business.. well the wiring and control panel will be done over the next few weeks but lets see what the  MPD looks like with locos in place

 

 

A variety of LM locos on view here..

 

 

and all bar one of these is kit built

 

 

The coaling plant is very large .. and a NER loco has snuck in under it!

 

 

Our intrepid photographer has scaled the walls of the coaling plant (the ladders are not in place ..yet).. Some of Sir William Stanier's' and  Sir Nigel Gresley's finest.. These are where the shed will be..

 

 

spot the tank loco!  Notice the laser cut holes for the supplied handrails.. I will add these when the building is painted.

 

Baz

That's a Tasty Locomotive stud, Baz.
Regards,
Chris.