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Weston Town N Gauge 5x2 Modern Image


toolongtoremember
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So thanks to Shanks522 (Graham), for making Sarum Town - my inspiration for this layout.

 

I begun baseboard making a week ago and decided on 5x2 because this is the biggest size that I can fit in my car and the seats don't fold down at the back #Fail.

 

I had that completed the same day and I ordered a Massive bulk purchase from Hattons of;

 

E-Link Railmaster combo

4 point decoders

Two reversing loop units

16 points, 16 point motors

Loads of setrack code 80

A box of flexitrack code 80

Fishplates

Track pins

 

This arrived a couple of days ago.

 

Two days later I almost have the track all set up on the bottom part of the layout and the beginnings of the upper part.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/161250621@N07/44265196905/in/dateposted-public/

Edited by toolongtoremember
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Yesterday I installed all the point decoders, wired them all up and programmed them. To my dismay none of them would work reliably.

 

On some more thorough research the Hornby point decoders I had used only output 1 amp and 15v of power with only one CDU per decoder! (this lead to long times of recharging of around 15 to 20 seconds before I could operate any of the other three points on the same decoder - which meant I could potentially be waiting a whole minute to change a path for the next train, which is no good at an exhibition and if I didn't wait and drained the power the draw was enough tovoverload my DCC e-link unit and have to restart it which also took a few minutes), whereas my Peco points work their best at 3 amps and closer to 19 volts... So this morning after I had slept off the disappointment, I removed them all, reboxed them and they will be on their way back to the shop Monday morning to be swapped for some DCC concepts decoders which output up to 4 amps 19v and each point has its own CDU!...

 

The Hornby ones only worked off the main DCC bus, whereas the DCC concepts one can work off a separate power supply and can also be dual wired to work off of DCC and have the old fashioned physical toggle switches, this means that I dont lose all my points if a loco shorts in the case of a derailment etc.

 

 

Lesson learnt the hard way there. 

 

And on this note, I will also be returning the Hornby reverse module units too, I just dont have the trust in their quality now. 

 

So after this set back I will now be looking for another reverse module to use on my reverse loop, so any suggestions will be gratefully appreciated! 

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  • 3 weeks later...

So yesterday I received my new point decoders, and my what a difference! every time first time the point changes without fail! 

 

Today I have painted some of the areas which needed some matt grey applying. Namely the incline area (this part will be really hard to completely cover with scenery), under the maintenance shed and around the yard on the bottom. 

 

I relaid some of the track which was giving issue, and I have done away with the inner fly under, it worked on the flat, but when I tried to get the trains to negotiate a tight radius whilst also descending, they just wouldn't have it. 

 

All is not lost however, the outer fly under track will still go under, but will just end at the end of a long straight under the baseboard. 

 

 

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Today I cut the upper level out, made the stands for it to sit on, attached said top to the layout, laid some track up it and then attached the final under baseboard point motor I own and wired that up, need to purchase 4 more! 

 

I had bought the point motors that sit beside the points, but having found out that there is enough clearance to get a motor and a train to pass underneath, I am going to order 4 more under board point motors. 

 

I wired up the final DCC Concepts point decoder and now my layout looks like a boy racers car where the underside lights up a neon blue/purple colour because of the status lights on the decoders... will certainly have to use a black curtain on the side to hide this at exhibitions! 

 

More to come... 

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I’ve just seen this - and it’s very inspiring (just like Sarum Town).

 

Can I ask what radius curves you are using - especially on the lower double track run? Is that setrack?

 

I have a spare 6x2 baseboard and some left over N gauge track..........

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You may indeed ask! 

 

I have been using a mixture of R1 and R2 on the inner circuit, Peco setrack it is. The longer straights and some in between bits are with flexi track. Anything else you want to know just ask away :) 

 

I'm so happy to of inspired somebody, so thank you!  

I’ve just seen this - and it’s very inspiring (just like Sarum Town).

Can I ask what radius curves you are using - especially on the lower double track run? Is that setrack?

I have a spare 6x2 baseboard and some left over N gauge track..........

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So today I made some more progress, I have painted the front and sides of the baseboard matt black (although thats what it said on the tin... its looking kind of glossy) 

 

I have laid most of the track on the top level and installed and wired up all of the point motors for the top section. I have also put down some platforms in the form of 9mm plywood (this will be topped with card and the sides finished with peco platform sides when they arrive). The lower retaining walls have been cut somewhat down to shape but I'm still not happy with them so I have not stuck them down yet.   

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Today the scenic work has started! At long last. But first of all I wired in the Tam Valley Dual Frog Juicer, this works to reverse the polarity on the reverse loop. 

 

Today I put down the signals and one light on the lower level, put in some of the retaining walls and ballasted a fair bit of the bottom level. I have also used modelling clay to make the concrete area in the lower fuel depot. 

 

This week coming I am only working from 6pm, so in the day times I hope to get a fair amount of progress sorted. 

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Edited by toolongtoremember
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So I have managed to do a little more, and take some of the first videos:

 

 

http://youtu.be/56_-GH5401w

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ooQKyelyI&feature=youtu.be

 

Anybody know how i get them to display form youtube on this page? 

Edited by toolongtoremember
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Coming along quickly and nicely!

 

Youtube videos, i'm sure when I've shared them before you need to remove the S from https, however i tried it today and it didn't work? 

 

Good video too, Are you modelling a certain time frame / era?

 

Graham.

Thanks... but not up to your standard of modelling! My era is 2005 - present, but I do have some other modern-ish era locos from say the 80's but not enough DCC chips yet (I literally only have three trains that work on DCC so far).  And yes I tried to remove the s from the https as well and couldn't figure out why it didn't work :S

 

Loking good and making quick progress. Nice video as well.

Thanks! 

Edited by toolongtoremember
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Now I have wired up the signals, one is stuck at danger and for which I have no idea why. So for now I have sent off a message to the manufacturer to see what could be wrong. 

 

I have photos but the upload facility currently is down on RM Web for maintenance so I'll upload those later, so for now here is a video:

 

 

 

EDIT: RM Web is now letting me upload photos, so here we go; 

 

Also took a photo of the underside, looking more and more like a carnival under there with all these led's and buttons lighting up the place.

 

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Edited by toolongtoremember
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So I'm thinking about naming the layout, but I cant figure out exactly what to name it, the closest I can get is Weston Town and this is because I want to model a potential holiday destination and a lot of my stock is trains that run through the south west of England.  I quite like the look of cleethorpes station, the track layout of that station sort of is similar to the upper level of my layout, which makes me think holiday destination. 

 

Peoples thoughts?

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For name ideas I prefer a name that might have been rather than a random name. Have a look at a map of the area you want to model and see the place names for ideas even taking one or using similar. Or have a look at the History of the area, who would have settled there and what they may have called the place, Anglo Saxon tended to use words like Ley (wood clearing or meadow) dun/don (hill) ford (river crossing).

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How about Westhorpe? Weston Town Clethorpes or Westonthorpe or even Western-Thorpe? 

 

Name endings tend to be common-ish to an area but more usually associated with an area, Dale for example is associated with Yorkshire and Derbyshire, but can be found in Lancashire and Cumbria. 

Milliedale-on-Sea is set on Morcambe Bay, across the bay-ish from Grange-over-sands, although other '-on-sea' exist around the country, often the south east, having 'dale' in there implies it's northern.

 

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