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The Chronicles of Braynerts Sidings'


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On 06/06/2019 at 23:18, Gordon A said:

Sorry I copied the link for the wrong switch.

This one should be for a 4 pole 2 way slide switch: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4P2W-4-Pole-2-Way-Miniature-Slide-Switch-Model-Railway-Hobby-SS1-024-EX23/361936816695?epid=706921881&hash=item54451d8a37:g:wZsAAOSwsW9Y1sko

 

Four pole seems easier to find than three pole, I cannot find the three pole I thought I had found..

 

Gordon A

How do those actually work?  Which contacts 'change over'?  My 3-pole switches have 3 rows of 3, like a DPDT but with an extra row of terminals.  I'm using 2 rows as a DPDT and the other row as a SPDT.  The DPDT part switches the diamonds and the SPDT part the frog.  Making sure the right polarity wires go to the correct terminals is a bit of a brain teaser - hence a pointer towards the layout name:huh:

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This is a quick photo of the ones I've got.  It's the spare one, the other 2 are installed already.

 

72526257_TriplePoleswitch.A.jpg.5378400f038e6533e9f8b0e10c16023a.jpg

 

The terminals are a bit fiddly to solder to!

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YES!!  I'm wearing my knotted hankie and my wellies and I've reached the point (!) where I need to sort out which wires from the DPDT part go to which diamond 'Vees'.  All the other wiring is done - but not tested. Next job is to try it with the multi-meter to make sure I've got all the wires going to the right contacts in the right order.  It'll be shocking if they're not...............:rolleyes:

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IT LIVES!!!!!!  Wiring completed this morning and 'Geoffrey' moved over (well, most of!) the layout.  However (there's always a 'however'!) changing one of the points shorts out the whole layout.  I've obviously  crossed a feed somewhere or a couple of wires are touching where they shouldn't which, with the rather tight confines of the terminals of the TPDT switch operating it, isn't outside the bounds of possibility.  Once I've got over the excitement of seeing a loco run (and finished my mug of tea) I'll gird my loins and try to find out where I've gone wrong.  I can't blame anyone else.........

 

EDIT - sorted it!  It was a non-existant gap in a copper-clad sleeper between a stock rail and a check rail that bridged an insulated rail gap.  Quick saw with a razor saw and all is well!

 

Next is fitting the inlaid 'concrete' and ballasting.

Edited by 5050
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Having sorted the the short circuit mentioned above I discovered another at (nominally) the other end of the layout.  When I selected the left hand inner curved track the whole layout shorted out.   All the wiring was checked, re-checked, wires were disconnected to see if this had any effect and eventually the switch was replaced in case it had gone faulty.  All to no avail but I did find out that the fault seemed to disappear when one of the feeds to the second diamond was disconnected.  When visually investigating this above baseboard I realised that I hadn't cut gaps in the copperclad sleepers of the siding on the other side of this diamond, track that I had only just electrically connected up.  So simple!!  But it resulted in a couple of hours extreme frustration and industrial strength language.  All is now running and I spent an hour or so fettling track joints, wing rail knuckles, VEE tips, point blade tips etc. to improve running, a process that will undoubtedly continue for a while.

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Now the wiring is complete I have been trying out the various locos that I hope to use. They all work but each one  seems to have a little foible on different sections of track.  A couple basically run everywhere with no problem but others stick or lurch at totally different places!  Generally a quick wipe with a fine file of the offending rail joint, wing rail knuckle, check rail etc. sorts it but the worst spot was the curve on the left hand 3-way.  A couple of locos came off in a facing direction and, after a detailed investigation, I realised that there was a degree of gauge narrowing over the first inch or two of the curve.  I have managed to sort it but there may well be a surfit of ballast in places to hide the result of the sorting!  Good job it's on the side of the track away from viewing.

 

One thing to mention is that I was thinking that the 6-coupled locos wouldn't go round the curves.  I was wrong.  Both 'Rum' the 0-6-0 Hudswell diesel and 'Lord Percy' the 'big' Bagnall 0-6-0 Saddle Tank negotiate the 2 end curves but the smoothest runners are the YE 0-4-0 diesel in the photo, the DJH 0-4-0ST Barclay 'starter kit', 'Melchett' the Kingdom Kits 0-4-0ST and 'George' the Planet.  So long as they stay on the track I'm not to bothered about a bit of 'lurching' and 'banging'.  It is industrial trackwork after all, not the ECML!

 

Here are some shots of the wiring and how the layout looks at present.

 

The underside of the board showing the rat's nest of wires!  All leads are taken to tag strips in case of remedial action being required!

 

1051965702_CompletedWiring.1.A.jpg.e61232e62b8bd1c8d7c5b942d567163d.jpg

 

 

724802582_CompletedWiring.2.A.jpg.6b06f866f1f18e8d965104534d402197.jpg

 

The track completed and the controller shown in its 'hole'.  I have left gaps for the 3 lengthways sidings to pass through the backscene should I decide to do this.

 

1421129172_Finishedtrack.A.jpg.932e41d46cffe1bb8c7037246b30d43c.jpg

 

The backscene in place.  The blue is part of an old sheet glued to the plywood to cover the grain and the joins.  It will provide a base for painting in due course.  Some stock is positioned to give an idea of scale.

 

397885339_Backsceneinplace.A.jpg.a1d11ed26c84a774aae84d1495eee000.jpg

 

1937269526_Backsceneinplace.1.A.jpg.ac9f61edd5520a1fc2406ba2a1d8509b.jpg

 

I'm going to have to get on with the 2 fiddle yards for either end.  Now the weather is (slightly) warmer the garage will be pressed into use again.  After this the lighting rig needs some thought.  I want it reasonably light so LED strips will probably be used.

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  • RMweb Gold
7 hours ago, 5050 said:

The underside of the board showing the rat's nest of wires!

Au contraire, that’s rather neat and well thought-out.

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  • RMweb Gold

 

With regard to your short circuiting problems, I realise it's a tad late for you, but for the benefit of others, meter check your wiring after every connection made, especially if the trackwork is "different"! It's a ballache, but as above saves a lot of grief later on in the process, it contained my degree of madness when wiring Span Yard which similarly flies in the face of finescale purism.

 

Mike.

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Thanks for the comments above.  I always thought a 'ballache' was some kind of French bread loaf..................:rolleyes:

 

I've also tested a few wagons - and the best running of them all is a rigid Mainline tank wagon with replacement P4 wheels.  I'm using this as a test vehicle when fettling track.  I think I will 'convert' all my boxed Mainline and Bachmann wagons in a similar fashion (I've got more than enough to populate the layout!), possibly fitting them with Dingham couplings at the same time so I don't have to mess about trying to change existing 3-links.  The locos may well be a problem though as the majority of 3-links on them are securely fixed in position.

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18 minutes ago, 5050 said:

Thanks for the comments above.  I always thought a 'ballache' was some kind of French bread loaf..................:rolleyes:

 

I've also tested a few wagons - and the best running of them all is a rigid Mainline tank wagon with replacement P4 wheels.  I'm using this as a test vehicle when fettling track.  I think I will 'convert' all my boxed Mainline and Bachmann wagons in a similar fashion (I've got more than enough to populate the layout!), possibly fitting them with Dingham couplings at the same time so I don't have to mess about trying to change existing 3-links.  The locos may well be a problem though as the majority of 3-links on them are securely fixed in position.

Build more locos. Problem solved!

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On 20/06/2019 at 05:34, sb67 said:

Looking forward to seeing how you tackle the inlaid track.

Steve.

Wait no longer, here is the answer.  I printed out a track plan and, rather than stick the whole thing down onto 1/16" Balsa, I cut out the various sections required and stuck these separate pieces onto the Balsa. so that it looked a bit like an old Balsa wood airplane kit!  These were then cut out with a good margin around so that I could then trim and/or sand or file them to a good fit.  My next idea is to seal/varnish them so that the edges can be chamferred for 'flangeways' and then painted in texture paint and a 'concrete colour'  (ideas for this would be welcomed!) to finish.  I may fill the rather obvious flangways around the wing and check rails with something easy to handle (I once remember reading that somebody used chewed paper for this!).  Rail cleaning may end up being a problem but I will try to press down the infil slightly each side of the rail, the softness of the Balsa will hopefully be useful in this.

 

The pieces stuck to the Balsa, I also stuck paper onto the reverse to try and prevent warping..

 

1372258868_Insettrack.2.A.jpg.058f6adb9cb340bcbe4207cebc1f41a6.jpg

 

After cutting out and fitting into position.  Final trimming etc. still to be done.

 

39168947_Insettrack.4.A.jpg.05b15ca83f845c23384fc3c4e26ee468.jpg

 

A close up of the point showing the check/wing rail gaps.  I can't do much about the blades as there needs to be room for them to move.

 

1656387390_Insettrack.5.A.jpg.79b6f0ace46e825758b7db11508fd4d7.jpg

 

The larger pieces not supported by sleepers will need some packing and I think the scrap pieces of Balsa left after the cutting out will do nicely.

Edited by 5050
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That all looks very neat 5050, I'd never thought about using balsa, it must have been easier to work with. Inused card and found some of the cuts difficult. Thinking about the painting I find textured paints can be too coarse in 4 mm, I used a method from Gordon Gravetts book and magazine articles using paint and ash/talc to give a bit of texture. 

I'd love to try it again and hand build the trackwork that looks so good.

Steve.

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I've 'painted' the balsa and paper with Ronseal Wood Hardener and it's come out like metal!  A lot better for chamferring the edges etc as it doesn't seem to 'fray'.  Using the Balsa is also a lot less messy than fillers etc. although I do appreciate their usefulness.  I can sand the sections to a very good fit inside the rails - and they could be removable in case of any track or wiring problems.

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The inlaid track looks fantastic Paul. I had never thought I usig balsa for this, or indeed have never heard of it being used as a method before, but it looks hugely effective and so neat. No doubt a lot cleaner process than using using any kind of filler too! Thanks for describing the technique you used. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Current progress is limited but, in between daily viewing of the Tour de France (reliving a misspent youth some might say......), I am mocking up some buildings from old card.  In doing this I've discovered that some clearances/distances between structures are not as big as I thought they might be.  I've also got an etch for Dingham couplers (courtesy of Ruston) and now have a choice of 2 'plug-in' wander lead controllers, a Gaugemaster W (repaired under lifetime warranty by GM) and (thanks to another member of RMWeb) I have my Compspeed Rambler back.  If the Rambler works as well as it used to do then it should be ideal for this layout.

 

I'm still in a quandary about the colour to use when painting the concrete areas.  It will probably be some cobbled up mixture of assorted greys and beiges!

 

And I've received my first two exhibition invites.  DEFine near Derby in January and Scalefour North in April.  See you there?

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  • 1 month later...

Over a month since I last posted - but I haven't been idle!  I've been getting on with the buildings to take them past the mock-up stage.  I've also found a paint for the concrete that satisfies me.  It's Rustoleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in their 'Winter Grey' shade.  I reckon it looks OK but it will need a fair degree of 'weathering'.

 

Buildings.1.A.jpg.1ab79ca1f7c350a6c2a56f707706e21e.jpg

 

General view from the right.

 

Buildings.2.A.jpg.6b3ac715bb84f5beb5bf7192ab744fb4.jpg

 

View from the middle.  The gantry crane is temporarily lifted from my HO American layout to see what it looks like and to check sizing.  I have enough bits in stock to make one for here if I decide to use it.  The right hand chimney is a Bachmann one that sold itself to me

 

Buildings.3.A.jpg.2a8bb468eb1b3925cef1824ab20c4116.jpg

 

View from the left.

 

Buildings.4.A.jpg.9a7626c428e05f2d49f61961c57c98b0.jpg

 

The mock-up of the right hand end office building based on the one at Whiffleet Foundry but mirror image.  I think I might have made it a bit small so will have to re-assess the vertical dimensions which are all taken from 'guesstimates' from photos on the web.  The 'gate' is an idea for a temporary view block should I decide to only have one fiddle yard.

 

LocoShed.1.A.jpg.03d01b075c062c03de37ec6bae30366f.jpg

 

The loco shed based on features taken from several sheds illustrated on the IRS Industrial Loco Sheds books.  Still to have the windows etc. fitted which will be done after painting.

 

Roundhouse.1.A.jpg.37f1ce28ac795ba5c790665d51468d02.jpg

 

The 'centre-piece' roundhouse style building based on a loco shed featured in P F Wilding's articles in MRN in the late 50's, 'The Works Yard'.

 

It will be seen that there is still plenty of work to be done to complete these buildings (roofs, windows, gutters etc.) but I have got them to a state that I am happy to leave them in order to finish of other essential work such as bonding rail joints, building fiddle yard(s), fitting controls, lighting etc.  Concrete infil is still to be stuck down but I would like to do this in such a way that it could be 'liftable' in case of emergency.  Any ideas on this guys?

 

 

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