Using the easy-assembly Finetrax pointwork kits in 00 and EM (and in P4 from the S4 Society)

[martin_wynne]

8 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

What graphics package are you using? I have PSP and that doesn't measure line angles (or if it does I've not found it yet) and that would be useful.

 

 

Hi David,

 

Just use Templot. Lay a couple of tracks across the image, then click make diamond-crossing at intersection.

 

Templot gives you all the information you need.

 

 

Although in this case you don't need anything. Peco has stated for 60 years that the angle is 12 degrees, and that's what it is.

 

If you start with straight tracks, all three crossing angles will be equal, as shown. 1:4.70 RAM is 12 degrees.

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

[Pacific231G]

8 hours ago, martin_wynne said:

 

Hi David,

 

Just use Templot. Lay a couple of tracks across the image, then click make diamond-crossing at intersection.

 

Templot gives you all the information you need.

 

 

Although in this case you don't need anything. Peco has stated for 60 years that the angle is 12 degrees, and that's what it is.

 

If you start with straight tracks, all three crossing angles will be equal, as shown. 1:4.70 RAM is 12 degrees.

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

 

8 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Thanks. I'm a CorelDraw user - doesn't have that facility (at least in the version I have) so have to rotate a line and do he maths - which, on the same template as I was drawing lines on before, gave me +6.1 and -5.9 so 12.0 degrees with a resolution of 0.1.

 

I concede!

Thanks to both of you.

I don't (yet) use Templot for actual track planning but have found it very useful as an analysis tool and now I know how close CLM and RAM (and hence simple tg. definitions of crossing angles) are that should make something I'm currently looking at a lot easier. 

 

I did try to measure the relative angles by rotating images in PSP but, though it does that to two decimal places, found it hard to get an accurate result from the heel end of a turnout. Ditto trying to measure them directly with a small plastic  protractor but, like a dolt, I'd forgotten that I have a far better navigational protactor in my flight bag. With that I found that both the PecoWay and Streamline turnouts were indeed 12 degrees and the SMP Scaleway seems to be 10 degrees. All three were offered as 3ft radius points. 

 

[Compound2632]

Although I have not used a protractor, I am at least a retractor of my error.

[mogman1969]

12 hours ago, bradfordbuffer said:

Just don't ask what angle! 

with the look of them im more than happy to tweak my trackplan to make them fit !

 

[RBAGE]

Urgent advice, please.

I have two kits and a C&L built diamond on the operating table, attempting to build a double junction as a single assembly.

Wiring the diamond is easy and can be done at any time. Can anyone advise the best way to wire the case crossings in the point kits. Will the casting take easily to solder? Can I easily solder after assembly?

If I have to attach the wire before assembly, it'll make building the formation in one assembly quite awkward.

Thanks,

Bob

[Chuffer Davies]

1 hour ago, RBAGE said:

Urgent advice, please.

I have two kits and a C&L built diamond on the operating table, attempting to build a double junction as a single assembly.

Wiring the diamond is easy and can be done at any time. Can anyone advise the best way to wire the case crossings in the point kits. Will the casting take easily to solder? Can I easily solder after assembly?

If I have to attach the wire before assembly, it'll make building the formation in one assembly quite awkward.

Thanks,

Bob

Hi,  the casting is N/Silver and is easy to solder.  I drilled a hole through one of the locating pegs and inserted my dropper wire into the casting before building the point.  The rest of the wiring was straight forward.  Personally I never plan to use fishplates to conduct electricity and adopt a bolt and brace approach and attach droppers to each individual lengths of rail.  These were then wired up under the layout once the point was planted.

Regards,

Frank

[RBAGE]

1 minute ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Hi,  the casting is N/Silver and is easy to solder.  I drilled a hole through one of the locating pegs and inserted my dropper wire into the casting before building the point.  The rest of the wiring was straight forward.  Personally I never plan to use fishplates to conduct electricity and adopt a bolt and brace approach and attach droppers to each individual lengths of rail.  These were then wired up under the layout once the point was planted.

Regards,

Frank

Thanks for that. I'll certainly take your advice to drill before soldering.

Since I asked the question, I wondered about:

 1. solder the crossing off the assembly

 2. fit the crossing just to position the rest of the rails

 3. remove the crossing

 4. complete the double junction assembly

 5. finally fit the crossings once the junction is complete.

What do you think? Any pitfalls?

Bob

[KeithHC]

3 minutes ago, RBAGE said:

Thanks for that. I'll certainly take your advice to drill before soldering.

Since I asked the question, I wondered about:

 1. solder the crossing off the assembly

 2. fit the crossing just to position the rest of the rails

 3. remove the crossing

 4. complete the double junction assembly

 5. finally fit the crossings once the junction is complete.

What do you think? Any pitfalls?

Bob

I can also second about soldering the crossing. I am a complete idiot at soldering but even I managed to get a wire affixed with no problems.

 

Keith

[SteveCornford]

This post gives an example (albeit of a 2mm scale version) of fixing a wire to the cast crossing:-

example assembly

 

On mine I soldered the wire underneath at the wide end of the cast crossing having first lightly abraded it.

 

Then perform a trial fit of the crossing and the rails that meet it to ensure that it is not standing proud.  If it is you will probably have to file the bottom of your soldered joint so that it fits down onto the track base ok.

 

Then temporarily tape the wire to the timbers to keep it pout of the way. Once assembled you can bend the wire down at right angles if you wish to feed it down through the base board.

 

I think you will struggle to solder a wire to the cast crossing once it has been fixed in place, unless you cut away the tags/sprues on the track base.

Steve

[Chuffer Davies]

1 hour ago, RBAGE said:

Thanks for that. I'll certainly take your advice to drill before soldering.

Since I asked the question, I wondered about:

 1. solder the crossing off the assembly

 2. fit the crossing just to position the rest of the rails

 3. remove the crossing

 4. complete the double junction assembly

 5. finally fit the crossings once the junction is complete.

What do you think? Any pitfalls?

Bob

Hi Bob,

I don't feel able to advise without more information as there are too many variables.  Are you fitting the double junction into an existing formation or is this a new layout?  Have you already laid the track up to the junction?  I think if this is a new formation then I'd lay the diamond first and then fit the points around it, but in reality I doubt there is a right or wrong answer to this question.

If you are still in doubt take a photo of the site with the diamond and point bases roughly in position and we can have a 2nd look at it for you.

Regards,

Frank

[RBAGE]

13 minutes ago, Chuffer Davies said:

Hi Bob,

I don't feel able to advise without more information as there are too many variables.  Are you fitting the double junction into an existing formation or is this a new layout?  Have you already laid the track up to the junction?  I think if this is a new formation then I'd lay the diamond first and then fit the points around it, but in reality I doubt there is a right or wrong answer to this question.

If you are still in doubt take a photo of the site with the diamond and point bases roughly in position and we can have a 2nd look at it for you.

Regards,

Frank

Hello Frank,

This is a new layout and I've already built the diamond. No track is laid and I plan to start with the double junction.

I plan to build the formation "off site" and them lay the formation as the three connected components. In order to get good fit and alignment, each component will be stuck to backing paper with double sided tape (with much reduced tack).

There will be the diamond and two RH points and it is important that each component is flat for the formation. The three main parts will be supplemented by additional long timbers and chairs.

Once laid out, the formation structure will be fixed by tack soldering rail across the top of the formation rails so that it can be fitted as one assembly. The supporting rails will be removed after positioning (Obs).

 

My question is how to maintain the formation flat for its assembly.

Is it reasonable to fit the common crossings once the formation is located on the layout?

Bob

[RBAGE]

Frank,

Photograph to follow.

Thanks,

Bob

[Nick C]

13 hours ago, RBAGE said:

Thanks for that. I'll certainly take your advice to drill before soldering.

Since I asked the question, I wondered about:

 1. solder the crossing off the assembly

 2. fit the crossing just to position the rest of the rails

 3. remove the crossing

 4. complete the double junction assembly

 5. finally fit the crossings once the junction is complete.

What do you think? Any pitfalls?

Bob

What I did for the two I've built so far (done in situ as they are slightly curved):

 

1. fit the crossing 'dry'

2. cut & position the rest of the rails

3. solder the feeders to the switch and stock rails

4. remove the crossing, solder the feeder, refit with glue

 

I've got some more to do now, I think I'll vary that slightly by sticking the base to a fresh copy of the Templot diagram rather than gluing them down to the baseboard, just to make soldering the plain rail feeders easier.

[AY Mod]

Any chance of keeping the topic more towards the subject matter? Feel free to create another topic on the bespoke stuff.

[bradfordbuffer]

2 hours ago, AY Mod said:

Any chance of keeping the topic more towards the subject matter? Feel free to create another topic on the bespoke stuff.

As usual .....straight to the point!

[RBAGE]

5 hours ago, Nick C said:

What I did for the two I've built so far (done in situ as they are slightly curved):

 

1. fit the crossing 'dry'

2. cut & position the rest of the rails

3. solder the feeders to the switch and stock rails

4. remove the crossing, solder the feeder, refit with glue

 

I've got some more to do now, I think I'll vary that slightly by sticking the base to a fresh copy of the Templot diagram rather than gluing them down to the baseboard, just to make soldering the plain rail feeders easier.

A sound plan. I think that'll be very close to how I'll work.

Thanks.

Bob

[RBAGE]

4 hours ago, AY Mod said:

Any chance of keeping the topic more towards the subject matter? Feel free to create another topic on the bespoke stuff.

Some advice on where you think there has been a deviation from topic might help to avoid future infringements.

Discussing how we might use the product that is the subject of the topic doesn't seem to stretch the link at all. In my humble opinion.

 

[RBAGE]

Whatever way you describe them, these kits make up into superb formations. They really do look like well made, scratch build trackwork, with very little effort.

[NFWEM57]

1 hour ago, RBAGE said:

Whatever way you describe them, these kits make up into superb formations. They really do look like well made, scratch build trackwork, with very little effort.

Is that a BF crossing?

[RBAGE]

21 minutes ago, NFWEM57 said:

Is that a BF crossing?

Sorry, no.

Couldn't wait. Had to start building a railway.

It's an off topic, C&L kit. Much more expensive.

I expect the BF kit will be just as satisfying, at a fraction of the price and a lot simpler to build.

Phew! Back on topic before anyone noticed.

Bob

[RBAGE]

I always thought that maths was one of my reliable subjects. Well, adding up and taking away.

So, trying to maintain this post on topic, I am cracking on with building the kits I have, some as intended and some are the risky bespoke build. To my dismay, I am one brick short of a hod. Sorry, one point short of a junction.

I need eleven points for the junction and it appears I only have ten. I think the error might have crept in when I was transferring from fingers to toes.

I hope you're keeping up.

Anyhow, under normal circumstances, the solution would be simple. Raise an order for the errant point. With design changes in progress that isn't an immediate option.

I was wondering, in the interest of easing my obvious distress, is there anybody out there who would be prepared to part with a right hand point kit? If so, please let me know.

Do it quickly, this begging will certainly draw the attention of the fun police.

Bob

[NFWEM57]

6 hours ago, RBAGE said:

I always thought that maths was one of my reliable subjects. Well, adding up and taking away.

So, trying to maintain this post on topic, I am cracking on with building the kits I have, some as intended and some are the risky bespoke build. To my dismay, I am one brick short of a hod. Sorry, one point short of a junction.

I need eleven points for the junction and it appears I only have ten. I think the error might have crept in when I was transferring from fingers to toes.

I hope you're keeping up.

Anyhow, under normal circumstances, the solution would be simple. Raise an order for the errant point. With design changes in progress that isn't an immediate option.

I was wondering, in the interest of easing my obvious distress, is there anybody out there who would be prepared to part with a right hand point kit? If so, please let me know.

Do it quickly, this begging will certainly draw the attention of the fun police.

Bob

Hi Bob,

 

Pity it was not left hand otherwise I could have sent you a made up cast frog prototype, recently replaced by the all rail prototype, for free plus p&p.

 

Regards,

 

Pat

 

[RBAGE]

39 minutes ago, NFWEM57 said:

Hi Bob,

 

Pity it was not left hand otherwise I could have sent you a made up cast frog prototype, recently replaced by the all rail prototype, for free plus p&p.

 

Regards,

 

Pat

 

Pat,

Yes. what a pity. Thanks for the thought.

I did wonder if I could modify the layout to use a LH rather than RH. In my initial plan I thought that's what it needed, but it really does need a RH.

Thanks,

Bob

[Wayne Kinney]

15 hours ago, RBAGE said:

but it really does need a RH.

It's in the post

Edited November 22, 2021 by Wayne Kinney

[RBAGE]

7 hours ago, Wayne Kinney said:

It's in the post

I could use any number of expletives to demonstrate my gratitude but this really is above and beyond.

 

Top man. Top product. Top service.

 

Thanks,

 

Bob