shortliner Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 No, what a Ka... not exactly the most spacious or well designed box on wheels. I'd have kept the baseboard as it was ... and changed the Kar Mine is the Sport Ka - like driving the original Mini-Cooper - brings a smile to my face when I drive it, and upsets a lot of boy-racers in Corsas. And since there's only me and SWMBO, for 99% of the time we don't need anything bigger. For a town car with occasional long runs it is ideal - it just wasn't designed to take layouts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 The ordered trackwork hasn't made it here yet - so today I made a rail-bender using some small Chinese-made ball-races found on the inter-webby-thing, screwed to a bit of wood with a washer under the centre race of each and curved the rails for the end curve. Fed them back into the sleeper web, then dug out the old 0-5-0 switcher and propelled a Boxcab around - they seem to cope with the radius. 1 yard of track was about 4" short of the required length , so I bent another short length, and then soldered the two pieces together - now too long, but when it is laid it will be trimmed to the required length Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 Trackwork arrived today - Well done The Signal Box in Rochester, most helpful people - Sorted out the position for the plug-in , cut the holes for it to slot into, and the "unstuck" long edge of the board is now sticking in the garage. Had to remove part of one of the cross-braces (wouldn't you know that it was EXACTLY where the plug-in has to go?) - will see if it needs a fiddly bit to re-brace it once the board finishes sticking. Trimmed the curve as mentioned yesterday - everything seems to line up - and used the 0-5-0 switcher to shove three 40' boxcars around to check that the minimum radii, and turnouts seem to work as required, and the locolifts line up properly and accept them. Two "double length" PECO locolifts hold 3 x 40' cars each and simulate 1 x 6 car float barge. I think next job will be tracklaying and then a loco check run. Not sure if I need to lay the track on cork or if the yard would have the track more or less at ground level - any suggestions? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoRS1 Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 cannot wait till you put up some pictures. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 I think you would rather see it with track - not just a bare board, or even the underside of it which is what is showing at the moment - upside down and sticking with clamps attatched! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 I think you would rather see it with track - Oh I don't know - some of us can't wait for such niceties - any photo of progress is one more step nearer finishing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 OK - you've convinced me! Two photos of the Australian version (upside down!) of the baseboard with many clamps - since I had just decided that it really would be better with the cross brace attached to the side - even if it needs a little joggle! The glue is still setting. The T-shaped thing laying on the top is the plug-in extension - which will go into the side of the board where all those clamps are. The hole is just beside the Yellow clamp Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoRS1 Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 one question why glue and not nails to attach the wood, or both. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Thanks Jack, I feel a bit better now (a bit like a full stomach after a good meal) Still trying to get my head round the T thingy and how all that track is going to fit .. and all those points are going to miss the nice evenly spaced bracing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 For some time now I have been building my layouts with construction industry version of 30 minute polyurethane wood glue (similar to Gorilla Glue, but much more for considerably less!) - it started with a minimum weight layout using a plastic shop sign that I was given and since I have the clamps I have just carried on. It also means that there are no nailheads to punch into the surface, and no screw heads to countersink and fill to try to hide them. Once set the glue is stronger than the wood and absolutely rock solid. There are no screws, nails, staples or other metal items in that baseboard at all. I tell a lie - there is a chipboard screw in the end of the T-thingy - must glue it and remove the thing! I shall be engineer, and switchman, and the turnouts are all going to be hand-thrown, so if they happen to be over a bracing it won't matter. The "T-thingy" will become clear in the not too distant future. It is easier to explain with a couple of photos than to explain in words - it is a support and feed for two double-length locolifts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 Spent time today sorting out the T-shaped thingy, routing a slot along the length of it, and inserting wires into it, then soldering and wiring bits of rail to copper-clad, and then refilling the slot with Polyfilla. It is currently drying and hopefully in the next couple of days I can show just what that T-Piece is intended to do. Unfortunately I think SWMBO is planning a visit to Tesco, so that may interfere with modelling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Peters Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Cool looking good Jack, can't wait to see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 For those who have been waiting patiently throughout the miserably cold weather for something to actually appear in this entry - today I cut track - note it ISN'T Fixed down in these photos - just laid in position and connected, to confirm that all fits as it should - Warren, you can stop holding your breath, mate! - I suspect you are very red in the face after all this time! Some photos include the "T-shaped thingie" - Kenton, I hope you can now see what it is for, and that the track and sidings DO actually fit! If anyone has any queries, please ask - and thank you all to those who have been looking at this thread - I just noticed today how many views it has had - all suggestions are welcome. BTW please excuse the background - I had to take over the kitchen table. NB - the locolifts are double the normal length - They have been modified to make one 24" long unit from 2 xstandard 12" ones Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Don't photos really paint the picture? Everything is much clearer now. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted March 20, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2010 Jack, That T-thingy is a great idea - as long as the support for the support is not dislodged - it looks precariously close to the table edge. Stu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Peters Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 Looking very good Jack, Not sure if you have seen this site INDUSTRIAL & OFFLINE TERMINAL RAILROADS OF BROOKLYN, QUEENS, STATEN ISLAND, BRONX & MANHATTAN and the direct link to your location Harlem station There are some very good ideas here and I am working on 1 now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 Jack, That T-thingy is a great idea - as long as the support for the support is not dislodged - it looks precariously close to the table edge. Stu That's because it is on the Kitchen table - I'd normally expect to have a little more "nudge-room"! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 20, 2010 Author Share Posted March 20, 2010 Looking very good Jack, Not sure if you have seen this site INDUSTRIAL & OFFLINE TERMINAL RAILROADS OF BROOKLYN, QUEENS, STATEN ISLAND, BRONX & MANHATTAN and the direct link to your location Harlem station There are some very good ideas here and I am working on 1 now. Thanks for that comment - Yes I have seen that - in fact it was that, and Carls Scrapbook 88 http://www.carendt.us/scrapbook/page88/index.html last entry on the page - that kick-started this idea trundling around in my mind in the first place. Mr Arendt has a lot to answer for!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoRS1 Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 wow, just wow, that looks awesome Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoRS1 Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 just as a little idea, how about building small extensions, that can be separated for transfer, that attaches either side of the car float (so you can still remove the trays, That way you could add some water to enhance the effect, I am not to great at explain in writing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 just as a little idea, how about building small extensions, that can be separated for transfer, that attaches either side of the car float (so you can still remove the trays, That way you could add some water to enhance the effect, I am not to great at explain in writing. Warren, thanks for the suggestion. When I was working up this idea I even considered doing it to the full scale - but then reason prevailed! I simply wouldn't have the room for the layout, never mind the ability to transport it if it got invited to an exhibition. So next was how to have an invisible carfloat? Since I diddn't really want to build another carfloat which was going to take up more space, and having done it on Ingleferry Wharf - I came up with the locolifts. My idea is to have a backscene along the edge where the car float is, and to have a float bridge gantry [like this http://members.trainweb.com/bedt/indloco/errhs192fb.jpg ] against the backscene at the entrance to the barge covering the edges of the hole in the back-scene, something like this Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoRS1 Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I like gantry in that photo, seems simple to construct too. Here is me trying to show what I would do : I would not even use a back drop, so the whole layout is a walk around, or you could be a small edge, no more then 2 inches, a long the outside of the water, painted sky blue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 Yes, Warren, thats more or less what I thought you meant - the problem then is disguising the locolifts to look like a carfloat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Looking very good Jack, Not sure if you have seen this site INDUSTRIAL & OFFLINE TERMINAL RAILROADS OF BROOKLYN, QUEENS, STATEN ISLAND, BRONX & MANHATTAN and the direct link to your location Harlem station There are some very good ideas here and I am working on 1 now. Thank you for this link! I found a perfect prototype for my small N-scale freight yard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
signalmaintainer Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Looks great so far, Jack! Using the loco lifts to simulate the car float is an excellent idea. Would it be possible (somehow there must be a way, although I've not got the muse going yet) to modify one end of the loco lifts to simulate a lift bridge for car float? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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