gordon s Posted January 16, 2020 Author Share Posted January 16, 2020 Many thanks for that info. I hadn't heard of them before, so went off to Google them. As a product they look good, but at £16 for a pair in the UK are borderline in terms of value for money. Sadly what killed it for me was they then wanted an additional £10.23 for postage...... There is a UK address and I would have phoned them to query the postage, but no phone number, so can only assume they are a gateway to the main European or US office. To be honest at £26.23 I'll cope with my bits of MDF with slots cut in them. Shame as they look useful....... Glad to say all is now looking OK and no one was hurt in the rework.....(only my own pride in making a mess of something that should have been so straightforward....) 13 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buhar Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Proses are a a Turkish company, I think its an offshoot of the firm that is (or was) Hornby distributor in Istanbul. However I believe Bachmann now act as their outlet in the UK so postage shouldn't be horrendous. Alan 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Pannier Tank Posted January 16, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2020 (edited) On 13/01/2020 at 21:40, gordon s said: It's always the same, you wait ages for one and then three come along..... Rule 1 applies...... Fond memories of London to Glasgow behind one of these. I have fond memories of 46240 City of Coventry, I cabbed her when she was on 1E Bletchley Shed 11/08/64. as the Royal Train Standby engine. Edited January 16, 2020 by Pannier Tank added date 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandc_au Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 9 hours ago, gordon s said: Many thanks for that info. I hadn't heard of them before, so went off to Google them. As a product they look good, but at £16 for a pair in the UK are borderline in terms of value for money. Sadly what killed it for me was they then wanted an additional £10.23 for postage...... There is a UK address and I would have phoned them to query the postage, but no phone number, so can only assume they are a gateway to the main European or US office. To be honest at £26.23 I'll cope with my bits of MDF with slots cut in them. Shame as they look useful....... Glad to say all is now looking OK and no one was hurt in the rework.....(only my own pride in making a mess of something that should have been so straightforward....) Simple remedy! Make your own in styrene.....it is not hard! In this case either make one for 2 tracks if the spacing is uniform, or make one to do all the tracks at once of the spacing is not uniform! khris Khris 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gordon s Posted January 20, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) Happy Monday, one and all..... Our course was waterlogged, but now it's frozen, so no golf once again. To be honest, it's blooming' cold out there, so faced with the choice of pottering around in the warm or walking about in brass monkey weather, I was quite relieved to find it was off this morning. It seems I have been ballasting for days now, but happy to report I've now finished around 16' of four track main line. It got easier as the time went on and one you get past the half way mark, you know you're winning. Bit of a boring pic with nothing running, but at least you can see I'm not telling porkies... Just this one corner board now to complete plus the additional track bed for the fourth line to add at the top end, but having done that already in the opposite corner, I'm fairly comfortable with the change. One thing that has come to light was the inability of the outer slow line to access the platforms without moving onto the third line. This isn't really a problem, other than it prevents having four trains running at once on the whole layout. The existing crossover is at A on the plan, which meant around 10' of running on the third line to access the platforms. Without that crossover, trains on the outer line could only access the goods relief road and not use the outermost platform. Access to the bay platform will still need to be via crossover A, but that's fine on the odd occasion when required. Looking at it again last night, the solution is to put a further crossing in at point B, which will eliminate the conflict between the fast/slow lines. Thankfully (or should that be luckily), there is room to drop another crossover in the station access board, so a few minutes on Templot and the deed was done. This is very much a 'nice to have' change and won't be done until the rest of the layout is up and running. With no golf today, the last corner board beckons. It still amazes me that all these boards seem to align fairly well. It's not until the fastening bolts are in place and tightened, will I know all is 100%, but right now the signs are encouraging. It's certainly only a matter of a few mm, rather than huge gaps, so all should be fine. Apologies again for the boring pics. I'm really hoping that 2020 will see pics of loco's and stock, but no promises as once the sun is out, I'll be off banging balls about again. My waistline is certainly suffering from the lack of exercise...... Thanks again for all your input and kind comments. It's great to know I'm not talking to myself..... Edited January 20, 2020 by gordon s 20 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwordsmith Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Very impressive baseboard construction - why bolts instead of screws on the 2x1 legs? Also that looks like 3x1 for the side frames rather than 2x1 - does that offer more rigidity for less timber? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted January 20, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 20, 2020 It's great to see the progress being made and getting thbat last board done will allow the much awaited train too run all the way around. Progress indeed!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 (edited) The legs are all 2" x 2" and I tend to use bolts with large washers and captive T nuts. I find that screws do loosen over a period of time and the Phillips/Posidrive heads become burred (even with the correct drivers) after a while. I have an adaptor to take 1/2" sockets on my electric screwdriver and they really speed the whole process up without any damage to the bolt heads. I've always found 3" x 1" is not only stronger, but it is often straighter. It also gives more depth for attaching the legs and is generally (for me) a better product. I can easily sit on the frames without any problem and of course the inherent strength is ideal for larger spans such as bridging the stair well. Our local Travis Perkins is only a couple of miles away and I can check all the timber before purchase. They've been great and despite appearances, I don't spend a fortune, but they kindly offered me a trade card. Of course the savings are always welcome, but it's more the personal relationships that are important. Knowing the staff probably allows me to wander around choosing timber and starting with decent wood is always a plus. DIY store timber is generally of poorer quality and it always amazes me the difference in weight/density of timber from a yard versus some of the product from DIY stores. Even then there's not much price difference, but you're asking for ongoing problems if you skimp at the front end. Edited January 21, 2020 by gordon s 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 39 minutes ago, gordon s said: Happy Monday, one and all..... Our course was waterlogged, but now it's frozen, so no golf once again. To be honest, it's blooming' cold out there, so faced with the choice of pottering around in the warm or walking about in brass monkey weather, I was quite relieved to find it was off this morning. I seem to remember having great drives when playing on frozen ground, the issue was stopping the ball on frozen greens, bump and run was the order of the day, H&S now seems to overrule adverse conditions, plus protective green keepers. Gone are the days or arguing about taking relief on greens with standing water !! and whether you could move lumps of ice !! I am nearing to lay some track on Bodmin so ballasting will start soon, but on a very much smaller scale 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwordsmith Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Definitely agree with all the above. We have done a lot of building and have a good relationship with our local TP as well as some of the specialist timber yards. I hadn't thought about 3x1 as I was always brought up on 2x1 with a 3/8 plywood deck, and have loads of the stuff from past layouts. I've never had the screw problem , but as with timber I use the pro screws from TP, which do the job blooming well. That said I always double screw every leg / frame joint, and screw together each cross cut.Ad in screws at 300 centres for the baseboard deck and you have a structure to which you could moor the Queen Mary! I'll be using a professional chippy for future construction as I have an allergy to wood dust, so it will be interesting to see how he approaches it. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 I'm very much fair weather golfer now, John. The days of really feeling disappointed if the course was closed have long gone. Once you've retired, you can play any day during the week, so it's not an issue. Still amazes me that young guys with families work all week and somehow manage to get out Saturday and Sunday..... There is supposed to be another inspection at 10.00am once the frost has lifted, but I'm not bothered as it's warm in here and I'd rather push on. Funnily enough, ballasting was a pain when I started as there was just so much to do, but as the days went on with me doing a couple of hours each day, I started to enjoy it and found it relaxing. A bit like like a long car journey. The first few hours are a pain as you have so far to go, but once past the half way point, you know you are nearer your destination than home and somehow it seems more relaxing. Daft really..... 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 52 minutes ago, gordon s said: Happy Monday, one and all..... Our course was waterlogged, but now it's frozen, so no golf once again. To be honest, it's blooming' cold out there, so faced with the choice of pottering around in the warm or walking about in brass monkey weather, I was quite relieved to find it was off this morning. I am now very lucky as I have 2 independent wood yards close by (one in my village who sadly does not cut sheets, another under 5 miles away who do and cost wise both are excellent value with quality products) Also have a large independent tool shop in walking distance) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PhilH Posted January 20, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 20, 2020 Don't know if you have said earlier on but how are you going to clean all this track? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 1 minute ago, gordon s said: I'm very much fair weather golfer now, John. The days of really feeling disappointed if the course was closed have long gone. Once you've retired, you can play any day during the week, so it's not an issue. Still amazes me that young guys with families work all week and somehow manage to get out Saturday and Sunday..... There is supposed to be another inspection at 10.00am once the frost has lifted, but I'm not bothered as it's warm in here and I'd rather push on. Funnily enough, ballasting was a pain when I started as there was just so much to do, but as the days went on with me doing a couple of hours each day, I started to enjoy it and found it relaxing. A bit like like a long car journey. The first few hours are a pain as you have so far to go, but once past the half way point, you know you are nearer your destination than home and somehow it seems more relaxing. Daft really..... My biggest issue is trying to find some of the "original Exactoscale turnout operating units" I have a few but need some more, I have too much going on at the moment, still retiring from my part time job in 3 mths. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 1 hour ago, gordon s said: *snip* One thing that has come to light was the inability of the outer slow line to access the platforms without moving onto the third line. This isn't really a problem, other than it prevents having four trains running at once on the whole layout. *snip* Don't be too rash about remedying that issue, Gordon. Stockrington Mk1 was going to have a 66m circuit, and I had disillusions that I could control two trains on each track, separated by a good 30m each. But even as I started building, and played with two trains "orbiting" on a basic 22m run, and bringing one up from the stabling sidings, I found it *very* challenging, and not enjoyable, so was not disappointed when I scaled my track plan back. The mental gymnastics to keep 4 trains going, when something goes wrong, would be quite significant. Cheers Scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 Hi Mr H...Hope all is well with you... Well the starting point is that all the track is in the open and accessible and I still have my CMX track cleaner that I bought all those years ago. Track cleaning and maintenance was one of the drivers for the various versions of ET over the years, so whilst I still love these multi layer/complex layouts, I resist the urge to try again..... The second one here goes from the floor to the top of the door frame..... Are you going to Southampton show? Iain of Camden Shed and myself will wander down on Sunday morning, so may see you you there. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 3 minutes ago, jukebox said: Don't be too rash about remedying that issue, Gordon. Stockrington Mk1 was going to have a 66m circuit, and I had disillusions that I could control two trains on each track, separated by a good 30m each. But even as I started building, and played with two trains "orbiting" on a basic 22m run, and bringing one up from the stabling sidings, I found it *very* challenging, and not enjoyable, so was not disappointed when I scaled my track plan back. The mental gymnastics to keep 4 trains going, when something goes wrong, would be quite significant. Cheers Scott Thanks Scott. I totally agree with you.... The last change to ET was to make the loops totally independent. Hopefully when things are up and running it will allow several operators to join in or when I'm here on my own, trains can just circulate whilst I'm doing other things. I know you can't totally eliminate derailments, but I'm really trying hard to lay the track flat and check all turnouts and wheel sets before finally running. On a very early version of ET, I did manage to get 4-6 trains running at once on the same basis as yourself. Fine for a minute or two, but you could never get the speeds synchronised and after a few minutes running you found one was catching up or lagging behind. This meant total panic as you scrolled through the handset looking for the right loco number before there was a pile up. Not to be recommended..... 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted January 20, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 20, 2020 See, I told you ballasting is very therapeutic Nearly time to get the trains outo again..but..I would suggest some intense testing is required. .perhaps that may bring forward the datefor putting the extra crossover in? Baz 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 Shouldn't you be in bed?....... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted January 20, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 20, 2020 It's only 10:30.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gordon s Posted January 21, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 21, 2020 Well at least the sun is out, but it's still blooming' cold..... Got the corner board together last night and laid all the cork underlay and things seemed reasonably OK. It really will be a landmark moment to get the boards right round the room, so hoping that will happen in a week or so. There will be some work to do on the next board to widen it to accommodate the additional track, otherwise stock will just fall onto the floor. Not to be recommended.... With the track changes, the earlier corner board was scrapped, but not before I lifted the pointwork. I will be able to use three of them, but after being soaked in boiling water and gently prised out of the ballast. they will still need a little rework and a complete repaint. Not a major issue, but if there is any doubt about them not aligning properly, they will be saved for other locations such as sidings etc, where the alignment is not so critical. The sheet of glass came out again this morning there will a need for some new turnouts and first up is a crossover. I really like to make these as a complete pair and then cut them in half afterwards. It means taking rails right from the point of the crossing vee right out to the toe end, but I just think the curve is so much better in one piece than making them separately and joining afterwards. If you can do it without a problem, I salute you.... Nice to get back to a soldering iron again after days of playing with PVA. Not as good as the smell as freshly laid tar from my schooldays, but far more pleasant than saw dust and glue... Looking forward to Southampton on Sunday. Hopefully I'll see some old friends and get the chance to say hello to others, be they suppliers or RMwebbers..... 25 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 Day off yesterday as the course was open again. Hadn't played for a while, so didn't know what to expect. Glad to report I came in with 34 and won £14 for 20 on the front nine. Of course that didn't pay for four beers, but eased the balance overall... I've ran into a minor problem, but nothing that can't be resolved. I have been joining boards as I go and the finished boards from ET station have been bolted together into two and threes, leaving them still manageable, but certainly not portable. Realised yesterday evening, that the corner board cannot be permanently joined to the others as they are already part of the section back to ET. Problem is the crossover is over the join as originally the joins were scheduled to be in different places and I'd overlooked that fact several months ago. As I said, not a major issue as I can slide it back so that all the pointwork is on one board. A secondary issue is that there may not be room to include the turnout which was going to a couple of sidings which went to a coal yard with elevated drops. This may not be a big deal as it then frees up much more space for access to the traverser and it may be they can either be relocated to a couple of sidings above ET station or moved into the corner space where the radiator is in the pics above. Despite appearances, I'm trying not to fill every available corner with track as I now accept less is more.... Early days yet, so I'll kick some ideas about in the next week and see where that takes me. If they are not required, I may knock up another corner board or cut this one down as I have allowed for the access turnout that won't be required. Thankfully I've only stuck down the cork underlay..... One small apology related to an earlier question from Peter (Bigwordsmith). The frames that support all the track modules are 4" x 1" not 3" x 1" as previously advised. I was looking at them this morning and thought I'd given the wrong dimensions. How on earth did I ever hold down a job?..... 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted January 24, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 24, 2020 Hi Gordon, There is no real harm in having a turnout across a board joint, providing it's not through the moving blades of course. And providing the board joint is accurately made and close fitting, as I can see yours are. If the turnout is already built, use a fine piercing saw to cut through the rails, to keep the gaps to a minimum. cheers, Martin. 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kier Hardy Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 As Martin has mentioned, there's nothing stopping you positioning the turnout over a baseboard joint. I didn't have much choice when it came to this arrangement due to the geometry of other turnouts. It never gave any problems. 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 Normally I'd agree with you, Martin, but as ET will never leave home, my method of construction is to build in modules that have all the track laid, ballasted and wired off the layout proper. I can easily slide the crossover down, so not a major issue. Looking at the plan, the removal of the two sidings actually opens up the whole area. I'd always planned to cut the frames back in that area to allow access to the traverser and now I've reworked it in Templot, the thought of standing in that area and watching the trains go by is quite attractive. To be honest, I'm not really one who can spend hours shunting back and forth, so the two sidings north of ET station may well become a coal yard. Early days yet, so a lot more planning to do in both corners and behind ET station itself. There's plenty of room to form an embankment as the track modules already sit 82mm higher than the frames, so a windy footpath that climbs up to track level and down again will take me back to the path I stood on at Hadley Wood all those years ago. I'm enjoying building turnouts again. There's something about bright, shiny solder joints.... On the subject of solder, I cannot believe how much the prices have gone up these days. I tend to order a 500g reel and prices on RS are up around the £40 mark. I got some from Cromwell Electronics for £23, but as with everything you have to be careful what you are actually buying. I still have a reel of Hydrox flux solder I bought some time ago, but somehow it doesn't feel the same as good old EN362 60/40 tin lead. The flux has a strange smell and it doesn't flow as well, so I shall use it for wiring, but not pointwork unless I have to. Got the afternoon spare, so hopefully I'll get the plan revision together in paper form at least. 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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