Weekday Cross Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 My model railway time today was spent wiring the layout - normally a long, involved process, but in this case a relatively quick job! As a health warning, before you read any further wiring is not my strongest point The plain track has been wired as per previous plans. Current is fed onto the layout via a socket originally intended for kitchen unit lighting. This will enable me to connect several alternate controllers, DC or DCC, depending on preference and purpose. For DCC, I have a basic but useful Bachmann E-Z Command Controller. Apart from advanced programming, this unit is quite adequate for the diorama. I also have an NCE Powercab, which I can use for programming advanced functions on my locos. This is really intended for other purposes though, not for operating the diorama. For testing, or where there is only one loco on the diorama (very likely in the short term ) I can alternatively plug in a DC controller. I have now ordered a DCC current reverser, as per recommendations. The wiring and testing of the turntable will have to wait until that arrives. Here is a photo of the socket - this is situated on top of the baseboard, but the wires go under the baseboard at the back. To use any controller, I simply add a matching plug to the 2 wires from the controller. In the case of the NCE unit, the plug has to be attached to the back of the interface power panel. I could add a dedicated NCE power panel to the diorama, but don't think it is worth it, at the moment. The second image shows the wiring in the corner of the fiddle yard. The sector plate picks up current via the pivot (right hand end of the sector plate) and the brass quadrant under the left-hand side of the sector plate. The brass quadrant carries on under all the tracks leading off the sector plate. Unlike the turntable, there are no possible current conflicts, so no gizmos are required to avoid short circuits. The third photo shows the slightly untidy wiring under the baseboard. Dropper wires from all tracks are connected to bus wires circulating around 3 sides of the board. The wires leading to the socket for plugging in the controller are situated at the bottom left. The wiring has been tested for continuity. There are no short circuits, thankfully! Apart form wiring the current reverser to the turntable when it arrives, I also have to add a mechanism for winding the turntable around and aligning it to each road. The sector plate, on the other hand, will be moved by hand and aligned by eye. This topic had accumulated 3,958 views almost exactly a week ago and is 4815 now - AMAZING! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted July 21, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 21, 2011 4815 now - AMAZING! 4860 now ...all lookin' good... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 4860 now ...all lookin' good... If my wiring looks good, I hate to think what yours looks like Only joking (I hope ) Many thanks for the compliment - yours is looking very good too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 The DCC Current reverser arrived this morning. After looking at a few options, I chose the Onguard OG-AR DCC Auto Reverser. It is about 9cm x 5 cm in size. It is around 17mm deep, so it won't fit under the baseboard. I will probably mount it vertically on the end board, more or less as shown in the photo. I am no DCC expert, so was relieved to see that there are only 2 wires to connect at each end of the board - and that's it. In the photo, the 2 connectors on the right lead to the power supply - either the bus wires or direct to the wires from the controller. On the left , one connector needs to be connected to each of the turntable running rails. My only concern at the moment is a warning in the instructions that the reverser might not work with low-power DCC equipment. It specifically mentions the Digitrax Zephyr and the Atlas Commander as examples that do lack the necessary power. I guess I will have to test it with the Bachmann E-Z Command controller before I install it on the diorama, to see if it works OK. I can set up a small length of test track for this. If this is not compatible, I will have to think again about whether I can use the Bachmann unit on the diorama. It would be a shame if I can't, but not the end of the world. This evening, I hope to convert my Class 24 loco to 2mm Fine Scale Standards and do a bit more work to get the turntable ready for installation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 This evening did not go quite to plan, as I had to pop out to see a customer at short notice - at least I came home with a nice cheque though On my return, I managed to convert my class 24 loco to 2mm fine scale by swapping the wheels. I used the 2mm Scale Association's drop-in wheel sets. These are extremely well engineered and make life very easy for modellers. I began by checking the new wheels carefully for anything that shouldn't be there. Residue from the production process may need cleaning off. I had one particularly big blob of (maybe) stray adhesive between 2 of the gear teeth and a few minor bits elsewhere. I removed these with a needle. I also coloured the wheel faces with felt-tipped pens - firstly with black and then with brown, to get rid of the shiny metal finish. The brown on its own was not dense enough to be effective. The conversion literally took no more than a couple of minutes, once I had cleaned the wheels up. First, I unclipped the rear of each bogie frame from the central bogie moulding. The bogie frames then pulled off easily. I then carefully levered out the existing wheels with a small screwdriver. I bent the current collectors out a bit, then put the new wheel sets in. I removed the existing couplings, which I won't need. I then put the bogie frames back in place. The loco ran really smoothly when I tried it out, so I am really pleased! The loco will get a lot of handling in the near future, as I test the diorama out, so i will leave the weathering and detailing for the time being. Unfortunately, there is not much else suitable for a 50ft turntable available at the moment in N gauge, for which suitable drop-in wheels sets are available, or I would have bought more locos by now. I will try to set up some kind of meaningful experiment to test the DCC Current Reverser with my DCC controllers tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 The instructions with my new DCC current reverser stated that it might not work with low-powered DCC controllers, which worried me a bit. In the end I decided to test the current reverser out. This involved building a small test track out of foamboard, with soldered track, made using copper-clad sleepers. A short section at one end was isolated from the rest of the track and wired through a DPDT switch. That way, I could reverse the current at will to create a short, to see if the current reverser was working. The isolation point is shown in the photo below by the black lines next to the rails. I also had to put a decoder in my loco. I managed to get a Bachmann 6-pin decoder from the local model shop - not particularly suitable for slow speed running of N gauge mechanisms, but good enough for the test Much to my surprise - and great relief - everything seemed to work very well. In fact, it worked so well that I suspected at first that my test rig design was flawed. In the end, after carefully studying my wiring, I decided to bypass the current reverser and see what happened. Sure enough, the short was there. So, my test rig had in fact been functioning perfectly - and more importantly, the current reverser was working The photo shows the test rig with the current reverser bypass wires in place. So, the DCC Specialities DCC Auto Reverser (OG-AR) appears to be compatible with both my DCC controllers - the Bachmann E-Z Command and the NCE Power Cab. It took a whole morning to find out, but at least I can breathe easy again now . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Glad it all works, you must be glad thats over with? Many thanks for your concern - glad that's over with, definitely, as DCC and elecrics generally are not something I have much confidence in. I normally struggle changing light bulbs, never mind anything more complex The nice thing about these little problems - and the diorama in general is that I am learning a hell of a lot about so many things - Liverpool in general, DCC, Lime Street in particular, turntables etc. etc. It will come in very useful when I try a proper layout again. Now that's sorted, I can get on with everything else, because there is still a huge amount to do! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted July 22, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 22, 2011 DCC is simple really, I always raise an eyebrow when people claim "DCC doesn't work for me" - if you can get a layout working with DC then you can do the same with DCC (but personal choice is of course the final decider, blaming either system for your own mistakes is just silly) However, well done, nice to see you've got it sorted (with no H ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 DCC is simple really, I always raise an eyebrow when people claim "DCC doesn't work for me" - if you can get a layout working with DC then you can do the same with DCC (but personal choice is of course the final decider, blaming either system for your own mistakes is just silly) However, well done, nice to see you've got it sorted (with no H ) It took a second or two to get the joke in the last line, but I got it in the end I first got suspicious about DCC when, at a club meeting, the expert told us we needed twisted pears for the bus wires - and sent me to the local supermarket to get some. I returned empty-handed after totally perplexing the staff on the fruit section - only to find the rest of the group still rolling around on the floor laughing. I just made that up, by the way. I agree completely that DCC is pretty straightforward - as long as you ignore some of the advice on the web, which seems intended for the huge systems people build in the USA. This is in fact my third experiment with DCC - but I have not yet got around to building anything big, just glorified test tracks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 Well, we're up to 5,235 Views now, and I haven't written anything for several days! In fact, I have been very busy with work, so little actual progress has been made on the diorama. What little has been done is as follows: As intended, a thick brass bush has now been glued below the baseboard to complete the pivot hole for the turntable. I turned and drilled this on the lathe a few weeks ago. The turntable is now free of wobble, which was a minor concern before. I noticed (belatedly) that the turntable running rails were very slightly offset from the centre. I made the bolt hole in the centre of the turntable deck slightly oval and moved the deck slightly sideways, so now this is fine. I need to do a couple of minor things to the turntable deck. The main problem is the position of the handles used on the real thing for men to push the turntable round. Unfortunately, I located one a little too close to the turntable edge, so it catches on the rails a bit as the turntable turns. I will drill a new hole and relocate it slightly back from the edge. I also need to sort out the power to the rails. Power to one rail will be through the pivot. The other will be through the rail around the turntable well. For the latter, I will need to install strips of metal at each end of the turntable deck, to rub on the rail as the deck rotates. Hopefully, I will make much more progress over the next few days - I am certainly itching to get modelling! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 A most interesting diorama with lots of potential. Very unusual too. Keep up the great work - I'll be following your progress! Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 A most interesting diorama with lots of potential. Very unusual too. Keep up the great work - I'll be following your progress! Simon Thanks, Simon! I just wish I had done it years ago! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 After working on the turntable yesterday, I decided I was no longer happy with the alignment of the roads leading into the engine shed. The change to the turntable, by adjusting the deck about 1/2mm sideways, probably emphasised previous errors more than causing a problem in itself - anyway, I decided to re-lay this part of the trackwork! Last night, I cut out a fret of copper-clad PCB to roughly represent the sleepers. I then stuck it down with epoxy adhesive, after removing the old track and sleepers. The sleeper base will be largely hidden by ballast, ash and cobbles, so I was not too precise. This evening, I soldered on the rails. Comparing the new track with a photo of the old track, I think have made a slightly better job of it, so feel the extra work was worthwhile. I must not try to be too much of a perfectionist though, as I must get this diorama finished! I still have to cut the insulation gaps in the sleepers before I can test the track properly with my loco. A careful push through the track, without power, suggests that everything is about right though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted July 27, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 27, 2011 Nice work...its painful to redo things sometimes...especially track ...but worth it long term no doubt. Even though its bare boards at present, once its sprayed and covered with ash it will really look the business Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Nice work...its painful to redo things sometimes...especially track ...but worth it long term no doubt. Even though its bare boards at present, once its sprayed and covered with ash it will really look the business Thanks Pete - it did not take too long and was a nice way of getting back into the swing of things, after my day of electronics testing at the end of last week and then 3 days of work, work, work! To locate the crossing noses more accurately, I worked my way around from one side of the formation. I started by soldering one of the outside rails down first, carefully lining it up with the turntable. I then used a temporary rail, soldered in place where the far running rail of the next track would be located - again aligning it carefully with the turntable. I then used jigs to locate the crossing nose and wing rails accurately. When that was done, I unsoldered the temporary rail and soldered it where the far running rail of the next track round would be... and so on. It proved to be more accurate than the previous method of locating everything using the lines I had drawn on the baseboard.The original was not too bad - I just felt it could be better! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Fingers raw to the bone and feeling very dizzy.... ...but I have managed to scribe the cobbles in the well of the turntable. I thought I would take a picture before I have a go at the final painting and weathering! I used compasses with the pencil end in the turntable pivot hole and scribed concentric circles with the pointed end. I then went round and round and round, scribing the mortar joints between the individual cobbles around each circle. Glad that's over - time for tea! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Natalie Graham Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 feeling very dizzy.... I then went round and round and round. You should have just rotated the compasses. It's a nice looking job though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 Thanks Natalie. The cobbles are more like 4mm scale, but I found the plaster just crumbled away if I tried to make them small. Still, it will be difficult to see them individually anyway - the overall effect is really all that's necessary here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 It looks really well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 It looks really well. Not sure if the pun was intended, but thanks for the compliment anyway! Hopefully, I won't mess it up too much when I paint and weather it (5562) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 The turntable floor looks ace Weekday Cross! Lovely jubley... Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 The turntable floor looks ace Weekday Cross! Lovely jubley...Simon No doubt someone from Merseyside could correct you on the appropriate phrase for the area modelled, Simon but the sentiments are appreciated nevertheless I would have gone for a concrete floor! That's why you will hopefully win the challenge and people like me didn't enter! Looking good Ah, concrete is probably a bit later - tarmac is another easy, but later alternative. The new turntable at Lime Street was installed in the 1890s. Even I am not really sure what the TT well was really like, as photos only give the very vaguest of clues. There is certainly a strong suggestion of cobbles or pavers though. As I said before, this is not about winning. I would feel most embarrassed if I won, because I have stolen Jack Nelson's idea from his book. It is not my concept! For me it's all about practising and improving my modelling skills. Until recently, my approach would have been to do things the simplest, easiest way - just to get the layout/loco/rolling stock up and running as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this approach never gave me a lot of satisfaction - and most projects never got finished, because I was not happy with them and lost my motivation. This diorama is so small that I can put a lot of effort into each component - and I am enjoying things a lot more. The journey is becoming more important than the final destination. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 Finishing off the turntable can be done gradually over the next few days, though painting may be later still, as I need to blend it in with the surrounding scenery. I plan to start work on the scenery with the retaining walls at the rear and right-hand side of the scene - and then gradually work my way forwards to the front. The tobacco factory and other buildings up at the very top of the scene will probably be done last. Here is the baseboard with the backscene photo again. The photo is from the 1960s, I guess, after some of the detail I am modelling had changed. The turntable had gone, for example - and a 2-storey brick building had been placed in front of the loco shed. Nowadays, only the cutting wall remains. The large precipice at the rear of the scene will be the first bit to do. I plan to use a base of foam sheet. The rock face itself will mainly be of wood filler, with Wills stonework infill. The wall above the rock face appears to be mainly stone. At the top left of the scene, the wall looks more like brick - though it is difficult to be sure. This will be done with Slaters embossed brick sheet. The wall itself has been largely demolished now, so I can't check it. Having a photo like this will be a big help, even though the photo is not a particularly good one. I will also do some drawings of the mess building (part is left in the photo behind the large gantry at the lower left). There is no complete photo of this, so some of it will be guesswork. Work I have done on the turntable today is to start preparing the gears for rotating the deck. These are old spares for photo developing tanks. I have filled the centres with epoxy adhesive. Once this is set, I will drill smaller holes in the centres. I won't use all the gears in the picture. I will experiment to see what ratio works best. The large size of the gears is necessary so I can locate the handle for turning the deck behind the scenic break. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 A long lunch break led to good progress on the diorama today I have put the cutting walls in - or at least the foam that will form the core of them. I used 25mm Styrofoam. I have excavated the foam where the real thing was cut into - around the edge of the turntable and next to the left hand road of the shed building. I also added a recess at the back of the shed. This was not on the prototype, so please don't tell anyone I have done it - but it does give a little more much-needed room for the locos. The foam was stuck down with "Liquid Nails". I put a wooden dowel, loosely glued with "Liquid Nails" through the Styrofoam in the top corner, to hold things more firmly together. The photo shows the bits I did of the loco shed early on in the project, just for effect. They won't be finished and added permanently for a while yet. This is an end view from lower down..... and finally, the back view, showing the excavation I made in the Styrofoam for one of the hidden sidings. The Styrofoam will be covered with a mixture of wood filler and Wills plastic stone sheets in what will, I hope, be a fairly accurate portrayal of the cutting walls. This must wait until the "Liquid Nails" has set though - and from past experience, it takes a while to set on the Styrofoam, especially deep in the joints. Last night, I made good progress on plotting out the design of the mess building that goes against the cutting wall. This is an elaborate brick building, so I will probably be using Slaters Plasticard for its construction. Paper brickwork would not be 3-dimensional enough, by a long way. 5774 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Just a couple of small jobs this evening... Firstly, I added plywood panels to each end of the diorama. The large one at the western end is shown here. This will help hide alcohol and other personal effects from anyone looking at the diorama from the front. It is almost the full 11 inches height allowed for the 2011 Challenge. Looking at the other end, I have added much lower plywood edging right across the end. This is fractionally under 11 inches wide. It has been placed to allow some thin ply at the back and a bit of baseboard widening at the front, so I can take full advantage of the dimensions allowed. I have also painted the fiddle yard area. I consulted my copy of "LNWR Liveries", the leading authority on LNWR painting details, but it mentions nothing at all about what colour the Premier Line painted its fiddle yards. In the end I went for a darkish matt grey.It will be interesting to see how the paint adheres to the Easitrac sleepers, as I gather this has been a problem for some people. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so I doubt if I will make much further progress. This will give the "Liquid Nails" a good time to set though - all ready for a bit more modelling on Sunday, with a bit of luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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