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Will sit in corner quietly for a while.. :)

 

I'd rather you didn't.

 

I read what you wrote slightly differently. You'd need some sprues of chairs for easitrac, and obviously the fixing method is different, but the rest is the same. I feel off topic now though.

 

Anyone have another question? Ooh. That's another question in itself.

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Following on from the points post above, where do you start and stop building the point section? Do you build it so it's the 2mm equivalent of a set-track point, or can you include a decent length of straight on all entrances/exits?

 

Also, when building track, is it best to build in scale 60ft lengths or just nick the track at 60ft intervals (for sound effects)?

 

An obscure question (I think) but, what are the electrical losses across track joins? Actually, how do you join track sections?

 

When I first built 2mm trackwork using copperclad and plain strip I used a jig produced by the late Phil Kerr which held about 60ft of track. Rather than have so many joints I cut the rail longer and did half at a time using the jig twice. The cutting a nick for the rail joint. this was much better for curved sections. Using easitrack I will not be using the jig but I will try to use lengths of rail up to about 50cm. Joining trackwork full size requires fishplates, not practical in 2mm. Soldering up the joints is not a good idea as there is no room for expansion I doubt whether continous welded rail would work in 2mm . I think the chairs/soldered joints would give way. I had no problems with copperclad just relying on the sleeper joints either side holding it in line. On curved sections it is best to pre-curve the rail if you can. In 0 gauge I had some concerns with flexitrack trying to straighten out where a joint was in a tightly curved section ( cosmetic fishplates glued on had no strength) and found that a brass screw driven in to the rail depth and then soldering the rail to that worked well. You need one screw each side of the join. A touch of paint before ballasting and its barely visisble. These work well for baseboard joints too. I will try this with easitrac if I find the need.

 

If you have never built pointwork before I suggest that making one or two in copperclad first will give you the chance to practice as the track work can be adjusted or incorrectly formed pieces replaced which is not so easy with plastic sleepers and chairs. That way you get the feel of forming the parts and aligning them up. Then when you make one using easitrac parts you should get it right straight away and avoid the need to adjust. When I built my first point (in EM) I mentioned to a well known modeller the problems I was having. He confessed that he had scrapped the first five he built but number six was ok. So don't feel dishearted just persevere.

Regarding electrical connections I always make a connection to each physical piece of rail. However more experience modellers advise making two conncetions to each piece of rail. At any exhibition you can usually find some of the layouts having problems with lost connections.

Regards Don

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He confessed that he had scrapped the first five he built but number six was ok. So don't feel dishearted just persevere.

 

This sounds familiar. When I first joined I promised myself I wouldn't commit too much until I had built a working steam locomotive chassis (an 0-6-0PT). Chassis one thru three were scrapped at various stages in the learning and skill development process. The 4th is not too pretty, but it does work, and I still use it. My first turnout was iffy too. It really helps to understand what all the parts do on the full size thing to know what is critical rather than just adding bits and hoping.

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My first turnout was iffy too. It really helps to understand what all the parts do on the full size thing to know what is critical rather than just adding bits and hoping.

 

I found that building my first point showed me where the critical bits are and how a point should be.

Don

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Hi. Just about to start laying 2mm track on my first model railway, using Easitrac for plain track and turnouts. I have a full size printed Templot plan; is the best thing to just stick it down on the trackbase and build on top of it? Does the layer of paper under the track cause any issues afterwards? I'm planning to drill holes for power feeds, turnout operation and uncoupling system first. The prototype I'm modelling was a fairly rustic industrial/dock branchline, with ash ballasting up to and in places above the sleeper tops, if that helps; no need for ballast shoulders etc.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Ian L (feeling rather isolated from help, local groups etc in Berwick upon Tweed!! I'm finding this forum a great source of ideas.)

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It's going to depend on how you stick it down Ian, some glues might give a bad reaction. Many people do stick the paper down then lay the track directly. Have a look at Steve B's Smokey bacon thread for some inspiration on this sort of thing.

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Thanks Kris. I've sealed the trackbed with diluted PVA and painted it as protection. I was planning to use PVA for the paper trackplan and 'Easitrac glue' for the track. The combination worked well on some test track I built using 2mm mounting card as the trackbed, so I'm hopeful it'll work.

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Hi Ian,

 

That combination should work fine. I have glued down a templot plan onto plywood with PVA and sealed it with diluted PVA. The only problem you might have is the shiny PVA coating on the templot plan not giving a very good 'key' for the Easitrac glue, I have had a few sleepers work loose, but I haven't ballasted it yet - that should set everything fairly solid.

 

Sealing mounting board is pretty essential, otherwise it will swell and distort when you come to ballast the track. Guess how I found out! :rolleyes:

 

Andy

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Thanks Andy. I've actually just stuck down the first part of the trackplan, Spittal Quay, with 3M photospray, which I'm familiar with from other activities. It's worked really well and has a coat of Rustins Matt acrylic varnish to seal it and the trackbed. Holes for feed wires, turnout operating and uncoupling next and then the first tracklaying. I'm getting excited.............The second board has just had the trackbed fitted, and the third one is under construction.

Ian L

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Ian,

 

If you're feeling a bit cut off, try joining the North East Area Group of the 2mm Scale Association which meets at Bournmoor, North of Durham, South of Newcastle. It might sound a long way off, but I get to most group meetings from West Yorkshire which I bet is further away than Berwick - and I know I don't travel as far as one or two others. You'd be made very welcome and there's always cracking home made tea at the end of the day!

 

Alan

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Thanks Alan.....I'm going to try and get along to one of the NEAG meetings. Living near Berwick does have its compensations from the modelling point of view; I have a railway bridge in my garden (disused, unfortunately) and I'm only a mile or so from the location of my model, so prototype research is pretty straightforward. Quite a lot of the local architecture survives so I'm out with the camera most days. Railway modelling is new to me, but architectural modelling is something I've done quite a lot of, and there are some very interesting tasks awaiting in that area of the model.........

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Guest Natalie Graham

I would suggest Nigel Lawton for motors - small and cheap:

http://www.nigellawt...icroMotors.html

 

 

 

 

What kind of performance do those little motors have? I am thinking in terms of suitable gear ratios and the haulage capabilities of locos fitted with these motors.

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What kind of performance do those little motors have? I am thinking in terms of suitable gear ratios and the haulage capabilities of locos fitted with these motors.

 

I've seen mixed reports about these, but then for the locos that you would be putting them in you should not have issues getting a prototypical load. For a bigger loco I would still be putting in a different motor (faulhaber etc)

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I've seen mixed reports about these, but then for the locos that you would be putting them in you should not have issues getting a prototypical load. For a bigger loco I would still be putting in a different motor (faulhaber etc)

 

I have indeed seen comments about some failing to maintain a consistent RPM at a fixed voltage. They are clearly cheap and cheerful.

 

The 2mm SA has a new motor dimension 8x10x15 which sparkled in the tests we put it through before stocking it. At a tenner its a pretty good price and will go in a lot of smaller locos - being 8mm wide it will fit (just) between the wheels.

 

Chris

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I have indeed seen comments about some failing to maintain a consistent RPM at a fixed voltage. They are clearly cheap and cheerful.

 

The 2mm SA has a new motor dimension 8x10x15 which sparkled in the tests we put it through before stocking it. At a tenner its a pretty good price and will go in a lot of smaller locos - being 8mm wide it will fit (just) between the wheels.

 

Chris

 

I have three locos running with Nigel Lawton motors and find them fine, if a little high revving. I've not had any issues with lack of power, adhesive weight is usualy the limiting factor. That said, the reports I have had about the new motor the Association is stocking are very promising and I shall certainly be giving it a go. If you can shoe horn one of these into that little LNW tank I would give it a try.

 

Jerry

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What kind of performance do those little motors have? I am thinking in terms of suitable gear ratios and the haulage capabilities of locos fitted with these motors.

 

Some are high revving but he has some newer slightly different sizes which are slower rpmwise. If you put a worm directly on the motor you need to have thrust bearings either end as the motor has none and is quite weak in that respect. I put one into a chassis for a Peco B4 and eventually the worm thrust pulled the motor bearings apart.

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Guest Natalie Graham

Thanks for the helpful comments. I don't think there's much hopes of getting a 10x8mm motor in the little tank loco as the saddle tank is wrapped around a piece of 8mm dia tube, so the NIgel Lawton ones look like the best option. It looks like I will need a good reduction on the gears, I don't want the little engine to look like it's jet propelled.

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Thanks for the helpful comments. I don't think there's much hopes of getting a 10x8mm motor in the little tank loco as the saddle tank is wrapped around a piece of 8mm dia tube, so the NIgel Lawton ones look like the best option. It looks like I will need a good reduction on the gears, I don't want the little engine to look like it's jet propelled.

 

Whilst "Jet Propelled" would be a little fast, you would be surprised just how fast locos were operated on the real thing whilst shunting. The slow, almost imperceptible crawl seen on many exhibition layouts is hardly prototypical :rolleyes:

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Thanks for the helpful comments. I don't think there's much hopes of getting a 10x8mm motor in the little tank loco as the saddle tank is wrapped around a piece of 8mm dia tube, so the NIgel Lawton ones look like the best option. It looks like I will need a good reduction on the gears, I don't want the little engine to look like it's jet propelled.

 

I've used Nigel's motors in tramcars and I am also designing one into a saddle tank of my own. I use Nigel's belt drive which gives a reduction of 3.6 : 1 in a single stage; impossible with gears in the same space. I then use the 14 : 1 Tenshodo worm gear set for an overall reduction of ~ 50 : 1. The belt drive is quite quiet whereas spur gears at the higher speed, before the worm, can be noisy. I had to use the Tenshodo gears because the tram wheels are only 5.25mm dia. but I may use a larger gearset in the saddle tank.

 

Regards Roger

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Guest Natalie Graham

Thanks for that Roger. I'm thinking along the lines of a Nigel Lawton motor and belt drive as being the best option for the little shunter

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Whilst "Jet Propelled" would be a little fast, you would be surprised just how fast locos were operated on the real thing whilst shunting. The slow, almost imperceptible crawl seen on many exhibition layouts is hardly prototypical :rolleyes:

 

I don't recall who told me, but heard from someone who I would consider to be well informed that on the LNER shunters would be on a pay system where they were paid for what got moved so they would not be hanging about.

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I don't recall who told me, but heard from someone who I would consider to be well informed that on the LNER shunters would be on a pay system where they were paid for what got moved so they would not be hanging about.

 

True of a lot of diesel shunters too - top speed may be 25mph or so but without much of a load they do 0-25 pretty fast 8). Not allowed to fly shunt in modern eras though, at least not while anyone is looking.

 

Same with running around trains. None of this slow plodding stuff models often show, slow over the points then fast as soon as you clear them and past the stock, then brake for the second set.

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If you put a worm directly on the motor you need to have thrust bearings either end as the motor has none and is quite weak in that respect. I put one into a chassis for a Peco B4 and eventually the worm thrust pulled the motor bearings apart.

 

I'm interested in how you went about fitting thrust bearings, do you have any photographs of how you set them up please?

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