West Kirby Town: narrow gauge may be coming to town.

[railwayrod]

Great work there Rod. I am impressed.

 

Rod

[Simond]

It might just be the photograph - otherwise as Jon suggests, an added resistance a/o "weather" the lamp.

 

Best

Simon

[Dmudriver]

Further to the comments about the brightness of the LEDs, I had a thought about the power supply. Have just checked it and I was right, it's a variable output one, so I've reduced the voltage to the lowest it will go - ie 5 volts and the lights are dimmer now.

 

Would adding a resistor to the output, between it and the feed to the LEDs work in reducing it further? If so, how big a resistor should I use?

 

Rod

[Jintyman]

Further to the comments about the brightness of the LEDs, I had a thought about the power supply. Have just checked it and I was right, it's a variable output one, so I've reduced the voltage to the lowest it will go - ie 5 volts and the lights are dimmer now.

 

Would adding a resistor to the output, between it and the feed to the LEDs work in reducing it further? If so, how big a resistor should I use?

 

Rod

Hi Rod,

 

As a thought over LED brightness, I've been experimenting with the tail lamp on my Toad brakevan. In the end I've used a 10K resistor on a 16v AC supply.

When I photographed it, it showed up somewhat brighter than it is in real life!!!

I'm hoping that through accessory outputs from an old ESU decoder, it will be a nice glow.

Glad you've managed to vary the voltage and reduce the brightness.

 

Jinty

[Jon Fitness]

Further to the comments about the brightness of the LEDs, I had a thought about the power supply. Have just checked it and I was right, it's a variable output one, so I've reduced the voltage to the lowest it will go - ie 5 volts and the lights are dimmer now.

 

Would adding a resistor to the output, between it and the feed to the LEDs work in reducing it further? If so, how big a resistor should I use?

 

Rod

If you're happy with the brightness I'd leave it at 5v Rod. If it's still too bright, another 470ohm resistor to each positive lamp lead that needs dimming it will bring them right down at 5volts. Probably better than just adding one from the main feed. If you get one that dims more than others when you add one resistor you end up having to adjust the others.

HTH

JF

Edited August 2, 2015 by Jon Fitness

[Barnaby]

a frog juicer.

 

http://joecartoon.com/watch/k1bbbc/Frog_in_a_Blender?list=dynamic&category_id=0&synd_channel_id=0&time=last_7_days

[Dmudriver]

If you're happy with the brightness I'd leave it at 5v Rod. If it's still too bright, another 470ohm resistor to each positive lamp lead that needs dimming it will bring them right down at 5volts. Probably better than just adding one from the main feed. If you get one that dims more than others when you add one resistor you end up having to adjust the others.

HTH

JF

It's the leds on the ground signals that are the brightest, Jon. I'll have a look at adding a resistor to each one, as you suggest. The buffer stop ones are a bit bright but I'll try some black paint on those!

 

Rod

[keithpr2]

Hi Rod,

 

About your golf course .... a fellow modeller down here has a similar problem to yours of restricted space for his scenic background.  He has resorted to using mirrors to create extra depth.  Of course you have to be careful about not reflecting the trains as they pass (angle of incidence equals angle of reflection and all that) but by placing them behind hedges or buildings he can gain extra depth.  Also, he found a local glazier who just happened to have some small, cheap off-cuts of mirror from a large installation he had done.  Maybe worth a thought.

 

Or you could always substitute an archery range!

 

Keith

[Dmudriver]

Now I do like the idea of an archery range, Keith. A pal of mine has said he'll build the tee, though, and he's bought a couple of golfing figures. I'll have to see if they can be converted into archers!!!!

 

Thanks for the suggestion about the mirrors. I'll give that more thought.

 

Rod

[muddys-blues]

Hi Rod, how about a golf driving range ? then it only needs to be of a limited length, 

 

PS any chance of some more videos of your DMUs and other stock passing by please ?

 

Craig.

[railwayrod]

Howard and I had a similar problem with the back scene in that very limited space was available behind the rearmost track which at best is a little over 6 inches and in most places a lot less than this. At one point we had no idea as to how we were to proceed but bit by bit we did - or at least produced something that looks acceptable. Don't ask me how we arrived at what we did as I doubt I could tell you but by a great deal of head scratching and thought plus a few mock ups the back scene to Ramchester was created.

 

Rod

[Dmudriver]

Hi all.

 

This post will be a bit different from others charting progress. It should perhaps be called "The Danger of Preconceived Ideas" or "Confessions of a Know-All"!!!

 

Some posts ago I commented on a microswitch I was going to use on the point on the headshunt leading to the stabling point as I had been getting DMUs occasionally stalling on it. [This post, by the way, was the one that spawned (deliberate use of the word!) the discussion about frog juicers.]

 

I assumed the stalling was because the frog was dead as I'd been relying on blade contact to energise the frog via the usual Peco wiring. So yesterday I fitted the microswitch. I scraped out the ballast to give channels to hide the wiring in because, I said, I couldn't go under the board because of cross supports. I cut the wires, tinned them and fitted them, checking with my multimeter that I'd got them the right way round - I had. This is how it looked:

 

 

So I tested it - and got a short as the point moved across!! I pressed the red button on the hand controller and the short went. "Oh good," I thought, "just a temporary glitch" so switched the point back and ..... again, a short. Press the red button, all normal again. "So, what the heck is happening here?" says I. I tried changing the point manually, by pushing the tie bar over - no short. I operated the microswitch by hand, no short. "What is going on?" I looked and checked, turned power off then on again, everything I could think of for maybe 20, or 30, minutes. Then I spotted these:

 

 

"Ah, right", I thought, "I've had this before" - the wire keeps the point blades at the same polarity as the adjacent stock rails and that must cause a short via the frog if the Peco wires are still in place. So I cut the 2 point blades near the frog. You can see them in the first pic - 3 sleepers from the joint between blades and frog. "Sorted!" thinks I. Wrong!! I still got the short as the point blades moved over. I'd forgotten that if that had been the case, the whole layout would have permanently shorted, not momentarily. "So what now?" I looked very closely at the point and then found this:

 

 

It's a well camouflaged - and therefore hardly visible - wire to the frog - to the check rail nearest the camera (opposite the new wire on the left). It's also on the side of the frog away from the normal operating position - I had to lean right over the board to get the pic. "Can't be", I thought, "there's a cross support underneath." So I crawl under the board and there, sure enough, is a wire from the Tortoise to the frog. It looks like what I'd done was to wire this point up properly and then forgotten I'd done it. One lesson - keep written records of what you've done.

 

I've since cut the wire to the frog and it works perfectly.

 

So, what is causing the stalling? It's poor joints between rails on the nearer stock rail. See next pic:

 

 

There are 4 joints along that rail and no feeds between them. I checked the continuity and found that a couple of the joints were not conducting in certain positions: the 2 short sections of rail slide either way quite easily. So this afternoon/evening, I'm going to bridge those gaps.

 

Apart from keeping written records, what else is there to learn? First, ask the right question: it should have been, "why is a DMU which picks up from both axles on both bogies stalling?" The answer would not be the frog which is only short. I jumped to a conclusion (Been there, done it, got the T-shirt!!!): my preconceived idea was: Peco point and therefore bad blade/check rail contact, so fit a microswitch. If I'd used my nouse - and my multimeter, I'd have found it wasn't the frog at all. And then I'd have found what the real problem is. Since then, of course, those joints are conducting properly because I've moved them around and shifted paint, oil, etc but to be sure, I'll bridge them all.

 

So, that bridging job has to be done, I need to bridge the cuts in the point blades (I could get away with a short length of dead track but I'd rather not), take off the new wiring, remove the microswitch, put the ballast back and respray everything. Whereas, if I hadn't jumped to a conclusion - preconceived idea - I wouldn't have had to retrace my steps.

 

Still a valuable lesson and I hope I learn from it!! I've recounted the sad story also as a warning to others!!

 

More (progress) soon.

 

Rod

 

PS Just to add to my day, I bought a birthday card for my grandson, who is super and great. It's only when I got home I find it's for a great-grandson who is super!! So now back to Tesco to change it - it's no good hanging on to it as I've got no great-grandchildren!!!

 

 

EDIT Added the arrow to pic 3.

EDIT 2 Added arrows to pic 2.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Dmudriver

[Jintyman]

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles Rod, I find that Electrickery can be a bit annoying, and it's usually the simplest explanation that solves the problem.

I tend to overthink a situation, and then get myself in a stupor trying to solve the problem. When I'm at that point, I either ask the Mrs to give me her thoughts, or sleep on it!!! My Mrs has embarrassed me many times by coming up with a simple solution to a problem!!!

 

I know they are Peco points and they are designed like that, but I keep the switch rail as one piece right the way through, from the blade, to the crossing vee, just to aid continuity.

 

Glad you got it sorted now though, better running for those nice DMU's you have.

 

Jinty

[railwayrod]

Hi Rod.

 

Shorts can be a continuing problem as my late friend discovered on his HO layout. He built his own track from copper clad sleepers and nickel silver rail and carefully gapped where necessary. All appeared to be OK so it was laid and a wagon was pushed over it. I should add that this was a complex involving several points, diamond etc. He was quite happy with this until he connected the power to test run a loco over his newly laid trackwork. He had a short. Like you he checked his wiring and cleared the gaps in the copper clad sleepers just to make sure they were not bridging the gap. All was well. More inspection followed but after about an hour he was no further forward.

 

At this point he was at his wits end calling the hobby all manner of names (like most of us at times). Again he checked everything but still could find nothing wrong - more frustration. It was then that he removed the wagon that he had used to push over the system and which had been innocently sitting in one of the spurs. Hey Presto! everything worked perfectly. On close inspection of the wagon he discovered that it was a 3 rail wagon with metal wheels and axles which were not insulated and this is what was causing the trouble.

 

Hey Ho. We live and learn!

 

Rod

[Dmudriver]

Hi all.

 

Progress!! following my last post, all has now been remedied on that point, apart from spraying the track. I've run 3 DMUs over it, all at low speed and with no hesitation, no flickering of lights - perfect running: in short "Sorted!"

 

Now for the next job, which if the paper mache has fully dried out late tomorrow or on Friday, is painting over it with an earth colour. I got it mixed today - it's Valspar "Village Pub"!! What colour would you expect that to be? No, I wouldn't have known, either, but it's a shade of brown.

 

More soon.

 

Rod

[Dmudriver]

Hi all.

 

Things are moving on. I've tucked the wiring above the outside section into more conduit:

 

 

 

The effect is, to me, really quite remarkable!! The end by the shed needs tidying up but that should be fairly easy to deal with.

 

Inside, I've painted the replaced ballast round the point I recently had the electrical trouble with and also painted the new ballast round the station sidings ground signals:

 

 

I also, last night, started using the "Village Pub" brown paint I bought for the earth base. This is the view towards the buffer stops:

 

 

The white bit is where the wallpaper paste hasn't fully dried yet - it's not far off and should be fine by Sunday - probably by tomorrow but I'm not sure I'll get the time. This pic, taken in natural light, clearly shows the path coming alongside the headshunt: where it rises from the white onto the brown bit is where the portacabin will stand and the path will be on the level in front of it. The other depression behind the polystyrene base for the fuel island is just rough ground. The path will run behind the fuel island and alongside where the wall under the fuel tank will be.

 

The next is the view by the Down Inner Home signal - again the white bit is where it's not completely dry.

 

 

I've painted the edge of the new ballast with sleeper grime on both sides of the track. Next is to start applying grass/ground cover but I think I'll practice on some spare card first.

 

Keep watching, though. More soon.

 

Rod

[Jintyman]

 

That's looking well Rod, I can't believe how long that stuff has taken to dry!!!

I like the colour of your ballast and cess, it all blends in nicely.

 

Jinty

[pwr]

Does that down home have a banner repeater the other side of the bridge?

 

Paul R

[Dmudriver]

Does that down home have a banner repeater the other side of the bridge?

 

Paul R

Hi Paul.

 

That's something I've thought about, but there isn't one, no. I agree that there could well be as the sighting isn't good from under the bridge. However, my understanding of the way the signalling operated was that when the Inner Home was at danger, or the train was signalled into an occupied platform, or if the train was going into the sidings, the Outer Home would be left at danger until the train was close to it and it would then be cleared slowly to warn the driver he did not have a clear run into a platform.

 

In addition, there was a 10mph restriction through the station throat - as there is on my model - so the driver should have been slowing down anyway, even with a clear signal.

 

So, on balance, even if I knew where to get one I wouldn't fit one, for the reasons above. I've even tried putting myself in the driver's seat and looking through the hole in the shed wall to check the sighting!!! Not easy!! I think I used a mirror in the end! I could have moved the bridge behind the signal but then I wouldn't have been able to see the signal when I was operating, plus the bridge would have to be wider to span a stabling point siding or two. Even putting it closer to the hole in the wall - which may be disguised as another bridge - gives poor sighting, so I'm happy with the scenario above.

 

HTH.

 

Rod

[muddys-blues]

Hi Paul.

 

That's something I've thought about, but there isn't one, no. I agree that there could well be as the sighting isn't good from under the bridge. However, my understanding of the way the signalling operated was that when the Inner Home was at danger, or the train was signalled into an occupied platform, or if the train was going into the sidings, the Outer Home would be left at danger until the train was close to it and it would then be cleared slowly to warn the driver he did not have a clear run into a platform.

 

In addition, there was a 10mph restriction through the station throat - as there is on my model - so the driver should have been slowing down anyway, even with a clear signal.

 

So, on balance, even if I knew where to get one I wouldn't fit one, for the reasons above. I've even tried putting myself in the driver's seat and looking through the hole in the shed wall to check the sighting!!! Not easy!! I think I used a mirror in the end! I could have moved the bridge behind the signal but then I wouldn't have been able to see the signal when I was operating, plus the bridge would have to be wider to span a stabling point siding or two. Even putting it closer to the hole in the wall - which may be disguised as another bridge - gives poor sighting, so I'm happy with the scenario above.

 

HTH.

 

Rod

 

Aah well Rod, just call it a point ... as per your beloved Blues opener ... just like my beloved Shakers .. it beats a defeat.

 

Happy modelling

Craig.

[leopardml2341]

Rod,

 

The first PIC of painted papier mache looks like freshly cooked parkin.

[pwr]

Aah well Rod, just call it a point ... as per your beloved Blues opener ... just like my beloved Shakers .. it beats a defeat.

 

Happy modelling

Craig.

 

I knew there would be a good explanation!

 

Paul

[Dmudriver]

Hi.

 

I've had a bit of a work-and-play-day today!! The painting of the papier mache is finished and now dried, but I've still got to do some testing on cardboard first. Here's a couple of pics to show the finished effect:

 

 

 

I'm not, at the moment, bothered about the rough finish as I'm sure it will disappear under flock, grass, etc. The colour's quite bright in the second one, but I think that's the effect of the automatic exposure on the camera. In "real life" it is darker.!!

 

I've also had a go at hiding the wiring in the corner of the outside section and this is how it looks:

 

 

There's definitely an improvement and there's possibilities now for that end. I'm still thinking about the golf tee.

 

I mentioned some time back that I had a problem with part of the signal interlocking. It's now sorted: it was definitely something around the Tortoise microswitch, but whether the switch itself, or a loose wire connection at a chocolate block just after it, I'm not sure. It works now, that's the main thing!!

 

I've made 4 more short videos and they're currently uploading - and taking an age!! - to Youtube. Will post the links when they're done.

 

More soon.

 

Rod

[Dmudriver]

Hi all.

 

At last, they've uploaded, so here are the links to the videos.

 

1. The 115 leaves WKT for Birkenhead. Listen for the horn!! Note: the red lens has fallen off the signal facing the camera - it will be fixed shortly!!

 

 

 

2. The Thumper passes on its way to WKT.

 

3. The 115 returns.

 

 

4. The 115 leaves on another trip to Birkenhead. Listen again for the horn!!

 

 

Hope you enjoy them.

 

Rod

[pwr]

Rod

 

Those units run extremely well and the Thumper sound is particularly impressive. Could be in Sussex!

 

Paul R