Jump to content
 

Twickenham MRC builds large OO gauge SR (3rd rail) layout


TEAMYAKIMA
 Share

Recommended Posts

post-20561-0-65405800-1460678968.jpg

 

Not an easy object to photograph…this is the Kingston Up line – the line that links with the flyover.  This is a straight ramp followed by a level curve that connects the fiddleyard with Twickenham all of which has been designed to sit on the inner edge of the fiddleyard boards.  Gawd knows where we’re going to store it!
 
Come and see it in place on the layout at our July 23rd Open Day…
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

post-20561-0-24067400-1460858188.jpg

 

A sneak preview of the Station Road semis – villas – townhouses whatever you want to call them…
 
Here the raw front walls, side returns and the block of steps (to be cut into 4).  The tall opening on the right and left of each building is the front door (to which the steps will lead).  The rectangular cut out on each house is the basement/lower ground floor window
 
Lots to do, but this is a good start – as ever laser cut in 2mm MDF
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hello Ray

 

I know you are an ex TDMRC member. I do hope you can join us on July 23rd for Twickenham Junction's first operating session at TDMRC'S 2016 Open Day

I would be very pleased to come along to your open day on the 23rd July 2016.

Please PM me all the details.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

post-20561-0-38588400-1464656386.jpg

 

Progress on one of the 4 semi-detached townhouses on Station Road alongside the south side of Twickenham Junction – these houses will be half-relief and form the back drop to the western station throat.  Tried n tested Terry method:  laser etched 2mm MDF with cereal packet window overlays and acrylic laser etched windows and doors

 

Come and see how these and other buildings, trains and trackwork are progressing at our July Open Day – free entry on 23rd July – please see the accompanying video https://youtu.be/BIw0BRN0_Js .  Look forward to seeing you there!

Edited by sbduck
  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Sorry for the gap in communication.  It’s been summer (what a lovely one too!), but we have been busy.  The 23rd July Open Day didn’t pan-out quite how we wanted it to.  Great shame and a shame for our guests – sorry for that!  Guess what, the following week with three defects resolved, we had trains running on DCC the whole way round… honestly, we did…

 

Since then, I have blown up most of our MERG modules: the Chairman has kindly taken on sorting out what is salvageable or not.  Without a control panel, it’s not the end of the world at the moment. Meantime I have been testing our point motors (Tortoise on C&L bases).  1 is problematic, another 3 need some lubing or minor fettling.  The rest work like a charm.  Dead chuffed

 

A busy team are steadily ballasting (to a very high standard – really pleased with what they’re doing!) and next week I plan to fit cosmetic brass and plastic fishplates

 

The substation has been glazed and is in the queue for weathering later this autumn – photo to follow.  Likewise, the Albany and villas are moving along.  Watch this space.  Another cheeky project follows in a moment…

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just like buses, you wait ages for a new entry in this blog and then 2 come at once, LOL :-D

 

 

 

post-20561-0-57189700-1475627975.jpg

 

As seen on my workbench t’other day – Twickenham’s second hand watertank (it had originally been installed at Richmond in the 1840s and moved to Twickenham in 1850 – it lasted in use in excess of another 100 years…).  This is an underside view – note the output pipe coming from under the RH side of the tank.  A little more to do but nearly there…

 

post-20561-0-60030600-1475628044.jpg

 

An hour or so later and here is the tank with its lid – I have to fit some I-section girders to the underside and we’ll be all done bar the painting and weathering…

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

It is coming on nicely chaps. I travelled from Barnstaple to your open day in July and see some old members and I also brought some of my logo's to run on your test track. Your Twickenham layout had a few problems but that is work in progress and a chance to give it good run to iron out any problems.

Nice to see on going progress on the buildings keep up the good work.

 

Hope to come to your open day next year.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

post-20561-0-29665600-1478830222_thumb.jpg

 

Mudpies or ballasting?

 

post-20561-0-84292600-1478830226_thumb.jpg

 

Our only truly errant point – CY3.  It’s front of house and has two fundamental gauging faults with it; so here it is being prepared for removal. It may never do much in its life, but it has to work correctly!  A couple of weeks on and the point has been kindly and expertly repaired by a Northwick Group member and is ready to put back in place – we owe Northwick big time!  Thanks very much indeed.

 

post-20561-0-57937100-1478830231_thumb.jpg

 

Proof that illustrious members do graft.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Just a quick update to say that it's fast approaching that time of year again when Twickenham MRC hold their annual Open Day - July 22nd (10am - 4pm)

 

This year the theme will be N gauge as the club is planning to start a new N gauge layout in the near future.

 

However, OO will not be forgotten and the Twickenham Junction project will have a static display - so if you're interested in this project, why not come along and meet the team building it?

 

There will be at least five working layouts (N, OO and O), displays/demos, refreshments and a s/h stall. I hope you agree that's not bad for a free open day - donations welcome!

 

You can find full details here .....  www.tdmrc.org.uk

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

The September workday turned-out to be a milestone day in several ways.  We now have a control panel fascia.  Hurrah!  :yahoo: 

 

post-20561-0-96532600-1506981646.jpg

 

 

This is silk-screen printing on an aluminium/plastic sandwich and very professional it looks too!  Dead chuffed (If you pardon the pun! :blum: )!

 

The plan is that over the next three months or so, this will metamorphose into a work box of electronic wizardry which will enable us to route set on Twickenham Junction...

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

It's been a long time since our last entry.....

 

Twickenham has been hibernating for various reasons, but the first signs of awakening this Spring (!) are our new control panel – seen here attached to board 3 on our January workday.

 

post-20561-0-27940800-1516619107_thumb.jpg

 

We’re now working on the mimic diagram, then some hardware and wiring, then the dreaded MERG programming!

 

Come and see how we’re getting on!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

post-20561-0-19457200-1525295264.jpg

 

 

Following on with the theme of the control panel, here is the painted (Rover Brooklands green!) and varnished control panel box.  Hopefully next time you see it, it will be full of electronickery and with a finished mimic panel on top…

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

post-20561-0-63506000-1525382675.jpg

 

So we’ve been set a challenge!  Come and see Twickenham and the fiddleyard running at our Open Day on 21st  July.  We won’t have route control on the scenic section by then, but we will have the fiddleyard stocked with trains able to provide some variety through Twickenham.  So to give you an idea of the scale of the operation, here is the layout in its fullest current extent.  It’s big.  At our April workday, we set it all up to see whether it worked.  Once we’d cleaned the track it certainly did.  Very pleased :sungum: 

 

Edited by sbduck
Link to post
Share on other sites

post-20561-0-80162400-1525382889.jpg

 

And here’s the proof.  This is a train running on DCC trundling UP through the layout having just passed underneath the Kingston UP flyover line.  For those interested in EMUS, the unit is a 2-NOB (no bog in Southern EMU classification parlance) created by grafting a Tri-ang EMU cab front and roof onto a Bachmann EPB.  Quite convincing, especially when it’s trundling past.  Not immediately obvious what it is!  Come and see more at the end of July

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Not long to Twickenham MRC's open day now! Come and see Twickenham Junction in action in the flesh.

 

July 21st (10am to 4pm)

Kerswell Hall, Wills Crescent, Hounslow

TW3 2JF

 

For full details see www.tdmrc.org.uk

 

Hope to see some of you there!

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

post-20561-0-64585400-1534884670.jpg

 

 

Phew!  Well although it was warm, Twickenham Junction and the Fiddleyard behaved themselves.   In fact, they surpassed themselves!  We managed to run trains in both directions through Twickenham and through the fiddleyard.  Better still we were able to route trains through different lines on the fiddleyard. Well done Howard!  The only issue we had was back-to-back dimensions being rather mean especially on Hornby models – fellow OO finescale modellers please note!

 

Back in 2016 when the rails expanded in the warmth, we couldn’t run a thing.  This turned out to be due to cross-wiring in the traction bus. Remember that DCC is AC so if two adjacent boards are cross-wired it won’t matter - unless the rail ends happen to make contact… Boy-oh-boy will it then matter!  And that’s what happened… suffice it to say we have rectified the wiring faults as the wiring needs to be right for reliable running and fault diagnosis

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

post-20561-0-23897100-1535146200_thumb.jpg

 

 

What a superb photo thanks to a local train driver!

 

This really gives a sense of what the model will look like when viewed from London Road Bridge.  Howard has done a superb job on that infernal footbridge.  Trust me – it’s complicated and painstaking!!

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...