That Effing(ham) Railway

[Trofimow]

I've been hanging around here for a while now, so maybe it's time I started a thread about my layout, Forest Road and Effingham Junction.

 

Firstly a bit about what it is, what it isn't and how it came about....

 

It isn't a fine scale, scratch built, hand carved, exhibition standard model railway, so if that's what you want to see, it's probably best to look away now....

 

It isn't a model of the real Effingham Junction either.

 

So what is it then? It's a large(ish) 00 layout built primarily for operation and based on the Southern Region around 1960 give or take a few years.

 

Yes, another transition era Southern layout, but back in the day when Dad and I started our first layout in Granny's spare bedroom this was up to date stuff and Southern layouts were not fashionable. The magazines back then were full of GWR.

 

That first layout had Wrenn fibre based track and it was Southern Region. I know it was cos we ran EMU's by Tri-ang and Hornby Dublo. There was also a third unit hand carved by Dad from Tri-ang suburban coaches and a Kitmaster motor bogie. All very crude and unprototypical, but as far as a seven year old was concerned it was the dog's dangly bits.

 

 

OK so we also ran a Hornby Dublo Deltic and a Duchess of Atholl with LMS on the tender and a blue Sir Nigel Gresley with LNER on the tender, but it was deffo a Southern Region layout, so there!

 

My layouts have been Southern ever since, in sheds, lofts,and spare bedrooms, a succession of running, but never completed layouts due to frequent house moves, followed by 10 years without a layout at all while we lived “over the shop” so to speak. Modelling then was restricted to building kits on a tea tray on my lap.

 

In 1995 my wife and I moved into what we hope will be home for the rest of our lives and the following year I was lucky enough to be able to have a purpose built railway room constructed above a double garage and utility room.

 

So Effingham dates from around 1997. It's still very much an evolving work in progress due to limitations on my available time. Not much scenic work has been done, and that which was done has suffered greatly from upheavals during subsequent layout updates “under the hood”. It probably won't get a concerted effort on scenic work until I am able to retire. (One day, Rodney). It also tends to suffer from extended periods when I can't get to it at all.

 

It's not intended to be a model of any particular place, but is supposedly on the fringes of Sarf London somewhere. You'll probably see trains from all sections of the Southern, plus cross-London transfer freight traffic and some general inter-regional trains too.

 

So if it's not a model of Effingham Junction, why the name? Well before the layout was started, I was given a sign.

 

No, not Divine Inspiration, but a redundant street sign given to me by a colleague. It reads “Forest Road Effingham Junction”. A Southernish sounding name that appealed to my juvenile sense of humour. The sign went on the wall, and the layout has been Effingham ever since.

 

Alan

[Trofimow]

Effingham's basic concept is a dog bone with storage loops before and after each return loop. One end of the dog bone is split into two at Effingham Junction station, so there is a short stretch of four track main line leading to two return loops at that end of the layout. One branch of the dog bone has a through station at Canford, from which a short branch disappears to dead end storage behind the backscene.

 

The entire dog bone is folded around so that the storage and return loops are on the lower deck.

 

There is also a single track cross country line through Forest Road and leading eventually on to the Western Region.

 

Hopefully, this block diagram will make it a little easier to visualise.

 

 

Storage loops C

 

 

Entrance to storage loops D with two double track mainlines above, the route to Canford diverging to the right. Test running in progress circa 1999. The rake of Ian Kirk Maunsells is standing on what will be an engineers siding.

 

 

The same corner of the room in 2012

 

 

Entrance to storage loops B under construction

 

 

The same corner in 2012 with the site of Effingham Junction station above.

 

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, this layout was started in 1997. It's predecessor had met the metaphorical cutting torch in 1987, itself being about 4 years old at that time, and everything including the baseboard materials had been put into store pending the day when it would be possible to start again.

 

Consequently, Effingham, as built, was in many ways a child of the 1980's, in terms of equipment, techniques and standards. Much has been updated since, but the legacy of its gestation still remains.

 

Many things would be done differently if I was starting today as technology, techniques and standards have moved on and lessons have been learned from mistakes made, but the basic design requirements of successfully running 10 coach trains and maintaining access to hidden storage were successfully achieved.

 

Alan

[bigwordsmith]

Alan an interesting thread and I wish you the best of luck with it - The name caught my eye, and as you probably know most of the RMWebbers on here who aren't obsessed with rivets enjoy a slightly ironic sense of humour.

 

I'm going through a similar exercise having just been handed the keys to a dedicated train room over the garage and kitchen courtesy of Mrs. Smith's new kitchen and so will also be running some long trains. MY stomping ground is a spiritual home on the Waverley Route.

 

Don't be surprised if you hear nothing for ages, but slowly build up a following.

 

Good luck

 

Peter

[Trofimow]

Gradients, train lengths and lower deck access.

 

All these things are interdependent to some extent. Train lengths are limited by the gradients and gradients are influenced by the amount of clearance between decks.

 

The favourite habitat and breeding ground of the Common Gremlin is well known to be any inaccessible length of track, so these are to be avoided at all costs.

 

All the lower deck storage has sufficient headroom to be able to get a hand in over the top of stored trains to reach those behind.

 

Upper decks are in general only fixed in position where they carry trackbed or Faller roadway.

 

Effingham Station, which covers storage loops B, is on a hinged board which can be lifted to the vertical to gain access underneath. This is not something to be done lightly and is normally only used for planned engineering works. Access from beneath is usually sufficient.

 

Scenic areas are designed to lift off wherever possible. Where this can't be done, access holes can be found beneath buildings. Triangular access gaps are left behind the layout in each corner of the room so it is possible to crawl under and stand up outside the layout.

 

The maximum for rising gradients on the main line has been set at 1 in 80. This has proved to be workable for 10 coach trains hauled by just about any relatively recent main line diesel model and also Hornby Bulleid pacifics. The Forest Road branch has a maximum gradient of 1 in 35 and a line limit of 6 coaches, which can be managed by the diesels and by Hornby Schools class locos. Most trains on this route are more like 3 or 4 coaches.

 

Various “tricks” have been used to help achieve this, none of which are original:

 

Rising gradients are laid with steel rail, which seems to offer better grip than nickel silver.

 

Locos have extra weight added where possible.

 

Metal weights have been removed from some coaching stock.

 

Very little track is level. Hidden track descending to the lower deck can be as steep as 1 in 30 to establish maximum between deck headroom at the start of the storage loops, which then rise at 1 in 100 from that point, steepening to 1 in 80 from the exit for the climb back to the top deck. This effectively “steals” distance from the falling gradient and makes it available to the rising gradient. In some places, the upper deck track is also climbing and increasing the lower deck headroom.

 

Top deck structure is kept as shallow as possible, using plywood on 1 inch planed timber or aluminium angle or T-piece extrusions Wombled from a suspended ceiling..

 

Where a main support beam for the upper deck would obstruct the path of a tween deck gradient it can be gapped and dropped and framed below the obstructed track

 

An unexpected benefit of converting to DCC (more on this at a later date) was increased haulage capacity of some locos over DC with the ancient H&M variable transformer controllers. A black 5 was able to have one additional coach added to its pigeon special when fitted with a Lenz Gold decoder and still re-start the train on the 1 in 80.

 

Recently, I have started retro-fitting DCC Concepts Power Base to all rising gradients. This is not to increase maximum train lengths, which are already sufficient, but to give more flexibility in matching locos to trains, by improving the haulage capacity of the less capable locos in the fleet.

 

Alan

[Trofimow]

Power and control.

 

Effingham was originally built as a conventional DC analogue layout.

 

With the layout being something of an iceberg, 90% below the surface, DCC did not seem a viable option at the time. It would be necessary to keep track of what loco was in each hidden storage road, and the consequences of unintentionally moving the wrong one could be messy.

 

I wanted to make the operation of the hidden storage as simple as possible, without the need for a complicated control panel with lots of isolation and point selection switches. It would also be necessary to have some system to show section occupation and train movement.

 

There were to be two controllers, one colour coded yellow for trains entering storage and the second coded green for trains leaving storage.

 

What emerged was a very simple control panel for the hidden storage with just one push button to select the route into each storage road and another button to select the route out of each road. These buttons would also select the correct controller to the required track sections, and indicate the path on the track plan with appropriately coloured LEDs, which would turn red when a train entered the section.

 

Keeping the panel simple meant putting the complication into the system behind the panel.

Route selection was through large diode matrices and several beefy CDU's driving solenoid point motors. Some of these date back to that first layout in Granny's spare bedroom and are Kirdons of 1950's vintage, plus some H&M's and lots of more recent PECO examples. Up to a dozen point motors could be operated at a time by a single button push, which made quite a thump.

 

 

The diode matrices also drove a pair of relays for each track section which selected the appropriate controller according to the route set, or none to isolate the section if no route was set, and provided outputs for the LED's on the panel.

 

Trains were detected by home built track circuit modules modified from a design in a book by Roger Amos and interfaced with the relay outputs via home built TTL logic units to drive tri-colour LEDs on the panel.

 

This all worked very well indeed and ran quite successfully for a while on the route through storage locations A through E, the first part of the split dog bone to be completed.

 

Some limitations did become apparent though. My layouts are never set in stone in advance, the plan tends to evolve over time. With the track plan effectively coded into the hardware of the control system, any subsequent changes became difficult. There was also the system for the remaining leg through storage F , the Forest Road and Canford storage and the whole of the “on-stage” part of the layout still to be designed and built.

 

It was at this point that I first heard of a computerised control system that promised to be able to keep track of the position and identity of trains and display it on a screen, which could also be used to control routes using a DCC system.

 

This sounded too good to be true, so I downloaded a free trial version of Railroad & Co Train Controller to see if it it really could do all that was promised. The first of many decisions with unforeseen consequences....

 

It did not take very long to knock together a virtual control panel which could be used to simulate operation of the layout, and the potential was obvious, that is if it really would work in practice if connected to the layout.

 

I trawled the interweb to find as much as I could about user experiences and alternative systems. and joined the forum on the Railroad & Co website. It all seemed quite positive, so I decided on a small scale trial.....

 

 

Alan

[Trofimow]

The transition to DCC and computer control

 

A Lenz system 100 plus a few occupancy detectors and a couple of Gold decoders duly arrived for testing purposes – I figured I could always sell them on if I decided not to go with it.

 

All this was installed onto one track and the results were quite convincing. The loco decoders were fitted into a couple of Lima DMU's on the basis that these would be the easiest for a first attempt at conversion, and the transformation in running qualities really took me by surprise. Better yet, the Train Controller software proved to work as advertised, keeping track of the location of the train perfectly and displaying what's where clearly on screen.

 

The decision was made to go for it, converting the layout one route at a time and spreading the conversion of the trains themselves over a period to spread the cost.

 

The cable forms for the existing analogue control were as thick as my forearm, and these were duly removed, after all DCC only requires two wires doesn't it? The analogue track circuits and logic boards went to my father for re-use on his layout.

 

In went countless LDT occupancy detectors and Lenz decoders for the points, together with most of the wire that had been recovered from the original system. The old hardware control panel was replaced with a “glass panel” consisting of computer monitors driven by a redundant desktop PC.

 

 

It took a couple of years to complete conversion of the entire layout, and somewhat longer to fit all trains with decoders, but it was well worth the effort for the transformation that has resulted in the operation and capabilities of the layout.

 

The computer has made route and signal interlocking much easier, and there is now never any doubt about where a particular train might be lurking in the hidden nether regions of the layout. It has also enabled new features and functions to be added, a process which still continues.

 

It proved to be quite simple to arrange for a number of trains to be queued behind one another and to move up section by section in turn. This facility was used to provide additional hidden storage by running a couple of tracks around the room below the existing parallel storage loops on deck 2 to provide serial storage on a logical third deck. The boards for this are only a few inches wide, just enough to carry 2 tracks and consist only of a strip of plywood with 1 inch square planed timber fitted to the top surface along each edge to provide the required stiffness and also contain any derailments.

 

A later addition was to fit powershield intelligent circuit breakers from DCC Specialities to the point ladders in the hidden areas. In the event of any short circuits caused by derailments or operator error, these cut power to the affected area without shutting down the rest of the layout. They then provide a signal to the computer which is used to display a symbol at the appropriate place on the track plan and to play an audio file which causes the computer to announce in a calm female voice the nature and location of the problem.

[Trofimow]

That brings the story more or less up to date.

 

Unfortunately 2014 was something of a write off as far as getting anything done on the layout was concerned – witness my thread on the Faller roadway and vehicles which has not been updated for a year.

 

I'm determined to get at least some hobby time this year, and have started trying to get the layout in a go state again. After so long out of use, everything needs a good clean and fettle. It's amazing how the gremlins seem to breed – things that worked perfectly last time trains were run now don't work at all.

 

I've decided to take the lid off in order to give the lower deck a thorough clean. To do this is a major task, so I'm taking the opportunity to do some updating and address some of those unforeseen consequences that I mentioned earlier.

 

With the original analogue control system, storage loop track circuits that lit a panel LED when the train reached the stop position were activated by rail breaks. These same rail breaks were used to provide a stop indication to the computer when I changed to DCC. The computer's reaction time is a lot shorter than mine, so trains stopped earlier than they needed to. While the lid is off, I'm moving the rail breaks up to a more appropriate location, and this has increased the usable train length of each loop by one bogie coach or 3 wagons. A useful gain without changing the actual track layout.

 

Another very much unforeseen consequence of going to computer control was the noise of solenoid point motors. Effingham is quite a large layout, but as originally built it was not practical for a lone operator to run more than 2 trains at once. The route setting functionality of the analogue control system meant that all the points for a particular route would go over at the same time, a dozen or more of them. This of course made a very loud thump, but did not happen that often.

 

With the computer system, points for a route operate in sequence, so you get a cascade of thumps every time a route is set up. There can be up to five trains running at once on the visible part of the layout, and as many again positioning into or out of storage. This leads to a constant and continuous cacophony of thumping solenoids, which can be quite a nuisance.

 

To save my headaches, the decision has been taken to move to slow action point motors. This will have to be done over a period as there are rather a lot of solenoids to replace. I bought samples of different brands to try for reliability and ease of use. I eventually decided to go with Hoffman units, as unlike some others, these have given no issues at all in testing, and are compatible with the existing Lenz LS150 decoders without needing to make any changes. There are likely to be quite a few used PECO point motors for disposal in due course.

 

Alan

[Trofimow]

Before the lid goes back on, I've been extending the cctv coverage of the hidden storage areas.

 

I use these miniature pinhole cameras, - picked up the last batch for 15 pounds each in the Black Friday sale

 

 

The main storage loops are covered by a single monitor with an 8 way splitter, but all 8 inputs are now taken, so I obtained some 7 inch LCD monitors from Amazon.

 

 

They are intended for cars and have 2 inputs, one of which is for a reversing camera and can be switched using an auxiliary 12V input. It is thus possible to use the computer track circuits to automatically switch between 2 cameras as the train passes between sections.

 

Camera lighting is provided variously by strings of white Christmas LED's picked up very cheaply in post Christmas clearances, or when I ran out of those, 5 metre LED strips from Ebay.

 

Alan

[Trofimow]

At last, the work to the lower deck under Effingham station area has been done. Hoffman point motors are fitted and tested, CCTV cameras installed covering the B and C storage areas, and the track cleaned.

 

The lid has gone back on and the tracks through the station reconnected. Next job is to finish fitting the steel plates under the track for the DCC Concepts Power Base system. I'm fitting this to all the rising gradients on the layout, and the lower decks have been done as has the plain track on the top deck. The bit that I've been avoiding tackling can be put off no longer.

 

There are only two small areas of the layout where the track had so far been ballasted, and a certain law dictates that these not only have to be lifted to fit the plates, but also they are the most complex sections of trackwork.

 

At the top of the climb from storage D&E is Effingham junction itself, a double junction, with crossovers giving access to all 5 platforms plus the goods reception loop, EMU stabling sidings and Forest Road branch. All this pointwork has been ballasted the traditional way with granite chippings and PVA and needs to be eased upwards sufficiently to slip the plates underneath.

 

 

Misting the ballast with water from a spray bottle softened the PVA sufficiently to permit a flat bladed wallpaper scraper to be inserted beneath the track and with much care and not a little muttering the deed was done, amazingly enough without terminal damage to any of the points.

 

The track has now been partially reballasted sufficiently to secure everything and permit test running through the junction. Initial tests with a Hornby King Arthur show that it can now start 6 unmodified Bachmann Mk1 on the 1 in 80 from the signal that protects the junction compared with only 4 previously.

 

The second area that still remains to be done is the top of the climb from storage B&C. This is the section through Canford station, with pointwork for three platforms. This area has not only been ballasted, but is the only part of the layout that has so far been fitted with the third rail.

 

All this will have to be re-done, but the third rail was going to need to be re-done anyway, thanks to the depredations of Ming the Merciless, who had a habit of walking along the permanent way to get to the window to watch the world go by.

 

 

Sections of third rail got displaced by her passage, and those little white insulator pots pinged everywhere. Ming is no longer with us, I hasten to add due to anno domini, not to walking on the third rail. Luckily her successor has not shown any interest in the railway. An 80 kilo Rottweiler/Dobermann cross would definitely not do the track any good.

 

Alan

[Trofimow]

Another of those unintended consequences has popped up....

 

I use the Brian Kirby magnetic uncoupling mod for tension locks, for which there are strategically placed uncoupling magnets at various places beneath the track.

 

Locos that have been fitted with traction magnets for the Powerbase system will not pass these uncoupling magnets. Depending on the relative magnetic polarities, the loco will either stop short with its wheels spinning, or it will lock on to the uncoupling magnet and be unable to move.

 

There is a simple fix:

 

 

The spacing between the magnets works out just right to operate a pair of couplings when aligned along the track.

 

When moved at right angles to the track, the loco passes unimpeded.

[Trofimow]

Well, here we are, 9 months after my last post on this thread.

I had hoped to get so much done to the layout this year after having had so little time for it in 2014, but it was not to be.

I've hardly set foot in the railway room since April, nothing has turned a wheel and this year's new loco and rolling stock releases are still sitting untouched in their boxes. Tumbleweed blows across the layout as whole communities of gremlins are no doubt nesting in the gubbins. In the lounge, half built wagon kits have been sitting in the drinks cabinet all year....

So what happened?

Dementia happened.

 

Father's, not mine, at least not yet! I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that trains have been off the menu and will be for a few more months yet.

Father has now reached the point where we can no longer safely look after him in our house and he has gone into care.

So now it's decision time. I'll finally be retiring in the summer, and by then I will have (hopefully) finished sorting out Father's house and everything that goes with that, so I'll have all the time in the world to devote to the layout. (I will won't I?).

So what should I do? As I've explained in earlier postings, Effingham is a layout that is doing things that it was never originally designed to do and was built using outdated techniques and recycled equipment with all the mishmash of standards that that implies. It also has the usual complement of mistakes and compromises and it would be fair to say that if I was designing it today I wouldn't start from here.

When I can eventually get back to the layout should I institute a gremlin extermination programme and then continue with the not insignificant task of updating by replacing the dozens of solenoid point motors and finish retrofitting the PowerBase plates under the existing track, or should I view retirement as a one off opportunity to rebuild from scratch to modern standards with a revised design, more suited to the way the layout is intended to be operated today, but, of course, with a new set of mistakes and compromises ?

 

Alan
 

[bigwordsmith]

Hi Alan

 

Very sorry to hear about your father - my mother went down the same path and it is very painful to watch someone you love living through that. It can be even more painful for those watching.

 

If you're contemplating a long and happy retirement, and you have too pretty much rebuild the whole thing, then the choice of starting from scratch can be tempting. However  unless you plan to invest heavily in new track anyway, it could also be very costly!

 

Regarding the likelihood of Ming's replacement not taking an interest in the goings on, I'd advise you not to be so confident - Pepper, our 4 Y/O Lhasa Apso is very interested about the happenings at Waverley East as shown below...

 

 

ATB

 

Peter

[Trofimow]

Hi Peter,

 

Thankyou for the kind words. 

 

Yes, cost is going to be a consideration once i'm an OAP, but I would like to take the opportunity to get rid of some of the legacy issues with the layout.  It might be better to re-design for the intended operation rather than trying to work around the existing limitations, although baseboard building, track laying and wiring are not my favourite parts of the hobby.

 

At the moment, this only extends to exploring possibilities in Scarm as time is still in short supply. I'm currently emulating Dr. Beeching by lifting track at Temple Meads on Father's layout. Not an enjoyable experience on any level.

 

As to critters, thankfully, Phoebe has decided that since she can't eat the trains, she's not interested in them, so no worries there....

 

Alan

[Mike Storey]

You have my every sympathy. I retired over three years ago, mainly due to the progressively chronic, ill health of my wife (which is why I am often on here at strange hours), and moved to a place where I would have the space to build my lifelong 00 layout ambition, plus a garden railway (in 1:19 scale). I had spent years collecting most things I would need, and had already built a modest garden railway at our last home in England, which I had to rip up.

 

I was going to have so much spare time, it would be paradise. But things happen - both my mother and mother-in-law had to go into homes and we had to get POA, and our first grandson was born, plus many other things, all of which has taken up huge amounts of time. On top of that, there were lots more urgent "jobs" to do on the house, barns, roofs and garden than I had calculated when we bought it.

 

Consequently, apart from a small test layout, I have done very little towards my dream as yet, indoors or out, although progress is accelerating. You won't have the same hiccoughs as me, but you will have hiccoughs which will drain time like you never imagined.  You say you don't like the baseboards and wiring bit. Thus I recommend you do whatever takes the least time so that you are able to run trains as soon as possible, to keep your mojo bright. After that, you can start thinking about drastic, but incremental changes, if you still think them necessary.

[runs as required]

As I mentioned .. this layout was started in 1997. It's predecessor had met the metaphorical cutting torch in 1987, ....

Consequently, Effingham, as built, was in many ways a child of the 1980's, in terms of equipment, techniques and standards. Much has been updated since, but the legacy of its gestation still remains.

Many things would be done differently if I was starting today as technology, techniques and standards have moved on and lessons have been learned from mistakes made, but the basic design requirements of successfully running 10 coach trains and maintaining access to hidden storage were successfully achieved.

The clever name caught my eye and opened up a most interesting thread facing some important strategic decisions.

First, I'd like to sympathise with your family difficulty in coping with your father's decline. It is the most painful thing to have to witness and react to.

 

As you are hopefully about to move back into the hobby, with a good few decades of retirement ahead it does seem sensible to take stock.

1

First off you will find your reduced purchasing power as an OAP more than offset by the increased amount of time to research, acquire and perform rewarding new skills.

2

So do a quick Strengths and Weaknesses list of skills you enjoy (and would like to foster) versus those (like the baseboard building you mentioned) you dislike but have to undertake. And what's your balance between carrying out projects and running trains?

3

The passage in red above caught my eye . Have you actually itemised those 'Many things' as a critical audit of your system?

4

The next thing I'd like to offer as one who looks back on some wasted opportunities during my long retirement, is that the longer I left things to just get added to and bodged, the less I was physically, as well as mentally, able to re-structure crucial aspects of my projects. In my case - once past the early to mid seventies, I was finding it difficult to crawl into awkward spots (despite being an enthusiastic caver when young!).

5

I recommend identifying explicit task options that rationalise the layout (making the most of the sophisticated electronic kit you've already acquired) and decide between them using Strengths and Weaknesses checks.

'Futureproofing' is virtually impossible, much better to try to incorporate 'adaptability'.

 

Best wishes

dh

Edited December 16, 2015 by runs as required

[lmsforever]

Totally agree with above I have been lucky in that my other half bought me a shed and this has now got my piece of Yorkshire in it but I now tend to simplify what I do in line with my abilities, arthritis in the hands is a bummer but you can overcome it When you do come back to the layout take your time and enjoy the time you spend I thought that I would be in the shed at least four or five times a week but activities cut that down so railway time is value time retirement is great so have fun why not join your local U3A its a way to extend friendships..

[Trofimow]

Some interesting thoughts there....

 

I can see how all the apparently limitless free time can evaporate - things are already being pencilled in for me to do and I've not even retired yet. And who knows what hiccoughs may be in store...

 

A complete rebuild of Effingham would be a major undertaking and not one to be entered into lightly.

 

"the longer I left things to just get added to and bodged" - this pretty much hits the nail on the head; I could continue with work arounds and retro-fits to better adapt the layout to current requirements, but is this ever going to be satisfactory or will it just lead to long term disappointment?

 

I suppose the "critical audit" has so far only existed in my thoughts, but to formalise the main points...

 

The layout was designed for manual sequence operation using analogue DC. Not more than 2 trains would be running at one time. This it did with adequate reliability and flexibility.

Then came DCC and computer control which led to intensive automatic operation with up to 5 trains moving on the visible part of the layout and as many again moving in or out of lower deck storage. This began to show up the limitations and niggles. Reliability and flexibility become much more important. A lot has been done to harmonise wheel and coupling standards, which had been major causes of problems, but other issues are inherent in the design and construction of the layout itself.

 

1. Storage loops had been designed for minimum length of point ladders at each end. Consequently, loops are of varying lengths and the paths in and out are convoluted. Some of the points are very old and not to current standards for check rail clearances, etc.

 

OK for manual sequence operation, but makes timetabling complicated under automatic operation, and increases the risk of derailments.

Proposed solution - rebuild with parallelogram loops all the same length and only requiring one diverging point to enter or exit. Design to be around a standard train of a locomotive and six coaches. Each loop to be able to hold two such trains, or one train of up to 12 coaches.

 

2. Solenoid point motors with Peco sliding microswitches for frog polarity have not been entirely satisfactory for intensive operation, quite apart from the constant noise they make. A start has been made on replacing them with slow action types. A rebuild would probably use servos, as these have worked well on the Faller roadway.

 

3. The layout was converted from analogue to digital piecemeal, learning how to do it in the process.
Consequently the wiring is not structured in any way, and has been continually added to. This makes gremlins difficult to locate. Also it has not been possible to modify the already laid points to be DCC friendly, although to be fair, this has not caused any apparent issues. I’d also feed point control and track from separate DCC breakers, and probably add at least one additional power district.

 

4 Gradients. To make the rising gradients from lower deck storage manageable, falling gradients are as steep as 1 in 30. This requires  feedback control, either analogue or digital, to prevent heavy trains running away downhill while out of sight. I am concerned that some RTR models are now incorporating coreless motors, which do not like feedback control and my steep descents may become a problem in the future. Rising gradients have now been retrofitted with DCC Concepts Powerbase system, which has proved successful and would be incorporated throughout in a rebuild.

 

5. Basic design errors. There are places where hidden storage entry has been placed too close to a change of gradient or curvature.  I’d seek to avoid this in a redesign.

 

6. The Faller roadway was quite literally an afterthought. Consequently, it looks like one, and also has steeper than desirable gradients and areas of restricted access. It would be far better if integrated properly from scratch.

 

I think this summarises the main areas of concern.

 

Alan

[Trofimow]

Gosh, it's been a long time since I last had the opportunity to do anything on the layout... almost 2 years since the last post!

 

It's still not going to happen for a while, but a lot of time and thought has been going into the planning for Effingham Mk2.

SCARM has been getting quite a workout and the complex 3 dimensional puzzle of how to fit sufficient lower deck storage loops into the space available is pretty much finalised. Hopefully the shortcomings of the previous layout have been avoided. Time will tell how many new ones have been unwittingly incorporated!

 

Meanwhile, I have at last got space for a workbench, and a little time to use it, so time to catch up with some of those half finshed projects, part built kits and such like. I'm also trying to learn how to do weathering. Here's a first attempt. Looks like a need to give the areas around the chimneys a little attention. Maybe those duckets too.

 

[Trofimow]

While selling off my late Father's train stuff, I came upon a number of these, variously in GWR, LMS and NE liveries, mostly Mainline specimens from way back. They did not raise much interest on Ebay, so I figured I might as well keep them and see if I can find a use for them.

 

 

Paul Bartlett has a picture on his website of a train of lowfits loaded with Fordson tractors, and I believe one of the magazines recently ran a photo of a similar train, so let's have a go at emulating that....

 

First up is to fit metal wheels and ensure that all couplings are a similar type.

 

 

Then the wagon bodies will get a repaint in bauxite and relettering using the appropriate sheet from Cambridge Custom Transfers.  I know that means some will have numbers from the wrong diagram, and the underframe detail won't be accurate. Effingham is all about operation, and I'm hoping to create a train that looks passable rattling through on the down slow, not making highly accurate wagons that are going to sit on the front of the layout to be scrutnised at close range.

 

 

[Trofimow]

A bit of progress has been made on the lowfits, all now resprayed and transfers applied...

 

 

And wagon floors repainted in weathered wood effects, all different, and the tie down rings highlighted with metalcote ...

 

 

Just about ready to add a little weathering next, then fit the tractor loads.

 

 

[Trofimow]

Take one stack of lowfits

 

 

 

and add Oxford Diecast tractors, roped down as per photo purchased from Paul Bartlett's website

 

 

 

There's 15 of these to do, but a couple at a time is all I can cope with for the sake of my sanity...

 

 

[Trofimow]

After ages wielding a darning needle under a magnifying glass, and a major trial of my patience, this

 

 

Has become this

 

 

So the train of tractors is finished at last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Trofimow]

Well, amazingly it's just over 2 years since I last posted anything on this thread, but life has eventually moved on to the point where a rebuild of the layout might be possible.

 

Effingham has been completely dismantled and is no more.  Much time and effort has gone into planning Effingham Mk2 in the hope of avoiding the shortcomings of the previous layout. That was originally designed as something relatively simple and evolved over time into a much more complex automated layout with many issues as a legacy of that evolutionary process.

 

Much will stay the same. Effingham Mk2 will stll be SR 1960ish, it will still be a 4 track main line splitting into 2 double track routes and will still have an additional single track cross country branch. It will still have storage on lower decks, but this is now purpose designed for automation rather than having just sort of happened.

 

Building this monster single handed will take a while. The first problem is what to do with everything that's been removed from the old layout in the meantime...

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by Trofimow
restoring lost picture

[Trofimow]

Progress does happen eventually!

 

The first baseboard structure is beginning to appear.

 

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by Trofimow
Restoring lost picture

[Trofimow]

Quote

 

 

Track laying starts at last. The first one third of bottom level storage loops.