Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[5BarVT]

5 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

That means as much to me as "A--bop-a-loo-bop, A-lop-bam-boom!" does to many other people. 

That’s ‘cos you missed the “Clive stop reading here sign” - “The configuration is fairly standard for an NCE DCC system.”

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

That means as much to me as "A--bop-a-loo-bop, A-lop-bam-boom!" does to many other people. 

 

 

Tutti Frutti? Nice ice cream.

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Marcus (http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/nswmn2/DCC.htm) emailed me last night to suggest that the symptoms sound like a cab bus problem, possibly within the command station. I'm going to call him later today to talk this through.

I've spoken to Marcus and he thinks that the problem is probably with one of the PCBs in the command station - the upper one, which has all the "smarts" for managing the DCC signals, or the lower one, which acts as the communications gateway with the cab bus. On the basis that the lower one will be simpler and quicker (= cheaper) to fix, we're going to start there, possibly the weekend after next. In the meantime, I'll do the standard check that both PCBs are seated properly.

[Barry O]

15 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Tutti Frutti? Nice ice cream.

be even better if Oz and NZ knew what "Monkeys Blood" is...

 

[St Enodoc]

A bit more on the two desktop exercises.

 

I still wasn't happy with the look of the non-door end of the signal box, so I've tried a proper Ratio double 3/2 window instead. It's slightly narrow, but only by about 2mm on each side, and I think it will look better overall than the Dornaplas ones.

 

At the other end, the lone window on the Branch side is, I think, actually the toilet window, so 3/2 sliding sashes aren't really the right thing here. I'll have to cobble something up with some fixed panes and a top-hinged casement at the top, either using the Dornaplas windows as a basis or some Ratio 139 plain windows that I've ordered (you can never have too many spare windows). No photos until I've thought this through a bit more.

 

Now the Barry slip.

 

I'm still sure that a "pure" A5 version won't work but I've sketched out a "modeller's" version that should.

 

I started with a 1 in 5 diamond, with vees 165mm apart. I measured 25mm from each vee for the tiebars, to make sure there's room for the blades to move, and just drew in a 30" radius curve between the tiebars. It's not a perfect fit of course but, taking into account the width of the pencil lines and my inability to build points to high levels of precision anyway, I'm pretty sure it will work. I've got a 1 in 5 single slip in use already and geometrically this isn't too different (but don't tell any real PW engineers what I've done).

 

I'll put that to bed now until it's time to set out Polperran at full size.

Edited June 28, 2023 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[St Enodoc]

On 13/02/2021 at 02:56, Nick C said:

Do you need to have access from all the roads on the right to the left-hand fan? If you only need one as a headshunt, you don't need a double-slip there - if the headshunt is one of the roads nearer the bottom of the image, you could use a barry slip instead, in which case you might be able to play with the overlaps a bit to get it to fit in?

 

Are all the sidings the same length, or are the ones towards the bottom of the image shorter than the ones at the top? I can't make out that bit in the plan a few pages back!

 

Nick's comment reminded me that it was time to update the "as built" project plan, now that the St Enodoc station boards are erected and the line between there and Porthmellyn Road is complete (almost).

 

This shows everything that's built so far plus the missing bits of track across the baseboard join at the Up end of St Enodoc, which won't go in until I've done as much work as possible with the boards propped up on their sides before fixing them permanently.

 

Polperran is the narrow vertical section to the right of St Enodoc. Ignoring the two curve radii for the Penzance throat, you can see track 6 marked boldly with the other nine tracks and the fans shown by faint lines. The bottom end of the bold track 6 line is where the line to Treloggan Junction leads off, either via the double slip or the Barry slip. There isn't much room to play with here, because I decided a while ago that Pentowan (the terminus) should have the platforms at the top and the carriage sidings below, like the prototype and not the other way round as per my original thoughts. This meant moving the approach to Pentowan upwards about 200mm, which compressed everything else between there and the Penzance throat board. I still think that it will work, though...

Edited June 28, 2023 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[LNER4479]

Ahhhh ... graph paper and pencil. Now that I DO understand 

[The Fatadder]

Looks far more complicated than Templot to me!

[St Enodoc]

On 26/02/2021 at 00:50, LNER4479 said:

Ahhhh ... graph paper and pencil. Now that I DO understand 

Yep, the old ways are best.

 

The working drawing also uses Blu-Tak and map pins:

 

What's not to like?

Edited June 28, 2023 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[KingEdwardII]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

What's not to like?

I think I'll stick with my computer layout plan and printouts...

 

[Clive Mortimore]

Na, Peco templates and wallpaper backing paper.

 

 

Then plonk some track and locos on it to get the feel before popping down to B&Q and getting the baseboard materials.

 

 

It did evolve into a working layout.

"Another f'ing diesel depot" says the disgruntled punter........ Only 3 scratchbuilt locos on display.

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

The outline of my track was sketched out freehand on graph paper. Some complex bits were detailed up in Anyrail. To test out I put decorating lining paper on the floor and transferred the design to that with Peco templates for the points and some curves made from anyrail plots. Then as with Clive I stuck a few trains on th to check how it looked. 

The shape of boards needed was drawn on the lining paper to use as a template. Then I pinned the pattern to the finished baseboards to mark out the track alignment. 

Sounds complex but really quite simple and straightforward.

[Clive Mortimore]

5 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

The outline of my track was sketched out freehand on graph paper. Some complex bits were detailed up in Anyrail. To test out I put decorating lining paper on the floor and transferred the design to that with Peco templates for the points and some curves made from anyrail plots. Then as with Clive I stuck a few trains on th to check how it looked. 

The shape of boards needed was drawn on the lining paper to use as a template. Then I pinned the pattern to the finished baseboards to mark out the track alignment. 

Sounds complex but really quite simple and straightforward.

Hi Eric

 

Anyrail is great, I used it for doing Sheffield Exchange. No good if if like John you make your own points, or like Graham you twist and bend Mr Peco's.

I didn't need to buy track or make baseboards, just push the trains around.

 

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Eric

 

Anyrail is great, I used it for doing Sheffield Exchange. No good if if like John you make your own points, or like Graham you twist and bend Mr Peco's.

I didn't need to buy track or make baseboards, just push the trains around.

 

Serious question - can Anyrail do transition curves?

[Clive Mortimore]

2 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Serious question - can Anyrail do transition curves?

Hi Sainty

 

Yes and no.

 

No it will not draw them for you.

Yes you can draw your own.

 

I drew and made Sheff Ex with fixed radius arcs so I could fit things in.

[Chamby]

8 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Serious question - can Anyrail do transition curves?

I use tracksetta’s for transition curves.  
 

Laid track is fixed radius into straight...  tracksetta’s of increasing radius used to realign the curve:

 

[KingEdwardII]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Serious question - can Anyrail do transition curves?

I think that Anyrail, like XtrackCad, can do Bezier curves. I use Bezier curves most of the time in XtrackCad to get smooth transitions from straight to curved track, with the advantage of being able to use the control points to get the largest minimum radius possible for the curve. In XtrackCad, as you move a control point, the effective minimum radius is continuously updated on-screen.

 

The downside of Bezier curves is that you need to know the location and direction of each end of the curve, which can take some trial and error in more complex cases. But this being software, doing trials and making changes is pretty quick.

 

Yours, Mike.

[The Fatadder]

Every time I start a new layout I find it takes me a while to relearn how to use Templot, but once I have got the hang of it again its pretty rapid to get to a full plan (then a lot slower to add the find detail, make corrections to misaligned sleepers)

 

Earlier in the design overlaying track over an edited compressed image of the prototype, a really helpful feature of the software.

The final Templot plan for Brent overlaid with the baseboard outlines.

 

Track plan printed out and ready to start building track

[St Enodoc]

I did some more work on 8485 yesterday, even though the numberplates still haven't arrived from Ayrshire.

 

The couplings were easy, just screwed to the tops of the NEM pockets. The crew are still attached to the lumps of plastic into which their feet are embedded, as those can't be seen with the cab doors in place. The doors themselves were slightly challenging, as I haven't got a pair of tweezers that bend the right way to pull them into place for gluing. In the end I used a blob of Black Tack to pull them into the openings while I ran solvent round the joins. I painted the side rods with Humbrol 29, straight from the tin without stirring, and the coal is sprinkled on a layer of PVA.

 

I tried my best to fit the vacuum and steam pipes below the footplate but they were too fiddly for me so I gave up.

 

Finally, this will be the Porthmellyn Road station pilot so it carries shunting lamps, a red and a white at each end. The white lamps should both be on the main line side but I had a brain snap and fitted them opposite ways round. Never mind. Only you and I know.

 

Photos when the plates eventually arrive.

[Mulgabill]

Can't you just turn the loco round?????

 

TONY

[St Enodoc]

51 minutes ago, Mulgabill said:

Can't you just turn the loco round?????

 

TONY

Yes and no Tony. The way it's turned out, whichever way round the loco is one end has a white light nearest the main line and the other end has a red. At least that means that I can vary which way round the loco is from time to time, although the reference picture I've seen shows it with the chimney at the down end.

[St Enodoc]

The Ratio windows arrived today, so I thought I'd try another dry run.

 

I think this is the best fit of the three so far. The Ratio windows are a finer moulding than the Dornaplas ones and by combining four 3x2 panes I can get a 4x4 that is just the right size.

 

The slightly narrow window at the end should be OK, as that end won't be seen very often unless you peer over the backscene in front of Polperran.

 

As always, I'll leave it be for a while before I make my final decision.

Edited June 28, 2023 by St Enodoc
Images restored

[Nick Gough]

31 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

The Ratio windows arrived today, so I thought I'd try another dry run.

 

I think this is the best fit of the three so far. The Ratio windows are a finer moulding than the Dornaplas ones and by combining four 3x2 panes I can get a 4x4 that is just the right size.

 

The slightly narrow window at the end should be OK, as that end won't be seen very often unless you peer over the backscene in front of Polperran.

 

As always, I'll leave it be for a while before I make my final decision.

May I ask the dimensions of the Ratio windows please?

 

I'm wondering whether they are suitable for my box.

[St Enodoc]

16 minutes ago, Nick Gough said:

May I ask the dimensions of the Ratio windows please?

 

I'm wondering whether they are suitable for my box.

Nick, they are 16mm x 9mm over the frames.

[Nick Gough]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Nick, they are 16mm x 9mm over the frames.

Thanks.

Is that for the narrow windows? It sounds a bit small for what I need.

 

The spaces I've got to fill are 16mm tall by 27mm wide which would be for a pair of windows between each of the upright posts.