Small Introductory Layout

[josh993]

Evening All 

Following on from Potterbourne, which I started a mere 5 years ago would you believe! I thought it was about time to start on something else.

 

After finishing Potterbourne, I said my next steps would be in 2mm finescale to allow me to work on larger projects in a smaller space without compromising the realistic finescale appearance.

 

So having dipped my toes with a few wagon kits and converting a class 24, I thought it was about time to start a small test track/layout. I had previously started to plan a similar project before I moved away to study for a couple of years as part of a modern apprenticeship scheme, however the training is now coming to an end and I am gradually getting my free time back.

 

This post may come across in a log style format as work began on the project in January, and I have only got round to typing something up and sorting through my photos over the last few days

 

So an overview; I limited the size of the test track to 750 x 200mm, and have incorporated an inglenook idea so the layout will consist of 2 small turnouts, using the minimum turnout V size I would use on any larger future project. Although I have named this a test track, it is more likely to become a test layout as I plan to test scenic ideas on the layout too, and perhaps in the long run, if it all goes well it could be used as a small demonstration on the 2mm stand at exhibitions?

 

Having finalised a plan in templot, I began to construct the baseboard from 9mm Ply. Once the based board was completed, the templot plan was glued to it.

 

 

 

 

In a view to making the layout scenic, the entrance point would be over a small road bridge. The road would then follow round and up to what would be a goods yard area, which will be based on a fictional rural Easternly area.

 

 

 

I have used a combination of easitrac and PCB components for this layout, as I felt in terms of operation and maintenance it would be more reliable than solely using easitrac, yet allowed me to keep up the appearance of finescale track work. For the straight track I mainly used easitrac sprues, with a PCB sleep spaced every 6 inches or so. With the point work, I decided to use PCB for the areas which would need to be structurally solid in terms to expansion and general wear and easitrac sleepers and chairs for the less crucial parts. I started by laying the straight section, which in the long run will become the off scene/fiddle yard section of the layout. I then started on the entrance point, and have worked my way to the other end of the layout since then, as the photos below show.

 

 

Having completed all of the track work and whilst trying to prolong wiring, I decided to make up and fit 3 buffer stops to the ends of each of the sidings. I have now began to work on wiring the layout, and the first loco moved under its own power on the layout last Friday. Attention has now turn to completing the TOUs and installing point motors, so the rest of the layout can be wired up and tested, as I was limited to how much I could test without switches for the turnouts crossing polarities.

 

 

Over the last few days I have managed to wire up 80% of the layout, and now just waiting for a few bits and pieces to complete the wiring for the TOU switches. I can now however operate the layout and test all the track work, which so far seems to be okay! 

 

Having tested the trackwork and layout wiring over the last few nights, I decided tonight to give the scenic track work an undercoat of primer and I then began to pick out the rails using a light brown colour to represent rust/dirt.

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps future updates will be in a more uniformly manner.....!

 

[2mmMark]

A very promising start.  I shall follow this with interest.

 

For inspiration how about:

http://www.scalefour.org/shows/S4um2011/croft.html

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/croft_spa/index0.shtml

 

I know it's NE rather than GE, but the theme is similar.

 

Mark

[Nigelcliffe]

Looking good Josh.    One suggestion: if you can, test your track with a four wheeled loco.  Farish 24's are very tolerant of minor irregularities which cause pickup issues, whereas an 0-4-0 will usually show everything.  If no loco, then its possible to create a test wagon with pickups to wheel treads and a resistor/LED which glows as it is propelled around.  Track problems are easier to correct before the scenery is applied !

 

- Nigel

[josh993]

A very promising start.  I shall follow this with interest.

 

For inspiration how about:

http://www.scalefour.org/shows/S4um2011/croft.html

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/croft_spa/index0.shtml

 

I know it's NE rather than GE, but the theme is similar.

 

Mark

 

Thanks Mark. A while back before finally settling on 2mm finescale, I did go through a phase where I contemplated EM or P4, in which I went to the Scalefour Exhibition at Leatherhead where I managed to somehow lend up operating Croft Depot for a good hour! I have taken some ideas from that as it really does show off what can be achieved in a small place, much like Mayfield Street, Tucking Mill & Highbury Colliery.

 

Looking good Josh.    One suggestion: if you can, test your track with a four wheeled loco.  Farish 24's are very tolerant of minor irregularities which cause pickup issues, whereas an 0-4-0 will usually show everything.  If no loco, then its possible to create a test wagon with pickups to wheel treads and a resistor/LED which glows as it is propelled around.  Track problems are easier to correct before the scenery is applied !

 

- Nigel

 

Thanks Nigel. I had envisaged that the class 24 might not have been the best loco to find problems with the track, I did however use it to propel a group of wagons which haven't been weighted yet at various speeds to check for defects (I thought being light, would make them easier to derail if there are any defects?) but I didn't take into account pickups. I may look at knocking something like that up over the next week or two before I go any further, as I am in much agreeance with your comment that track problems should be thoroughly tested and ironed out at the earliest possible stage.

 

I don't plant to progress the scenics much more until I have a small rake of wagons, which are weighted and have couplings fitted, which will allow me to really test the quality of the track work. I've also got a new Farish Jinty waiting to be converted, which perhaps would also be a better test for the track work.

Edited March 26, 2015 by josh993

[Donw]

Josh I would agree that pushing wagons is a good test for track. The Jinty will make a good loco to test with as well. You are off to a good start. Welcome to 2mFS

 

Don

[westerner]

Looking good Josh. When you talked to me last night I hadn't realised you had made so much progress. Liked the baseboards, a little more sophisticated than Potterbourne's. Keep going at it.

[chrisf]

Josh, I was wondering what had happened to you.  There are some very supportive and clever people in 2mmFS so you should feel at home.  It is the sort of environment where careful testing is so, so much better an idea than rushing headlong into the unknown.  Well done so far!

 

Chris

[bcnPete]

Very nice - watching with interest

[RichardW1]

Well done- I have noticed a trend in 2 mm layouts from, your own work to big layouts. That. Is how neat the work during construction remains.

 

......now if the camera was turned around!

[josh993]

 

Josh, I was wondering what had happened to you.  There are some very supportive and clever people in 2mmFS so you should feel at home.  It is the sort of environment where careful testing is so, so much better an idea than rushing headlong into the unknown.  Well done so far!

 

Chris

 

Thanks Chris. I'm still here, just much distracted by College, Work, Firing on Preserved Railways, and other things......! 

Here's a shot taken from last week, where I had a week off which mostly consisted of firing this & the 9F, Black Prince. 

 

 

Well done- I have noticed a trend in 2 mm layouts from, your own work to big layouts. That. Is how neat the work during construction remains.

......now if the camera was turned around!

 

 

Thanks Richard, I like to think I have a nice and tidy work area, I can't seem to get the enthusiasm to do anything if my workbench is in a mess, so a good amount of time is normally spent tidying before and/or after modelling!! In my current situation I also have to unpack and pack away everything whenever I do anything, which also helps the tidiness.

Any who, having had a week off which as mentioned above was mostly spent playing on the real things and catching up with family and friends, I'm now back to reality for a few weeks, and having collected a few bits and pieces from home which were holding progress back, hopefully there will be a few more regular updates.

Here's a quick picture from last night, where I started a bit of landscaping work on the front of the layout.

 

I intend to progress with the Jinty conversion, make up a couple of couplings and finish the last bits of wiring, to allow me to carry out further tests on the layout before I progress with anymore detailing work around the track, just in case any tweaks are needed.

[westerner]

Good to see Josh. Is that Moderoc over the foam or just filler?

[josh993]

So the last couple of weeks have been spent doing various tasks on the layout.

I began with finishing the wiring for the point motors, once this was completed I began testing the track work a little more thoroughly with the Farish 24 and a few kit built wagons. The track work seemed to be okay, and everything ran faultlessly.

 

I then moved onto the Jinty, the conversion kit arrived so I set aside a couple of evenings to fit the 2mm conversion. I was really impressed with the conversion, however the loco seemed to stall just off top dead centre and bottom dead centre, but when removed from the track the couplings rods/wheels didn't appear to be tight, I spent a few hours playing around with this and did begin to get it to improve, however in the end I think I may have opened up the coupling rods a little to much, so I have ordered another set of rods to have a play with. Afterwards, I wondered if the problem may have been associated with dirt/bad pickups, so will be giving the trackwork and wheels a proper clean before having another go. Anyway, I did get it to the stage where I could try it through the trackwork, it performed very well but showed up a couple of tight points between the V's and check rails, and also a slight high point over the narrow piece of baseboard where the bridge is located.

 

 

Moving on from testing, I've made a start on the bridge at the left hand end of the layout, it still needs a few bits of plasticard here and there to finish it off but on the whole it's coming along very well. With this in place, I was able to fit the rest of the polystrene and create the basic shape of the land and road which leads to the goods yard. The track work was then given a top coat of dark brown, unfortunately this had to be tediously applied by brush as my airbrush is a mere 400 miles away at home, but it's all finished now! 

 

After this I've been playing around with goods sheds, I first built a mock of a small typical M&GN goods shed using drawings in one of Nigel Digbys books, but this appeared to be a bit big, I then moved onto other ideas, and made a model of a smaller GER style goods shed based on the one at Hadham on the Buntingford branch, however this looked to small. After this, I used both sets of dimensions to create a "Medium" size shed which seems to fit the bill! I also mocked up a coal staithe and a short fence which sugar beet would beet stored against for loading onto wagons. I think a loading gauge will be designed and fitted to the left hand side of this. 

 

Apart from that, I've been building a few more wagon chassis's and also started to experiment with ballasting on the two shorter sidings.

 

Anyway, I'll let the pictures do the talking!

 

Idea 1 - M&GN Goods Shed

 

 

Idea 2 - GER Goods Shed

 

 

Idea 3 - Combined Sized Shed

 

 

And a few pictures of the overall progress

 

 

 

 

[westerner]

Good to see it progressing and being small it will be easy to bring back to Norfolk.

[Caley Jim]

............., it performed very well but showed up a couple of tight points between the V's and check rails, ........

 

Have you checked the back-to-backs of the loco wheels?  Sometimes if they are slightly tight (i.e. the gauge does not slip in easily) it can make them tight going through the crossings, especially if the between checks is a little wide.   I remember Anthony's 08 stuttered going through crossings until he found that the centre wheels were a tad under gauge.

 

Nice to see such good progress.  Wish I could get the time these days!

 

Jim

[westerner]

When will us Norfolk types see it in the flesh Josh?

[Donw]

This shows the value of mock ups saves you wasting your time on something that won't suit. Coming on very nicely.

Don

[Caley Jim]

...... I was really impressed with the conversion, however the loco seemed to stall just off top dead centre and bottom dead centre, but when removed from the track the couplings rods/wheels didn't appear to be tight, .....

I meant to comment on this in my last post.  Are you certain that the quartering is spot on? Try setting the rods on one side at top, or bottom, dead centre.  Then turn the loco over without allowing the wheels to move.  Now look at the cranks on this side and see if they all lie at the same angle, ideally horizontal, or at least near it.  If any of them don't, place a small screwdriver between the spokes on that wheel and gently turn it slightly to the correct position.  I've often found that the problem you describe can be cured, or at least greatly reduced this way and it's worth repeating it several times.  If the running gets worse, then undo the last adjustment a wee bit..  A bit of running in can help too.

 

Jim

[autocoupler942]

I meant to comment on this in my last post.  Are you certain that the quartering is spot on? Try setting the rods on one side at top, or bottom, dead centre.  Then turn the loco over without allowing the wheels to move.  Now look at the cranks on this side and see if they all lie at the same angle, ideally horizontal, or at least near it.  If any of them don't, place a small screwdriver between the spokes on that wheel and gently turn it slightly to the correct position.  I've often found that the problem you describe can be cured, or at least greatly reduced this way and it's worth repeating it several times.  If the running gets worse, then undo the last adjustment a wee bit..  A bit of running in can help too.

 

Jim

A tip I picked up from Alan Brasier years ago - 

Arrange a test track on your work bench at eye level and site a mirror the other side of the loco. Run the loco until it jams. You will be able to see both sides at once and spot just which crankpin is at fault without touching the loco. I had previously  found that lifting the loco to see the other side can sometimes unlock the jam before you identify the culprit (especially if the axles are sprung). A pen and notepad might be handy to record what's happening -  especially the reverse image in the mirror. (ps I have to admire how dentists work with mirror images!)

[bcnPete]

Hi Josh,

 

Just found this again whilst looking for something - any more progress to report?

 

Pete

[josh993]

Hi Pete,

 

Thanks for your bump!

Things are still progressing at there usual rate of all or nothing! I haven't really done a great deal in 2mm recently but the layout has progressed a little bit since the last update so I'll try and dig out some pictures. The layout was built inside a cameo style box and some more ballasting and weathering was completed. Unfortunately, as I was testing things further, it appeared where I have thinned the ply to suit the depth of the bridge the ply has some what warped a little, and I fear enough to cause somewhat problems with the tolerances in 2mm. Since then, I have sort of came to a dead stop as I couldn't really fathom a way to rectify the problem without causing some form of destruction!

 

As it was then placed onto the shelf which it so nicely fits on in the workshop, I have since been somewhat distracted by some 7mm temptations, and I am now on my 6th or 7th Parkside kit I think..... and I have also in the true spirit of starting something else without finishing my previous project started on a 7mm Cameo Layout Easton Mills, which along with firing on a preserved line and a new job has somewhat taken over what time I have for modelling, let alone 2mm!

 

I would like to get back to it at some point, and maybe need to do some rethinking on the "hump" and find a solution.