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Herculaneum Dock


Michael Edge
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Some photos of recent progress, nearly all the fiddle yard track is now laid, just a few bits missing which are not really required for Herculaneum anyway.

 

attachicon.gifDSCF3757s.jpg

 

Looking in the down direction, all tidied up now with a few test trains which seem very small now. The control panel is in the middle within easy reach from the main panel at the other side. Only one controller position here which will be used for local stock movement, the trains will continue to be run from the main panel at Brunswick.

 

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Not quite so tidy looking the other way.

 

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The control panel, this includes some tracks and junctions for the next layout as well as Herculaneum. The new fiddle yard has Tortoise point motors which are worked by the switches with red rings round them. The track diagram is drawn like a signal box with a normal/reversed setting for each turnout. The switches are on-off-(0n), the on position reverse the points, holding down the (on) position returns them to normal, the equivalent of putting the lever back in the frame. This system was developed for Carlisle to allow points to be controlled from multiple locations around this vast layout, not so important for mine but it works well. The tortoises are set to keep the point blades closed even when the power is off.

Each loop is divided into two sections, the gap towards the end where the loco will be, point switches set both ends of the loops together. There are two crossovers, the long one will be a siding for returning bankers to Wentworth Junction and has two sections in it. For Herculaneum the far two tracks are for shunting goods (particularly coal) trains, hence the crossover in the middle.

The long handled switches are for the uncoupling magnets, an alternative to rather unreliable push buttons.

The sections shown in black have simple on/off switches to the next section, the coloured ones are 3 position - centre off, down to link to the fiddle yard controller, up to link through to each end. This combined with the usual link switches allows the Brunswick panel to drive through the fiddle yard. The turntable will just be a push round affair, to avoid lifting locos off the track as far as possible.

 

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Close up of part of the panel and the dual gauge track on the inside of the fiddle yard. This takes advantage of EM-2 gauge to give me an EM test track as well. The EM society track gauges are ideal for this, using one running rail slot and one check rail slot gives 16.2mm gauge, if I laid another rail inside I would have a 14.2 gauge as well - but I very rarely get to build to this, most of my TT locos are 12mm gauge.

Very nice Mike. Perhaps for younger readers a description of how the link switches work would be of interest - as in the time-honoured cry "TURN YER LINKS OFF!!!!!".

Edited by St Enodoc
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So once Warley is over it looks like we may need to do some intensive testing before you refit the hidden bits of overhead? Wooopiddooo!

 

Could be more mineral wagons may be required.

 

Baz

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Very nice Mike. Perhaps for younger readers a description of how the link switches work would be of interest - as in the time-honoured cry "TURN YER LINKS OFF!!!!!".

I think there's an expletive missing there John.

However a quick explanation of links for "younger readers". This is a system of controlling large and complex layouts with several different control panels, taking a single track system as an example it works as follows.

Between each control position there is a length of track at least one train long which is not on either of them. This is the link section, either panel can access it by means of a link switch which connects it to the end section of the panel - not to the controller. This allows either panel to drive on to the link and also adds flexibility, if the link switch on the next panel is on as well (but the next section not connected to its controller) then the first panel can drive right through. This is the purpose of the "link through" position on my new panel - to allow the other panel to link all the way through the fiddle yard panel without connecting to its controller.

If one operator inadvertantly leaves the link switch on a short circuit or feed through results - hence the familiar LMRC yell.

With this system very large DC systems can be run effectively from one control position if necessary, on previous club layouts such as Leeds Victoria we used the system to hand over control between panels without stopping the trains, the second operator had to match controller setting and direction before switching his link off and all being well the train continued on its way. It's not new, I remember reading about it in Model Railway News back in the 1950s.

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We went, we did some playing trains system testing and I came away with some concerns as I seem to have mislaid a coach, a loco and I need to fix some controllers.

 

BUT the railway works so much better now it goes all the way round! No more cassettes  :sungum:

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and somewhere there is a picture to prove we were there..... Hint!

As requested, photo of myself, Barry O and Nick toix on the first proper running session. Everything went pretty well, only a few modifications seen to be necessary at this stage.

 

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Meant to add the link switches worked well.

 

Propelling a long train of coal fulls around a fierce curve is interesting but the ability to do so says a lot about track laying and point building by Mike.

 

Baz

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Having talked to Charlie at dc kits could be one of these needs a sound chip fitting..

 

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That would keep the dock operator awake!

It's got to have a continuous bell though (when it's moving) and it should be timed to the wheels as well. 34 doesn't actually have a bell but 32 does.

 

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waiting for the outcomes of some loco testing Mike has been doing - hopefully some of my locos should be OK as it is nice to see things like:

 

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ex GCR locos

 

Baz

 

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