RMweb Premium Bogie Posted May 16, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 16, 2019 Fortune favours the brave as they say! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted May 18, 2019 Author Share Posted May 18, 2019 (edited) Morning All..... Just a quick update (from work)......just to say that I am persevering with the current wire in tube process despite encountering quite irritating issues after seemingly all was well..... ......the attached wire to the 'pip' fine seemingly, the first crank also working well as did the second and third, then all seemed to fail, attaching the fourth turn to the board, again working well, on testing the second and third cranks had issues with the wires slipping through the end holes, attempting to tighten, I bent the second crank out of shape so nothing moved.....! I wasn't amused with myself at all for a time...so left it and will return to rebuild the run, having removed the second and third cranks.....will have to reorder further cranks and bases as I have ruined the stock I had to hand..... My immediate reaction after this rather frustrating experience and my thoughts running ahead to potential further delays, is to say 'that's it'....'Hand of God' it is from now on...but that was last night....will let you know...! Hey ho...you live and learn...... Regards always.... Bob Edited May 18, 2019 by BobM 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin Streeting Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 we all have days like that... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted May 19, 2019 Author Share Posted May 19, 2019 (edited) Haven't done anything further yet guys on correcting my 'mess up'....day today volunteering on the svr at Arley (preparations for laying Cedec after removing tons of old, compacted Cotswold Chippings)... hoping to return to it tomorrow or Tuesday .... Have a great week... Regards always, Bob Edited May 19, 2019 by BobM 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 (edited) Evening my dear friends....hope all are well and your weekend went well....? Just to say that I have returned to the fray and have I believe rectified a situation that to me could have been 'problematic' with the wire in tube point control that went 'haywire' last week which sent my self confidence levels in my abilities to continue plummeting , to build in a system utilising anything else other than 'han control' to throw the points...... With an hour or so spent on the double slip that was causing me concern, I do have now half a 'double slip working' being thrown with the use of cranks once more, the wire (although it is not perfect) being attached to a rod which gives greater strength to the whole set up, and as I am the only who is likely to see the set up, I can live with it.......the double slip itself is thankfully, one which will be used rather infrequently...... Will keep you all updated on the progress to connect up the remaining throw on the slip...... Regards always to all..... Bob Edited May 20, 2019 by BobM 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 (edited) Hi..... Just to say that I have spent an hour on Cambrian Street this evening, and how this has happened I know not, but I have a 'functioning' double slip, thrown by cranks and wires....not on a lever frame but brass rods, may not be engineeringly brilliant, but it works and that makes me happy....hope it lasts...! Will keep the updates coming when able.... Take care guys... Bob Edited May 21, 2019 by BobM 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted May 24, 2019 Author Share Posted May 24, 2019 (edited) Hi Guys..... Just a quick note to say that happily the wire in tube set up remains operational....although the glue (PVA) I use to fix the tubing own appeared to become loose when camouflaged with a wash paint, maybe the thinners used destroyed the adhesion....reinstalled the the screws in the meantime will apply glue once more when the surrounding paint dries... ......have initially painted both the sleepers and rail sides with the area surrounding the slip painted prior to 'gentle ballasting', I intend to avoid the sensitive areas for now and return when a little more confident.... Regards always.... Bob Edited May 24, 2019 by BobM 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted May 24, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 24, 2019 Looks good Bob. Try a touch of hot glue for the tube mate just a few small blobs and push them down before they set hard so they flatten out over the top of the tubes. Regards Lez. P.S. Sorry it's been a while since I contributed Bob I've been rather unwell. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Yes as Lez says, Hot Glue Gun, or even a little UHU type glue, (I get mine from the local DIY Shop). Sorry to hear you've been un-well Lez, hope you better soon. All looking rather good Bob, some good progress now and it shows. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted May 29, 2019 Author Share Posted May 29, 2019 (edited) Evening Guys.....Hope all are keeping well....? Any of you kind souls, who keep themselves appraised of what I am doing on here, will be well aware that I am not one perhaps to take 'risks' when undertaking anything on this layout, as Cambrian Street (as I've mentioned before, is very much a continued learning curve) is primarily to ease myself back into modelling and layout building after a 45 year gap? With the above in mind, that I have taken the following steps..... Have begun to ballast around the double slip that has been 'tube and wired' for point control.... as I didn't wish to make a complete mess of it I initially painted around the point to camouflage the cork beneath.....this evening I followed the following procedure, which I am comfortable with and hopefully will slowly 'ballast' the point step by step so that I do not 'gum up' the working areas of the slip to the point where it becomes inoperative? So. using a slightly greater volume of PVA to water than the normal 'flooding method' after placing ballast down, this thicker mixture' was applied with a small brush between the sleepers and along the 'cess' then sprinkled very carefully with ballast, pressing this into the glue where necessary...... also so you know, as I had boxed myself in (again a lesson I have now learnt for the future to plan more at the beginning) to the point where there was no room on the board where the wire in tube control should have been attached to the lever frame coud be comfortably accommodated, so thinking on my feet I have attached one end of a connector (the brass bit out of wire connector) to the control wire then with a brass tube threaded over the wire into the connector and screwed down to hold the whole thing firm, another connector then screwed down onto the end of the rod to act as a grab and push / pull....seems to work fine.....so happy with it..... Comments as always appreciated.... Take care guys... Regards always.... Bob Edited May 29, 2019 by BobM 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted May 30, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 30, 2019 (edited) As long as it all works and you're happy with it Bob that's all that really maters. Regards Lez. Edited May 30, 2019 by lezz01 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 Morning guys.... Just an 'observational post'..... Checking this morning on the state of play regarding the ballasting around the double slip I'd attempted a couple of evenings ago and leaving this to set for a day, found that to me anyway, placing the pva/water mix around the point and track first, then sprinkling sparingly with ballast/ sand provided a final result which seems more aesthetically pleasing than ballasting and flooding with the glue mix as previously employed.....being less lumpy and looking more like a track bed...? Perhaps takes more time this way, but I can be more careful and save ballast in the process...? Will let you know.. Regards always.... Bob 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted May 31, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 31, 2019 I sort of creep up on slips Bob. I do a couple of sleepers worth at a time and cover the switch blades with masking tape, the tie bar as well. I've never had one gum up so far so it seems to be the right approach, for me anyway. Regards Lez. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin Streeting Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 i just move, flip back and forth every now and then while glue sets... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted June 1, 2019 Author Share Posted June 1, 2019 Evening..... The ballasting continues..... Hope you're all okay...? Have a great weekend,,,, Regards always,,, Bob 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted June 1, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2019 Nice Bob, keep going mate. Regards Lez. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin Streeting Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 Nice getting there blasting takes ages 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted June 4, 2019 Author Share Posted June 4, 2019 (edited) Hi Guys..... Hope all are well....? With the site 'down' last night, thought I'd post last evening's work on Cambrian Street for you 'delectation', as always comments are greatly appreciated as rightly or wrongly this is the method that I am employing to ballast the track..... I had previously followed the 'normal' procedure that many employ, one which is widely available in books and the web, that being to paint the sleepers and rails first, dry ballast the 'flood' the area with an equal part pva/ water mix, allowing to dry and set to then weather and paint up as required..... Indeed this I followed to the book, but found that what I produced looked a bit too 'fluffy' and or 'not quite the ticket'.....in the back of my mind and recalling memories the dim and distant past when my late uncle and brother worked on the family layout, housed in the garden shed back in the late 60's to mid 70's, we did something a little different, and it is this technique as I remember it.......... Firstly the track and sleepers were indeed painted..... however rather than then dry ballasting...... a small blob of 'neat' pva was dropped in between the sleepers....... this then being spread gently across the width of the track by a small brush, allowed to sink into the cork a bit, and repeated if required until a thin skin of white pva remains.... a line of pva being run along the sleeper ends and brushed into gaps.....taking great care not to get too much on the sleepers themselves... then dry, small finger tip pinches of ballast were sprinkled onto glue and glue free sleepers, the excess being dry brushed into the gaps off the sleepers and pressed down by the finger tip into the sleeper gaps.....until covered.....allowed to dry...then finally in this stage of ballasting.....sprayed with a fine mist of water and a 50/50 pva and water mixture brushed onto the surface to sink in and set hard..... I have employed the same technique to the double slip, being extra careful, so takes time, but I am quite happy with the outcome at the moment....and intend to continue to edge into the station with this method.....weathering and 'mucking' when finally dry.... Have bound to have missed something out, so may update as I progress further down the throat of the station...... as this was drying. mapped out with tubing where the next point control wires were to run too... Regards always.... Bob Edited June 4, 2019 by BobM 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted June 4, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2019 There are almost as many ways to ballast track as there are manufacturers Bob. Some ballast is made from nut shells and so it can't be used with the "flood" method as it floats. Rice lays the ballast as he lays the track. I've even used silicon sealant and laid the track and the ballast at the same time. Like I said mate there are lots of ways and none are either right or wrong, unless you manage to bung everything up then it's wrong. Regards Lez. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted June 8, 2019 Author Share Posted June 8, 2019 (edited) Evening Guys....All well on (this soggy around here) Saturday....? Just to say that the ballasting continues (albeit at a slow pace) around the throat of the station and goods yard....and I hope making good progress...? I have made a decision here and I hope that you'll understand the reasoning behind such.....you know that my biggest mistake was, not to plan sufficiently the layout beforehand and not to install point motors beneath the boards, an error that will not be repeated on any subsequent layout that I may build in hopefully not the too distant future, when (hopefully again) I reach retirement and have moved west to the coast. The decision I have come to follows a near disaster that I have always dreaded, a foul up concerning the laid double slips.....whilst installing the control wire to the pip, which on a double slip is much thinner and smaller than on 'normal' points, I somehow dislodged the point blade out of its housing on one side.... my heart sank as I thought I had ruined the whole point and road into the station.....however after reminding myself that this is an absolutely minor 'first world problem' I set about fixing it and did (with help from friends above) to press the blade back into its position and appears to be fine...... .......the bottom line is, now that this has dented my confidence in my skill of installing point control, the double slips will be thrown by hand, whilst I will continue to wire up where possible the 'normal' points with wire in tube as I have done previously to good effect, it is just the double slips that I am somewhat hesitant at attempting..... Have a great Sunday.... Regars always... Bob I Edited June 8, 2019 by BobM 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted June 8, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 8, 2019 They are just the same as simple turnouts Bob, they just have two levers instead of one. Regards Lez. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted June 8, 2019 Author Share Posted June 8, 2019 Hi... The problem I encountered was, when I snipped off the 'pip' which is much thinner and smaller on a double slip, than on a normal point, the bar remaining wasn't seemingly sufficient to hold the wire when I inserted it, attempting to open drill a hole, somehow I dislodged the bar sufficiently to make the blade come out of its housing.....I've done one previously and it was okay, this time it went haywire....hence the dented confidence....! Regards always Bob 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted June 9, 2019 Author Share Posted June 9, 2019 (edited) Hi Guys.... Having spent the majority of today dining on the SVR Venturer, (although as always called in to Arley to do a couple of hours late in the afternoon) I did call into the Erlestoke Manor Fund coach and acquired two Hornby 'concrete' footbridges to adapt as a potential 'temporary' feature on Cambrian Street platforms.....although I do have plans though that the footbridge access would be formed from the gaugemaster 'Hagley' style footbridge. Regards always Bob Edited June 9, 2019 by BobM 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobM Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 (edited) Evening Guys.....I think I've developed 'Webbed feet' it a 'arf bin wet up here! Anyway, thought you'd like and hopefully be pleased to know that (after giving myself a good talking to) have wire and tube controlled the 'troublesome' point and appears at the moment to be okay and functioning as it should, so with a renewed confidence in myself intend to control further (including the single/ double slip) points with the wire and tube method... Will let you know how I get on....thanks for your continued support (and patience) guys..... Regards always.... Bob Edited June 11, 2019 by BobM 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold lezz01 Posted June 11, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2019 Glad to hear it Bob. Regards Lez. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now