BG John Posted August 25, 2016 Share Posted August 25, 2016 *when I was manufacturing pointwork kits and components in the 1970s, EM gauge outsold 00 and P4 by a considerable margin. If I hadn't had to scrap the layout nine years ago when I sold my house and went travelling, I may have restored it by now after many years stored in the loft, and still have your EM kits in use. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley_ Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Quick update, I have finished the main part of the point and it is working to my amazement! only had to make one of my own modifications to it in the way of a check rail guiding the loco onto the rail to avoid derailing on the blade. Now i just have to finish it. Also think i will have to invest in a soldering iron with a smaller nib. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Ashley Well done and it is coming on well, a great effort for a first attempt. Good to see you are using a SMP kit, they are a super introduction into kit building and I hope you are enjoying the process Soldering is a bit of an art to its self and like all things gets easier and the results are better with practice. Whilst there is a wide choice of irons out there fgor track building I use an Antex 25 watt iron with I think a 3 mm tip, the very small tips do not heat up that well for larger jobs, Keep the tip clean at all times (dirty tips loose heat) and do not use abrasives to clean the tip, as it has a coating which will come off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley_ Posted August 31, 2016 Author Share Posted August 31, 2016 Ashley Well done and it is coming on well, a great effort for a first attempt. Good to see you are using a SMP kit, they are a super introduction into kit building and I hope you are enjoying the process Soldering is a bit of an art to its self and like all things gets easier and the results are better with practice. Whilst there is a wide choice of irons out there fgor track building I use an Antex 25 watt iron with I think a 3 mm tip, the very small tips do not heat up that well for larger jobs, Keep the tip clean at all times (dirty tips loose heat) and do not use abrasives to clean the tip, as it has a coating which will come off. I am looking to buy some rail so i can practice a bit more with soldering, which do you recommend using flatbottom or bullhead rail? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 I am looking to buy some rail so i can practice a bit more with soldering, which do you recommend using flatbottom or bullhead rail? Bullhead is much easier to work with. It needs less filing and bends easier that flatbottom. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 I am looking to buy some rail so i can practice a bit more with soldering, which do you recommend using flatbottom or bullhead rail? Ashley As said Bullhead rail is much easier to file than flatbottom rail, mainly due to it being both thinner in section and the head and foot of the rail being much the same in width, also the switch blades will flex more easily than flatbottom. However it comes down to what you are trying to achieve and match up to. If your stock works on code 75 then certainly it would be easier to hone your skills on flatbottom rail. When you have finished your first turnout cast a critical eye over it and see where you can improve. I would use a more modern plan, Templot program is easy to use for basic turnout templates, don't go overboard build an A5 size turnout Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley_ Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 What Ashley As said Bullhead rail is much easier to file than flatbottom rail, mainly due to it being both thinner in section and the head and foot of the rail being much the same in width, also the switch blades will flex more easily than flatbottom. However it comes down to what you are trying to achieve and match up to. If your stock works on code 75 then certainly it would be easier to hone your skills on flatbottom rail. When you have finished your first turnout cast a critical eye over it and see where you can improve. I would use a more modern plan, Templot program is easy to use for basic turnout templates, don't go overboard build an A5 size turnout What programs do you use because i am struggling with the basics of templot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 What What programs do you use because i am struggling with the basics of templot. Everyone does at the beginning! I haven't got very far with it, but it's not too bad getting far enough for basic templates. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted September 2, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 2, 2016 Everyone does at the beginning! I haven't got very far with it, but it's not too bad getting far enough for basic templates. I have recently updated the "Your first printed template" video guide. You can find it here: http://templot.com/companion/your_first_printed_template.html Or click help > watch a video > your first printed template menu item in Templot. That way you can watch it in better image quality. regards, Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derekstuart Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 I have shown a few people face to face how to use Templot and it is so much easier than trying to explain it over the internet and what might take hours to make and edit on video might take a few minutes to show for real. That got me thinking... Subject to Martin's approval, what if those of us who feel confident using Templot were to demonstrate it at exhibitions- much the same as people demonstrate soldering or kit making etc. Would it be any help to some people? Or are there any of the on-line collaborative programmes that would allow a real-time demonstration? What I found in the early days of Templot use is lacking the terminology and understanding of the prototype in order to actually ask how to do something. Having someone face to face or over a real-time computer link would surely help some people. I would certainly offer some free time to help others. Ashley, what problems are you having? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Just go on to the Templot Club forum, look up the videos and tutorials and copy what is on them. It takes seconds to produce a basic turnout template. Like everything else in life read the instructions first Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derekstuart Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Instructions? Play with it first. Press buttons, drag the mouse, click this, click that. See what happens. Get a feel for what does what and THEN read the instructions and it will be so much clearer- "ah, yes, that's this button.... I know that one..." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted September 2, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 2, 2016 (edited) That got me thinking... Subject to Martin's approval, what if those of us who feel confident using Templot were to demonstrate it at exhibitions- much the same as people demonstrate soldering or kit making etc. Would it be any help to some people? Or are there any of the on-line collaborative programmes that would allow a real-time demonstration? What I found in the early days of Templot use is lacking the terminology and understanding of the prototype in order to actually ask how to do something. Having someone face to face or over a real-time computer link would surely help some people. Hi Derek, Templot is often demonstrated at exhibitions, especially the finescale shows such as Railex, ExpoEM, Scaleforum, etc. And also at various clubs and area group meetings of the finescale societies. There is a lot of software available for online e-meetings and video conferencing, etc. Generally it falls into two camps: 1. useless. 2. expensive. For example GoToMeeting costs £44+vat per month or £408+vat per year for up to 100 participants. So it would be necessary to make a charge for taking part. It is less expensive for fewer participants. I'm willing to give it a go if enough people are interested. There is a free 30-day trial available to see how it goes: http://www.gotomeeting.co.uk I'm not too sure if participants can share their own screens, certainly not all at once, but the organiser can hand over control of his screen to anyone else, or make them the organiser to see their screen by everyone. If on a PC participants would need a microphone. Or there are free Apps available for mobile devices. Having said all that, I do struggle to understand what is so difficult about Templot. Lots of folks have used Templot over the years and built fine layouts. If you get stuck it is easy to ask a question on the Templot Club forum, but lots of users don't even join -- here we are discussing this on RMweb instead. regards, Martin. Edited September 2, 2016 by martin_wynne Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley_ Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 Hi Martin. What i am wanting to try and do is overall is produce a layout that incorporates 00 and 009 gauge track. i trying to include is a narrow pass where the narrow gauge and standard join the same track bed, similar to the picture. So was going to use templot to produce the template that i could use as a guide when i am making it. It probably that it is not hard to use its just i am a plonker when it comes to pc programs. Ash Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derekstuart Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Thanks Martin I have never seen it demonstrated before, but it's good to know some people do that. I am conscious that there is only one Martin Wynne and countless people looking for help. I have managed to learn an awful lot from people such as yourself and it is only right and proper that we in turn try to help others. It is difficult on Templot.com to do so as questions are usually either very specific and technical or you've managed to answer already. I agree wholeheartedly about Templot not being too difficult. But there are so many "it's too hard" comments that some people have already got that in their mindset before they start. I don't know the online programme you refer to but I have used Teamviewer and that has a free version for non commercial use (which does the same as the commercial version I have for work) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted September 2, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 2, 2016 What i am wanting to try and do is overall is produce a layout that incorporates 00 and 009 gauge track. i trying to include is a narrow pass where the narrow gauge and standard join the same track bed, similar to the picture. So was going to use templot to produce the template that i could use as a guide when i am making it. Hi Ash, Thanks for a great picture. That's obviously a non-standard turnout, so you can hardly expect Templot to do it with just a few clicks. It is going to need overlaid partial templates and some experience of Templot to prepare and print a good template. But before you get that far you may have a bigger problem. Are you intending to user RTR 009 models? If you used mixed-gauge tracks you must use the same wheel standards on both. But 009 uses N Gauge wheels which are narrower than 00 gauge wheels, and will fall into the crossings (frogs) on mixed-gauge tracks with a bump. The crossings can't be made narrower, otherwise the 00 wheels won't run through them. It is common practice to use mechs from a smaller scale for narrow-gauge models, but prototypically it makes no sense at all. Your narrow-gauge models will be to the same scale as your 00 models (4mm/ft) and therefore they need to use the same 00 wheels -- just smaller in diameter. I don't know if such wheels are available for conversion of 009 models, or if there is room to fit them. I like always to be constructive in replies, but in this case I don't think I can be. It is simply not possible to run RTR 009 and 00 gauge models together on mixed-gauge track, unless you are prepared to accept some very bumpy 009 running and possible derailments. regards, Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted September 2, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 2, 2016 I have used Teamviewer and that has a free version for non commercial use (which does the same as the commercial version I have for work) Thanks Derek. I did have a copy of Teamviewer on this computer, but it was 5 years old. It has just updated itself to the current version. Now that Templot is free to use and I am no longer trading, I can legitimately use it free as a non-commercial user, which was not the case before. So I'm happy to try this if anyone is interested? Either start a meeting yourself and I will join in. Or I can start one. But first I need to eat. regards, Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley_ Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 Thanks Martin, i am sure i have seen you mention this before but i didn't really take much note. I see what you mean, in simple word your saying that the 009 locos will have to conquer a bigger gap than usual because of the flange gap that is needed for the 00 gauge loco. I am hoping to give it a go and see what happen... Ash Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Lamb Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Ash, Have a look at how they do it in Germany. https://www.tillig.com/Produkte/produktinfo-85183.html Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley_ Posted September 3, 2016 Author Share Posted September 3, 2016 Ash, Have a look at how they do it in Germany. https://www.tillig.com/Produkte/produktinfo-85183.html Bernard Bernard you have hit the nail on the spot... that is what i was trying to design, i started sketch basically the same thing as that but with some of the guide rails missing. Thank you Ash Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovenor Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Bernard you have hit the nail on the spot... that is what i was trying to design, i started sketch basically the same thing as that but with some of the guide rails missing. Thank you Ash Compare the Tillig with the proptotype picture a couple of posts up. You can see that the Tillig version has an extra checkrail that performs no function and is not needed, Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley_ Posted September 9, 2016 Author Share Posted September 9, 2016 A bit more challenging, Narrow gauge switches side on the track. Needs a tad improvement on solder application.... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The modeller Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 On 06/08/2016 at 22:43, Ashley_ said: I am looking to have a go at producing my own track as when looking at other railways it allows you to produce points etc in the shape that you want also i was wanting to have some duel gauge track on my layout but the pre made stuff has big price tag. Looking over the internet there are a few ways of doing it but i haven't found a website or discussion that show you how it is done with pictures (probably haven't been looking hard enough). Can anyone suggest a good website or form that will help, I also am open to all the advice i can get as i am a complete noobie. Thanks Ash i am also noobie going straight to kit building Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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