Heath Town and other signalling diversions

[Andy Keane]

3 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

As far as I can tell I can only export the plan as a .bmp.  Then saved as jpeg once I’ve finished adulterating it.  It’s the way the conversion to .bmp happens that causes the problem.

Paul.

Do you have the ability during export of the BMP to increase the resolution - many codes allow you to bump up the dots per inch.

[5BarVT]

2 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

Do you have the ability during export of the BMP to increase the resolution - many codes allow you to bump up the dots per inch.

Yes.  I’m already getting a “big file” warning when I export.  Current setting is 10k, not sure over what distance (or area), fairly sure it’s not d.p.i.  May be some experimentation later today.

Paul.

[5BarVT]

13 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

you can only arrive at the two long platforms although you can depart from the bay.

 

17 minutes ago, Andy Keane said:

So does this mean carriages have to be shunted across to the bay before they can be re-used? Or do they all just leave as empty coaching stock - I must admit to being mystified by a station with such nice long platforms that can only take inbound traffic. I rather imagine a black hole for stock forming!

Andy

Isn’t communication fun!  I knew what I meant, but I can see exactly how you have interpreted it differently. :-)

Here’s the current signalling plan which shows it better.
 

 

 

Arriving trains on the Main can only access the two long platforms, although departures to the Main can be made from all three.  The branch can only access the bay and one long platform.

The bay will mainly be used for parcels vans, though there are a couple of DMU departures that need to shunt in there to release space on the other platforms.

Paul.

[Andy Keane]

2 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

 I knew what I meant, but I can see exactly how you have interpreted it differently

Ah yes! - you had me worried for a while.

That is an awful lot of signals you are going to need to add - do you plan to make these or buy them?

Andy

[5BarVT]

6 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

Ah yes! - you had me worried for a while.

That is an awful lot of signals you are going to need to add - do you plan to make these or buy them?

Andy

Make by bodging kits.

The easiest will be the two way shunt signals.  I have some Eckon (or Berko, whichever are kits rather than made up) three aspect round topped heads that I will remove the backboard from and fit GRG LEDs in place of the supplied RYG.

I have ideas for what I need to do for the main signals, and bits to try, but it’s all theory and no practice at the moment.

Paul.

[5BarVT]

PROGRESS MEANS PHOTOS

12B and 13B laid in.  Cross board tracks next on the list.

Paul.

[5BarVT]

17 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Cross board tracks next on the list.

Thought I’d do the easy one first.

It wasn’t!

I’ll try the next on the list to see how I get on.

Paul.

[ISW]

37 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

Thought I’d do the easy one first.

It wasn’t!

I’ll try the next on the list to see how I get on.

Paul.

Paul,

I always found that as long as I'd planned and drawn everything out in advance, things weren't as bad as I expected. Probably because I'd know what I was letting myself in for!

Complicated I can deal with; it's when the unexpected appears that I had problems.

Ian

[5BarVT]

ONE DOWN

 

Cross board track done.  Still need droppers since pre fitting as well as aligning for the screw heads was in the too difficult box.  Sleepers need a touch of glue to stop them siding off.

The problem with the shorter gap is that there isn’t room for full length fishplates clear of the screwheads, but I can’t leave them off as they are what stops the rail rotating around the screw position.  Still pondering on that one but pleased the longer one has worked well.

 

Paul.

[Robert Shrives]

I guess you will end up soldering fishplates on to the point rails to aid fixtures and fittings!

Lovely work with signalling plan, good job no double slips due to curve of layout - a bullet dodged even if above shows not always easy! 

Happy modelling.  

Robert

[5BarVT]

This is the second layout where I’ve used curved points for the throat.  It does look good.

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

17 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

ONE DOWN

 

Cross board track done.  Still need droppers since pre fitting as well as aligning for the screw heads was in the too difficult box.  Sleepers need a touch of glue to stop them siding off.

The problem with the shorter gap is that there isn’t room for full length fishplates clear of the screwheads, but I can’t leave them off as they are what stops the rail rotating around the screw position.  Still pondering on that one but pleased the longer one has worked well.

 

Paul.

N gauge fishplates?

[ISW]

6 hours ago, Robert Shrives said:

I guess you will end up soldering fishplates on to the point rails to aid fixtures and fittings!

That's what I had to do as well. Install the fishplates as normal, then flow solder into the foot of the fishplate to affix it to the rails. Then I could cut the rails 'at' the baseboard join, cutting through the whole rail/fishplate assembly.

 

Ian

[5BarVT]

4 hours ago, ISW said:

That's what I had to do as well. Install the fishplates as normal, then flow solder into the foot of the fishplate to affix it to the rails. Then I could cut the rails 'at' the baseboard join, cutting through the whole rail/fishplate assembly.

Interesting thought there.  I don’t want to solder the point as I have ambitions to keep them reusable as far as possible.  But care with the soldering (and it wouldn’t need much) is a possibility.

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

N gauge fishplates?

Does that mean they are same width but shorter than 00?

I have been contemplating cutting down 00 lengthwise, then running then onto a rail to open them up again.

 

Paul.

[5BarVT]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

You must be over here now.  Either that or your sleeping has really gone to pot.

:-)

Paul.

[5BarVT]

MORE LASER CUTTING

More track loosely laid in the background just to see how it flows.  Nicely!

But the main purpose of the photo is that I had been wondering how to fit the XLR power feed connectors onto three of the boards due to difficult access.  I had been toying with cutting up potting boxes to make a suitable bracket.  Eventually it dawned on me - design one.

So, centre stage, we have the XLR connector bracket which will screw onto the underside of the board at a suitable position.

Paul. 

[Andy Keane]

4 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

I have been contemplating cutting down 00 lengthwise

have you seen the Peco code 75 bullhead fishplates?

[5BarVT]

18 hours ago, Andy Keane said:

have you seen the Peco code 75 bullhead fishplates?

In a word: No!

I’ll take a look.

Paul.

[ISW]

22 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

I had been wondering how to fit the XLR power feed connectors onto three of the boards

Paul,

 

Any reason to use XLR sockets / plugs? I thought they were expensive and, of course, limit you to a number of connections (unless you increase the number of XLR connections). Just curious ...

 

Ian

[5BarVT]

1 hour ago, ISW said:

Any reason to use XLR sockets / plugs? I thought they were expensive and, of course, limit you to a number of connections (unless you increase the number of XLR connections). Just curious ...

Inertia? . . .

Yes they are expensive if you buy e.g. Neutrik.  I use unbranded 4 way (good for 1A I think) bought in bulk (10+ for discount) from ESR.  Probably not as long lasting as some, but once the layout is more or less complete below ground there shouldn’t be to much unplugging.

So I use 0.1” connectors for low current accessories - at the time because I was doing everything on stripboard.  Now that I have found PCB design and fab easy I would probably go for RJ connectors.  DCC IO connectors are 0.15” (and that was “fun” when I was using stripboard).

So for board to board power (2DCC, 2DC) I wanted a polarised connector that wasn’t either of the other two.  These compared favourably for cost and size with most other offerings.  Now I have standardised that’s when inertia kicks in!

 

Paul.

[St Enodoc]

On 05/11/2023 at 03:46, 5BarVT said:

Does that mean they are same width but shorter than 00?

Yes.

 

On 05/11/2023 at 03:47, 5BarVT said:

You must be over here now.  Either that or your sleeping has really gone to pot.

Still in Singapore. Arriving at MCR early Wednesday morning.

[5BarVT]

FLOW SOLDERING

The two remaining cross board tracks (front and rear) are loose laid ready for action tomorrow.

The (allegedly) easier track mentioned earlier is now fixed.  Thanks to all those who made suggestions.  The three screws which clashed with fishplates were screwed in slightly further, fishplates tinned and soldered down with rail in place, then solder flowed in from the outer end, slowly so that it didn’t flow down as far as the point.  I think!  I won’t really find out until this layout is scrapped, which hopefully is a long time away.

Paul.

[5BarVT]

On 06/11/2023 at 02:02, St Enodoc said:

Still in Singapore. Arriving at MCR early Wednesday morning.

“Welcome to Manchester where the local time is 0806.”

I had flightradar set to MAN from my daughter flying back from NZ via a stopover in Singapore last month and was about to turn it off when I saw SQ52 centre screen. Will have been just as it hit the deck.  (Making the big assumption that you flew direct!)

Paul.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

6 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

“Welcome to Manchester where the local time is 0806.”

I had flightradar set to MAN from my daughter flying back from NZ via a stopover in Singapore last month and was about to turn it off when I saw SQ52 centre screen. Will have been just as it hit the deck.  (Making the big assumption that you flew direct!)

Paul.

Good spot Paul.  Based on our weather here this morning, I’ll guess it’s probably raining in Manchester for the welcoming committee as well right now?  Keith.

[5BarVT]

2 BRICKS

And underneath are the remaining mainline cross board connections.  Soldered, droppered and glued.  Just the slitting disc when all dried.

 

So where next?

The boring answer is the four remaining cross board tracks so that I only have to upend it once more.  Two are easy, two require sorting the cork layers on the board to the right.  It is being rebuilt from HT Mk4 <Grump On> Rebuilt, not upcycled. <Grump Off> so the cork isn’t in quite the right places.

Or I could continue the main lines down to the left to join up with where I got to on the way up.  That would allow some proper running for the first time - the crossovers on this board are the only way to get between up and down lines this side of the FY.  That plus one over to the RH board plus temporary track on there gives the opportunity to run the 1970 timetable(#).

I think I can guess what the answer will be.

# Rather boring, two units, only one of which appeared in the station at any one time.

Paul.