RMweb Gold ian Posted August 15, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 15, 2022 Having paid a king's ransom for a few lengths of timber and some scraps of plywood at the weekend, wood butchery has recommenced. Can you tell what it is yet? 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 6 hours ago, ian said: Can you tell what it is yet? Having played this game before I can only say my inspired, calculated and highly researched response will be wrong! However her goes! Is it something to make a Black and Decker Workmate (other manufacturers Workmates are available, etc) look useful? Either that or its the start of a fire place surround. Not sure what that has to do with model railways though..... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted August 15, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 15, 2022 Please sir! I fink it’s a sort of underlay for this town wots going on top. Is the prize one of them nine euro tickets, sir?? 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT-Pete Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 9 hours ago, ian said: Having paid a king's ransom for a few lengths of timber You actually found some straight ones?! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 16, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16, 2022 On 15/08/2022 at 22:17, TT-Pete said: You actually found some straight ones?! @TT-Pete "I think you're wandering into the realms of fantasy, Jones." On 15/08/2022 at 20:11, Northroader said: Please sir! I fink it’s a sort of underlay for this town wots going on top. Is the prize one of them nine euro tickets, sir?? @Northroader - Far too heavy for that. The twon will be at eye-level and needs a board around 4' square. I'm not even going to try and lift a heavy-duty baseboard into place there! On 15/08/2022 at 18:46, Woody C said: Having played this game before I can only say my inspired, calculated and highly researched response will be wrong! However her goes! Is it something to make a Black and Decker Workmate (other manufacturers Workmates are available, etc) look useful? Either that or its the start of a fire place surround. Not sure what that has to do with model railways though..... @Woody CGosh, how very clever of you. Take the rest of the day off! Right, now that he's gone... Hopefully things should start to make sense now. This is the base for the helix, the ply trackbed will be supported by threaded rods - one of which can be seen in the background. 3 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 (edited) 11 hours ago, ian said: Take the rest of the day off Unfortunately Mrs. W does not believe in me taking days off when there is work to be done so I am back!!!!! Actually, as an aside, Mrs. W is after a new fire surround and that does look very nice! However you appear to have other plans for your woodworking skills with this helix.so I will watch that with wonderment following every twist and turn of this project with my interest no doubt heightened with every step it takes - the project that is and not my mind! Edited August 17, 2022 by Woody C Spelling mistake! Doh! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 19, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 19, 2022 The plan for the helix is for a simple fiddle yard, where trains can be assembled and removed by hand which feeds the bottom, trains run up to emerge at the marshalling yard level, Maifeld level or Neustadt level where they strut and fret their hour upon the stage and then return down to the fiddle yard. In all there are about five and a half turns of the helix to get from the fiddle yard (29" above floor level) to Neustadt (61.5" above floor level). Maifeld is 4.5 turns at 55.5" and the marshalling yard 3.5 turns at 49.5". Before I can put it in place there is a quantity of ply roadbed to cut to shape and a large amount of stored stuff to be rationalised to free up the space. I also need to install some fripperies between Neustadt and Schonblick whilst access is easy. I may be some time... 5 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 24, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 24, 2022 (edited) Fripperies part one. Sky has been installed along the branch between Neustadt and Schonblick. In addition, although you can't really see it in this photo, brown ballast paper has been laid under the track and exposed plywood has been given a slosh of brown paint. Edited August 24, 2022 by ian 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 25, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 25, 2022 (edited) Fripperies. Fit the second. That's why the sky is so high! I'm sure that there is a perfectly logical reason for the juxtaposition of a radio tower and historical monument... A little bit of vegitation conceals the join between the sky and the ground. The brewery is still a work in progress and the photographic sky behind Schonblick will need some work to blend in. I don't recall installing those overhead cables at Neustadt's Shell depot either... Edited August 25, 2022 by ian 4 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 26, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 26, 2022 Fripperies Part Three - Plant a tree! A tree has sprouted next to the brewery. It is just thin enough for trains to squeeze past. Its main function is to disguise the low-relief nature of the brewery warehouse and bottling plant. Over in Maifeld the platform edging is nearly complete. A disreputable looking guard's van has been salvaged from the tat box and placed at the end of a siding at Klinkerhoffen. I have a cunning plan... 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 27, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 27, 2022 All together now:"Blue skies smiling at me, Nothing but blue skies do I see." Another length of sky has been installed, this time running along the back of Neustadt. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 31, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 31, 2022 I bet you can't guess what is in today's picture! Yet another length of sky has been installed, this time running along the side of Neustadt. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 With this ever expanding horizon of modelling fripperies (I had to look up the meaning of that and juxtaposition so my heuristic vocabulary horizons are being expanded by your posts) you may well become known as Mr. Blue Sky Ian. That sounds like a good title for a song! 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted September 1, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 1, 2022 It seemed such a good idea on paper... Due to the clearances for the various tracks running around the back of the helix, the extra width to accomodate the threaded rods that will carry the trackbed supports and being rectangular rather than the oval of the track plan the helix will encroach on space more than I had envisaged. Ah well, as the man said "I am in blood, stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er." 2 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Keith Addenbrooke Posted September 1, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 1, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, ian said: It seemed such a good idea on paper... Due to the clearances for the various tracks running around the back of the helix, the extra width to accomodate the threaded rods that will carry the trackbed supports and being rectangular rather than the oval of the track plan the helix will encroach on space more than I had envisaged. Ah well, as the man said "I am in blood, stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er." I’d not appreciated the plan was to go so far down - or am I misunderstanding the picture? I wouldn’t fancy trying to work in that tight corner - hopefully there’ll be away of building substructures and moving them in. As always, we await progress with interest, Keith. Edited September 1, 2022 by Keith Addenbrooke 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted September 2, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 2, 2022 The current conundrum comes from adding the helix to the plan at a late stage. At the top of the photo we have Schonblick and the line (level) to Neustadt on the left. Below that Billshaven Bhf. on the line to Klinkerhoffen. The line to the left drops slightly to reach Maifeld level (6" below Schonblick). Below that (with the beer wagons) is Billshaven harbour. The line to the left drops more to reach Maifeld Rbf. level, 12" below Schonblick. The L-girder framework is a little lower than it would be if built for the current scheme - it was intended to support the running line looping back from Maifeld level to Maifeld Rbf.. Below that are the control panels for Schonblick and Billshaven harbour. Below that is a cupboard - on top of which the fiddle yard was intended to go - hence the height of the helix support frame. If I was to move the control panels so that they were on top of the cupboard and put the fiddle yard on top of them then I could raise the helix base by at least six inches which would be an improvement - it would make accessing the well and things stashed around the periphery much easier... 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted September 2, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 2, 2022 20 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said: I wouldn’t fancy trying to work in that tight corner - hopefully there’ll be away of building substructures and moving them in. Access for construction shouldn't be too bad. The boards for the track will be like the example shown and can be woven in through the threaded rod uprights (in theory). The well in the middle will allow fpr track to be laid, wired and tested as each board is added, working up from the bottom. Once complete a removable scenic topper will go over the well. However the well is not as accessible as I had hoped and the whole thing is larger in reality than my imagination. 😒 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ianathompson Posted September 3, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 3, 2022 20 hours ago, ian said: However the well is not as accessible as I had hoped and the whole thing is larger in reality than my imagination. 😒 When I built my own multi level layout, the AFK, I bought the Kalmbach book on the subject. I notice that this has recently been re-released or hashed about. One point made about helices was that they do consume a lot of space. My intial drafts included a helix for evaluation purposes. I came to the conclusion that it was a non starter and designed the whole layout as an extended helix. I wrote about this on the website for any who are interested. The biggest problem, aside from constructing the thing, is the gradient. I would suspect that with Marklin's rugged mechanisms that you can get away with a fairly steep grade. It is in the nature of the beast that the shallower the gradient the wider the circumference of the curve needed. The other problem is the vertical seperation betweeen decks. It doesn't matter what the grade is you still have to be able to get the hand in to rerail or retrieve stock. Best of luck with yours! I will be watching with interest. Ian T 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted September 3, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 3, 2022 I certainly wouldn't attempt this with stock of contemporary manufacture. The heavy Marklin locos, with traction tyres, will take my relatively short trains up the necessary grades in experiments. The radii of the curves are fixed by the offerings in Marklin's M-track range however I have included a short straight section at front and rear to ease the load a little. If it all fails I may have to substitute a Thunderbirds style lifting track... 2 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody C Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 10 hours ago, ian said: If it all fails I may have to substitute a Thunderbirds style lifting track... I have to say to my easily impressionable mind that does look impressive. Even the noise it makes sounds Thunderbirds! If I recall correctly this is not the first mention of Thunderbirds in your thread Ian. I believe International Rescue were a seen as a possible responder to incidents on the ski ramp part of the layout should there be accidents. You could always use the well of the helix as a base for a Thunderbirds 1 style craft which could then burst forth on rescue missions as the sliding scenic cover moved to the side. My easily impressionable mind is possibly verging on the releams of fantasy with that idea! 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted September 4, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 4, 2022 13 hours ago, ian said: I certainly wouldn't attempt this with stock of contemporary manufacture. The heavy Marklin locos, with traction tyres, will take my relatively short trains up the necessary grades in experiments. The radii of the curves are fixed by the offerings in Marklin's M-track range however I have included a short straight section at front and rear to ease the load a little. If it all fails I may have to substitute a Thunderbirds style lifting track... What a great idea to integrate the scenery into the topmost track! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted September 8, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 8, 2022 When it all gets too much it is nice to get away from it all in the countryside... Meanwhile the control panels that were underneath the Billshaven baseboard have been dropped down to the top of the cupboard (still on drawer sliders so that they can be pulled out) and the site for the fiddle yard prepared at its new higher level, which will cut out one circuit of the helix. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted September 10, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 10, 2022 The helix support frame is back in place and the legs are some 7.5" taller which makes it much easier to get to the central well. The threaded rods that will support the tracks are now in place but the tails under the baseboard need to be introduced to Mr. Angle Grinder. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted September 10, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 10, 2022 8 hours ago, ian said: The helix support frame is back in place and the legs are some 7.5" taller which makes it much easier to get to the central well. The threaded rods that will support the tracks are now in place but the tails under the baseboard need to be introduced to Mr. Angle Grinder. Don't cut them right off until you've finalised the levels of all the tracks... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted September 11, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 11, 2022 10 hours ago, St Enodoc said: Don't cut them right off until you've finalised the levels of all the tracks... Yes, I had thought of that. They are all close to where they should be but there will be a bit of jiggling. I want to get rid of the lengths that impinge on the access route as a matter of priority - before they get me! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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