Bloodnok Posted March 15, 2023 Author Share Posted March 15, 2023 14 minutes ago, ITG said: Remind me - is the lift our bridge on the level, or so there a gradient over it? If the latter, did that represent any particular challenge in getting trouble-free running over the track joins? Ian It's on a gradient. Provided the gradient is consistent throughout (entire bridge and both sides), that's fine. I wouldn't want to include a vertical curve (change of gradient) on a lift-out section though. The lift-out pins have to be aligned with each other for the lifting out to work. I've got the lift-out pins perpendicular to the gradient, which works well with this kind of bridge. It could also be done with everything vertical. I'd go that way if I was making a full scenic section containing a bridge as well as the scene underneath it, rather than making the bridge deck itself the lift-out section. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted April 1, 2023 Author Share Posted April 1, 2023 Track is now laid to here: This marks the last hidden track laid, and also the last tight corner. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted April 2, 2023 Author Share Posted April 2, 2023 A tidy-up revealed the small station and yard -- and I couldn't resist setting up a little scene to show what it will end up laid out like: 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted April 10, 2023 Author Share Posted April 10, 2023 Dongits is 3 today! To mark the occasion, let's have a tour of the layout as it stands today, and a review of what it can do, and where you can follow the layout as it develops. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DongitsModelRailway Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/DongitsModelRailway Odysee: https://odysee.com/@DongitsModelRailway:b Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100089622502754/ RMWeb (Workbench Blog): https://www.rmweb.co.uk/blogs/blog/2460-bloodnoks-workbench/ Railway Modellers Club: https://community.railwaymodellers.com/groups/DongitsModelRailway 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 (edited) I'm 16,800km away from home at the moment, exercising 'Rule 1' about as hard as I can. I have no track here though, so I can't run it. Edited April 24, 2023 by Bloodnok 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted April 25, 2023 Author Share Posted April 25, 2023 A bit of a closer look at what I've bought. More when I get them home... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted April 30, 2023 Author Share Posted April 30, 2023 It turns out model trains confuse the people at the airport doing bag scanning -- they aren't used to seeing a model loco in hand luggage. 1 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted June 3, 2023 Author Share Posted June 3, 2023 Sorry for being quiet for a bit, but I got back into the country to: * 9 hours of jetlag * A car with a broken windscreen * A leaking tap * A dying server hard disk * Several unhappy desktop PCs Then two days later I fell ill with something I assume I picked up on the plane. That was a week of being out of it, and another week and a half afterwards to properly get over it. When I did try to use the layout, loads of stuff there turned out to be broken, too. I tried to set a DCC address in the NR class, and the DCC system completely failed to work And when I tried to put the lift-out bridge back in, it wouldn't go back in either. Temperatures weren't that different, but I'm guessing the humidity was different enough that the gap had closed up several millimetres. It was enough that I managed to dislodge two track ends (one on the bridge and one on the layout) while trying to persuade it back in. Oh, and my phone died when I tried to capture some footage of the NR class running, too... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted July 28, 2023 Author Share Posted July 28, 2023 (edited) The four-way ABC PCBs are now available. Order PCBs from PCBWay here: https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/DMR_ABC_4_DCC_Asymmetric_Braking_controller_4_channel_9d298a48.html PCBWay referral code (which will give you $5 free credit, enough for 10 boards): https://pcbway.com/g/4z4dro You can also download the Gerber files there, or get them on the MERG knowledgebase if you are a MERG member. How do you build it? 20 1n5401 diodes (can be any "1n540<something>" really, any reverse voltage is way higher than what we need) 4 x SPST relays -- there are two common footprints on the board so a variety of relays are supported. If you want to drive it from 12V, get 12V relays. If you want to drive it from 5V, get 5V relays. 4x 1n4001 diodes 4x 5mm pitch two-way screw terminals ... and a control connector. Can be 2x3 pin (typical for IDC ribbon style connectors), or 1x6 pin (more useful for other things). How do you use it? Isolate the right rail for the entire block. Install it in the track feed for this block where you want your trains to optionally stop, e.g. approaching a signal. Top connection of each four to the track, lower one to the bus wire. You can use it as a power distribution board if you want by adding jumpers into the holes provided, this way you don't need to wire four separate wires back to the bus. Enable your DCC Decoders ABC braking feature. When the relay is not powered, the train will stop. When the relay is powered, the train will not stop. For reliable stopping, put a detector a set distance from the stop point, and turn ABC on when this is hit. Enable constant distance ABC braking in your decoders. Tune each loco using the constant distance features to stop in the right location. Decoder brand does matter -- some are better than others. I recommend Zimo decoders, these are the best I've found. ESU are OK provided you create a long enough braking section -- nothing less than two yards from the stopping point will do, and you may find that if you want to stop from an unrealistically high speed (above real travel speed for typical trains), three yards is better. Please avoid DCC Concepts decoders -- these are the only ones I've encountered where the loco won't stop if you turn it around (it heads into the braking zone "B end first"). Edited July 28, 2023 by Bloodnok Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted August 4, 2023 Author Share Posted August 4, 2023 As delivered, the 2021 Hornby APT wouldn't climb out of my storage yard. The single NDMs sold out faster than I could get hold of one. There's one critical piece missing from the kit of spare parts required to equip the dummy NDM with a motor. Here's how I solved this problem: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted August 28, 2023 Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 A while ago I picked up some second-hand hand-made points in not so great condition. They were cheap enough to be a speculative purchase -- if all they amounted to was scenery (dumped in the back of an engineers yard) that would have been fine. However, I didn't want them to end up like that ... so I'm renovating them with many new timbers. I think the PCB timber strip was more expensive than the points so far. I can solder, but my prior experience is with electronics, not track construction. Has anyone else got any experience of using points like this? What should I be looking out for before putting these into service on the layout... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 Three of the points are now Installed. Bullhead fishplates sure are fiddly things. Now I need to lay about two metres of track to the right of this picture, to connect to the rest of the layout. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 The run up the hill now looks like this: View from the other end: The bullhead track on the mainline is Exactoscale FastTrack, (same range as the flatbottom track I'm using on the mainline). I like the fasttrack bases -- they make great little insert pieces when I want a small piece of track, allowing me to save the yards of flex for when I need a longer run, or something more curved. The bullhead rail I'm using in the FastTrack bases is stainless steel, chosen ... because I have some in stock. I bought a finescale track kit at a show in ~2006 ish which included a quantity of stainless rail, got intimidated at the idea of building a point, and ... that's where it sat. But the stainless steel rail turns out to be perfectly usable, albeit in OO gauge fasttrack sleeper bases, not in the intended kit form. I haven't had any problems soldering to it. A tiny bit of flux is necessary on the wire. It's also critical to clean off the flux afterwards. Other than that nothing different to how I normally solder anything. I did try to use my one metre of DCC Concepts bullhead track (from the first batch, so also stainless steel) but whereas the stainless of the Exactoscale track soldered just fine, the stainless of the DCC Concepts track ... didn't. I could not get it to take, no matter how much flux was used. After I'd made a mess of enough sleepers overheating things, I concluded it wasn't worth messing with it any more. So the bullhead flex I'm using in the yard is Peco. Which TBH I'm perfectly happy with. View in the other direction is far less complete: Two point motors awaiting fitting, tools everywhere, and retired ex- UPS batteries in use gluing down the rest of the fan of points into the yard. Fitting the point motor for the curved point is going to be a bit of a pain. One of the very few legs holding the layout up is right in front of it... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted September 6, 2023 Author Share Posted September 6, 2023 I want some opinions ... which trackplan looks more realistic? Two platform station (up and down), with goods loop adjacent to the back of the platform and four yard tracks: Or three platform station (up, reversible, down), with the goods loop not adjacent to a platform and three yard tracks: What I've laid so far could be either of these, so nothing is wasted if I change course at this point. I'm thinking about this at the moment. While I love the two double junctions, the curved diamonds I have both face the same way, and they have also both had rails cut in the wrong place to the point where I'm concerned they'll fall apart when I cut the rails in the necessary places. I'd need to do some fairly extensive repairs on one (replacing at least one long section of rail, if not three) and effectively build the other from scratch using the existing one up-side-down as a template. I would also like to use the single slip (which I have in stock) and is only in the three platform plan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 Work in progress. Underlay still shows the previously planned double-track formation here. Not sure if I should cut that away, or ballast it to that width... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted December 18, 2023 Author Share Posted December 18, 2023 These are now more appropriate for the end of the Maroon period: This is my first time attempting to apply transfers, and I hope it's passable for now? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim76 Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 On 07/09/2023 at 02:57, Bloodnok said: I want some opinions ... which trackplan looks more realistic? Two platform station (up and down), with goods loop adjacent to the back of the platform and four yard tracks: Or three platform station (up, reversible, down), with the goods loop not adjacent to a platform and three yard tracks: What I've laid so far could be either of these, so nothing is wasted if I change course at this point. I'm thinking about this at the moment. While I love the two double junctions, the curved diamonds I have both face the same way, and they have also both had rails cut in the wrong place to the point where I'm concerned they'll fall apart when I cut the rails in the necessary places. I'd need to do some fairly extensive repairs on one (replacing at least one long section of rail, if not three) and effectively build the other from scratch using the existing one up-side-down as a template. I would also like to use the single slip (which I have in stock) and is only in the three platform plan. I think the second one looks more realistic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim76 Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 On 13/09/2023 at 00:57, Bloodnok said: Work in progress. Underlay still shows the previously planned double-track formation here. Not sure if I should cut that away, or ballast it to that width... I think it looks fine. Ballast everywhere! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 This is the last remaining piece of track to be laid on the middle level. I was trying to get it all laid this year. It was not to be. I thought I had enough track. But I'd ordered the concrete sleepers when the design had two tracks through the station, not three. I have enough rail, but ... not enough sleepers. I got this close. So I switched tack to wiring. ... and I'm also now out of 24/0.2 black wire. I can wire all the red rail, but only a small subset of the black rail. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 (edited) Ooh look, a squirrel. These are the early version Dapol catenary masts, which are painted, ready to install models. I was a little surprised the ones I ordered in the Hattons closing down sale (with the same product code) were instead raw plastic, and will need painting. It would be one thing to say "I guess that makes them cheaper" ... only I didn't notice a reduction in cost. I'm not currently planning to add wires to the scene -- I don't know of a suitable material that is sufficiently lightweight to give the right appearance for the wires, sufficiently rigid to avoid contact wire sag, and sufficiently damage resistant to survive the occasional visit by a sleeve ... or a cat. Edited January 18 by Bloodnok 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 Budget off-layout covered storage underway. Another one (further up the wall this time) to be built and installed tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 ... And the second one is now installed. Both modified to have six shelves (they come with four by default, and not at a "model railway" friendly pitch). Now I just need to put a few more trains in them that are currently on the layout... 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 "That's loads of storage. It'll be ages before that's full." Ummm. Ran out of space. Removed all the DMUs. I'm down to just five open spots and there's four more locos to put in yet -- and that's just the ones that are chipped and in the layout roster. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted February 16 Author Share Posted February 16 2 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodnok Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Several new block sections have been wired. 2 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