Wallarium, an N scale Odyssey

[AndrueC]

Did I imply there'd be no more work on my layout? Well I'm sticking to that..just. I decided that my newly purchased 102t aggregate hoppers, nice though they are, really would benefit from having a load. My initial plan was to have them contain sand. My track has sand between ballast and grass so it seemed a reasonable commodity to be hauling around.

 

Unfortunately I wasn't able to colour match on my first attempt. But..I decided to go ahead and complete the process as an experiment and it looked so good that I've run with it.

 

So what was the process?

The hopper wagons have internal 'baffles' which I thought slightly complicated things. I had this idea of cutting out some foam, sliding it underneath then putting a thin 'load layer' on top. But I couldn't find what seemed like the right kind of foam. Also it seemed like it'd be an irreversible process since the load would have to be glued in place. So instead I thought I'd try something really simple. There is a gap between the baffles and the top edge (you can just about see it in the above image). I reckoned I could slide a bit of card in there and have it rest on the baffles. So the process then became:

 

1. Measure the load space - 70mm by 10mm.
2. Test insert the card. Turns out that the front and rear slopes prevent the card sitting down so reduce the length to 69mm.
3. Paint the card the desired colour - don't overdo the paint though as it'll make the card bend.
4. Prepare some plaster (the kind used for casting). Reduce the water content slightly and replace with appropriate amount of the colour acrylic paint. Leave to dry. It'll take a lot longer than normal due to the paint.
5. Break the plaster up and put into an old coffee grinder. Give it a few whizzes until the plaster has almost become a powder (for larger scales, stop sooner).
6. Using a glue stick liberally coat the painted card with glue on the painted side.
7. Place the card glue side down into the powder.
8. (*)Using thumb and finger sprinkle a bit more stuff on the card until it looks good.
9. Carefully spray the card/plaster with matt lacquer.
10. Repeat from (*) until you're happy.

 You can then insert each card into the hopper. They go in best sideways to get them under one edge then they just click home. And the result? See for yourselves:

 

 

 

The colour doesn't match that of my sand but I don't think I care. The train can be something being hauled into Wallarium rather than just around it. And I think it contrasts nicely with the grass and the colour of the hoppers themselves.

Edited April 22 by AndrueC

[AndrueC]

A little bit of snagging and a plan for next winter.

 

I was running the layout - as you do - and discovered that one set of signals wasn't lit. Now I've had issues in the past with the plug-it connectors dropping out so I thought that'd be it. Unfortunately as I might have mentioned previously the wiring under my board is not very tidy. In fact it's a bit of a mess. Anyway after much huffing and puffing and scrabbling around I discovered that the red/green wire pair for two signals (one at either end of the yard) appeared not to be connected to anything. I was able to confirm that as the cause because when I flipped the corresponding turnout the signals lit.

 

I'm still not sure what happened there but I found the motor controller output dangling in the breeze. The signal pairs were all plugged in and had ferrules on the end so either I'd forgotten to connect them back in the day or else I had jammed the wire into the connector along with the ferrule and it'd fallen out. For now I've wrapped the wire around a ferrule before connecting both but I have a feeling I might have to revisit that.

 

One snag I can't fix is a turnout that leads into my two longest passenger train yards. My 4-6-2 Queen Elizabeth is not happy crossing it at speed. Now as it's the entrance to the yard it shouldn't be travelling at speed but still - it's snag. The cause appears to be that the track approaching the turnout (it's wye) has a curve such that when taking the right route there is a change of direction. This thrusts the loco against the switchblade and at speed it can pick the hinge. It doesn't bother bogied locos but large steamers just don't have the same flexibility.

 

The plan. Oh! the plan!

 

But I mentioned a plan for the winter and here it is. At present the passenger yard (officially The South Yard) looks pretty much like this:

 

The arrowed turnout is the one that gives the QE grief (in the actual layout there's a short piece of track between that turnout and the turnout before it). I did try to relocate her onto one of the bottom sidings but it turns out she's just a bit too long. I could turn her around but I like variety on my layout and since she doesn't have a headlight I prefer to run her clockwise so that the diesels can be seen coming out of Castle Tunnel with their lights on.

 

Anyway, onto the plan for next winter:

 

List of changes:

• The top run around line has gone. I don't know why I had that in the first place. I never use it because it runs behind the yard and you can't see the train.
• Running around will now be done through the station. At present I never use that section either and honestly why would anyone bother with a run around just to avoid going through a station?
• More cowbellpassenger sidings. This gives me two more sidings and one of them is a right honker! 1.5m long. I can put a seriously long train on that. Unfortunately it might be longer than the station platforms but who cares?

 

I still also have the intention of making my duck-under at The Doorway Interchange a lift out as well.

 

Other large tasks that remain:

• A golf tee box on the corner where the sheep/horses are. A golf green on the corner where the cliffs are. Both angled to imply a right angle hole that runs out the front of my house.
• Something on the corner opposite the golf green. I'm still undecided whether to create a small industrial/townscape or have a large mountain.
• Lining the maintenance yard access line with trees.
• Creating a farm along the front of The Doorway Interchange and adjacent unused land.
• Automating the layout. This is a big task with budgetary constraints my vague plans so far suggest that I need:
  • Replace my NCE PowerCab with something else. Possibly something MERG. Might also need to buy a dedicated tablet of some kind.
  • Install a lot of IR sensors.
  • Get to grips with JMRI.

Edited Thursday at 09:03 by AndrueC

[AndyB]

Automation...rather you than me. Sounds like hard work!

Might be worth reading up on how the Farnham MRC automated their Wickwar layout?

From memory it uses MERG technology with occupancy detection via a resistor on the axle of the last wagon/coach in each rake? All driven by iPad. Quite impressive watching trains shuffle forward in the FY. 

 

Like the idea of how you're combining hobbies by having the golf course holes on the layout.

[AndrueC]

26 minutes ago, AndyB said:

Automation...rather you than me. Sounds like hard work!

Might be worth reading up on how the Farnham MRC automated their Wickwar layout?

From memory it uses MERG technology with occupancy detection via a resistor on the axle of the last wagon/coach in each rake? All driven by iPad. Quite impressive watching trains shuffle forward in the FY. 

 

Like the idea of how you're combining hobbies by having the golf course holes on the layout.

Yes there's a few approaches:

• Current detection which as you say really needs something to draw current at the last wagon so that you know where the front and back are. Coaches are pretty easy in this respect. Just fitting internal lights will work and if not it's easy enough to stick a resistor in there. But for wagons you have to stick a small resistor on the wheels and that's quite fiddly. Another problem with this is that I'd have to cut my layout up into isolated sections and I'm not keen on that.
• RFID readers and small cards. This is kind of the gold standard since you not only know when a block is occupied you even know which train it is. However it's an expensive option. The cards are cheap but the readers not so much.
• IR detection (my preferred solution at the moment) doesn't require any track cutting and is pretty cheap.

I also have to write my own scripts but as an ex-computer programmer that doesn't scare me and since my layout is a simply roundy-roundy with no shunting and no reversing the script will be relatively simple. All I want is to be able to tell the computer to 'circulate some trains' while I watch.

 

As for combining the hobbies yes that is great. I originally wanted to incorporate a golf course into the layout but when I did the maths I realised I'd need a far bigger house 😁

[AndrueC]

So having measured it and printed out the changes 1:1 it looks like the new yard won't have any impact on line-side scenery. I think it can be built off-board on a sheet or two of hardboard then just dropped into place when complete. I'm getting quite excited about this. It'll be the first time I've not had to deal with a baseboard 'in my way' when laying track. It also means that I don't have to rip the existing yard up until the new one is ready so I can take my time with it. Almost like building a micro layout. In fact..hmmm. It'd only be a static diorama but it might be something that could be exhibited (if yours truly does a good job). And since it'll only have two tracks leaving on either side maybe I could build a couple of extension boards that house cassette systems.

 

Then I'd have 'Wallarium North Yard on tour' 😁

(NB:Left side is missing a turnout because I didn't select the area correctly. Hence one track in, one track out).

 

..and I've just realised that it's not two more sidings. It's three more.

 

Edited Thursday at 14:24 by AndrueC