Barnstaple Junction-ish 1970's - and on to Bideford!

[jamest]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the comments guys - Rich, I may well extend the line a little after Barnstaple to accommodate thro' trains but it will have to wait for now while I concentrate on the other end of the line.

 

I've made some actual progress and here are the pictures to prove it - I've altered 'Lapford' a little and I really like the end result. I found it difficult to copy the 'original' as I have to curve off around the end of the garage at one end and enter the fiddle yard at the other end - not actually leaving me much room for straight track.

 

I've moved the first point around the curve - which actually gives a pretty decent curve radius (slightly larger than 4th rad set-track) and a nice flowing entrance to 'Lapford' from Barnstaple. It also means you can shut a reasonable length of stock without interfering with the main line.

 

Here are the pictures:

 

Here is the overall picture of Lapford - the piece of wood in the bottom right is the scenic break (bridge)

 

Scenic break up close - fold down fiddle yard to the right (6 foot by one foot)

 

The approach to the station

 

Flowing point work - not too bad given the space restrictions!

 

And here are the pictures that show the rest of the line around to Barnstaple - the station and approach boards are removable for car access:

 

 

Got some wiring to do now as I have an urge to play trains!

 

Cheers,

James

[mudmagnet]

Nice work James!

Bet you can't wait to run some trains!

[Ramblin Rich]

I like the interpretation of Lapford - I was sketching something similar on XtrakCAD last night! Will you try to get a version of the 3-arch bridge for the fiddle exit - I notice there's a wider track spacing?

[jamest]

Hi all,

 

Rich - I hope to place something akin tho the actual road bridge as the scenic break

 

Another update;

 

Not a massive amount of progress visible from the top but I've finished the wiring and laid the track in the fiddle yard - so it was time to play trains! Just to make sure the wiring was all ok of course!

 

Here is the fiddle yard/ storage sidings - I've only gone for three roads to keep a reasonable gap between the tracks for stock placement/removal. Moving to the garage wall from a 14' end to end layout has meant I have more length in the fiddle yard. I've mentioned it before, but the scenic break will be the front of the block pillar protruding from the wall:

 

I also took a trip into Small World today and Dave twisted my arm so badly - I came away with some more railfrieght stock:

 

For my running session I chose to run my class 33 in anger for the first time (after running in):

At Lapford on the way out:

 

Approaching Barnstaple (the brake van is not connected!!):

 

Leaving Barnstaple (I didn't run around as I only fitted a coupling one end!) You can see that I have placed the yard roads in place on the right:

 

Approaching Lapford on the way back to Exeter:

 

Here are a couple of overall pictures of the layout from the garage door. Believe it or not the car will go back into the garage in the winter after Barnstaple is taken down (and the rest of the junk is binned..... I mean stored..... somewhere else!

 

Next job is to spray the track with 'sleeper grime' and start to ballast.

 

Cheers for now,

James

[mudmagnet]

Coming on well there James!

 

The Heljan 33 is a nice model and mine runs very well. What decoder have you fitted?

 

The boards look like there are quite high - what height have you gone for?

 

Cheers

[jamest]

Coming on well there James!

 

The Heljan 33 is a nice model and mine runs very well. What decoder have you fitted?

 

The boards look like there are quite high - what height have you gone for?

 

Cheers

 

Hi Richard,

 

I went for a cheap Hornby 8 pin chip even though I was warned Heljan locos preferred the better (more expensive) ones. I already had a class 35 and it ran fine with one of these chips so it wasn't a complete leap of faith. it runs fine and is certainly a lovely model. I did run it in for an hour in each direction prior to fitting the decoder (I have a separate fold able oval for running in).

 

The boards are quite high (appox 41/2 to 5 feet) but they need to miss the car and sit on a set of shelves under 'Lapford'. As you know I am quite tall so it actually suits me quite well!

 

cheers,

James

[Matloughe]

James,

 

What a fantastic space you have and layout - I love the sweeping track-work and points. Definitely something I am going to be following with interest. Also I like the diesels - I am worried I am being turned away from steam engines recently... going to the dark side. But if you ever want a 'steam special' let me know i'll loan you my Bullied spamcan.

 

I thought about Barnstaple Junction for my own layout but didn't feel I could do it justice in the space I had, at least I can watch yours develop.

 

Cheers,

~ Gary

[jamest]

But if you ever want a 'steam special' let me know i'll loan you my Bullied spamcan.

 

Thanks Gary - I'll bear it in mind!,

 

Bit of an update....

 

My kadee height gauge arrived in the post this weekend (only ordered it in May!!!).

 

I've bolted it a piece of track and eagerly checked my efforts so far - I didn't want to start cutting and altering stock until I was sure I was setting things correctly.

My Class 25 seemed to be about right (needed a little persuading upwards) and my Class 31 was spot on first time (well done Hornby!)

 

I much prefer my U shape set-up but it has created a bit of a problem. The end to end format meant the stock only had to negotiate the points - now I have a full radius at the end of the garage! Although it is 4th radius set track it still means my coach kadees need extending a bit to prevent buffer clash as they go around the curves.

 

The trouble is as you extend them they droop a bit and hang a little low. The NEM pocket is useless with even the longest (no.20) NEM kadee fitted. its too high and the kadee is no-where near long enough. But now I have my gauge I can work on a solution.

 

Still here are some pictures of my gauge set-up:

 

 

and consequent play with my class 31 (yes, the buffers need straightening and the detail needs fitting!)

 

 

Cheers,

James

[Ramblin Rich]

I've seen suggestions regarding inserting slivers of plastic above or below the coupler in the NEM box to stop the drooping- have you tried anything like that?

Alternatively, a blue oblong pill starting with "V"....

[spenc]

layout coming on well.top tip don,t use blue pill you will not couple loco & coaches ha.ha

[jamest]

I've seen suggestions regarding inserting slivers of plastic above or below the coupler in the NEM box to stop the drooping- have you tried anything like that?

Alternatively, a blue oblong pill starting with "V"....

 

Hi Rich,

 

packing the NEM pocket is a good idea for fine adjustment - I'll bear that in mind.

 

Unfortunately the coaches require more drastic action as the NEM seems miles off. Below is a piccy from earlier in the thread and you can see I had to glue a bit of plasticard to the bottom of the NEM and then attach the Kadee to that! This turns out to be a little low now I have a gauge but I will still need to 'attach' it to the bottom of the NEM without the packing plasticard. Now I also need to extend it a little bit to make sure the stock doesn't foul arounfd the curve so it is more prone to 'droop' as well. I think I'll end up drilling a small hole in the kadee and screwing it to the bottom of the NEM - possibly with some sort of blank inserted into the NEM to screw to.

 

Any suggestions gratefully recieved!!

[Ramblin Rich]

Um, yes I forgot Bachmann have an "individual" approach to the height of the NEM pocket - hence their use of "cranked" couplers...

[WardRail]

Hi

 

I've been using Kadees for over 20 years, I personally don't use the NEM sockets, even if they're right height (as on some of the Hornby 31's) because they have a tendency to not stay that way, also bogie mounted couplers are not a good recipe for keeping things on the track on tight corners, it only takes one bogie to derail and the next bogie will follow it off because its coupled to it and follows it as a matter of course.

 

I used Kadee 26's under my Hornby 31's, remove the NEM socket and trim the rest of the NEM socket mount off the back of the protruding post Hornby mounted it on, then simply mount the 26 straight onto the post, you'll find that like the NEM pocket mounted one, it will line up properly on the gauge first go but will never sag - ever !

 

I tend to use Kadee 5's under most rolling stock, simply trim off the NEM coupler pocket and whatever ugly pastic mounting bracket its moulded onto right back to the bogie end frame, stick a few layers of plasticard about the same size in width and about 2/3rds the length of the Kadee coupler mounting pocket behind the buffer beam, from coach floor down to lowest part of bufferbeam centre, hard up against the rear of the bufferbeam and then on with the Kadee, which is usually a little low, so out with the file/knife and remove a tad of the plastic (and a little sliver of buffer beam) and back on with the kadee - has always worked for me and after doing a few of em, you'll be able to accurately gauge how much plastic to remove (or add) by eye, if I with my wonky eyes can judge it by eye, I'm sure anybody else can too !

 

For various locos that have limited clearance between buffer beam and front of bogie there are a number of fixes, you can use a 36 (shorter than standard coupler box, but with the long shank of the 26) or simply use a 26 mounted such that some of the front half of the coupler box protrudes forward of the buffer beam. On most of the older Lima locos, like their 26, 27, 33, 37, 47, 59 and 60 (I've kadeed more than one of each recently for a friend) you can actually remove the outer spreaders (between bogie centre and outer frame) easily and quickly with a knife, without harming the integrity of the bogie at all and simply mount a 36 as explained above onto the chassis behind the buffer beam

 

One way to ensure no buffer locking on tight curves is to remove the buffers (either one or both on the side of the coaches on the inside of the curve, its ok if you can guarantee that the side with the buffers removed will always be on the inside of the curve (you'd be amazed how un-noticeable that is, I got away with it on 10 coaches on one of my exhibition layouts for the life of that layout and nobody (including some of the operators !) ever spotted the coaches that were sans buffers on one side) Another way is to simply pull the buffers from their shanks, shorten the shanks on the buffer beams and replace the buffers, pushing them further in to match the distance removed from the shanks (particularly good fix for Hornby/Bachy VAA/BA/CA/DA and VGAs) and the open wagons on the same chassis as the VAA etc, although you have to remove some of the wire length behind the buffers on the Bachy wagons/vans before you put the buffers back in.. I have a nasty feeling that Bachy are modelling their wagon buffers at full extension, which is fine for wagons parked singly on sidings, but not in a train

 

Best

Matthew

[jamest]

Hi Matt,

 

Thanks for taking the time to explain this in such detail. Up until now I have been 'non-commital' on the kadee's and left the NEM's on just in case I decide not to commit fully. But having played with them I am really impressed and want to take it further. I only ordered NEM No 18, 19 & 20 to start with and I think my next order will be for a few pack of the permanent kadee's you mention.

 

I know what you mean on the loco kadees - I can see I will have to keep an eye on the correct as they will tend to drop over time. I can also see that when the kadee's 'rotate' with the bogie on the curve they might not straighten fully on the straights/points section and un-coupling performance is effected in the station.

 

I had thought of removing the buffers on the inside - I imagine that is an even better way of doing it when the inside of the curve is on the opposite side from the viewing one - unlike mine. But I'll give it a try.

 

Thanks again,

James

[Happy Hippo]

James,

 

A trick I did see, albeit N gauge was to remove all the left (or right depending on your preference) buffers on coaches to allow closer connection and preventing locking on curves. I don't know whether the same trickery would work in OO as the buffers are that much bigger. How about modelling Mk II coaches with the buffers fully retracted? That might give you a little bit more in the way on space.

 

I'm really enjoying this thread, please keep up the good work.

 

Regards

 

Richard

[jamest]

I'm really enjoying this thread, please keep up the good work.

 

Thanks Richard,

 

My son has got a taste for playing with the layout after tea (good excuse for me to disappear with him to 'supervise'). So tonight I have removed the buffer on the inside at each end of the coaches (I only use the kadees at the extreme ends of the rake for now).

 

The results were great! and you really can't notice the difference. I can now leave the No.20 kadee glued to the NEM for now so I can play before I order the more permanent solution suggested by Matthew above.

 

This is a much less visible compromise than having the coupling length too long with a huge gap.

 

Cheers,

James

[jamest]

Hi all,

 

I've been playing with the layout recently to make sure everything works ok and to see how much fun the layout is!

 

One thing I quite liked the idea of was being able to run through Barnstaple with trains bound for Bideford and beyond (I know ramblin rich likes this idea too!). In my original format of 'end to end' this would have been difficult but in this 'U' formation I did have some room further down the line. It would mean an extra 30" section that was quickly remove-able as the garage door would foul it. It also meant I had to re-arrange the run-around back to a point on the main board.

 

The old arrangement of small sector plate was a good idea when I was going to stand behind the yard - now I'm fixed to the garage wall and out front I find it a pain to keep walking over to manually runaround. I wanted to incorporate a point and motor to run around hands free remotely.

 

Here is the old format with a sector plate run-around and a small fixed extension to the main board. This fixed piece was a problem when storing the board on its end as it had to be rested on the other end of the board - risking damage to the rail ends and alignment dowels:

 

Here is the new point on the main board at the end of the platform. You can see the path of the old track from the 'black rectangle' of plasticard covering the old magnet position:

 

And here is the new extension - just a piece of track loosely laid for now as I consider my options. I can park the DMU at the end of the siding and still run around a train in the station with the room left on the extension after the point. I could have incorporated a sector plate again but I want to be able to stay further down the garage and operate this area remotely:

 

And evidence that all the available room has been used. This piece of board (30"x12") and its supporting legs were something I had knocked up before for my earlier effort around the garage - pretty good fit!

 

Cheers,

James