emt_911 Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Hello all.After lurking here quietly for the past three years and learning from others, I've decided to take the plunge and start my own layout.CONCEPTOxted Park is a fictitious Network Southeast Maintenance Depot just south of London in the late 1980’s to about 1993 providing maintenance facilities and a fuelling point for many visiting locomotives. This will enable a mixture of BR Blue, Network Southeast and Railfreight locomotives. I am aiming for all of the buildings will be scratch built. There is also the possibility of some preserved locomotives visiting, well, it is my layout.LAYOUTThe layout will be on a 6 foot by 2 foot board. The fiddle yard is not shown.TRACKAll track is Peco Code 100. All the track sections will have droppers soldered to them and all the points will be controlled from a control panel and utilising SEEP PM1 point motors.CONTROLControl will be DCC.LIGHTINGAll lights will be scratch built and separately controlled.My plan shows what I am trying to achieve and will make it possible to expand if I can negotiate more space.Any thoughts and comments will be gratefully accepted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkNewZealand Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Welcome on board and don't worry, we could never have too many TMD's on this site......lol Cheers Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Its home to the TMD"S...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Nice concept. Great era and area too. Need somewhere to maintain all these locos, so don't worry about another TMD. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 Thanks for the comments guys. So far, after having to do the 'admin jobs', i have; Built the base board Laid most of the track It's been an interesting day. I hadn't realised that it would take me so long to get as far as I have. It would have helped if my soldering skills had been as good as they were 10 years ago. I'm not sure if it is lack of practice, my eyesight, unsteady hands or a combination of all three. Anyway, I'm going to finish laying the track tomorrow evening and hopefuly have the bus wired up. Photos of my progress tomorrow night. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom82 Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Sitting here in anticipation of what may come, I hope the layout starts well.. Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 Tom So far it's nearly going to plan. I have changed the track around the proposed load bank to provide better running. I just hadn't realised how long it takes to lay that little bit of track. Practice makes perfect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Cant wait to see how this comes on now!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 9, 2012 Author Share Posted December 9, 2012 Ok. After a day that didn't go according to plan, all the track is down and droppers soldered. Haven't managed to get the time to drill the holes for the droppers yet. This will have to be done over the next couple of evenings and then install the DCC Bus. I should be able to do my first test run on Wednesday, (I hope). Forgot to say, any thoughts, comments suggestions gratefuly accepted. Anyway, progress so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 OK, Note to self, lay track and then solder the droppers. This learning curve is getting bigger every day. Must remember this if I either expand this layout or start a new one. Had a realy good evening. I've managed to drill the holes in the board and wire up the bus, not paricularly tidy but functional. So, all ready for testing tomorrow evening. The next job after that is to modify the sides of the inspection pits for the depot to allow me to light them. This may take some time! The other question is, what am I going to have as a scenic break? I would like to get away from the traditional bridge. Ideas on this please guys and girls. As usual, any feedback, comments or ideas positive or nagative would be gratefuly appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Made good start so far buddy.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Well, the test run was a total sucess. Bearing in mind that this is the first time I've 'played' with DCC, I decided to not modify the points. This appears to have been a good move as using the shortest DCC Loco available, I had no problems at all. As usual, any feedback, comments or ideas, positive or nagative would be gratefuly appreciated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Ok, now the next task. For this I could do with a bit of input please. The Inspection Pits. What I want to do is light the pits. At the moment I am unsure as to the best way to do this. Option 1: Cut a 14mm x 2mm slot in the side of the Peco inspection pit walls. Option 2: Cut the pit walls off and replace them with plasticard with the slots cut in them. Option 3: Utilise the pit tops and rebuild the walls and floor, again with the slots cut in the walls. Option 4: Lay standard track, cut the sleepers away and scratch build the pits. As far as the lighting goes, I am undecided as to whether to light using LED's direct or use some fibre optic cable from one or two LED's. As usual, any feedback, comments or ideas, positive or nagative would be gratefuly appreciated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 option 1 seems the easiest to me, and if not happy you can still try the other options Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 Ok, I have to agree with ess1uk for the way ahead with the pit lights. So far, marking out and cutting the first one has taken an hour. Timeline, 6 sections, 2 lights per section, 2 Inspection Pits = 24 hours. Hopefuly I can get faster with each one. I hope the photos show what I am trying to achieve. As usual, any feedback, comments or ideas, positive or nagative would be gratefuly appreciated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 17, 2012 Author Share Posted December 17, 2012 Now I;ve got the last few days work out of the way. (They were longer than they should have been) I can now continue with Oxted Park especialy as I have no work for a few days Hopefuly some updates later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
porkie Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Looking good, nice track plan. Your take your time attitude is the best way to get a nice trouble free layout. Keep the updates coming Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 OK, so no more inspection pits, yet. However, tonight I have been trying the 'Salt' weathering technique for what are going to be a pair of fuel tanks. These started life as knackered second hand tankers. Neither of the chassis or running gear was worth keeping. The photos show the progress so far. As usual, any feedback, comments or ideas, positive or nagative would be gratefuly appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 Well, so much for a few days on the latout. The whole household, including myself has been down with the lurgie!!! This unfortunately has meant that not a lot has been done!! However, I have managed to cut out some more of the pit lights, wire the solder the wires to the point motors ready for installing them and tried a few techniques on a small photographic diarama. My main problem now is how do I fit the point motors. I have decided that the technique used by MattWallace on Blockwall Junction will provide the best approach but instead of card, I will be using thin plastic. Hoping to have a some photos later today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattWallace Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 My main problem now is how do I fit the point motors. I have decided that the technique used by MattWallace on Blockwall Junction will provide the best approach but instead of card, I will be using thin plastic. Probably a very good idea. I'm starting to find that the card doesn't hold up so well to a lot of paint and can start to sag in places. It also has a habit of rising up or snagging on tools as I move around the baesboard - it's not causing me enough concern to need to fix it now, but I think the next layout may well need a revision of the technique! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 Evening As I've been ordered by 'The Management' to cover up the layout for the next few days, so not a lot will be happening with it. But, everyone went to bed early so they can do some more shopping first thing in the morning. I've managed to negotiate my way out of that some how. So tonight I have managed to start some modifications to 47599. Those horrible 'D' couplings have gone and a decoder socket and decoder have been fitted and tested. As I don't have to be up early, I am going to build a circuit board for the lights and time permitting, fit the LED's. This is the one job I have been putting off in case I mess it up, but here goes. As usual, any feedback, comments or ideas, positive or nagative would be gratefuly appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 Don't you just love this time of year? Well. No modelling has taken place over the last few weeks due to a couple of minor changes of circumstance. Since I last posted, I have no job and no SWMBO. Now I've started to pick myself up, modelling will restart next week. The only advantage is that I will be able to spend more time on the layout. More next week Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Sorry to here you have no job mate,something wil come along hopefully.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 class"66" Unfortunately, it's the way things are going at the moment. It is a bit of a shock though as I've worked ever since I left school. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Have you ever regreted the order in which you have done things? Returning to the layout, I spent a day trying to fit the remaining point motors. It would have helped if I hadn't already soldered the droppers and connected them to the bus. After a few hours fighting with it, I gave up for the day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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