Fryers Lane - Speedlink in the '80s (P4)

[Enterprisingwestern]

A question for Mark... Will the fiddle yards be the same on the next outing?

 

Is there a cunning stunt afoot?

 

Mike.

[Ramblin Rich]

It's almost as if the length of the headshunt had been carefully planned to prevent such silliness.

 

I'll have to get you something more suitable for shunting wagons. Maybe one of these?

https://flic.kr/p/rdJESm

Not unheard of, I remember one was used to take p-way wagons along the Cambrian Coast line when locos were banned from crossing Barmouth Bridge in the mud 1980s...

[Gilbert]

I very much enjoyed seeing FL at DEMU

 

Some photos

[Indomitable026]

I very much enjoyed seeing FL at DEMU

 

Some photosP1340138.JPGP1340132.JPGP1340112.JPGP1340105.JPGP1340102.JPGP1340137.JPGP1340128.JPGP1340122.JPGP1340108.JPG

Great pictures.

 

Mark - you’ve got the lighting spot on.

[Mark Forrest]

I very much enjoyed seeing FL at DEMU

 

Some photosP1340138.JPGP1340132.JPGP1340112.JPGP1340105.JPGP1340102.JPGP1340137.JPGP1340128.JPGP1340122.JPGP1340108.JPG

Great photos, thanks very much for posting them.

[Mark Forrest]

A question for Mark... Will the fiddle yards be the same on the next outing?

It's hard to say, but I think they have probably reaching the end of their evolution. They seem to work as they are so hopefully I can resist temptation to change them again!

[2ManySpams]

It's hard to say, but I think they have probably reaching the end of their evolution. They seem to work as they are so hopefully I can resist temptation to change them again!

I thought they worked very well.

 

Checkrails on entry/exits, spot of ballast on the first few inches - job done.

[Mark Forrest]

Mark - you’ve got the lighting spot on.

Thanks, bit of trial and error involved but got there eventually. In case any one is wondering, it's two of the LED strips in the link below. One in daylight one in cool white.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JQV6U7Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_mTVfBb23T9NVH

[Mark Forrest]

I thought they worked very well.

Checkrails on entry/exits, spot of ballast on the first few inches - job done.

I'll add that to my list, will get onto it as soon as I've worked out how to make the warehouse building turn temporarily invisible.

[The Fatadder]

Before I start tracking back through 70 pages looking, do you have a couple of photos of the fiddleyards you could share please? 

I am trying to  get ideas as to how I am going to tackle the fiddleyards on Wheal Imogen, and right now havent got a clue as to what I am going to build...

The lack of a fiddleyard is rather getting in the way of testing, so I really need to get on with it!

[2ManySpams]

This is one I took at the weekend of the right-hand fiddle which is a traverser.

 

 

Runs very smoothly on 4 drawer runners. Front 2 roads are for shunting and form a loop with the on scene track.

[The Fatadder]

I rather like that, I have a similar loop off scene arrangement, all be it at an angle. I will print out some drawings and have a play to see if it will work

[Mark Forrest]

Thanks for that Chris

 

Rich - I'll have a look later to see if I have a photo of the other fiddle and will add some notes to describe the one in the photo too. I tried to make life easy for myself (for once) by having the track leave the scene square to the baseboard, which obviously simplifies things with a sliding drawer arrangement.

[P.C.M]

Hi Mark, 

Looks like you had an enjoyable show. Some great pics too showing your nicely weathered stock. Looking forwards to see a class 25/9 pottering about.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Wayne 37901]

Hi Mark,

 

Hope you don't mind me posting these few shots I took at the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice to finally see Fryers Lane having followed the story from the start here.

 

Cheers

Wayne

Edited June 6, 2018 by Wayne 37901

[Enterprisingwestern]

Nice to finally Fryers Lane having followed the story from the start here.

 

Cheers

Wayne

 

If that's this weeks missing word competition I'll go with smell due to the temperature in the glasshouse room!

 

Mike.

[Wayne 37901]

If that's this weeks missing word competition I'll go with smell due to the temperature in the glasshouse room!

 

Mike.

 

What can I say, it's been a long hot day!

 

Post duly edited.

[Mark Forrest]

Hi Mark,

 

Hope you don't mind me posting these few shots I took at the weekend.

 

fryers lane _1.jpg

 

fryers lane_2.jpg

 

fryers lane_3.jpg

 

fryers lane_4.jpg

 

fryers lane_5.jpg

 

 

Nice to finally see Fryers Lane having followed the story from the start here.

 

Cheers

Wayne

Hi Wayne - no, I don't mind at all. Nice photos, thanks for posting them.

[Mark Forrest]

Re-posting Chris's fiddle yard photo:

 

On the scenic section the left track (front of layout) is the main through line, the right is the loop. The loop is only used during shunting moves, not for passing trains.

 

On the sliding deck of the fiddle yard, numbered from the front, track 1 and 2 align with the main and the loop respectively.

Tracks 3,4 & 5 can only be aligned with the main. This is to ensure you don't block the loop with one of the through trains (which simply pass end to end to provide a break in shunting moves - for the benefit of operators and viewers).

 

Track 6 (hidden by a BDA in the photo) is a recent addition. This can only be aligned with the loop (when track 5 is aligned with the main). Its purpose is to provide a cripples siding. Operators can shunt any wagons that are being troublesome off scene and dump them there for rectification (normally tweaks to the AJs), the track is electrically isolated, so I can place my AJ/buffer height jig on it without upsetting the DCC track supply.

 

Fiddle deck is MDF (painted both side to reduce chance of warping) mounted on four metal drawer runners. I took my time to get these aligned as well as possible. Power is passed to the fiddle deck via the runners (so no trailing wires) and by the sliding brass rod that provides the means of alignment. If a track isn't aligned, it's isolated from the track supply.

 

Think that about covers it, but any further questions just ask...

[Mark Forrest]

For completeness, here's an (old) photo of the fiddle at the other end.

 

Fairly self explanatory, things are complicated slightly by the rear siding being at a lower level than the main, so it's really two separate fiddle yards sharing a baseboard.

[sb67]

Fantastic layout Mark, very atmospheric. Your rolling stock looks spot on as well, I really enjoy looking at this thread. Thanks for the fiddle yard explanation, it's always good to see what's going on behind the scenes.Hope I get to see the layout sometime.

Steve

[Mark Forrest]

I've never been very good at resisting a bargain:

 

Would have been rewheeling it tonight, except the wrong diameter wheels arrived so it'll have to wait a while.

[2ManySpams]

So what do you have to buy now to find a use for the surplus wheels?

[Mark Forrest]

So what do you have to buy now to find a use for the surplus wheels?

Struggling with that one, don't have much call for Lowmacs!

 

Hedging my bets by returning them and also ordering some more from a different supplier (because I also have a class 155 to do, now I have a new power bogie for it).

[The Fatadder]

10mm wheels? Ideal for a VDA van if I remember rightly,