Doxey End - Walls and Bridges

[Jaz]

Glued them all down last night, with pins to hold them all in position, and when I took the weights off this afternoon they were about a third of a mm off line! Of course, the one that is out had to be the 3 way point

 

Having spent so long shaving off bits of sleeper so that everything was perfectly together they managed to creep apart under the weights and leave a gap. So after this week's jaunt to London I'll be using hot water to lift it so that I can put it back correctly. Hopefully, after getting the cutting correct, I won't wreck the thing getting it back up off the board. Rather disappointing end to what had been a good weekend cutting and laying points

 

To finish on a positive note, I did pick up some adjustable feet from Topp Trains for my (yet to be designed and built) legs. While there I also picked up four lengths of old and rather manky flex track (two Hornby and two Peco I think.) Why? To use as my power buses on the underside of the layout. Don't know where I saw that so I don't know who to credit with that idea. Will have to see how it goes. But be assured, succeed or fail it will be on here soon!

did you glue them with PVA? because as I understand it if ballast or track or point need to be messed with you can just rewet PVA. Sorry for the late reposes....hope it helps.

[Anotheran]

Thanks Jaz, I did lift it with water and have since relaid it. And this time it's all perfectly lined up

[Andrew P]

Hi Neil, all those electrics look a bit to complicated for my old Brain, hahha

 

Good luck with it and keep us in the picture.

[Jock67B]

Sorry about the last rating Andy, clumsy fingers hit the indecipherable button in error!

Jock.

[Anotheran]

Hi Neil, all those electrics look a bit to complicated for my old Brain

 

It was the fact that I could play with electrics along with computers and trains and mix them with my like of history that pulled me back into the hobby. I'm still learning about all of them (well hopefully not the computer bit too much as I get paid for that) and places like RMWeb and MERG, as well as the local club and shows are fantastic places of learning. Electronics was one of my weakest points at both school and university (I try to forget General Relativity completely!!) but having something fun to do with it has made it one of my most favourite bits of the hobby!

 

Maybe if I can get my trains to move fast enough I can even get relativity into it as well. 

[ThePurplePrimer]

Hi Neil

 

I find electrics interesting but it's not something I understand beyond the basics

 

Could you explain what those circuit boards will actually do that you made up please ?

[Anotheran]

Another good day for the post. Two packages related to DE this morning. The first was my order from Rapid containing the correct diodes for my relay boards. So on went the iron again and now I have four that are complete and look like this...

 

 

I also got an unexpected bonus... a package from HK that I was expecting to take at least another week. Six of these...

 

 

They are servo cable splitters. This will mean that on my crossovers I'll be able to use a single driver for two servos. I originally though of using one servo and a mechanical link to the second point of the crossover pair. But decided that, as they're only a couple of pounds, and it would take me ages to design and build the mechanical link (and probably cost more and be less reliable!) that I would use a second servo on the pairs. Watch this space for the bad language when I realise that I've got the points opposing each other in the pair when I wire them up.

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Anotheran
Adding back images lost by site change

[Anotheran]

Also done today was the second siding on the right hand board (the one right at the front). The track had the sleeper spacing widened as before and two pairs of droppers added. I've got some more leaded solder now, and some new flux, so they went on far more easily than last time. It's all stuck down with PVA and weighted... so I guess I can do a picture later on. That means I only have two very short lengths of track to add to complete all of the visible track on the right hand board (though I'll still have the short lengths that go into the cassette fiddle yard). I hope to get that done today, but I don't want to shift it around until the siding has set in place.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Anotheran

[Anotheran]

Could you explain what those circuit boards will actually do that you made up please ?

 

Rob,

 

You've probably asked that question on pretty much the only circuit board that I can explain as it's an easy one. The board as a whole, which as I said above could have been done on strip board but wouldn't have looked as nice, is simply a mount for the relay that allow easy connection without soldering while under the baseboard, through the terminal blocks.

 

The relays themselves are latching. So a very small current at a low voltage can be used to effectively throw a switch that can connect higher current and voltage circuit. The switch remains on until the second coil receives a similar small current and voltage (hence the latch in the name). In fact, each relay has two switches that are both switched on and off together. What this means is that I can either use momentary switches to make latched changes to the relays, or, which is the intention, I can use micro-controller driven boards which operate on low voltages and currents to switch higher power circuits through these relays. Effectively they act like a toggle switch, but can be controlled by low voltage circuitry instead of my finger.

 

The reason for the diodes is to protect such input circuits. When the coil is energised the diode is the wrong way round so no current flows through it. the coil generates a magnetic field in the relay that throws the switch. When the coil is de-energised (I don't know if that word actually exists!) then the magnetic field collapses. This can generate quite a high voltage in the opposite direction on the input circuit. This high voltage could potentially damage the electronics used to for the control. But, because the voltage is the other way round, the diode is now the correct way around, so allows the associated current to flow round back into the relay circuit rather than back to the micro-controller.

 

I hope that was what you were asking for. If it was purely what does the circuit do then it simply takes the legs of the relay out to the terminal blocks and adds the diodes into the circuit.

 

If you ask me the same question on almost any other circuit then I may be able to tell you what it does, but I won't have much of an idea as to how at the moment. As I said before, I was very poor at electronics at school and university so am learning as I go along!

 

Kind regards, Neil

Edited October 4, 2014 by Anotheran

[ThePurplePrimer]

Hi Neil

 

Yes that is a great answer thanks.

 

What I meant to ask, and I think you guessed what I meant, was what is the function of them and now I know.

 

I will be wtaching this electrical progress with interest

[Jaz]

well your lack of knowledge keeps it simple, which helps people who know even less.....um that would be moi......

[Anotheran]

Well I should have posted last night as I have quite a lot to put in now. So I think it will be a couple of posts instead of one long one to keep the subjects separate.

 

Firstly, electrics continued...

 

I decided it was about time that I got some power in those rails that I'd so carefully cut, soldered and then stuck down. For those that are interested the bit that I'm working in is section 1 (including 1a and 1b) on the right hand board:

 

 

As mentioned previously my main bus is old OO rail that I picked up cheaply last week. So the first task was to pin them to the underside of the board. I did consider a hot glue gun instead of pins, but Mike in Topp Trains pointed out the obvious... what will happen to the glue when the rails get hot as I'm soldering the wires to them! So I used track pins. Firstly the bus for S1a and S2a.

 

 

Then the main right hand bus S1.

 

 

I gave the track sections a good clean. A lesson for NE... clean the bus tracks before pinning them in difficult places! Then it was a case of trimming the wires to a sensible length, tinning the wire tips and the top of the track and joining it all up. More fiddly than I imagined because I'd put the bus right along the edge of the board. That's a second lesson for NE... plan for the bus a couple of inches out!

 

 

Not the neatest soldering job I've ever done, but they're out of sight, and solid connections! I've not made the wires as short as they could be so that I have some slack without unsoldering them should I need to lift the track for anything. I can't think why I may need to do so, but with the wires like this I'd be able to raise it about five centimetres before I need to unwire anything. I'm glad I have gone down the track-bus route as I think they look pretty neat.

 

Lots more to go though!

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Anotheran
Adding back images lost by site change

[Anotheran]

Now for the big bit... testing. First thing I did was get the meter out to confirm that I had electrical continuity where I expected it, and not where I didn't expect it (such as at the frogs, which won't be wired until I get the servos in, so they should all be isolated). Then I connected up the various bits with jump leads where the connecting relays will go in the future. Effectively I wanted it all connected together as if all of the switches were closed.

 

 

And some red and black jumpers out from the S1 bus to connect the controller to

 

 

Now it was getting exciting! The first loco had to be 8709. With a short wheelbase I knew it would struggle a bit on the isolated frogs. But it's the sort of loco that would run up and down on this layout all day.

 

 

More to follow...

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Anotheran
Adding back images lost by site change

[Anotheran]

Well... did it work? Take a look at these rather unremarkable videos. Sorry about the poor light, camera stability and focus. But I wanted to get the moment on video even if conditions for filming weren't perfect!

 

I was able to run the class 37 up the other branch over the points as it can cope with the extended length of isolated frogs.

 

Now that may not seem much to others on here. But this is the first time that I have run anything on a layout that I have soldered, glued and sweated over rather than just a train set put together using set track pieces! There is still a lot to do, but for me this is a landmark! 

 

And now, after a rather extended lunch, I need to get back to work!

Edited October 6, 2014 by Anotheran

[7APT7]

Hi Neil R

 

Great YouTube Clips mate, all seems to be working OK...

 

Look forward to seeing more progress mate, nice work...!

 

Jamie

[Jock67B]

Neil,

A definite landmark, well done!

Kind regards,

Jock.

[Anotheran]

Thanks Jock and Jamie,

I't really helpful having encouragement from others on here, posting on this thread, and also from seeing what everybody else is achieving.

Right now, I'm very pleased with myself... little victories

Kind regards, Neil

Edited October 6, 2014 by Anotheran

[Andrew P]

Hi Neil, great little videos and at least it proves it works, and works well, great stuff mate.

[emt_911]

Neil

 

For some reason I've only just found this (and NE which I still have to read)

 

Some stunning work and interesting ideas.

 

I'll have to keep a close eye on this one for more ideas that I can use.

 

Duncan

[Anotheran]

Thanks guys, I'm not sure on the stunning, but I am pleased with the way it's going. All of the ideas are from others, which shows the huge impact this forum can have. I have a document for different ideas to which I am continually adding links. I don't think I've come up with anything original yet!

 

Duncan, welcome to DE, and I'd be delighted to welcome you to NE as well! Feel free to keep a close eye for ideas... as I am doing exactly the same with Hinton Ampner!

Edited October 7, 2014 by Anotheran

[ChrisN]

Neil,

Well done.  Looks like you will have finished before I start laying track! 

 

Very interesting about the wiring.  I am not sure how I will do mine yet, we shall see.

[Anotheran]

Early yesterday evening was time for reinforcement, though not before I set 37 238 across the board join. This was a bit of a fudge as I'd simply pushed the boards together and pinned a length of flex track onto board one joined by connectors to board two so that it can get power. But it's the first chance in a while that I could play trains! No more videos yet, as there's really still not much too it, but here's a still of it just as it goes across to new territory.

 

 

I can't believe I'm using a diesel so much with all my lovely steam locos sat in their boxes (even though I do rather like the 37). But it does cope with the dead frogs, which will remain dead until I start getting the servos in. So it will probably get more use over the next few weeks than it will in the rest of its life!

 

So what about the reinforcements... well an intention for Doxey End is to try everything out, so, like NE, it needs to be collapsible and portable. Now I've read lots of horror stories of the rails at the end of the board being caught and ripped out from the sleepers. There seem to be two schools of thought as to how to deal with this. Either copper clad sleepers screwed to the board to which the rails are soldered, or solder the rails direct to screws into the board. I went with the latter, and shopped up a sleeper to glue around it to disguise it (to a certain degree).

 

 

Now I think you'll agree, the soldering leaves much to be desired (because it's left a lot of solder everywhere!) and the sleeper could be aligned a little better. The latter I sorted out before the glue set. The former... well I filed a bit away, but it still doesn't look fantastic. But I think when it's all coloured the same as the other sleepers and chairs, and surrounded by ballast, I think it will be OK. Here's the same after the glue has set (and so has the sun, so sorry about the poor lighting)

 

 

You can also see my central road still joined by connectors, and the screws have been put in for the platform road on the left. I've also tinned (or rather blobbed) the screw heads for the goods shed road. Too much solder again, but better than the first ones above it. I'll try to make this one cleaner. By the time I get to NE I should have it right! But you can see that the sleeper bits around the soldered screw do line up reasonably and I think will look the part when it's all painted up.

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Anotheran
Adding back images lost by site change

[Jaz]

I think there is always some serious self satisfaction in making something work for yourself as opposed to buying it in.

 

We'll have you making trees soon.....Not sure you'll get me doing track though

[ThePurplePrimer]

Looks great to me

 

But the screws don't look like brass - are they ?

[ChrisN]

Neil,

I am going to do much the same as you when I finally get some track but what I am also going to do is to have a piece of ply at the end of the board, the width of the board and a ply width away from the board screwed in place to act as a protection against damage when I move it.  It is my next big job so should be in a week or two when I get some time.