Brian D Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 Why oh why did I not do that on my layout! With a lot of people jawing about track at the moment on here, I may have to redo mine . . . . . William, Thanks for your "craftmanship/clever" vote. I'd give it a trial before you rip up your track - it is very time consuming. My little trial took well over an hour - 17 sleepers, less than 6 inches, but that also included ballasting. Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 It looks far better Brian. How did you hold the sleepers in position while ballasting? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted May 21, 2015 Author Share Posted May 21, 2015 (edited) It looks far better Brian. How did you hold the sleepers in position while ballasting? As it was a "prototype" trial, I put down two strips of masking tape at the ballast edges, brushed neat PVA in between, put down the previously sprayed track, adjusted one or two sleepers that had gone a bit awry and finally sprinkled the ballast over the sample between the masking tape, collecting the excess when the glue had dried the following day. I have read on here that it is best to glue the spaced out sleepers to the rail via the small holes on the underside of the sleepers using a fine tip glue applicator and I will do this when I get into the "production" run, doing this prior to spray painting the track. You can even do curved track this way by only gluing the sleepers to one rail, the inside rail. I am trying to avoid the usual method of laying dry ballast between the track already laid and then dripping the usual 50-50 mix PVA/water + washing up liquid mix over the ballast which I found less than satisfactory on the previous layout. Hope that helps. Regards, Brian. Brian. Edited May 21, 2015 by Brian D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Thanks Brian. It's going to be interesting to see how the production run goes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted May 22, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 22, 2015 Brian I wonder if you can save yourself part of the chore by spraying sleepers and rail prior to laying? The dried paint should then hold the sleepers in place and you can subsequently weather the sleepers with a brush either before or after laying/ballasting. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 Thanks for the suggestion Ray. Being an impatient person, the paint was only touch dry when I made the sample and one or two sleepers did move slightly. If I'd left it overnight, your idea may have worked. Something to think about. Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 Track laying has commenced!! However, progress is slow. My favoured method of spacing out the sleepers on Mr Peco's track panels is extremely time consuming. But, I'm in no rush. Electrical testing has also shown up one or two issues with my soldering, particularly one of the point stock rail/blades bonds which didn't manifest itself until the point had been glued down, all now corrected. Pictures follow. This is the first section comprising one of the platform buffer stop end's run round points and corresponding loco stand. The section has been spray painted, allowed to dry, glued down and then ballast sprinkled over before being weighted down with various heavy stuff to hand. The masking tape has been positioned at the platform edge. This shows the same track after removal of excess ballast (vac + stocking over nozzle as standard practice) and the masking tape removed. This shows the next parallel section which, having been sprayed, is being test fitted. Various holes were drilled for the wires accurately so that tugging the wires down from beneath the base board helped to locate the track panel in the correct position. This is as far as I've got today. I've had issues centring the point motor on the lower point so have ordered one of these (aka Seep point alignment tool). Regards, Brian. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 It looks good so far Brian. I doesn't matter how fast or slow you go, just remember that it is only a hobby and the only person to keep happy is yourself Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 It looks good so far Brian. I doesn't matter how fast or slow you go, just remember that it is only a hobby and the only person to keep happy is yourself Thanks for that Duncan, I totally agree. Me and Mrs D have had a week away in West Wales, came back today, including a trip on the Vale of Rheidol railway . Photos to follow. Regards, Brian. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 Thanks for that Duncan, I totally agree. Me and Mrs D have had a week away in West Wales, came back today, including a trip on the Vale of Rheidol railway . Photos to follow. Regards, Brian. Photos as promised - actually they are frames from the video I shot of the return trip Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge. Firstly, the locomotive.. ...and finally, a head out of the window shot nearing Devil's Bridge. You can clearly see the sharp bends at the top of this fantastic little railway. Visiting these famous Welsh railways always makes me think about modelling one. Regards, Brian. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Nice Pics Brian, I got some good ones at the Bala Lake Railway back in April. When will the New Narrow gauge Line start then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 As Andy says. nice photos. I really hope that this doesn't mean a change of plans Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Nice Pics Brian, I got some good ones at the Bala Lake Railway back in April. When will the New Narrow gauge Line start then? I want to get the new layout finished first so we are talking about at least 10 years Seriously, I really love these railways (Ffestiniog, Talylynn, etc - apologies for my awful Welsh spelling) and fancy doing a small offering in 7mm/foot scale on 16.5mm gauge track using Bachmann or Hornby mechanisms under some Smallbrook studios or Peco loco bodies.....but not anytime soon. As Andy says. nice photos. I really hope that this doesn't mean a change of plans Absolutely not but see my reply to Andy. Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 I have spent a very frustrating afternoon trying to fix Seep point motors to the two points already laid. The problem has been literally "centred" around fixing the motors in the correct relation to the points so that the in built switch correctly changes the frog polarity. Despite using the "tool" I was still having problems getting the correct polarity on the points (using my trusty multi-meter to check). It seemed that whilst the points could be kept in the correct over centre position using 16/0.2 wire wedged between the stock rails and blades of the Peco code 75 electro-frog points, the card spacer I used to centre the point motor proved unreliable. I eventually cracked it by cutting a 10mm wide strip of plastic card, drilling a 1mm diam hole in the centre which when slip over the point operating rod was wedged between the two coils of the point motor. Things then proceeded at a decent pace with correct polarity being achieved on the meter when operating the points manually. However there was much cursing prior to the light bulb moment. Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted June 9, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 9, 2015 Been there, done that. Even with doing something similar by way of wedges we still have problems and that's in O gauge. Mind you, we are working under the baseboard which doesn't help. I hope you've got it cracked now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Been there, done that. Even with doing something similar by way of wedges we still have problems and that's in O gauge. Mind you, we are working under the baseboard which doesn't help. I hope you've got it cracked now. Good Morning Ray, Indeed, working up side down compounded the problem. Unfortunately the boards are too big and the space in the shed too small to turn them over to assist in these sorts of problems. But I now seem to have a method that has worked first time twice - whoopie-doo. So long as S*d's Law doesn't intervene. Mind you, I have a few aches and pains this morning after all that Limbo Dancing under the baseboards yesterday. Laying more straight track this afternoon hopefully. Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 A bit more track has been laid this week and there is also another piece about 3 feet long which has been "sleeper spaced", wire droppers soldered to the underside of the rails and spray painted ready for laying and ballasting tomorrow. Also, today, the first serious bit of wiring (and testing thereof) between the panel and the layout has taken place. When I use the small shiny switch in the middle of the picture here... ...magically (and it was a very pleasant surprise for me to find that) these points operate in unison It's always pleasing when something you think should work actually does. I'm a happy camper today! The switch was one of these http://brimal.co.uk/index.php/online-shop?page=shop.product_details&flypage=eny_fly_brimal.tpl&product_id=952&category_id=531 The next challenge is wiring up the track sections. These are to be controlled by the 3 position rotary switches shown above surrounding the point switch. The central position (as shown) is off for both controllers. Turning to the left or the right will select one of the two controllers in the Morley unit to power the section. Or that's the plan Regards, Brian. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Nice work Brian. Always a great feeling when things work the first time. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Nice work Brian. Always a great feeling when things work the first time. To be honest with you Duncan, it didn't work properly first time - the points were out of sync, one was straight ahead while the other wasn't. Basically I'd wired one of the point motors the wrong way round. However, it was easily corrected. Thanks again for your comments and interest. Regards, Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 A minor landmark this evening on the new layout. This locomotive moved up and down a short section of track! The appropriate section switch (i.e. that covering the green section on the mimic diagram), when turned to the left thus... ...controlled the loco using the left hand controller thus... ...and when turned to the right thus... ...enabled the loco to be controlled by the righthand controller thus. It was also comforting to find that when the section switch was in the vertical or neutral position, thus... ...the loco did not respond to either controller. Much punching the air followed along with statements like "Yesss. Cracked it!". As I stated when I finally got the points working, it really is so satisfying when something you think should work does turn out to do what was expected. Well chuffed. Regards, Brian. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snofi Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I'm hoping to get to that place soon. First go at a layout was a disaster electrically, taking my time with this one and would be as pleased as Punch to get a similar result 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 Progress on the layout has been interrupted this week by (1) the decking chap extending the decking to the shed and doing some fence work for me so I couldn't get into the shed and (2) my wife's birthday. However, a minor miracle I mean milestone today! I have now wired up all the track laid to date - this isn't much but does include two of the platform roads and a pair of points forming the buffer stop end of a run round loop. So, it is now possible that these two locos... ...when you select the appropriate switches... ...and turn the two separate controller knobs... ...move independently of one another. This was a defining moment for the layout. I needed the ability to run two trains at once, one arriving, another departing perhaps. Hence the design of a two track main line and the investment in the Morley twin track controller. It was immensely satisfying to put theory into practice, albeit very slowly, and see these two locos running together but under independent control. Back to track laying tomorrow. The plan is to lay and wire up the other two platform roads following which I will give track laying a rest and build the platforms, station building and commence the townscape. Regards, Brian. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Great work Brian, I can tell your chuffed to nuts mate, well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 Great work Brian, I can tell your chuffed to nuts mate, well done. Dear Andy, Thanks for that. I am a snail in comparison to your layout output but I'm getting there (slowly). I hope your new project(s) really satisfy your railway modelling needs...but please take it easy my friend. Best wishes, Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Two more points had their droppers soldered on and were spray painted yesterday. Earlier this afternoon, both points were laid on pva and the ballast sprinkled over as shown below. Meanwhile, the smallest loco in the fleet was carrying out a bit of shunting at the buffer stop end of the station. This is a fantastic little model made by Dapol for Model Rail magazine. The gearing is such that it operates literally at a crawl - great for testing the electrical continuity through the live frog cross-over. Regards, Brian. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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