RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted May 1, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 1, 2015 It's official, I'm an idiot. I used single sided copperclad everywhere except the right hand scenic board. On the problem board, I ran out of single sided copperclad and used double sided copperclad sleeper strip. Having slit the top of the strip, the copper panel pins I'd used to secure the sleeper strips were bridging the gap and causing a short on the underside. I've used a slitting disc and cut through the copperclad completely - problem gone. What a relief! All I did was type "dcc short circuit" into RMWeb and lo and behold, someone else had the exact same problem! What a wonderful resource this is. Edit: If I have time tomorrow to put everything back together that I took apart, trains will run and that will be a milestone for me. I'm itching to get on with some scenic work but obviously I needed everything wired up and working first! Yes been there done that, took ages to find it then kicked my self a dozen times!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Thanks guys... Having wasted an entire day over the short circuit, I cannot stress enough what a relief it was not to have to start ripping too much up! I spent this morning testing everything and it all seems to run really well. I'm quite pleased with the flowing curves although admittedly they do tighten up at each end. My (limited) selection of stock is quite happy with the Code 83 C&L/Tillig combination. I do think the points are a visual improvement over Peco and I especially like the long one-piece point blades. Having used nothing but Peco in the past, I'm still struggling to get my head round the wider sleeper spacing of the plain track! Satisfied that everything was working ok, I did my usual "track dirt" blowover. Having already sprayed the C&L concrete sleeper bases with Plastikote Suede Touch "Tan", the concrete sleepers were masked before spraying everything else a dirty brown. The somewhat patchy appearance in the pics below is just where the masking tape has been removed. This worked well for me on North Street and it certainly gives a good colour base to work on. 10 minutes spent cleaning the track was followed by another test to make sure everything was still ok. Having got, for me, the rather less enjoyable jobs done, I can now think about cutting some test formers for the roadways, bridges and high street. I will probably use Peco Code 100 for the tramway simply because most of it will be buried beneath a representation of concrete or asphalt. Playing around with the ply and MDF formers in 1/1 scale always helps me to visualise what the finished result will look like. I managed to capture a short video of a couple of trains running, quality is nothing to write home about but it does give a flavour... Edit: The strange metal studs visible on the backscene are just a few machine screws through the backscene supporting the Microdrive control units on the other side. When complete, "Clarendon Road" sloping down from the High Street will hide them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Coming along realy well here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornish trains jez Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Very nice. Really enjoying seeing your layout progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Those Tillig points really do look good. I wish I had re-used mine now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Mike, yes, I think they do look good, but from what I've read the jury's still out on reliability and longevity. I guess only time will tell. I spent some time this morning cutting some templates to get some idea in 3D what the High Street end will look like, I always find this helps my thought process! Terraced house backs will slope down from London Road along the backscene (Clarendon Road) and as I'd hoped, there should be enough room to detail some back gardens. I've cut a template for the Roman Way flyover... this is wide enough for a pavement and 2 lanes in each direction. Tramlink (shown as a blue line) will cross the High Street and border the railway line as it comes down parallel to Ruskin Road (Tramlink follows Tamworth Road in real life). The soup and spaghetti are only there to flatten out the curve in the MDF! Also, you'll have to forgive the cars and buses... I couldn't resist a quick play. Sometimes it's nice to be 8 again. At the other end of the layout, the scenic break will be the footbridge from Waddon New Road into Wandle Park and also the Tramlink flyover. Viewed from above, the flyover is an unusual shape... I'm wondering if that is to allow for the articulated tram to "swing out" on the sharp curve? Edit: The curve doesn't actually look that sharp... so unsure why the flyover is that shape... might be a structural reason? On the model, the curve will have to be considerably sharper but I think I can get away with that... it is a tram line after all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 If you're going to have the tramway then you really do need to have some of the Faller Road System vehicles following it as well Coming along really well - and I see you have that "curved front" thing done very well again. I wish I had the skills to do that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted May 3, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 3, 2015 Pete, a couple of guesses as to the shape of the flyover. Could be to maximise the support columns on dead land and therefore minimise the span over the railway, or could be to facilitate a later junction/extension along the road (up the photo) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Hi Pete, Coming on well, I do like the Roadway as the Tracks now sit IN the Layout as opposed to on it. Well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted May 3, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 3, 2015 Looking superb already. Now where is that can opener!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Pete, a couple of guesses as to the shape of the flyover. Could be to maximise the support columns on dead land and therefore minimise the span over the railway, or could be to facilitate a later junction/extension along the road (up the photo) I think you've hit the nail on the head re: support columns. Not able to get down to Croydon just yet to rummage around in the undergrowth in the name of "research", Google Streetview reveals a rather chunky set of support columns... Also, whilst dragging the little yellow Streetview guy around, I noticed that whoever designed the flyover specified some decorative brickwork instead of plain, inconsiderately giving no thought at all as to how I'm supposed to reproduce that in 4mm/1ft... Another challenge... bring it on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 If you're going to have the tramway then you really do need to have some of the Faller Road System vehicles following it as well Coming along really well - and I see you have that "curved front" thing done very well again. I wish I had the skills to do that. Oh - the Faller road system. Don't tempt me. I wasn't even planning to motorise the tram! More food for thought. With regard to the curved baseboard edge, there's no skill to it at all and it's only a little extra work! Viewed from underneath, each baseboard is just a simple ladder frame. I lay this onto a larger sheet of ply and using a flexible edge, mark the curve. Once the baseboard top is cut, it's glued and pinned to the frame and then various softwood "packers" are cut to extend from the straight edge of the frame to the curved edge of the baseboard top, stopping about 12mm short. I use a table saw to rip some 6mm MDF down to the right width and then laminate two pieces together to make the flexible baseboard edge. This is just glued and screwed to the packers. Ply won't work as a flexible baseboard edge... it never seems to want to follow a smooth curve. MDF will bend quite happily into a much smoother curve. There's no real point to a curved baseboard edge, I just think it looks good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 That will be interesting! Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 You have tools I don't have. Plus either a shed or garage (or even a garden) which I also don't have, living on the 3rd floor. Wife tends to get a bit tetchy about the mess I sometimes make (and I'm sure those sort of power saws make a lot of mess) and I guess doing it in the communal stairwell wouldn't go down well even though we get cleaners round once a week. Seemingly also the "saw table guy" I usually see in B&Q has asked to be moved to other duties as he felt he was spending far too much time operating it. I'm sure that has nothing at all to do with the visits I've made so far this year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 A shed or garage is a luxury I don't have either - maybe one day! As for the mess, most of my disposable income seems to go on hoover bags and cheap flowers from Tesco to say "sorry". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bigbee Line Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 It's official, I'm an idiot. I used single sided copperclad everywhere except the right hand scenic board. On the problem board, I ran out of single sided copperclad and used double sided copperclad sleeper strip. Having slit the top of the strip, the copper panel pins I'd used to secure the sleeper strips were bridging the gap and causing a short on the underside. I've used a slitting disc and cut through the copperclad completely - problem gone. What a relief! All I did was type "dcc short circuit" into RMWeb and lo and behold, someone else had the exact same problem! What a wonderful resource this is. Edit: If I have time tomorrow to put everything back together that I took apart, trains will run and that will be a milestone for me. I'm itching to get on with some scenic work but obviously I needed everything wired up and working first! Maybe there should be a "schoolboy error" thread. We've all done it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted May 4, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 4, 2015 A shed or garage is a luxury I don't have either - maybe one day! As for the mess, most of my disposable income seems to go on hoover bags and cheap flowers from Tesco to say "sorry". Luckily I have garage. Unfortunately it's full of layouts so I tend to do the messy work outside on dry days. I do have say sorry quite a few times when my other half knocks herself on the layouts whilst trying to access the washing machine though!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 'nut mentioning the tramway and the Faller road system set me thinking (which is always a little dangerous)... The section of Croydon Tramlink running along the front of the layout was always meant to be just decorative eye candy, but now I'm wondering if I should cut a couple of holes in the backscene and connect it up into an oval? I could have the hidden section running above the fiddle yard supported on threaded rod risers. Running say, left to right, the tram would disappear through the backscene having climbed the flyover and then reappear at the top of the High Street at the other end. Too much? Maybe I should just stick to the trains for movement? The other worry is that the climb up onto the flyover is a little steep and would the tram have enough grunt to pull itself up there? I shall have a think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted May 4, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 4, 2015 Hi Pete, looking at your "decorative" brick problem I think it might be easier than you thought. It looks like standard bricks 45 degrees end on to create the edges. You just need decent brick paper, a good straight edge and a steady hand. Create one big concertina and glue it to a suitable supporting structure that will hold it in shape. Think id go for card of a suitable thickness for the width of each "point" layered up as if you were making a set of steps. Sorry I can't draw at the moment, hope I've described it OK. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted May 4, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 4, 2015 'nut mentioning the tramway and the Faller road system set me thinking (which is always a little dangerous)... The section of Croydon Tramlink running along the front of the layout was always meant to be just decorative eye candy, but now I'm wondering if I should cut a couple of holes in the backscene and connect it up into an oval? I could have the hidden section running above the fiddle yard supported on threaded rod risers. Running say, left to right, the tram would disappear through the backscene having climbed the flyover and then reappear at the top of the High Street at the other end. Too much? Maybe I should just stick to the trains for movement? The other worry is that the climb up onto the flyover is a little steep and would the tram have enough grunt to pull itself up there? I shall have a think. This system might give you food for thought as an alternative to faller, no motors in the vehicles. https://www.magnorail.com/site/en/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Remembering that trams traditionally go round much sharper curves than normal rail, I think you'd do well to make it a loop - possibly with radius 1 or tighter curves (although I don't know the capabilities of the tram model) and it would work fine on an auto station stop module "behind the scenes" to give a delay. Knowing that section is one way anyway you only need one tram unit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I'd forgotten about Magnorail but that would be awesome You just need to synchronise it so the cyclists jump red lights, just like the real thing... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Like the concertina idea for the flyover... I can try that as Plan A and if it all goes wrong, well you know I never pass the buck... COLIN! Never heard of Magnorail - looks interesting. As for the tram, I think it's worth a go. A 1st radius curve beginning right at the top of the flyover incline takes the tram track 90 degrees to the railway line below as it disappears thru' the backscene. A shuttle module could just send it back the way it came after a short pause, that would save having to try and connect together an elevated track section across the fiddle yard join. Before any of those roadways and elevated sections shown in the previous photos are fixed in place, I really must get all the track details in place... point motors, conduit, orange trunking, relay cabinets etc etc. On the prototype photos of this section of line, there are plenty of track circuits in evidence - they should be easy enough to mock up using plasticard and thin wire. Then comes ballasting. I think I'll have a little look on ebay and try and buy up some of the small fiddly trackside stuff that makes the lineside come to life, but I'm not wasting money on the Ratio or Wills concrete trunking... I'll make up my own using square and H section Evergreen strip. that way I can leave some of the lids off and show off some of the cables inside. I do enjoy the track detailing, but it just needs some thought... a lot of it needs to be in place before ballasting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I assume you've remembered all the 3D printed NSE accessories from a fellow RMWeb member? http://www.shapeways.com/designer/SJPModels?li=pb Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Simon Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I assume you've remembered all the 3D printed NSE accessories from a fellow RMWeb member? http://www.shapeways.com/designer/SJPModels?li=pb Hi, **Shameless Plug**, you'll also need some AWS Magnets, Telephones and Impedance Bonds (once I've finished them in a week or so) **/Shameless Plug** I loved North Street, I can't wait to see this develop Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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