This is Euston!

[cornish trains jez]

Hi,

 

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions on turnout motors.

 

I have finished the last double slip tonight, hooray!!

The two together look quite good.

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[Siberian Snooper]

Looks like you can now see the finishing post, as far as the track laying goes. A fantastic job!

[cornish trains jez]

Looks like you can now see the finishing post, as far as the track laying goes. A fantastic job!

 

Thanks! Yes, I do feel like I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel now. As far as the slips are concerned, just two more singles to do and then it's just plain turnouts to finish.

 

Looking back at the two photos, I just need to add the check rails to finish those two slips.

Edited March 24, 2016 by cornish trains jez

[TomE]

Top work Jeremy, looks awesome! Don't envy you ballasting that lot though!

 

Tom. 

[Guest bri.s]

Very nice looking slips ,your neatness is amazing compared to mine lol I'm slowly building up the courage to attempt a slip ,what do you thinks the harder double slip or 3 way/ tandem point

 

Brian

[cornish trains jez]

Very nice looking slips ,your neatness is amazing compared to mine lol I'm slowly building up the courage to attempt a slip ,what do you thinks the harder double slip or 3 way/ tandem point

 

Brian

 

 

Three way was harder for me as there is the unusual sized common crossing in the middle to contend with. Slips are just a process of building up lots of parts and then fitting them onto the sleepers. The 3 way needed a little more thought putting into it to get it looking right.

That's just my opinion anyway. Some may find the three ways easier, some may not.

If you need any help, PM me.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[Guest bri.s]

Thanks for that ,once I get the courage I'll no doubt be asking questions thanks lol

It's probably back In your thread but How did you get the middle unusual sized crossing in the 3 ways ?

 

Thanks

 

Brian

[porkie]

Wow, the more I catch up with this one. The more inspired I get.

keep up the stunning work jeremy.

[Ian Morgan]

For ballasting, 'Woodland Scenics' fine grey ballast works for me, but you may want to sieve out any larger lumps using a mesh tea strainer, or old pair of tights, before you start.

 

Drilling slots for use with under-baseboard tie-bars could be tricky now the track is laid. Maybe drill a small hole next the rail from above, then create a slot from below using a router with the depth set exactly at baseboard thickness? It might be worth practicing on a piece of spare plywood first.

 

Good Luck.

[cornish trains jez]

Thanks for that ,once I get the courage I'll no doubt be asking questions thanks lol

It's probably back In your thread but How did you get the middle unusual sized crossing in the 3 ways ?

Thanks

Brian

Hi Brian,

 

The unusual common crossing was made up in sections. First, print off another copy of the turnout from templot to use as a guide. Then I worked out which size Vee was going to be the closest match and then go for the size just below the size Vee you require. File the two rail sections as usual to form the Vee and then bluetac them securely to your printed off plan, at the angle required. There will be a slight gap in the middle which, when you solder the two parts together, will be filled with solder to hide the gap and strengthen the Vee. File the top smooth when soldered and you have a pretty much perfect unusual shaped Vee.

Next, the two rails to the side of the Vee are then bent to shape and checked for size, again against your printed off plan. Add some plastic chairs to the Vee and side rails and then glue down with MEK as usual to your actual baseboard and plastic sleepers, using the templot plan on your baseboard as the guide. Although the parts are not soldered together underneath as you would do with a normal built common crossing, it still will be pretty strong. Only time will tell if my method has worked.

 

The other way is to make a jig first to the size of the middle common crossing and then solder everything together as normal but I think my method should be just as good.

 

Good luck with yours and let me know how you get on.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[cornish trains jez]

For ballasting, 'Woodland Scenics' fine grey ballast works for me, but you may want to sieve out any larger lumps using a mesh tea strainer, or old pair of tights, before you start.

 

Drilling slots for use with under-baseboard tie-bars could be tricky now the track is laid. Maybe drill a small hole next the rail from above, then create a slot from below using a router with the depth set exactly at baseboard thickness? It might be worth practicing on a piece of spare plywood first.

 

Good Luck.

 

I'm thinking woodland scenics. I've never sieved it before but sounds like a good plan to get the finest granules possible.

 

For the slots, I'll use a fine drill bit to drill through the baseboard on a fast speed setting so it doesn't head off into the sleepers!

[RBE]

There is no need to seive. Woodlands scenics fine is graded to the exact N scale grades that real ballast is to the full size railway.

[Guest bri.s]

Hi Brian,

 

The unusual common crossing was made up in sections. First, print off another copy of the turnout from templot to use as a guide. Then I worked out which size Vee was going to be the closest match and then go for the size just below the size Vee you require. File the two rail sections as usual to form the Vee and then bluetac them securely to your printed off plan, at the angle required. There will be a slight gap in the middle which, when you solder the two parts together, will be filled with solder to hide the gap and strengthen the Vee. File the top smooth when soldered and you have a pretty much perfect unusual shaped Vee.

Next, the two rails to the side of the Vee are then bent to shape and checked for size, again against your printed off plan. Add some plastic chairs to the Vee and side rails and then glue down with MEK as usual to your actual baseboard and plastic sleepers, using the templot plan on your baseboard as the guide. Although the parts are not soldered together underneath as you would do with a normal built common crossing, it still will be pretty strong. Only time will tell if my method has worked.

 

The other way is to make a jig first to the size of the middle common crossing and then solder everything together as normal but I think my method should be just as good.

 

Good luck with yours and let me know how you get on.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

Thanks for that ,I was wondering how you'd shaped the V and then put the 2 rails at the side of the V if you'd managed to solder them together or done like you have said ,thanks again for the walk through ,I'll have a bash ,I've a test layout I'm practicing points on I'm thinking about just getting a piece of spare board and having a go at some harder things like slips and 3 ways

Ill need to learn how to do them for the big "layout of a life time " that I' want to do one day lol

 

Thanks

 

Brian

[Derekstuart]

You cannot fail to be impressed with this project. Even though it is in a different scale, I have learned from reading it.

 

 

Paul, a 40 might well go through OK but if you want a REAL test, something like a Bachmann 2-8-0 Austerity is going to give you the real answer. I initially test a turnout (only good if building OFF board) by tilting it at all bizarre angles and letting gravity do the work- angle it along its length AND across it- if you tilt it to an appropriate angle that will simulate the lateral forces that a real item would exert on the track (you can't do this in model form otherwise as mass doesn't scale properly)

I use stock myself but I try and test everything with a 40, if that goes through anything will

Cheers

 

(for some reason I haven't been getting RMW notification about threads when I click 'follow'- only if I have previously commented- so this gibberish should at least mean I get notifications now).

[cornish trains jez]

Thought I would post a load of old cobblers!

 

Just joking! Here's my Northampton Cobbler rake almost complete. Just need another CK and I'm done.

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[Echo]

That rake looks very impressive. My longest will have to be about 10 carriages, but with a few maroon ones for a slightly earlier era. What are you doing for coupling the rake together? Also wheels - new, or turned down?

[cornish trains jez]

That rake looks very impressive. My longest will have to be about 10 carriages, but with a few maroon ones for a slightly earlier era. What are you doing for coupling the rake together? Also wheels - new, or turned down?

 

The wheels will all be turned down. Couplings wise, I'm going to stick with the N gauge ones and once the layout is near complete, I'll look at adding DG's to all my stock.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[cornish trains jez]

Rush hour at Euston!

 

Two WCML sets headed by MK3 DVT's arrive from the North while the HST idles away, waiting for the off to Wales. Behind it, an 87 has been released from the blocks and the Cobbler heads back on its North bound journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[Echo]

The wheels will all be turned down. Couplings wise, I'm going to stick with the N gauge ones and once the layout is near complete, I'll look at adding DG's to all my stock.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

Agreed on the wheels!

 

For couplings, I want to experiment with adapting the existing couplings within rakes for prototypically close coupling. The newer Farish carriages have a clever mechanism for pushing coaches away from each other on curves, to prevent buffer locking etc. I think it would be worth keeping that if possible. I will put something up on my blog in due course, when I get around to it. Definitely DGs on the ends of rakes though.

 

All those rakes in Euston look fantastic, by the way. I will have to buy some more stock so I can try and do something similar on Thistle Foxham (but only 6 platforms to fill!)

[Removed a/c]

Looks awesome !!! Can only imagine how great it will look with platforms, signals etc.....

[Siberian Snooper]

It looks seriously impressive, with stock on it.

[Guest bri.s]

Very nice stock ,just makes you realise how busy and how much stock you'll be running

Looking forward to them snaking from under the station roof

 

Brian

[cornish trains jez]

Thank you for your kind comments. Here is my class 317/1..........well it will be once I've modified these two class 150 units. I'm after a third unit to provide the extra parts that I'll need to make the 4 car set. There's plenty to modify with the front end being the main subject of modification. I'm going to try and save the directional lights and make them fit on the modified cab front ends.

 

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

[DavidLong]

once the layout is near complete, I'll look at adding DG's to all my stock.

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

Good man, Jeremy!

 

David

[RBE]

Agreed on the wheels!

 

For couplings, I want to experiment with adapting the existing couplings within rakes for prototypically close coupling. The newer Farish carriages have a clever mechanism for pushing coaches away from each other on curves, to prevent buffer locking etc. I think it would be worth keeping that if possible. I will put something up on my blog in due course, when I get around to it. Definitely DGs on the ends of rakes though.

 

All those rakes in Euston look fantastic, by the way. I will have to buy some more stock so I can try and do something similar on Thistle Foxham (but only 6 platforms to fill!)

Magneclix for fixed rakes? I have tested these to 12 N gauge coaches using lower power magnets and they hold fine. I do recommend high power N52 ones though to make certain.

 

Not the best vid but you get the idea. I am planning on doing a NEM version for new farish stock too.

 

https://youtu.be/b86m8z-cWks

Edited March 26, 2016 by RBE