Coldgunner Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Plans are almost ready to go, near enough settled on the mk2 design above. The additional siding and bay platform will provide addition shunting fun. I'll try to put together the board this week, progress is slow though, being out of work means I can't just order everything straight away. Going to get the board this week. Electronics is one of my strengths, however I've never worked with electrofrog points, as I'll be running in DC for the time being, what modifications are required? Insulated fishplates perhaps? Modifications I've made to the design include the addition of inspection pits inside the engine shed and widening of the space in which to put the platform. tricky working out exactly how much flexible track I'll need, might just buy a pack of 30 and sell the extra's. Lastly, I may be able to increase to 610mm, however I'll need to round off the corners if thats the case. ... I think I need a proper name for the layout. Along the lines of a fictional UK preserved line, so needs a country branchline-esque name, answers on a postcard please! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Insulated fish plates on the frog ends only, that's all. You can add polarity switching with micro switches operated by rods under baseboards if you like, works out very cheap. I got about half my baseboard materials from skips, ask before taking anything, don't go inside them! Otherwise way cheaper than buying everything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Picking up the board friday, fit the frames over the weekend then order the track next week. Bought the ratio great central signal box to see me through till then. Other things to order is ballast and grass. Can someone recommend some long grass? I want to add a section heading off the board that looks like the track was ripped up in the beeching era. I heard on here that someone did a post beeching layout with bare trackbed, long grass and derelict buildings, does anyone know what it was called? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 International models do good fibres, both medium and long for N. Just use silver building sand for ballast, better scale size and then dye it the colour you want by mixing coloured ink with the PVA and water mix. You could get some free from any building site, dry it, sieve it then ballast as normal. You could use some code 80 sleeper webs embedded in the baseboard to show where the sleepers and chairs have been left behind, or if the scrap man was more thorough some weathered plastic strip or strip wood to include just the sleepers. If it's been totally removed don't forget the characteristic pattern of indents in the ballast left by removed sleepers, some of which can still be seen on some closed lines today. Good idea modelling closed bits, will look great. Can't help on the thread search tho! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Site bookmarked, looks like some nice scenics which will certainly come in handy. I'll have it in which the track is almost completely gone and like you describe, some ballast remaining but mostly overgrown, along with fencing that is also covered in foliage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Like the sound of that, should look great. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted November 24, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 24, 2011 I would agree with the suggestion of sand for ballast (don't lay the ballast until you are totally satisfied with the running of the track though, it's much easier to change the track around when it's not ballasted) but when I comes to grass I would say wait until your track is down just incase your plans change. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I've curved code 55 flexi to 9" (1st radius) before - what you need is a set of Tracksetta guides. These come in different radii, and you just push them down into the middle of the track and the rail curves round it- there are holes in the middle for track pins so you can just pin it down along the length of the tracksetta, move it on half the length and curve the next bit, pin, repeat. I often use a 15" at the start of the curve to 'ease it in' then hit the 9" radius curves for the rest of it until transitioning out again with the 15". However, I would always hide 9" curves "off scene" as I don't like the way they look or stock overhangs on them - but that's a personal view. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 One of the rear corners will eventually have a short tunnel, but I see what your's getting at, by forming a near elliptical shape. I'll have a play around in anyrail, see if I can come up with anything. The only problem I can see with the design is I'd have to sacrifice the length of my straight sections a little. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 You don't need to use the 15" "transition curve", you could use any radius you like giving as gentle a curve as you wish (oh, and you can get straight Tracksetta's too) to maximise the most of the on-scene space - real railways have gentle curves as well as long straight sections! The only possible reason for having a long straight section would be due to a station - but then you can always have curved platforms if you make your own. If you can rotate your layout slightly on the board so you don't have long straight sections parallel to the front of the baseboard it instantly improves the look of everything - I don't know why. Things are rarely perfectly square on to everything else in the 'real world' so why should they appear so in model form? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 I see what you mean, as it helps break up visible patterns. The flexi track options on anyrail aren't particularly easy, some things will need to be tweaked when laying the track. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Unless you are using something like Templot, which is more designed for hand built track, then you will always need to 'tweak things to flow' a bit. Adjusting curves by eye will be fare more realistic - if perhaps slightly less accurate - once you get on the board. I use XtrackCAD, to get an idea of the general place of principle components and to check clearance (and make a shopping list!), but when it gets to the actual tracklaying I often find I need to ease out some curves where the computer hasn't quite plotted properly what I had intended. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 I tried xtrackcad but I didn't find it particularly easy to use. Debating using some inspection pits withing the engine shed. Seems a little tricky but the result could look pretty good. That would mean gouging out part of the baseboard, but I don't think it'd look that great if mounted above the baseboard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Don't forget to seal your MDF with primer/ sealer before doing anything else to it (after cutting) or it will warp. Inspection pits are available free to download from Scalescenes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted November 27, 2011 Author Share Posted November 27, 2011 Having some fun now that I actually have a flat surface to use. Perfect opportunity to play with some set track, work out some positioning and look at design issues that couldn't be addressed in the cad drawings. Code-55 track will be ordered this week along with the required ballast and first scenics. You may have noticed by the engine shed design that I'm going for a freeform look, British with a continental flavour Midland Signalbox - work in progress Final painting should cover the blemishes and gaps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Well done. Looking good so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 Painting and fitting the brass levers were a pain, but by the time the windows etc are fitted they'll be barely visible. Once track arrives later in the week I'll fit the track and ballast at the same time with PVA glue. Although I'll prototype the full track layout before anything is committed to the board. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I'm sure that you can use that size - unless you bought OO gauge of course. I have most of the N ones, somewhere, and they're always useful - and not just for track laying, they're also helpful for road edge marking, footpaths etc etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 This is why I bought an excess amount of flexi track, jsut been trying it out now, keeping an equal distance from my 1st radius set track it looks about right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 This is why I bought an excess amount of flexi track, jsut been trying it out now, keeping an equal distance from my 1st radius set track it looks about right. Are you using the little plastic spacer tool that Peco sell to keep your spacing accurate? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 no, just doing things by eye. I'll need to remove a sleeper or two first, then I'll adjust the spacing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 One of the things I can start with is building the yard, as I don't need the tracksetta for that. New tracksetta on order btw. No 10/11'' sizes, though I can probably use a 12'' and work on the inside. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 One of the things I can start with is building the yard, as I don't need the tracksetta for that. Don't underestimate the usefulness of the 'straight' tracksetta, particularly when you're laying a whole load of parallel tracks like a yard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 A quick pictorial update to show what I achieved yesterday. This is the first time I've ever worked with. I opted to do without a track cutter and use a combination of a saw, clippers and a file. I had to adjust the angle that the 3 bay shed will have to sit at, although its a bit more aesthetically pleasing at a slight angle. Bit more detail on my trackwork The shed, very pleased with getting the geometry correct here, all three lines end at the same distance in the shed. Quick loco shot to see the code 55 improvement and finally, a close up on my trackwork. I've tested this out, loco's and rolling stock roll over nice and smoothly and theres a good electrical connection. I've kept all the cut off sleepers so I can re-insert them when needed. Hopefully they will disguise it and it should look better when ballasted and fitted to the board. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 You will need insulated joiners for the frogs on code 55 points. Shed looks great, well done, always feels good to start track laying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.