RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 17, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 17, 2012 I've just upped the height of the platform I built to stand on - hey, I can reach even further across the baseboards now! Soldering iron is heating up. About to drill the holes for the first Cobalt and solder droppers to the first turnout. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted October 17, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 17, 2012 I've just upped the height of the platform I built to stand on - hey, I can reach even further across the baseboards now! Soldering iron is heating up. About to drill the holes for the first Cobalt and solder droppers to the first turnout. Jeff You are aware of the Working At Height Regulations I hope 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Taz Posted October 17, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 17, 2012 ... Soldering iron is heating up. About to drill the holes ... I don't think a soldering iron is the best tool for drilling holes. Suggest you use a drill......... 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 17, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 17, 2012 I must be insane to put up with you lot!! Being small has it's advantages - the air is denser! And Brian, I've been puzzled for a while as to why I couldn't get decent screw holes...! Oh well, I will sold(i)er on... Jeff 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythocentric Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Don't forget Jeff. When you get the first bit of track down, you've got to place a loco on it and gaze at it for a while as you imagine it running around the layout before photographing it for posterity :-) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy C Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Jeff Get a bag of silver sand from your local DIY superemporium type place. Its a lot safer and more stable than using sand the beach, particularly from an area where you are likley to find a cocklepicker in it. Seriously sea sand contains all sorts of shite things including shell which if you are going to paint the ballast doesnt take well. Silver sand is a lot finer, more homogenous and takes paintb like a good un - all my cess ballast and ash ballast on New Hey was done using it. Its very very easy to use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 17, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 17, 2012 Jeff Get a bag of silver sand from your local DIY superemporium type place. Its a lot safer and more stable than using sand the beach, particularly from an area where you are likley to find a cocklepicker in it. Seriously sea sand contains all sorts of shite things including shell which if you are going to paint the ballast doesnt take well. Silver sand is a lot finer, more homogenous and takes paintb like a good un - all my cess ballast and ash ballast on New Hey was done using it. Its very very easy to use. Thanks for the advice Andy. You're right about the variety of shite wonderful things in sea sand - so I won't be using any of that! I think I'll stick to the traditional ballasts that are available - of which there are many! Cheers, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 17, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 17, 2012 Don't forget Jeff. When you get the first bit of track down, you've got to place a loco on it and gaze at it for a while as you imagine it running around the layout before photographing it for posterity :-) That's a good idea Bill. Keep your eyes posted for a choice loco placed on said piece of track - coming to a Forum thread near you in the not too distant future! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy C Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 (edited) Just to illustrate (I know its been seen before but its a good example). The cess and the ash ballast are silver sand - its put in a box and sprayed with matt black car primer,, it slowly turns brown and then to black after a bit so you can mix to all sorts of shades which gives you plenty of tonal variation. The mainline ballast is Woodland Scenics N gauge limestone - Dont touch the 4mm ballasts with a barge pole, they are overscale and can look ridiculous! Cheers Andy Edited October 17, 2012 by Andy C 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 17, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 17, 2012 Good illustration, Andy. Yes, I used all "OO" gauge ballast on my last layout and it looked like boulders in between the sleepers. I've come up with my "magic mix" of 3 N: 1 OO - seems to look right.... But then beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Jeff 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 18, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2012 Currently wiring up a single-slip and a double slip. Hopefully I'll get these into position, with the Cobalts, without too much trouble... We shall see! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Jeff, Have you made an estimate as to how long you will take to complete track-laying (incl. wiring and ballast) for your whole layout? Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) A coachmann-ism is to spend two days laying track and one month ripping it up and putting it back, having further doubts, ordering SMP, selling it unopened, taking photos, seeing it doesnt quite capture the essense, ordering more SMP, messing around with Marcway points and Omega loops, taking the missus shopping, washing up, Dysoning the house, emptying the attic, scubbing the drains........In short, finding ANY distraction to slow down the process of madness..... Edited October 18, 2012 by coachmann 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jason T Posted October 18, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) One thing about SMP that is slightly frustrating that you won't have experienced with Peco Flexi is that you need to cut the webbing away for curves (one side only) and then check the alignment of the sleepers before the glue sets. You will have tiny slivers of brown plastic everywhere with the amount of curves you have on KL Edited October 18, 2012 by Sandside 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 18, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2012 Jeff, Have you made an estimate as to how long you will take to complete track-laying (incl. wiring and ballast) for your whole layout? Best, Pete. Morning Pete - very early morning for you (though you always seem to be online...24 hour Big Apple Syndrome?!)... I think it's going to take me AGES. I wouldn't like to give an estimate - and my initial target is just the station area. The rate I'm crawling along at the moment ... soldering and fitting the point motors, I can see even that bit taking a week. Nevermind - if done properly you only have to do it once ('til the next layout!!). Cheers, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 18, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2012 A coachmann-ism is to spend two days laying track and one month ripping it up and putting it back, having further doubts, ordering SMP, selling it unopened, taking photos, seeing it doesnt quite capture the essense, ordering more SMP, messing around with Marcway points and Omega loops, taking the missus shopping, washing up, Dysoning the house, emptying the attic, scubbing the drains........In short, finding ANY distraction to slow down the process of madness..... Yes Larry, as I work my way through drilling holes in the board for actuator wires, crawl around trying to find little screws that have "pinged" off my screwdriver, curse the dropper wires that won't tin etc etc I can see your point. But we enjoy it - really!! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 18, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2012 One thing about SMP that is slightly frustrating that you won't have experienced with Peco Flexi is that you need to cut the webbing away for curves (one side only) and then check the alignment of the sleepers before the glue sets. You will have tiny slivers of brown plastic everywhere with the amount of curves you have on KL I keep hoovering up but there's already bits of insulation, wire choppings, solder balls, cork, the dog's dinner... etc everywhere. I'm trying to keep it tidy but one of the inevitabilities of layout building is a dramatic increase in the ENTROPY of the system - in other words, a bl***y mess! So a few more bits of brown plastic will probably go unnoticed!! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 One thing about SMP that is slightly frustrating that you won't have experienced with Peco Flexi is that you need to cut the webbing away for curves (one side only) and then check the alignment of the sleepers before the glue sets. You will have tiny slivers of brown plastic everywhere with the amount of curves you have on KL You don't need to completely remove the web. A quick cut through with a scalpel is sufficient. Just turn over the flexi and then it's just cut, cut, cut. Can be done in a minute or so. Lay it with the cut side to the outside of the curve. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 "Lay it with the cut side to the outside of the curve." Good thinking there Gordon.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jason T Posted October 18, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2012 You don't need to completely remove the web. A quick cut through with a scalpel is sufficient. Just turn over the flexi and then it's just cut, cut, cut. Can be done in a minute or so. Lay it with the cut side to the outside of the curve. Now he tells me 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 You never asked...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) Jeff, Have you made an estimate as to how long you will take to complete track-laying (incl. wiring and ballast) for your whole layout? Best, Pete. I know we're all different, Pete, but I've just spent 10 hours over a couple of days laying track on the stairwell board for ET. I'm guessing there's 10m of track in total, but a fair bit of pointwork. Based on those timings, I would say an hour per metre with pointwork and probably 30 minutes per metre with plain track. That time includes cutting and laying the cork underlay, cutting the webs, cutting the track to length and finally gluing all the track down. .....but I could be miles out as I may be a lot slower than most. Edited October 18, 2012 by gordon s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 18, 2012 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2012 I suppose I ought to actually say something... I've been soldering droppers to slips - no problem with that. Getting the point motor to actually throw the rails fully across has been a pain. I get the impression that the actuator wire supplied is too bendy - may need to get some thicker wire. Mind you, it's only been a problem with one of the slip turnouts so far. But very slow going - progress, I mean - not the Cobalt! Haven't touched the SMP yet. I didn't know about the webbing business, so thanks to Gordon and Jason for the advice. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy C Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Now he tells me If you really want to become a burbling wreck do what i did after the track is laid (well at least on some) cut the web away AFTER the glue has dried on the laid SMP. Seriously though whilst the words ball and ache come to mind, it does make ballasting easier later on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jason T Posted October 18, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2012 I actually thought about doing that, especially on the track in the yard where the ash ballast is a bit thin in places and the webbing was hard to hide. I had a go with a couple and the damned chair pulled off the rail, at which point I swore like a docker who had trapped his manhood in a car door Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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