RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 1, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 1, 2015 On of the problems with building a monster like Ravensclyffe is that it's not the kind of thing that you can easily put up when you want to play trains. It's too big to put up indoors so only gets put up in a tent in the garden with reasonable weather forecast and when I have a few days to spare and generally a bit of help.Last year I got given some plywood, and two years ago my brother-in-law gave me a 2EPB for Christmas. I decided that I needed a little layout that I could put up and take down in minutes, something to play with and somewhere to run the EPB and a Networker that has been in the cupboard for a very long time. Add to that some track that came to me very cheap and I had no excuse, this is the result so far. It doesn't have a name yet, I'm not even sure exactly where it's meant to be located!The whole thing is 12ft long and a foot wide and it packs down into two small boxes 3ft by a foot squareLower level track laidTrack laying finishedSkew girder bridge that makes the scenic break for the low levelTrack is held down with double sided carpet tape!The whole layout from the other end with a better view of the bridge. Retaining walls all now added and low level ballastedThe bridge from the front of the layoutStation platform and EPBThe steps down to the yard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Looking rather good... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Very useable and Exhibit able with ease. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taigatrommel Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 two years ago my brother-in-law gave me a 2EPB for Christmas. ... . Add to that some track that came to me very cheap and I had no excuse, I'm starting to feel a sense of responsibility for this... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 That's cool, a really good use of 12 feet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 10, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2015 Slow progress but progress... the back scene has gained the first coat of white paint, I haven't decided exactly what the backscene will be yet but white emulsion seems preferable to plywood, the platform has been painted too, and the only signal on the whole layout has been fitted, this is simply a two aspect red/green allowing a train to leave the platform. The signal is on an extension off the side of the viaduct/embankment/retaining wall. It is wired up and does work, but at the moment the layout is not up so I can't power it up. The fence around it is a small section of the handrail off an old Hornby turntable. The other big thing I've been able to start on is the third rail, next thing now for this board is a couple of location cabinets, an impedance bond (spider) and the signal cable troughing, then I can ballast the high level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 10, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2015 I've now given the backscene boards their second coat of white paint and re-attached them to the layout and reassembled half the layout. The control panel for the points and signal is detachable and can be hung on either side of the layout, the front for home use or the back for exhibiting. It is a self contained box that contains the capacitors for the points, each motor has a pair of capacitors feeding it using a circuit that I've published a few times here, it means that I can use a single pole double throw switch to feed each motor so the direction of the switch indicates the position of the blades. As it is I've used a double pole switch so the other half does the frog switching of the live frog points. Motors are a mixture of Peco and a pair of the old H&M motors on the double slip as that had had its over centre springing removed before it came to me and the H&M motors are latching. Connection of the box to the layout is a 25pin D connector loom, the box has four power feeds, +12v and -12v for the point motors, +5v and 0v ground for the signal and eventually also for any other scenic lighting that I may add. The power supply is a box on the floor derived from an old AT computer power supply, it also gets used to power Dagworth and Ravensclyffe. The power connection from the PSU to the layout is an 8 pin Bulgin cable, and the DCC feed is via an XLR socket. Both connectors are mounted into the bottom of the main board behind the viaduct, you can see the tops of the connectors in one of the photos of the bridge above. They will be hidden by trees and buildings behind the high level line. DCC also has to be fed to the control box for the frog switching. The same 25pin looms are also used to jump between boards and so the same pins are used across every set, it makes life simple. This is the control box just sat on the layout as I only have the scenic half up for the pictures! It's a Maplins ABS plastic box with the track plan made out of strips of white plasticard glued to it with PlasticWeld. This is the signal working, note the colour of the green, I hate the yellowy green that most LEDs exhibit, I found some much nicer blue green ones (again in Maplins) that are much more like the colour of real signals. Interestingly a friend who is red-green colour blind can tell the blue-green from red but not the normal LED green. I need to add more detail to the signal, it's just a basic Eckon item with the bulb mounts cut down. The whole of the scenic end as it currently stands. Yes, one leg is only a foot tall as it has to sit part way up the stairs, our hall is the only place I can really put it up that isn't in the way. I do have five full height sets of legs though too! Andi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dava Posted January 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 10, 2015 I'd be interested to see how it packs up as 3 x 1ft boxes, when you next do this. I'm thinking of my next gauge 0 project and how that could work. Dava Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 10, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2015 I'd be interested to see how it packs up as 3 x 1ft boxes, when you next do this. I'm thinking of my next gauge 0 project and how that could work. Dava The layout is four boards each 3ft long, 1ft wide and 1ft tall, the two end boards have end "backscene" boards, you can see them in the photos, you can also see that they have holes in the tops of the end backscenes. Each pair of boards bolt together using these holes and the holes and bolts that are used to join the boards together, the middle two boards are inverted and bolted over their respective end boards. This is the two fiddle yard boards bolted together, they have a big hole in one side as the back(front?)scene board of the inner one is only partial to allow for the headshunt. The board at the top is purely a transit board and has no other function. Here is a view looking down into the pair with the transit board removed, you can see that any upper level or scenic work has to be arranged to clear anything on the other board when mated together. My little DCC demo layout "Foxglove" stores on the same principle, that folds up into a box 2ft x 1ft x 6" and has been to shows by train! Andi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 10, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2015 The underside of the main board that has the double slip. I know some strange folk like to see what's underneath it all Andi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dava Posted January 13, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 13, 2015 Thank you, most useful to see these packed pics. I'm planning a similar arrangement in 0 gauge, but with a slightly wider board, say 14-15". Dava Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Looking good Andi, based on progress so far, you will have it finished next week! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 1, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 1, 2016 A year ago I started this topic... A large part of the year the layout has sat in its cases in the front room but occasionally I've done some work on it and sometimes just set it up to play trains for a while. The layout has now got a name* and a location, it has landed somewhere towards the North East end of the North London line Ladies and gents, I present - not finished but moving forwards - BOW LOCKS Overview of the yard and station Another view of the scenic end of the layout East London has not escaped the recent flooding apparently! *The name came courtesy of Clive, he'd had it in mind for a project for a long time and when he came to visit us in October we were talking about this layout and the name was passed over, thanks FBB Andi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted January 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2016 A year ago I started this topic... A large part of the year the layout has sat in its cases in the front room but occasionally I've done some work on it and sometimes just set it up to play trains for a while. The layout has now got a name* and a location, it has landed somewhere towards the North East end of the North London line Ladies and gents, I present - not finished but moving forwards - BOW LOCKS P1060694.jpg Overview of the yard and station P1060693.jpg Another view of the scenic end of the layout P1060692.jpg East London has not escaped the recent flooding apparently! *The name came courtesy of Clive, he'd had it in mind for a project for a long time and when he came to visit us in October we were talking about this layout and the name was passed over, thanks FBB Andi Its a real place, it is where Channel Four use to broadcast "The Big Breakfast" from. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_Locks Edit.....The Big Breakfast studio was at Old Ford Lock, which is the next set of locks along the River Lee. Thanks to ChrisH-UK for showing me my error. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CUTLER2579 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Only you could come up with that for a Layout Name and get away with it Andi. Like it. A Happy New Year and Kind regards,Del Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 2, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 2, 2016 It's a real place name, it's even on Google Street View! https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5229393,-0.0084658,3a,15y,57.3h,90.59t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s7WPOdl_XkyBmYEQTS0wiBg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D7WPOdl_XkyBmYEQTS0wiBg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D81.588181%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CUTLER2579 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Andi, your quite right of course and having worked in the area for many years during my 40 years residing and working in London I should know better.I mean as if you would dream up a name like that which could be misconstrued. Well really I should know better. Look after yourself my friend. Regards,Del. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveb860 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Nice to see some progress at long last. The only disappointing thing is there are no Siamese in the pics !! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SXHALL Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 P1060693.jpg Another view of the scenic end of the layout Reminds me of the working to AC Wards scrap metals in Silvertown that I sometimes saw on it's way too and from Stratford. Bow Locks would fit in geographically for this trip. Great use of space, giving food for thought. Steven Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 There was an east end, steam era canal interchange layout called "Bow Locks" on the circuit a few years back as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CUTLER2579 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 It would be nice if Andi had room to portray the Stratford / West Ham based Chemical firm F W Berk who subsequently became Berk Spencer Acids and continued operating on the site adjacent to the District Line at Stratford /West Ham probably into the 1980's. The buildings were demolished some years ago and since then the site appears to have remained vacant possibly for over 20 years. Regards, Del . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 4, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2016 I've been doing some more heavy construction work at the other end of the layout, the scenic break in the form of a road bridge. The bridge has to be removable, as does the skew bridge of the upper rail line, to allow the layout to fold into its transport configuration. All the black plastic structure around the end of the road bridge will become concrete. Also a little bit of detailing work, the "spider" associated with the track circuit for the signal and some cable routing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taigatrommel Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Looking good Andi, I must resist the urge to rush completing my 4-CAP just to pose it on here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted January 4, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2016 Nice to see some progress at long last. The only disappointing thing is there are no Siamese in the pics !! They are both asleep on the sofa Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc435 Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 That layout looks the Dogs, I mean, Cats Bow Locks. I like the fact you squeeze the tiniest signalling details into their relevant positions even on a small project like this. This layout would look good at any exhibition(Are you taking bookings?) Andy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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