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rcmacchipilot

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  1. rcmacchipilot
    Well,
     
    I am extremely happy to report that I have been one very busy bee over the last 3 days. The modelling mojo has well and truly taken hold .
    The small pile of wood during the last blog has now taken on structure, that of some baseboards and a lighting stand.
     

     
    This is what it started life out like. 12mm MDF 2400 * 1200 sheets rip cut on a table saw ( Thanks to bob and his lovely wife for putting up with the mdf dust and giving me a hand and a lend of their table saw ). This gave me 22 lengths off wood. I also picked up some 30mm X 30 mm pine which forms the corner joins of the baseboards.
     
    Once the running around with all the wood had taken place and its was safely back in the nice dry shed it was time for the fun to start, or should I say play?
     
    Thanks to the plans created and printed out in Templot 2 weeks ago I knew exactly where all the boards would go. The question was if the planning was good enough for everything to slot into place.
     
    On Friday I took the plunge and started on the first board. This was going to be the easiest to put up as it sits between two brick walls that are parallel to each other.
     

     
    This was the first one. 580mm of 100mm MDF attached to 800 mm of 30mm*30mm. The long pine posts form the support for the lighting. Because of the shape of the layout. None of them fall inside the viewing area which I am pretty happy about.
    Saturday morning I ended up with this:
     

     
    Next a 9mm MDF board was cut to fit on the inside. At the moment they look like flat top boards, however once I am %100 happy with the location of the track location in relation to the rest of the room, the boards will be elevated above the base board frames so that relief can be added to the terrain.
     

     
    A little was in order. So a little flex track and some rolling stock was put into place. Pity I miss placed the pack of joiners so I had some length to run.
     
    Once the first was up the confidence to do the others followed. The next one was the other corner.
     


     
    Finally two centre boards were added. These are all held in place with a combination of bolts nuts and washers and DCC Concepts alignment dowels.
    The alignment dowels are extremely simple to put in and do an excellent and very tight fit. Ill endeavour to post the instillation of a pair in the next blog.
     

     
    And last but not least an board for lighting was placed up.
     

     
    Overall the feel of the room has completely changed, however now that everything is up, the room actually feels a lot more open than I imagined it would feel. Im guessing that is an advantage of wall mounted baseboards
     
    The minister of war and finances is also very happy as there is plenty of room beneath the layout with which she can continue to sew. Also there have been promises of some low level lighting to illuminate her ( and mine ) desks.
     
    Apologies for the blurry photos, Although for a mobile phone, photos are much better than where we were at 5 years ago.
  2. rcmacchipilot
    Well,
     
    I am out of the arm chair and now armed.... with a soldering iron .
    As the double slip is the busiest and hardest peace of track to build I thought I would make a practice one, so when I stuffed it up I would learn what I needed to fix before building the new one.
     
    I printed out the double slip section from Templot and then glued it down to a melamine board ( as they are water and glue proof-ish. So I can use it over and over again... yay )
    I then cut up the sleepers for the skip using C&L copper clad. isolation was done with a dremmel cutter and a very light touch. Then each sleeper was checked for continuity over the gap. ( I hate having to fault find once its painted )
    I then set to work with my trusty brass roller gauges from dcc concepts and some c&l bullhead.
     
    And eventually I ended up with the picture bellow ( Excuse the shadow)
     

     
    Unfortunately with testing 4 wheel wagons, thanks to the angle of the track intersection and the fact that it is indeed to curved tracks crossing, Every 20th time I ran a wagon through the centre it would magically change tracks. ......ARRRGGH
     
    However looking at the gauging of the rest of the track I thought I would experiment. Now the centre crossing switches as well.
     

     
    This one shows the crossings thrown
     

     
    This one shows them neutral to show that they move.
     
    Yay problems eliminated . Also the running is that good that Im not going to bother making another and just use this one instead. Only down side is that it uses four cobalts to throw ( yes I am aware it can be done with two cobalts and some cranks and levers, however Im lazy and would rather do other modelling ) However a scissors crossing also uses 4 and this is the space saving version of that so no big loss.
     
    Also found this in the super market. (its a kiwi fruit, if anyone is uncertain) gave me a laugh.
     

     
    On another front I have rip cut using a friends table saw a whole heap of 4*8 12 mm mdf panels into 100mm planks to start making open structure boards.
    However no photo of that. I mean who wants a photo of wood ......
     
    See you all later.
  3. rcmacchipilot
    Well,
     
    I am out of the arm chair and now armed.... with a soldering iron .
    As the double slip is the busiest and hardest peace of track to build I thought I would make a practice one, so when I stuffed it up I would learn what I needed to fix before building the new one.
     
    I printed out the double slip section from Templot and then glued it down to a melamine board ( as they are water and glue proof-ish. So I can use it over and over again... yay )
    I then cut up the sleepers for the skip using C&L copper clad. isolation was done with a dremmel cutter and a very light touch. Then each sleeper was checked for continuity over the gap. ( I hate having to fault find once its painted )
    I then set to work with my trusty brass roller gauges from dcc concepts and some c&l bullhead.
     
    And eventually I ended up with the picture bellow ( Excuse the shadow)
     

     
    Unfortunately with testing 4 wheel wagons, thanks to the angle of the track intersection and the fact that it is indeed to curved tracks crossing, Every 20th time I ran a wagon through the centre it would magically change tracks. ......ARRRGGH
     
    However looking at the gauging of the rest of the track I thought I would experiment. Now the centre crossing switches as well.
     

     
    This one shows the crossings thrown
     

     
    This one shows them neutral to show that they move.
     
    Yay problems eliminated . Also the running is that good that Im not going to bother making another and just use this one instead. Only down side is that it uses four cobalts to throw ( yes I am aware it can be done with two cobalts and some cranks and levers, however Im lazy and would rather do other modelling ) However a scissors crossing also uses 4 and this is the space saving version of that so no big loss.
     
    Also found this in the super market. (its a kiwi fruit, if anyone is uncertain) gave me a laugh.
     

     
    On another front I have rip cut using a friends table saw a whole heap of 4*8 12 mm mdf panels into 100mm planks to start making open structure boards.
    However no photo of that. I mean who wants a photo of wood ......
     
    See you all later.
  4. rcmacchipilot

    Midd Everford Plan

    By rcmacchipilot,

    Sandycock junction ( my previous layout and the layout that formed the basis of many of the photos used in other blog entries ) has been sold off .
     
    This is Midd Everford. A combination of the concepts of Evercreech junction and Midford and Midsomer Norton, which form the inspiration for the layout. Before getting into the reasoning behind each of the decisions here are the technical specs for the planned layout in terms of radii:
     
    Main line radius scenic 4Ft Minimum
    Minimum radius scenic 2Ft
    Minimum non scenic radius 2FT
     
    The main concept behind the design is that I wanted a turn table as per Evercreech junction and theoretically the requirement to bank loco's ( thus a minor storage facility attached to the turn table)
    also as a nod to Evercreech there are two passing loops that can act in theory also as an up and down line marshalling yard.
     
    Theoretically in my head, this place was built midway along a non existent spur of the S&D. larger passenger trains would turn and head the other direction here, whilst smaller goods and local passenger would continue on.
     
    I like the small goods yard an architecture of Midsomer Norton and the goods shed I hope will be a nod to that.
     
    I also like the hilly nature of Midford viaduct and have a soft spot for water, so a tunnel at one end and some terrain elevation and a river are a nod to that area.
     
    Overall the layout had to be something with enough shunting interest to keep me entertained when I wanted to play with a waybill style system, however had to have a continuous run as well for those other times that I or other just want to run trains. For those reasons the two run around loops with 3 industries seemed like a good combination. the advantage is that the up and down main can each be run by one person and they can either run a train around or shunt without fowling the other line.
     
    The main concept is to build the layout just under eye height. Beneath it I have convinced the minister of war finance and pies that there will be room for her sewing desk and my hobby desk. Onto the bottom of the baseboards 12v LED lighting will be placed to light up both of our work areas. In making efficient use of room in the house the peace is kept as the trains will not encroach into other rooms of the house ( beyond modelling or playing around on the kitchen table, which happens a fair bit)
     
    I would like to give a Nod to Iain Rices' book " Railway Modelling - The Realistic Way" which has provided me with much food for throught in the layout planing process. I would also like to give a nod to right track 15 which has taught me much about operations as well as helping me work out what I want.
    (Standard caveat, I have nothing to do with eather of these companies/people , just a happy buyer)
     
    Its been ages since I have blogged thanks to two house moves and a change in career direction, however with Christmas approaching I finally have time to catch up on blogging again. Some interesting projects have been in the works including some weathering, a test track build using a book shelf and 2 DJH white metal kits. Ill put further posts up in time, however here is a taster of the DJH standard 4mt tank.
     
    If anyone has any thoughts or comments please place them at the base of the blog. I am interested in any problems that anyone can for-see. Also I would love some suggestions as to where signals should go. The plan is to have fully functional ground and semaphore signals so they will need to be planned before the build starts.
     
     


  5. rcmacchipilot
    Finally,
     
    Christmas and hence a little rec leave is in order. Doublely appreciated given the last 7-8 weeks have been work 7 days a week. Anycase today has resulted in some spare time to do some modelling and thankfully some blogging for once as well. So here goes.
     
    First off the bat is the completed cattle dock, Last time this was blogged I was in the beginning of the brass construction stage. This has now been completed, marking the last steps of the construction process. The dock is split into two allowing cattle to be seperated and transported to different locations / provide flexibility in loading/unloading. Of note is the working gates at the end of the ramp. These were built just to test and drive my soldering capabilitys further.
     

     
    Next has been a project that has been in the wings for the last week and a half. Following the thrill obtained from working with brass I wanted something to follow it up with. Crossing gates provided the ideal answer.
     

     
    This is the gates at the end of their raw stage. Probably the hardest and longest part was building the braces that would join the wooden posts together. (the little black brackets in later pictures). The other learning point is that its almost impossible to get a reliable and strong but joint with thin brass wire. The later two gates conctructed had the supporting wire going to the main post drilled in.
     

     
    This picture is a comparrison of the completed product and the gates primed using a grey automotive primer.
     
    Finally, we have a picture of the completed gates mounted in position. Im still considering whether some bridal mesh should be put across the backs of the gates. This would look like chain mesh which looks very good. However im not sure that super glue will not ruin the finish of the gates.
     

     

     
    The other step will be to weather the items, however this will be done at the end. By weathering at the end, uniform weathering can be applied across the entire board.
     
    The last item in the title marks the completion of the card lineside structures.
  6. rcmacchipilot
    Good Morning All,
     
    After a glut of non blogging, I think I finally have something worth blogging about again. This is my current scratch building project in progress. It is a cattle dock destined for a small siding on my photo plank. It is scratch built using A hot glue gun and mounting card ( the same kind utilised for picture framing) . This was then covered in PVA glue to seal from the damp clay ( which does not actually work too well). In future I think I will paint all the card with an undercoat of acrylic paint which dries water proof and then put the clay on as this prevents any form of lifting within the card. Next clay was smeared on by mk1 fingers and smoothed out with water ( which causes the card to lift, which you then need to stick back down with PVA when the clay dries.) I prefer to let the clay dry completely and then re-wet the surface utilising a mister which i find makes it easier to get the clay to a state where it is easly scribed without it lifting off. If it gets to dry whilst scribing its a case of just spraying it again with the mister. Once scribed I let the clay dry before giving the mortar cracks a wash with white/ cream paint. finally the card was dry brushed with a series of colours ranging from sand stone to dark brown to give the stone course texture.
     
    Originally I had planned on using wooden match sticks washed with burnt umber paint ( in the same style as my cheap fencing )and then using cotton to create the fencing wire. (at three feet I feel this is still visible and quite convincing) however I found that there was not the structural strength to maintain the posts virtically so these were ripped off ( thus explaining the redish marks on the side where the top coat of acrylic dry brushing has been liffted ). This as a result has prompted my first foray into brass construction. I was surprised when I bought the materials as they were much more reasonablly priced than I thought. So armed with a new twist drill and tungsten tipped scriber( dont we all love reasons to buy new tools I made my first attempt at replicating metal fencing using brass.
     
    Overall I am quite happy with the results and once soldered up and weathered I believe that It will be quite convincing. ( now to work out how to make a tap and drain in brass, I think I will have to learn how to etch )
     
    I will endevour to put up some progress photos of the layout soon as there has been a little progression with the scenery ( just waiting on a massive order of greenery from the UK ) After this layout is completed no further work will be done to extened it as it has been deemed a chainsaw layout. ( or mayby a photo plank depending on the amount of room I can find in the house ) The future direction is a prototype based on Evercreech Junction on the S&DJR.
     
    Owen
  7. rcmacchipilot
    A few weeks away on holidays has resulted in alot of arm chair modelling and very little time building, however its been good. In NSW I had a chance to ride the worlds steepest ( or so it claims to be ) funincular railway at 52 degrees.
    Saw a EMU get squashed by a tree
     

     
    luckily no one was killed. The storm that blew through the area completely killed the rail system. Many of the OHL were down on the tracks and it will take ages to clean up and repair.
     
    Saw some nice live steam models as well. here is a 36 class.
     

     
    The 35xx had beautiful stephensons gear underneath it.
     

     
    The 59 class IMHO starts heading towards a more american styleing
     

     
    Also had a chance to do a rouch sketch of what I plan to build.
    Its preety rough
     

     
    That was about it. Now back in the real world will have to start working on the layout again. Contemplating to add the right hand spur as pictured.
  8. rcmacchipilot
    After lots of procrastination I finally bit the bullet and started to scratch build a farm house.
    The interior
     

     
    the exterior
     

     
    The fire place
     

     
    The building is made from 2mm framing card. ( I found it surprisingly easy to cut )
    Some of the glueing has been done with PVA and some with hot glue for speed.
    I probably would not use the hot glue as much again.
    Chimney was constructed from card with air dry modelling clay smothered on it and carved with a knife. If i was to do it again, I would apply a thinner layer of clay. It results in a better looking chimney when clay is removed to the card level. Thats alot easier to do when the clay is thin, Also i found it gives slightly more rounded stones, which looks nicer.
     
    future jobs are to finish off the bottom, I plan to fully furnish it and decorate it and potentially light it up. The top will be empty and dark.
  9. rcmacchipilot
    Had some spare time at work so put a small layout up. ( plus boss was interested in dcc, so I showed him)
     

     
    It got me thinking though. Most shunting puzzles rely on having one loco and a few un coupling points. What about having 1 uncoupling point ( I know , i know, not very prototypical ) and many loco's. Something different perhaps.
     
    On other fronts, pulling my hair out over a 4MT. I think I may have fried another decoder in it. First one we believe was due to pick ups shorting out on the metal plate of the tender, However after taking all the wheels off and straightening out the pick ups so they couldnt short, there is still a short circuit in the tender. So pulled off wheels again, Re- examined pick ups - I believe they are OK, so then started to trace wires. Found an exposed bit where the wire passes through the metal base of the tender. This is shorting out on the metal plate. Pulled wire through so insulation was touching and soldered rest of wire to brass pick up plates. OK, atempt two.... "short circuit still detected".... " FRUSTRATION" .... in anger sever wires from tender pick ups.... Put loco on track.... no short circuit detected.... decoder doesnt program normally..... decoder has a hum to it..... solution, get angry at Hornby's 4 pin connector which requires tender is plugged in during testing and sulk.... make cup of tea.... put loco away..... keep thinking.....
     
    O well, We will see. Have a look at it in a new light later.
  10. rcmacchipilot
    First of all, let me sum up with the pretense, Modeling locations in Dorsett does not make you in the slightest bit insane.
     
    Inspired some what by a heated discussion at the club as well as one of Mikels' blog entrys ( bellow) , The old grey matter churned away at a rate that had it been in competition with a butter churner, it would have put the butter churner out of buisness.
     
    http://www.rmweb.co....iscussion-club/
     
    To set the scene,
     

     
    ( I aknowledge this came from some website some where and some one else other than myself took this photo )
     
    Last nights discussion focused on the new layout we potentially plan to create and exhibit. The club is very much of the opinion that realism is the critical factor in desinging a model layout, hence why we try to focus and discover new techniques to create realistic and interesting scenery that looks like its real at 1:76 scale ( also what makes the forums and blogs on rmweb such a gold mine due to the diverse skills and abilities of the modlers on here). The argument got the old grey matter ticking though, as so much as to when is a layout considered realism, when is a layout considered impressionistic and when a layout can be considered as abstract and where the barriers are between these ideals. (Ill explain where dorset comes into it later )
     
    In simplest terms, Realism is the case for replicating something so that it is an exact replication of real life.
     
    Impresionism, is a case of replicating something that does not necessarily exist in real life but is a representation of something that does.
     
    Abstractism, is the creation of something that represents nothing in the real world, or something in the real world in such a light that it does not represent what it exists in the real world.
     
    The question is when modeling a rail road then when is a model railroad defined as being a "realism" model railroad, an "Impresionistic model railroad" and an abstract model railroad.
     
    A "realism" model railroad, can never truly be real ( unless its actually 12 inches : Foot) because there is always a level of comprimise that has to be met. ( even pendon has to make comprimises ), So really any layout that is considered to be " realism" is actually " impressionism" with some interesting history and a little guess work.
     
    So by that deffinition we need to re-examine how we look at realism. Eventually one must realise that "realism" its self is subjective. It is based on our experiences and what we believe we are seeing. , So really realisim isnt really modeling the real, its modeling what we believe. At the same time, one can see and believe things with their imagination, as the imagination is only an extension of what we see in the real world.
     
    To that extent, then something that can be described as abstract ( such as the wallace and gromet layout ) is really no more or less abstract or realistic than a layout based on realism....
     
    So where does dorset come into this? After being advised by a number of people that I should focus on a location, and period, and yet, I wanting to model and practice modeling terrain and buildings from various areas in england. I set out to find a place that had as many types of buildings etc on it. A place that could have swamps, many types of locations and vegetations, and a place that I could flex my artisitc arm. I searched google for a while and came up with the county of dorset ( no kidding, you can find stone, lime and red brick construction right next to each other, and I have no doubt that there is also victorian, elizibethian and georgian architecture that could be found there as well )
     
    As all track plans are always impressionist because sacrafices have to be made, then it falls to all the scenery and the rolling stock to define the location.
     
    So next time, some one tells you, you cant model red brick, next to lime and that the walls had to be stone on a layout that looks like it could be real and you make it for the fun of it.
    Tell them you are moddeling dorset, I am....... with LNER, GWR and mabey LMS excursion trains on it
     
    ( I was not kidding about any form and colour of soil being found in dorset, The geology map from bellow shows that most colours could be moddled )
     

     
    Cudo's and acknowledgements, must go to all the other lads that model locations in dorset such as corfe castle, portland, poole, bournemouth that gave me inspiration and the realisations to write this blog.
  11. rcmacchipilot
    This is something new I have been playing with. Inspired by my local model club and some what frustrated about the size and "plasticness" of trees ( i guess thats a subjective statement). I have decided to create some of my own. The semi finished example is bellow :
     

     
    Exuse the photo, It was taken on a phone ( as most photos of mine are now days sadly )
     
    Construction is relativley simple
     
    1. Start with some thin gardening wire. The thinner the better. (not jewelers wire though )
    2. Create a number of loops of the wire measuring around 20-30 cm.
     
    3. Twist the wires together at the base of the tree ( i use two pliers to get a firm grip)
     
    4. Where the tree branches off, split the wire into the corresponding number of branches ( some trees have 3-4 branches spliting off from the same location, some split in two's etc) then twist the base of the branches. ( At later stages when you want more branches on trees and thicker trees you can feed more loops of wire in at this stage to make the tree thicker )
     
    5. Keep spliting the trees until single wire loops are left. These are twisted until there is a small loop ( just big enough to get your finger through ) left.
     
    6. Cut the loops and spread the wires out. These form the last branches.
     
    So now the basic wire construction for the tree is completed. We are not out of the woods yet ( or in the woods? ). Te next step is to give the tree texture and depth. and to make it look lots less like wire and much more like a knobly gnarly old tree. This in my opinion is what seperates the hand made trees from the cheap ones online.
     
    7. Mix up a mixture of PVA glue, Flour, water and teracotta paint. Until you have a mixture thats a bit more solid than pikelet batter
     
    ( there is a bit of conjecture about using flour here as some say that mice will eat it). I am sure that has happened, however I have been lucky and never had a problem. I believe that the mixture of the paint puts the mice off and masks the smell of flour.
     
    8. Smear the mixture onto the tree, pushing it in amongst the wire.
     
    9. On a low setting you can harden and dry it in the oven.
     
    10. Take the tree out of the oven and let it cool ( WARNING: METAL GETS HOT AND WILL BE HOT, USE TONGS or some other impliment)
     
    11. Paint the tree an undercoat of brown ( I use teracotta, cause im lazy + it was 50 c for a large mistinted much browner than terracotta ( i think ) tin )
     
    12. Use lighter colours to highlight gnobly bits of wood etc and create tone by dry brushing. ( this is achieved by putting a bit of paint on your paint brush. brushing most of it off on paper, and then using the little bit left to slowly build up paint on the protruding bits using long, soft, quick strokes ( kinda like tickeling with a feather)

    13. (optional, depending how nice and loving your other half is, mine is very loving ) Get some of your other halfs old foundation make up ( powdery stuff )and brush a little on to the tree. It tones its down a bit
     
    14. That leaves us at the stage the photo is at.
     
    - Voila, a brand new, spanking tree base.
     
    15. Cover with vegetation. I am still experimenting here, I will share my results with time. (The poly fiber , 3M spray glue and fine ground turf trick does work well though )
     
    Examples of trees at this stage are attached bellow.
     

     

     

  12. rcmacchipilot
    Since I already started building the boards and wiring etc, I guess I might as well say where we are. ( photos to follow)
    Currently the aim is to have a portable layout ( due to other requirements) that can shift houses every 6-24 months. As a result its been built in moveable sections of approx 60 x 90 cm with MDF Boards and structural pine sides painted and sealed with 50 cent tins of bunnings paint. First major lesson I have learnt is dont make boards out of structural pine. They weigh a ton. From now on I think I will make boards out of light ply and MDF.
     
    Boards are joined by 0.8mm bolts and use DCC concepts locating dowels to mate the boards together in the right spot. Second lesson for the day. Use the big countersink for the rim first , before using the small countersink for the dowel stock. Well at least i got it all correct on the second try. I really like the dowels. (they were used on groggley and a few other layouts I have seen)
     
    So now I have a table that sits on pony's and can be pulled apart and moved around the house.
     
    Preety standard stuff eh?
     
    Onto the track plan.
    At the moment, I have limited space to build etc, so the plan is to have continual versitility as we move through houses. At the moment the plan is open ended at both ends so that more boards can be constructed and attached to the layout.
    What has been decided is for the current layout to consist of a nice sweeping bend with a run around loop. Coming off of the run around loop are a couple of spurs that will form local goods industries and ( now that i think of it) more than likely have a small mixed goods platform and possibly shed sitting between the two.
     
    On the other side of the run around loop is a small chasm cut into the MDF and Pine supports ( thanks to my supporting partner). This is where a river and bridge will go to provide a bit of depth to the layout. Further board sections I think will be done with elevated track to make terrain easier. insulation foam will become the structural basis for the scenery. covered in possibly a plaster cloth for strength and with building oxides mixed into plaster should create a nice pre ground cover for grasses and other cool stuff to go onto.
     
    Track is laid on foam road bed. Also found at bunnings in 25 meter rolls. Simply glue it on with glue ( i used PVA, will experiment with other types that are out there ) place track, and then using a dremel tool you can bevel a bank next to the track. Its a bit thicker than woodland scenics track underlay. However I figure that with plaster and other scenery added to the board, the extra depth will (a) soon dissapear, and (B) form a gutter next to the track where the water would drain away from the ballast. Will see how it all goes. The biggest concirn will be the instilation of the point motors when we get there. As from bottom of board to top of track underlay, there will be around 20 mills gap.
    Let the experiment begin.....
     
    Next chance i get to take some photos. Ill place them up here.
     

     
     
    While its side ways ( any one know how to rotate photos on here?) this is a brief over view of where the layout is at.
     
     

     
     
    And here is a a concept of the layout. Its primary function is to serve as a shunting layout for a J52 tank while other sections are built. The tracks at the edge will likely be connected to sector plates or cassets until more boards are added.
  13. rcmacchipilot
    Welcome to Macs building blog..... A number of bight sized insights into a crazy mind.
     
    After much reading, much inspiration and much trepidation I thought it was time for myself to throw my rookie hat into the ring. A foreward of warning, I know next to nothing about trains, next to nothing about real railways and next to nothing about doing anything propperly. All I know is that I love the looks of british steam loco's, I love the looks of the british country side, and I love creating fictional places in my head. So we are three for three. So my aim is to create a layout, share my experiences and make something that looks as damn British as it can ( whilst living in Australia). My goals are reliable operation and close to real life looks ( maybey without the geospatial accuracy though). In essence this an atempt to realise a boy hood dream, resplended with the imagination and curiosity of the child inside. Hell, who knows we might even learn a few lessons along the way....
     
    Mac.
  14. rcmacchipilot

    Stumped

    By rcmacchipilot,

    Hello all.
     
    After a busy weekend of soldering, testing and praying to the porcelin god ( self inflicted), Its time for another update.
     
    saturday started off very rocky and only got worse through out the day. We did however manage to pick up some spanking new decoders with stay alives from DCC concepts, and started to install them. 5 Locomotives needed decoders in them ( one really was a Hornby replacement job).
     
    The first that we started with was an Stanier 8F. Relativley straight forward, as a socket is provided for the instilation. Surprisingly however, the wires are not colour coded, and the socket is missing the standard mark that identifies the orientation of the 8 pin plug. Not to worry, as the orientation is only important for the direction of running ( which can actually be programmed within the decoder ) however its also an easy case of rotating the plug 180 degrees to correct the direction of running.
    Arguably the hardest part of the install ( and believe me it was not hard ) was placing the decoder and stay alive. Luckily, Hornby have created a recess up the front that is able to easly fit the stay alive in it. So once the decoder was taped on, and the stay alive placed up the front of the body, it was a simple task of relpacing the body. .... TADA .
    It was a smooth running loco before on DC , the addition of the stay alive and a decoder has made it run even better.
     
    Next in the firing line was a bullied light pacific ( spam can) " wilton". This and the 8F I was lucky to pick up for next to nothing at a hobby show ( because they were next to nothing I could validate them to the missus who was standing next to me. Surprisingly I have had a couple of people offer to take it off my hands. (Can some one tell me if "wilton" is special or something?, I picked it up because I liked the look of it and it was in my opinion well detailed and a nice looking model),
    Anycase, After a bit of percerveirance, the body came off (It is tack glued at the front / the chasis paint was stuck to the inside ). Research from the internet showed that the chasis predates the 8 pin plug, So i was expecting black and blue wires like in the 8F, however I was pleased to find red and black wires through out. A simple 1 minute soldering job, and decoder was installed. The Bonus of spam can loco's is the amount of space inside the locomotive, and therefore instilation was a dawdle. Down the track we might look at a smoke unit and possibly a sound instilation ( have to work out where).
     
    A J52 tank was next. Its the standard one that comes with the hormby dcc east coast pullman set. While not the most detailed little tank loco, it has become my practice and testing loco where i try new methods. Prior to the decoder instilation I had installed gold pick ups on the wheels ( a suggestion from richard at DCC concepts ) which has greatly improved their ability to recieve power from the track, and as gold never tarnashes, provides an opertunity for a self cleaning pickups and wheels. This worked out really well, So the next logical step was to upgrade the decoder to a better type. Decoder instilation was straight forward. I took out the old 4 pin decoder + 4 pin harness ( to be used later as I will explain) and set these aside. The mounting bracket was cut off using a dremel tool clone ( ozito, very popular amounst the members of my club ). The 8 pin socket was snipped of the end of the new decoder and the decoder was hard wired onto the loco. The hardest bit was finding a place for the stay alive to reside ( very valuable for small wheelbase tank locomotives ). In the end this got put into the small gap at the rear of coal bunk. Running is supurb now.
     
    What did i do with the Hornby decoder you ask... ( Most would say take to it with a hammer) ... Well, I was given a Hornby goods set with the little blue diesel in it ( class 06 ). More due to sentimental value ( plus, I can let nephews ( and neices, gender equality ) etc run it when they come around ) I decided it would be nice to run with DCC.
    Simple install, with the harness wired directly onto chasis. and then the decoder pluging into the harness through the 4 pin prong. What surprised me though was the running could be slowed down significantly ( for a railroad chaisis, with cheap motor) that slow enough speed could be obtained to use it as a shunter.
    Also got bored and stuck a cheap plastic OO figure from Marc Mart on there painted in a blue coveralls with a red neckerchief )
     
    That ended the run of easy instilations.... Then the nightmare started.
    2 Locos left - A Hornby castle class done up as hogwarts express with the working head light
    - A 4MT, the consitantly fried Hornby decoders
  15. rcmacchipilot
    Its been ages since I have updated my progress.
    Sine my last post, There has been a massive change in the spatical geography of what I am leaning to call sandycock junction. ( Ironically its not going to be a sandy place... :/ )
     
    Jobs that have been completed since I last posted
     
    - The house now has been 90% completed, including lights, a fully furnished loungeroom and a fully furnished kitchen. The fire place has an red LED installed to give it a red glow. More pictures will be posted in a future blog.
    In the mean time however the house with its lower level lighting can be seen bellow.
     
    -The land has seen a rapid terraformation with the addition of a plaster and foam scenery. There will need to be alot of work done still.
    Most of the big changes have occured beneath the board.
    -Cobalt point moters have been wired up with frog switching to prevent shorting on the insul frogs ( eventually points will be electrofrogs. IMHO its the only way to go .
    -Deans plugs are used to connect the track busses between the base board joiners.
    -A switch board ( the thingy with the track diagram on it) has been made up for the points and installed on the layout. Its imbeded into the scenery.
     
    -Dingham couplers are now being installed on the rolling stock.
    They are surprisingly easy to make and install. I found however that there is a lack of an online instruction guide beyond that of the one on the dingham website. To show how easy they are to make and IMHO how they are much better than sprat and winkle I will be putting another blog entry together to show how they work.
     
    The list of stuff to do is still masive. The terrain will be covered in alot of greens and yellows when I have time to do it. + it needs a back scene.
    Should form a great photo diorama by the time it is completed
     
    I am already planning the next one and the things that I will change. ( yay for learning experiences. )
  16. rcmacchipilot
    Modelling (well model planning/ design ) has continued in the background during the last few months. Time for blogging on the other hand has been another question. Today however I have the dreaded lurgy so Im taking some time to update the progress thus far.
     
    At the end of the last blog, there was a paper track design in place. Since then there has been a whole heap of conceptualisation progress with the trainz program. The aim of the program was to get an idea how it would look in 3D as well as how all the elements would fit together. Once happy it was possible to do some testing ( or playing ) before starting up templot. The other advantage is its a really quick way to get an idea of how well a concept will work
     

     
    This is a top view of the layout. The area of the spare room was ruled up to give a definitive space to work within. ( its approximately the same space as empire basin for those following that blog )
     
    Once the area was a defined it was a simple case of putting track and then scenery in. One of the things that has changed since the paper plan is that the down line goods yard now has a head shunt that runs parallel to the station.
     

     
    Here is a view of the proposed station layout.
     

     
    And another of the proposed goods shed and small loco facility. The turntable in trainz scales to a larger size than the peco one I plan to use. The other good thing about using trainz is that the buildings are scale size and a realistic size at that.
     

     
    The other advantage is an immersive 3D view. I can place trees and buildings and see how they will affect my ability to see different areas of the layout. This is going to be an issue as the layout is designed to be just under eye height. It also gives me a good reason to have undulating terrain and not just a flat board on the layout. This will give me a better view of trains in different areas. (and hopefully some good photography)
     
    Once I was totally happy with it, It was time to migrate to Templot. To get a nice flowing nature ( plus most turnouts are on a 4-5 ft radius) using Templot is a must. I have sprouted the moto that if you can do a double slip in Templot then you can do anything.
     

     
    The double slip was the first part that I completed. Hats off to martin because once you get used to the idea of creating custom sections of track, the program is really easy to use.
    Eventually I have come up with this. Pretty happy with it since this is the first time that I have used Templot.
     

     
    So I now know where all the point motors will go and can start designing and building my boards.
     
    Here it is printed out at 1:1 on the lounge room floor. Dog tiptoed around the track plan very carefully to get onto her bed. Good dog
     

     
    On a side note there has been other modelling happening in the background. Work on the 4mt tank and 5MT have been progressing well and I have started putting the airbrush to use.
     

     
    I now need to get pressfix transfers and do all the lining etc before weathering. I will also give the tender another coat of paint as the last one was thinned out way to much and has gone funny. ( yay for metal work, because if it all goes to pot then there is always paint stripper )
     
    Oh, and some people have been placed in coaches.
     
    Any case, Ill sign off here with a few more pictures from Trainz.
     

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