latestarter

Thanks for all the great background detail info. I'll have to live with most of the layout as it is now - but I do regret not doing enough research on the condition of the tracks for the steam era. I'm not sure how to correct that without ripping it all up to be honest.

Thanks for the suggestion. I do have some 'dumped' carriage wheels on there already, and a disused carriage on blocks (as a workman's hut, with toilet) on the other side of the shed. I'm now thinking of something more scenic, as I have a large depot at the other end.

Thanks for all the responses guys, they are much appreciated. My specific replies are below... @cypherman The building nearest the 'plot' I'm referring to is an engine shed, which has a fairly large area to itself already - and there's a bigger one at the opposite end. Photo below. @The Johnster Good to hear from you again. Thanks the detailed reply. I totally agree with you about a gap in the hedge and a gate. I'll get onto it. See above re: the building to the left. There is a large farm area in the center of the layout, which includes chicken coops and even 3D printed chickens that I made myself. So, (as with the engine shed) I'm trying to avoid too much repetition. See photo below. I've done some fencing on the layout, but totally agree that it needs a lot more. Thans you. Using the plot for old farm machinery, old vehicles and/or caravans really appeals, and that would give me some 'weathering' work to do. I think that may be my first option. @wasabi But then again....the stone circle is a great idea, not least because I am literally surrounded with stone circles, and standing stones where I (now) live in South Kerry. This would seem like the obvious choice, in order to reflect my actual locality. Now, I'm VERY confused. :)

I'm looking for some suggestions on how to improve this triangle of my layout (55 x 45 x 25 cm). If I took the 'fencing' away in the middle, what could replace it and fill the space more appealingly? Thanks for any suggestions. Stephen

It's fair to assume I know nothing! :)

Thanks again for your help. I was racking my brains today wondering about the best way to clean them. I've actually got two fibreglass pens somewhere. I'll dig them out tomorrow. I did wonder whether I should clean the Hornby clips. Thanks for confirming that.

I've worked it out, finally. The inner (far) switch rail needs to be pushed right up against the inner main rail, somewhere in the middle of the switch rail, in order for it to make contact. I'm not sure why that is, and it's a bit of a pain, as use that point a lot. I seem to need to push it with my finger every time I change the point and need to put it back. Any thoughts on fixing it are welcome.

I think I've narrowed the problem with my A4 (Mallard) cutting out as mentioned. It seems to be going dead when it goes over this diamond crossing (on the plastic area). All thoughts are welcome.

Is that possible, if the switch only goes on when it's set either to one side of the centre or the other?

KISS is my motto. Thanks for the clarification. :)

Thanks for that! A basic follow up question, please (electronics is definitely not my 'thing' and my brain hurts even thinking about it).... On a 6-pin DPDT switch, would it work putting all the red wires (of 3 pairs of connections) on one side, and the corresponding black wires on the opposite pins? Sounds a bit too simple, but I hope it's right! :)

I've replied. :)

Neophyte wiring question! I have a bus wired DCC layout that I'm currently controlling with a Hornby Select DCC controller. Connection is very straightforward, as I just put the red and black (tinned) wires at the end of the bus wiring, into the Select. I can then put 2 red/black wires from my programming track into the Select when needed. The Bachmann EZ Command seems to have a single-ended plug that goes to a track fitting. I assume I can take this off and bare the wires, and then wind them around the red/black bus wiring? Is that correct? Also, is there a simple way to connect the controller to the bus wire to make it easy to swap the layout wiring for the programming track wiring? Thanks for any help.

The layout is 8 x 4ft and I'm using the Hornby Select decoder, although I think it's getting a bit worn out after 1 year's use. I'm looking for a not-very-expensive upgrade.

Thanks again @amdaley (Tony). I put it on the programming track and it worked, at the original cv address. This made me think that the issue was with the track, but not the whole layout, as locos were working on other lines. I've narrowed the problem down to one of two sets of points, which are next to each other on a straight line. I'm 90% sure that one of them is not creating a circuit, some of the time. At the moment, it's working, and I'll give them both a good clean tomorrow. Thanks for your input.