petertg

It turns out that the lights are LEDs. I had overlooked this fact because, when they were first installed, they were operated with 14 VAC and what led me astray was that, on changing to 12 VDC the other LED lights worked OK. They were obviously wired up correctly. However, I have rewired them, and to be on the safe side, with their own particular negative return wire because previously the return was split two ways. Now all three sets of lighting work OK. Thanks for the tip, because I was unaware of this fact.

Evening all: This morning I had high hopes that to-day would see the finish of work on the underside of the baseboard. But there is still one problem bugging me. I can't get the station lights to work properly. My street lighting works, the yard lights work, but not the station lights. The funny thing is that if I apply the current from what should be the head end of the wiring there is no response, but if I apply current from the tail end, then they do light up. So, the obvious solution is to redo the wiring, but at 21.00 hrs I was tired, so tomorrow will see another session. When I was wiring up the point motors, since I have the baseboard edge on upright, I can't see the top side when working on the bottom, so when testing the point motors I had to work by ear. All made sounds of working but, when I was able to have a look at the top side, one motor was not moving the blades, although it had made operational noises. I removed it and saw that the rocker arm which moves the points was damaged. However, since my son-in-law (a right handyman) was staying with us, I gave it to him and, more in hope than anger, asked him if he could open it (it was a Hornby surface mounted one) and he did so. The end of the arm mounted on the solenoid core had apparently been burnt. Somehow he repaired it with a bit of thin stiff wire and superglue and got it to work. What I have done is tidy up the wiring of the droppers. When I first fitted them, I used terminal blocks and left long slack loops of wire and had to cover some connections with a piece of cardboard to avoid possible snagging. However, last year I acquired some new solder iron tips and some decent solder, so I decided to take advantage of the base board being uptipped to do some rearrangement.. A couple of photos to illustrate. Wired with terminal blocks. After tidying up. These pictures are not of the same area of the board. Thy represent one area before it was done and another area after it had been done. I hope that to-morrow I can finally finish with ther underside of the base board.

Since my last post I have been renovating elements of infrastructure and reorganizing the wiring under the baseboard. As indicated in previous posts I have had problems with my point motor control. The Hornby passing lever switches worked O.K, but were not suitable for the present state of my fingers. The pushbutton switches used in their place were not designed for working with Hornby motors and both LEDs remained alight, whereby there was no indication of point direction. Finally, as I browsed through the forums, I came across the capacitor system. The installation of two way switches with capacitor requires reorganization of the wiring. With the Hornby and pushbutton switches the common return was the black lead from the motors. So, there were individual pairs of green and red wires connecting the switches to the respective coloured leads of the motors and the black leads were connected from point to point in groups finally to arrive at a single black wire connected to the transformer. With the capacitor system however the black lead ceases to be the return and (as I was informed on the forum) the green is the common ground, so this meant a change. To avoid a lot of work and having to purchase a new coil of black wire I decided to swap over the green and black wires without modifying the existing installation too much. Nevertheless, when I started, I realized how chaotic the wiring was, with some motors connected to terminal blocks (some with three connections in one piece, others with the green and red wires connected to one piece and extending in one direction and the black wire connected to another piece and extending in another direction) and others just soldered together and stapled to the baseboard. So I set about putting a bit of order into the chaos and decided that all the motors would be connected to a piece of terminal block so that, if necessary, they could be replaced without having to disturb the main wiring. My original intention was to retain the black wiring as it was, just redirecting it from terminal block to terminal block but connecting it to the green lead of the motor in each case. The existing green wire was then connected to the black motor lead and the red to the red as before. But then I considered that the wiring was colour-coded for a reason, so I removed all the green and black wiring from the base board and I am now in the process of rewiring accordingly. I have made a small control desk (see photos) and my idea was to install the capacitors inside the desk, connected to the switches (see photo) but I realized that this was too cramped, so I am now installing the capacitors at the motors (see photos). This last one shows some of the capacitors installed. I have also devised a provisional system which allows me to test each motor individually without having to install the definitive wiring. So far I have installed 10 capacitors and have successfully tested 3.

It’s been some time now that I have been itching to update my blog. A few months ago I said that I had successfully digitized my old Wrenn City Class locomotive (though for some unknown reason I can’t locate the post now). This was true only in part. I did get it to run, but it only ran for a few feet (or should I say decimeters) and then stopped. The final result was that I spoilt two decoders. Then, when I tried to put it back into DC status further problems arose. An exchange of comments on the appropriate forum led to the discovery that the armature had gone dud. I obtained a rewound armature and a supermagnet, but still no joy, only smoke from the armature. Further tests revealed that the insulation on the front brush holder tube had failed, so when I reversed the feed wires, it did work as DC but, obviously, it was still not in a condition to fit a decoder since the only thing I had managed to do was to have an insulated rear tube and an uninsulated front tube, just the opposite of the original situation. At this time my idea was to get some replacement tubes and insulation in case I irreparably damaged the front tube when removing it. I was not successful in getting replacement tubes so, finally, I decided to be brave and try and remove the offending tube and insulation myself. I first tried to make a sort of press with two strips of steel pulled together with nuts and bolts, but it didn’t work so I finally got a long enough and thin enough bolt to pass through the tube and forced it half way out by tightening the nut up on the bolt using a larger nut as collar to separate the head of the bolt from the end of the tube and allow space for it to come out and then I placed a small wood screw having a head of smaller diameter than the hole in the chassis in the tube and knocked the tube out with the thin bolt through the other tube. I then removed the old insulation, insulated the tube with insulation tape and replaced it (all of the above was preceded by an exchange of comments on the forum, with great help being obtained). I then prepared a separate oval for DC operation and tested for current consumption and came up with some really exorbitant readings (as discussed on the forums). Following indications given on the forum I did a static test and found a stall current drain of 1.87A so I decided to go for a large capacity decoder (1.6A normal, 2.5A peak, probably much more than really needed). The chosen one was Zimo MX632, but then the problem was acquiring one. My local shop does not stock this make, one relatively nearby dealer said they did not stock this model, another did not reply to my request and there was a third which I had located and then could not find again, so I had to order from a UK source. I can now say that finally to-day I have got the thing to run digitized. Also mentioned on the forum was that I had lost the tender drawbar and was kindly provided with information for making a replacement. I made one out of plastic, not having the material or the tools to make one from metal and I was given two dimensions for the distance between hole centres (42 or 43 mm). I went for 42 and now find that this distance is 1 mm short. I may be able to rectify. If not, I shall just have to make another one. I am now working on a solution to my point motor control system (discussed elsewhere), having found a solution on the forum. It will entail a substantial reworking of the present wiring but I think it will be safe from my clumsy fingers.

Good evening. I have an HP Deskjet 1315 all-in-one and, apart from the usual black and colour cartridges, it can take a special photographic cartridge in place of the black. Perhaps your printer may have the same possibility.

I can't enlighten you either regards the specific product Fer Kina, but I can say that there is a product marketed in Spain known as Kina San Clemente which is a sweet wine with quinine derivatives which in the 60's was sold as a product suitable for children with a slogan which could be loosely translated as "it opens your appetite a lot". We even gave it to our children for a while in spite of its alcoholic content. It would seem, therefore, that the word "Kina" refers to a quinine content, so in keeping with what Mike says, it probably was an aromatic apperitive red wine with a quinine content.

I assumed it must be square, but it looked odd to me. Anyway, I wish I could do things like that.

How right you are! My 80 year old hands are also a handicap. I don't know whether it is an optical illusion, but the wheels on one side of the crane do not seem to be in the same place as on the other side.

Very nice. I have just been given a bag of (so-called) Pomfret cakes brought by a niece from the UK. I was evacuated to relatives in Pontefract (to get away from Barnbow) during 1942 and 1943 and remember the licorice fields in the valley behind the hospital. At that time you could get the genuine stuff - Dunhills Pomfret cakes, Wilkinsons' licorice allsorts, etc. Nothing to do with modelling, but it brings back memories.

What is progress? Is it having more on your board than you had before or is it that some things that didn’t work well now work a bit better? I had to replace a surface mounted point motor. Previously all units had passed well, albeit by a hair’s breadth. After replacement I discovered that the non-powered driver car of my push-pull double deck commuter rake (the first double deck units introduced by RENFE prior to the genuine EMUs) was hitting the motor. The point in question is situated right at the exit from a 90 degree curve (Hornby second radius) and since the coach has a good overhang ahead of the bogie, the front end was still way outside the track when it reached the motor. Since there was no way of replacing the motor on the other side of the track (lack of space) my first idea was to insert a short straight between the curve and the point. I thought I had a Hornby short straight left over, but I hadn’t, only a box of Lima short straights which are a good centimeter longer than the Hornby piece. I ripped up the track, immediately saw that a short straight would not fit in with the curved track, so I thought of a length of Peco flexible track. I started to doctor one length by removing bits from the split parts of the sleepers to tighten the curve, but soon realized that it would involve too much work and might not work either. So, I relaid the original track and, since I had removed a power clip, which was several cms from where the hole for the droppers was located, I decided to try my hand at soldering droppers directly to the track and, fortunately, I was successful. I then set about observing the offending rolling stock and came to the conclusion that the simplest solution was to file away part of the undersurface of the vehicle, got hold of a file and removed about 1 mm from the snowplough arrangement and a little from the underside of the coach and this worked also. I do not know whether it is licit to mutilate rolling stock to solve problems but I did. Encouraged by my soldering success, I turned to an old Lima locomotive (purchased nearly 40 years ago) which I had digitized without success (instead of running, when the power was applied the decoder switched off), had rewired in analogue state again but which would not run properly with the bodywork in place. The reason was that the wires I had used in certain places were too stiff and did not allow the motor bogie to rotate sufficiently on the curves. So, out came the soldering iron and solder again, I removed the offending wires and replaced them with finer ones and now the thing runs with the body on. I need this locomotive because I have a lot of old Lima rolling stock where the coupling height does not coincide with that of my more modern locomotives. A couple of photos to show it, alone and with a rake of six goods wagons. I then tried it out alone and it worked. Thereafter, I hooked on the six goods wagons and it laboured on the inclines (probably not more than 1/250), the wheels slipping and it needed a push by hand. I removed the heaviest truck and it still laboured, overheated my controller and finally gave up. I think I have probably irremediably damaged it. That, then, is all the progress I have made. To-day. Tuesday. I tried again and discovered that nothing had happened to the locomotive. It hauled a rake of four wagons, still labouring, but less, on the inclines (by the way, I mingled cms with mms when calculating the gradient, the gradients are between 1/25 and 1/30) and after a couple of trips round the circuit, it stopped dead again. This time I tested the track and this confirmed what I had observed yesterday - there was no curent in the track. It was the controller that had closed down, not the locomotive.

What is progress? Is it having more on your board than you had before or is it that some things that didn’t work well now work a bit better? I had to replace a surface mounted point motor. Previously all units had passed well, albeit by a hair’s breadth. After replacement I discovered that the non-powered driver car of my push-pull double deck commuter rake (the first double deck units introduced by RENFE prior to the genuine EMUs) was hitting the motor. The point in question is situated right at the exit from a 90 degree curve (Hornby second radius) and since the coach has a good overhang ahead of the bogie, the front end was still way outside the track when it reached the motor. Since there was no way of replacing the motor on the other side of the track (lack of space) my first idea was to insert a short straight between the curve and the point. I thought I had a Hornby short straight left over, but I hadn’t, only a box of Lima short straights which are a good centimeter longer than the Hornby piece. I ripped up the track, immediately saw that a short straight would not fit in with the curved track, so I thought of a length of Peco flexible track. I started to doctor one length by removing bits from the split parts of the sleepers to tighten the curve, but soon realized that it would involve too much work and might not work either. So, I relaid the original track and, since I had removed a power clip, which was several cms from where the hole for the droppers was located, I decided to try my hand at soldering droppers directly to the track and, fortunately, I was successful. I then set about observing the offending rolling stock and came to the conclusion that the simplest solution was to file away part of the undersurface of the vehicle, got hold of a file and removed about 1 mm from the snowplough arrangement and a little from the underside of the coach and this worked also. I do not know whether it is licit to mutilate rolling stock to solve problems but I did. Encouraged by my soldering success, I turned to an old Lima locomotive (purchased nearly 40 years ago) which I had digitized without success (instead of running, when the power was applied the decoder switched off), had rewired in analogue state again but which would not run properly with the bodywork in place. The reason was that the wires I had used in certain places were too stiff and did not allow the motor bogie to rotate sufficiently on the curves. So, out came the soldering iron and solder again, I removed the offending wires and replaced them with finer ones and now the thing runs with the body on. I need this locomotive because I have a lot of old Lima rolling stock where the coupling height does not coincide with that of my more modern locomotives. A couple of photos to show it, alone and with a rake of six goods wagons. I then tried it out alone and it worked. Thereafter, I hooked on the six goods wagons and it laboured on the inclines (probably not more than 1/250), the wheels slipping and it needed a push by hand. I removed the heaviest truck and it still laboured, overheated my controller and finally gave up. I think I have probably irremediably damaged it. That, then, is all the progress I have made.

I have been hanging on since my last contribution hoping to be able to report some real progress but, far from that, I have to report regress (i.e. retrogression). I have mentioned elsewhere my problem with arthritic fingers and the risk of hitting the wrong lever of the passing switches for the point motors, with the risk of damaging the motors. I replaced two damaged motors and, furthermore, installed pushbutton switches. These are supposed to give feedback information via leds but do not do so with Hornby motors among other mechanisms. But far from improving matters, I now find that motors which previously did work now do not and one even overheats seriously. Also, one of the replacement motors, fixed in exactly the same place as the faulty one, forms an obstacle for one of my vehicles whereas the previous one did not. The motor is on the straight side of the point but immediately after a curve and my Electrotren double deck commuter train is low at the non-powered driver car end (it is a push-pull system) and just rubs the motor sufficiently to derail at speed. Then a further disaster. I was giving my Hornby 2-6-4 Tank engine a run out when, at a place where there has never before been any problem and is just beyond a protective wall, it suddenly gave a jump, hit a higher lever track and fell to the floor. The tyre of one of the wheels of the pony truck had come loose (this is the second time) and, this time instead of taking it to my local shop (who is not a Hornby dealer), I decided to try and repair it myself. When trying to force the tyre back into place I saw that the wheel was coming off the axle, so I removed it completely. Since I could not get the tyre back in place, I put the wheel in the freezer (to shrink it) and after 20 minutes or so, I put the trye in boiling water (to expand it). The idea didn't work immediately but, suddenly while squeezing, the wheel clicked into place. I then started to reassemble the axle and got out my calipers to measure the back-to-back distance properly and, to my surprise, I discovered that one pair of the driving wheels was at 15 mm and not 14.2 like the rest and I don't think I have the skills to narrow the gap. Also, when I tested the locomotive again, it had trouble near where it jumped the track (a place where it had never previously had problems). Trackwise the layout is complete. The work now is to sort out problems, since the only units that seem to perform reasonably well are my two DMUs. But, it seems, every time I think I have sorted out one problem, others arise. I am at a loss as to what to do. Anyway, since there is a lot of scenic work still to be done, I painted a portion of road which had been relaid and I shall continue installing railings where I want them. But the intrinsic purpose of any layout, i.e. to play trains without problems, is still eluding me.

I am also just over 80, so don't worry too much. I started blogging only last year. Nevertheless I must say that I have not yet built any locomotive or carriage and am still struggling with an 8' by 4' layout. Carry on!

Hi Friso! I have Hornby points motors with the Hornby passing switches. Hornby warns not flick the switches across but accompany them by hand, or you risk blowing the motor. What I meant to say is that when I go to select a certain lever I run the risk of flicking the adjacent one accidently and this is what has happened. I am considering fitting some dog leg shaped lever extensions facing in opposite directions on alternate switches, which might make it easier for me not to make a mistake. I am studying the possibility of upgrading my controller so as to be able to programme locomotives since, currently my set only allows address programming and since currently they respond slowly to go-slow commands, that is how the head-on crash occurred.

Good evening fellow members and guests: As the sixth anniversary of the start of my layout is fast approaching and the seventh may even come before it is finally finished, I have decided to show some photographs, namely: In them you can see my two DMU's. After exchanging information and advice elsewhere on this web. I came to the conclusion that, from the DCC angle, my layout was at least acceptable and so I had a go at playing trains with these DMU's running simultaneously (with a head-on crash included at the crossover due to a slow reaction). I'll now have a go with other locomotives. I use an analogue system for switching my points and, due to my less than nimble arthritic fingers, I have already blown four motors through accidently touching other levers than the intended one. Is there any way of protecting the motors (I am not prepared yet to go digital in this aspect)?

Ingenious.

Just got back from a fortnight's holiday in the Department du Lot (France) where, among other great sites, we visited a Heritage Railway (if that's what they are called) that runs on a disused line from Martel to St. Denis. Among their items there is a locomotive built way back in 1887 and which was in service until the 1970's. There are a few photos below. The coaches (?) were open, unsprung I believe, the flooring seemed to be old sleepers and the seating was wooden, recovered from old French 3rd Class coaches. We went on the day they were sporting a steam locomotive, other days they run diesel. We were pushed one way and pulled on the way back. As I have mentioned before, I wish to upgrade my system but, since impulsive acting has led to many problems up to date, I shall be asking for help elsewhere on this weeb.

Since a request was made for photographs of my progress, while I did say that there were no real visual changes, I have decided to show an overall view of the underside of my baseboard as of when it was upturned two or three weeks ago and a couple of scratchbuilt items, namely a Park Shelter and a Bus Shelter. The Park Shelter was originally intended to be the Bus Shelter, but it turned out too rustic so I built another one. The Park Shelter has suffered vandalism (actually to avoid overbalancing I placed my hand where I could with the misfortune of flattening the Shelter) It has been subjected to some botched up repairs but, in times of crisis what can one expect? In any case, on a layout not everything has to be perfect and if you move about the countryside you can see many examples of such a situation. I am rather pleased with how the Bus Shelter turned out. It is made with Balsa wood floor, wall panels, seat and roof, toothpicks as uprights and the roof tiling is made from strips left over from a Metcalfe kit. I have also made some shelters for a pedestrian subway to the north side station, but I am not too happy with the ones to be placed on the platforms and I have to revise the lettering on the roadside shelter. To-day has seen another three-hour session recovering terminal pins and lengthening four leads that turned out to be too short for the new tidier system of a separate hole for the leads of each point switch. New terminal pins are not cheap and I would have to order them from the UK, so I set about opening up crimped ones and desoldering soldered ones and then soldering new lengths of wire to four of them I then cut off the terminal pins of the short leads, formed a twisted and soldered joint with the new portions and covered the joint with a piece of plastic tube. I then plugged them in to their respective switch and they worked. All quite homemade and probably unorthodox.Also, after some days in which my printer has been playing up not wanting to accept a refilled cartridge I have been able to print out a brickwork pattern.

There's not much to photograph because the only visual change has been to cover a slot through which the point cables came has been made twice as wide and then covered by a board with 18 holes drilled in it, one for each switch, to make the aspect much neater from above (better not to look underneath). When I get all the points reconnected and find out which motors have blown (I fear there are at least two), I will add a few details and take some photos.

I have been writing up this contribution bit by bit for nearly a month now (editing as and when necessary), but since progress has been slow for various reasons, not all related to the layout itself, I have decided to make a post. I am an assiduous reader of almost all of the blogs and, while it is no great consolation, it is encouraging to see that more experienced modellers make mistakes and confess them. Since I am basically optimistic I refuse to give up unless I am absolutely forced to and I am still plodding along. Having finally sorted out the question of the Hornby switches mentioned in my last entry I reassembled my switch bank just the same as before, since there is obviously no problem with placing the on/off switches in between point switches, while making slight modifications to its emplacement.In fact, being a different colour they serve to distinguish the different groups of point switches. I then had my baseboard tilted on edge for three whole days while working on the underside and set about reforming the wiring. I isolated the street, station and fiddleyard lighting wiring from the point wiring. I had used the point return wiring but it had caused interference in certain cases, so I gave the lights their own independent return wiring and they worked successfully, with one hitch: one of the pins will not stay fixed in the switch, although this is a minor problem to be solved in the future. I then set about connecting the additional droppers I had installed and at the same time remade some dicky connections I saw that might have caused problems in the future. The next step (currently under way) is to reconnect the point leads to their respective switches. This is a slow job, since while I did keep the pairs of red and green wires correctly paired, the numbered sticky labels I used to identify them were not as sticky as they should have been and several have fallen off them, so I have to test them pair by pair to identify the correct switch. I have done test runs with my Bachmann Class 150 DMU (power car only), my Bachmann DMU Class 108 (which doesn't derail but has other problems such as erratic running) and my Hornby Stanier 2-6-4 tank engine and they respond to the commands, albeit on the slow side when wanting to slow them down to a stop, when they overrun the stations. Also, once stopped, sometimes they won't start again. I have'nt tested anything else, since I keep the rolling stock stacked away in their boxes. These test runs have shown two problems, one of which was known and has been commented upon elsewhere, namely the Bachmann DMU, when running head-on counterclockwise on the circuit, derails at a particular set of points, but the cause is that the two rear wheels of the rear bogie (note: only two of the wheels) leave the track at a spot some distance before where derailment actually happens, the vehicle runs along a straight until it reaches the points and then derails completely. When pushing in the same direction and either pulling or pushing in the opposite direction, no derailment occurs. Something similar happens with the tank engine, but in a different place; when running head on clockwise nothing happens but when running head on counterclockwise it derails in the same place (which is a totally different place from the DMU). It is obvious that tweaks are required, but the problem is where and, once located, more importantly, which is the appropriate solution.

While my question is not directly related to the Aire Valley Railway, since you mention railcars, I am wondering if you can help me identify one, probably diesel, which served the Leeds-Castleford line via Crossgates, Garforth and Allerton Bywater in the late 40's and early 50's and which I caught several times, to continue by bike to Pontefract.

I sympathise with you when you are deemed to be not helpful. We spent practically the whole of 1991 house hunting and I was deemed to be not helpful with my demand for the house to have a plot of land large enough for a vegetable garden, Anyway, I hope you find what you want soon.

M

I seem to see that you have the Crossley JUB 727, Fleet n

I have done a bit more work on my layout. I finally obtained the new tips for my soldering iron, together with some decent solder. I managed successfully to solder some droppers direct to the track without making a mess of it and fixed the loose track back again to the base. I also replaced some previously installed droppers (which were relatively thick cable and connected to an elevated portion of the track) with some thinner wires which adapt themselves much better to the contour and in fact have been hidden in a plastic drinking straw glued to the column supporting the overhead track. I performed tests with my Class 150 DMU, the 2-6-4 tank engine and the PIKO electric locomotive and, individually, they worked well. However, when hooked up with carriages, the two locomotives disengaged themselves from the carriages at different points on the circuit and the tank engine did not run as smoothly as when running alone. The result: further complications to be sorted out. Apart from that I fitted the replacement point motors and now have the job of reconnecting them and the new droppers installed into the system, which means tipping the board on edge again to get easy access to the underside. All the above was written on April 22. On April 23 disaster struck again. The problem was the public lighting. I had misunderstood the function of the Hornby 'on-off' switches and had interspersed them with the point switches. To cut a sad story short, I fear I may have blown another three point motors. So, it's back to reforming the wiring. In July we shall have grandchildren with us and while the scenery will not be finished, the railway portion has to be in working order.