Ian_H

Just so we get an idea of lead time for trains running, when is your six year old nephew visiting again ......... Christmas maybe?

Also, I can't say that I ever saw the various versions of ET as failures, every change was well reasoned and for me, I found every aspect very interesting. Please do keep documenting your progress.

With regard to the gradients, do you intend to incorporate any special measures, other than a min 1:100, say dcc concepts powerbase or similar homebrew system?

Good luck Gordon.

 

Would it be possible at this stage to design one board so that it could be converted in the future to provide a "non-duck under" access point without too much trouble?

I would have thought with Virgils I mean Gordons skill set something similar this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdTBZhNVxco could be used! Cue the music;

Hi Gordon, Good to see you're back.

For what it's worth, I always thought the folded figure of eight that you presented in your first post on the new RMWeb was superb, with the Minories/Bastille (I didn't mention Bastille .. did I? Wash my mouth out with soap) terminus following along later.

Good luck;-)

Hi,

With regard to train sheds, may I suggest that you have a look at Bradfield Gloucester Square, I know if a different scale but John made it look so easy to construct. Have a look from post 67 onwards;

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/28198-bradfield-gloucester-square-br-1962-ish/page-3

I dunno, failed again…..

 

Sorry Ian, like most parts of the rail network, engineering work wasn't completed on time.  

 

On behalf of ET, we'd like to offer sincere apologies to all our customers/passengers….:-)

 

The good news is that work will recommence quietly in between golf trips and domestic duties.

 

I'll be back….

Don't feel too bad about it Gordon the networks closed anyway!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32157548

Happy Easter

Ian

 

So, almost into the final push … you’ve got 66days to prepare for the Easter Special (as usual single line working due to engineering works)…. will it run? and what should pull it? since there are gradients involved perhaps it should be a diesel (Deltic maybe) for the outward bound, no disappointment with getting stuck on the gradient and everybody gets to the seaside, we can use a kettle (the 9F that you converted a while back - plenty of weight) for the return trip.

 

Good to see the engineering works are continuing.

 

Are we still on for the Easter Special? I haven't received my ticket yet, so I don't know if I'm on the Easter Friday or Bank Holiday Monday special, or where I'm going for that matter but as long as its nice weather and theres a pub I'll be happy .... just make sure the trains running.

 

So what's happening with the Easter Special? Has it been cancelled or did I get the years mixed up? Anyway, it's going to rain .............

All the best

Ian

Blame James May, he's always saying it ... "oh cock" seems to have replaced the old favourite of "oh heck"!

The major news is that I have decided to abandon the idea of it being a portable Exhibition layout, it will become shed bound.

Don't mind, we can all come to your place .... when's the open day?

Need more pix

Ian

Hi Gordon

Good to see the engineering works are continuing.

Are we still on for the Easter Special? I haven't received my ticket yet, so I don't know if I'm on the Easter Friday or Bank Holiday Monday special, or where I'm going for that matter but as long as its nice weather and theres a pub I'll be happy .... just make sure the trains running.

With regard to the bed, a foot! you got a whole foot! I used to get the piping material that edged the mattress. Also, from my experience, and having heard knowledgable people, much older than me speak on the matter -  bigger is better, keep your distance, you know what they say "Life .... sexually transmitted and invariably fatal".

All the best

Ian

Okay, I promise not to mention Bastille again unless you do ................... How about "Gare de la 14 juillet"?

Forgot to ask, did you build those DJH locos yourself, I really like "The Territorial Army" smashing paint job too.

I keep getting the emails to advise that there's been another posting on the Eastwood Town thread and I get ever so excited when I see it’s a message from Gordon, has he started on the Bastille terminus yet? .... Nope, not today but I know it playing on Gordon’s mind!

Just playing with you Gordon, it been a real pleasure to watch your build over the years and I've felt for you when its gone wrong or the ill health that your experienced a couple of years back. I've really enjoyed your tutorials they've been very educational, well at least to me they have and, as I say, I've felt for you when it’s gone wrong and been amazed with the determination to get it back on track. And of course I've laughed with you when you realized you’d been sold Aussie track!

So, almost into the final push … you’ve got 66days to prepare for the Easter Special (as usual single line working due to engineering works)…. will it run? and what should pull it? since there are gradients involved perhaps it should be a diesel (Deltic maybe) for the outward bound, no disappointment with getting stuck on the gradient and everybody gets to the seaside, we can use a kettle (the 9F that you converted a while back - plenty of weight) for the return trip.

Good luck

Ian

After trying both Peco and Seep point motors in the past, I finally decided to use slow motion Tortoise motors.  With the $ now low against the £, a 12 pack of Tortoise Motors are retailing at $170 or £108.  You will need to pay shipping costs plus 20% VAT, but should be able to land them in the UK for between £140-£150 for 12 or £12.00 each.  This compares favourably with a normal solenoid motor plus additional micro switches.  UK prices are around £14.50, so that saved me around £175 when I bought 70 of them.

 

I accept mine haven't run continuously, but they work every time and have proven reliable and are much better for hand made pointwork as they are gentler on the tie bar/switch blades. The switches work well and they are easy to install.  The only downside is the 82mm clearance needed below the board.

Hi Gordon,

Is there a reason you've not used servos? I haven't used them myself, so have no experience but a number of layouts seem to be using them quite successfully and price wise they seem very cheap vs Cobalt/Tortoise!

Ian

Hi Ian,

 

The hand of a turnout is determined by the hand of the switch. The direction of curving through the turnout is irrelevant. It is an important distinction because it controls the speed limits through the turnout.

 

The hand of a switch means the direction of the switch deflection angle. This is a left-hand switch:

 

 

Traffic traversing the main road straight ahead sees no deflection and can proceed at full line speed.

 

Traffic traversing the diverging turnout road to the left is suddenly deflected from its path at the switch deflection angle. In a B-switch that angle is 1:32. In a C-switch it is 1:40.

 

You can see the switch deflection angle as a sharp bend in the left-hand stock rail, called the "set". The planing of the switch blades matches the same angle.

 

Because of the switch deflection, there is always a speed limit for traffic traversing the diverging road of a turnout, sometimes a severe limit.

 

Crossovers between running lines are always arranged so that the switch deflection is towards the crossover road, so that there is no speed restriction for traffic on the running lines. This means that both turnouts in such a crossover are always of the same hand.

 

Here below you can see that for the straight track, both turnouts are obviously left-hand. When the whole formation is laid into a curved track, the turnouts don't change. They are both still left hand:

 

all_lh_turnouts.png

 

When the curving through a turnout goes in the opposite direction from the hand, as in the top-right turnout, it is called "contraflexure". In Templot the curving radius in the main road is shown as a negative value for contraflexure.

 

If the turnout at top-right was changed to a right-hand turnout, traffic on the running line would see the switch deflection angle and be subject to a speed limit.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

Hi Martin,

Thank you for the explanation .................. I think I've got it now! I'm constantly being amazed at what I don't know, you tend to just assume "it's like that!" and it's wrong, I am very grateful for your willingness to share information, thank you. What it also does is reinforces my opinion of what a superb piece of software Templot is, well done.

Regards

Ian

Sorry, can't get my head round that one. Surely with a curved point, whether it is left handed or right handed depends on which way the point curves when approached from the tiebar end (i.e. the larger radius is equivalent to the "straight" and the sharper radius is equivalent to the "branch" on a straight point).

My thoughts are the same as yours so I look forward to Martin giving a further explanation because at the moment I can't see an alternative. From Martin's diagram I would have thought the outside point is a Left handed curved point and the inside one a Right handed curved point.

"Gordon and the 'New Eastwood Town Workshop'" I'd probably watch that in the early hours given half a chance! ..... Get the camera crew in Gordon and you'd make a killing in royalties, although nobody else 'ill get anything done!

Anymore thoughts on incorporating the Bastille Terminus ............ opps, now I've gone and said it

.............................. gradients, what gradients? I thought we'd done away with gradients .................. clearly I've missed something!

Perhaps I'm having a blond moment ... can I just check that I am reading this right, is the "20mm wide strip of plasticard" made up of the two strips of 1mm?

Also is the complete board covered with the polyfoam or just the trackplan, if the complete board do you not bother with raising the track up to create a cess? 

Thanks

Ian

Hi David,

I just came across this turn table from Atlas

Unfortunately Gaugemaster don't have it in stock at the moment, but currently on order with the supplier.

Ian

Dear Diary…26th March 2014.

 

Hey ho, faced with a choice or ripping stuff up and starting again, I'll live with it..

 

Hi Gordon

Looking good but "rip it up and start again" almost had heart failure

I really like last photograph, looks an immense distance.

Ian

edited for keyboard error ... making my spelling look stupid

No expert but I don't think there's a lot of locos bigger than a LMS Duchess (74ft)

Hi Gordon,

Nice to see the progress,

I've looked back through a few posts but haven't seen the revised track plan, is it the same plan as you published March last year, two separate loops?

new_plan.png

Ian

Edit: Not sure why the plan didn't show up but if you click it then it will open in a new tab!

Hi John,

Sorry that the gradient testing didn't work out for you.

You mention that there are a number of strategies to overcome the problem, some that you didn't mention are:

 - keep Leeds City in your initial time frame of 1962 and abandon 1957 but of course that would be disappointing if you wanted to run steam which I assume you do.

 - make both gradients the same, I guess that would be 1 in 53, but again I'm not so sure the steam engines would even cope with that if pulling a long train.

 - segregate the existing fiddle yards, lower level for Steam and the upper for Diesel

Good luck.

Ian

The gradient to the upper deck works out at about 1 in 36 and the exit from the lower deck is about 1 in 70!

Hi John, Good to see the progress with Leeds City ... although my knowledge level of building model railways is very low and I have no desire to teach my grandmother to suck eggs a 1 in 36 gradient seems very steep, I did some tests following remarks by Gordon s of Eastwood Town fame and a fellow modeller Dan6470. Both seem to have tremendous difficulties with gradients, more so with steam traction. Perhaps you have already undertaken some testing and satisfied yourself that 1 in 36 is achievable?

I have provided the link to the tests from Dan below:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/28112-helpadvice-with-gradients/&do=findComment&comment=294209

As I said above, I'm not trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs, but if the gradients aren't right then it can be costly to correct.

Best regards

Ian

Hi Ian,

 

That's worrying, because it has been on the Templot web site for over 12 years. It should have come up on Google:

 

http://www.templot.com/martweb/gs_realtrack.htm

 

http://www.templot.com/martweb/gs_realtrack.htm#split_switch

 

Martin.

May be I didn't ask the question in the correct manner! I did come across the C&L info on the subject but the numbers published didn't mean anything.

The links are helpful .. thanks!

Ian

Hi Ian,

 

Not so. It is typing in ALL UPPER CASE which is regarded as shouting. Bold and italic can be used for their intended purpose to provide emphasis and clarity. If you don't allow that there is little point in having full text formatting available in the posting editor.

 

regards,

 

Martin.

Hi Martin

Yes, you are right and I stand corrected;-) I was just trying to offer a reason for why rannorgana become upset and the bold type was the only thing I could see.

Ian