ChrisG

Photo showing progress as of tonight on the hidden loops (using Peco Streamline for expedience's sake). The tracks leading off to the right are the return loops representing the Sandown and Ryde lines. Each will hold two trains of the maximum length I have planned for (the equivalent of loco, four full length carriages and a 4 wheeled van). All trains will travel clockwise around the loops, with entry being controlled by a pair of crossovers allowing entry and access from either line out of Newport. They are controlled by IRDOTS which will give an indication of occupation and will shuffle the trains to the front automatically when the line is clear. On the left is a continuous run in the middle and either side of it, again using IRDOT detectors are one down and one up loop which will hold freight trains to and from Medina Wharf. I hope also to represent the clay flow from Shide Quarry to the Medina Cement Works. Both of these will be effective with full trains travelling in one direction and empty in the other. Ideally I would have had more sidings, but Cowes Station must fit in front of this little lot so it was a question of cutting the cloth to fit. Much of this is now wired and tested, at least as individual boards but it will be some weeks before the whole thing is wired, connected and connected to the control panel which will be attached to the Newport Viaduct Board (behind the camera in this shot). Chris

Steady progress at the moment on wiring the hidden sections. The track is laid for the hidden return loops and the boards now dismantled with wiring starting in the farthest corner of the layout and gradually moving outwards, with a comprehensive wiring index being built as I go. In theory as the boards are completed they can be rejoined and when the final connection is made, the transformers plugged in and the trains working. We shall see - getting my head around the wiring of the IRDOTs was quite something for automatic shuffling of reverse loops. Chris

From amidst the usual detritus of modelling, the hidden loops are emerging....... There are several cross baseboard track joints to be engineered in these parts. This will be the most intensive part of the construction for that reason, as well as the wiring.

I went to the model shop this morning and discovered that current decoders are much smaller than my old ZTC ones. I came away with a Digitrax DZ125 which will definitely go in a Terrier with very little modification. So to answer the question which sparked off this thread, yes, you can put decoders in small IOW tank locos in 4mm scale. Chris

Ah Barry - I've just re-read the ZTC advert for the mythical "upgrade" (latest estimated date July 2013, but there have been many others) and the upgraded controller (

Ah - no doubt my decoders do NOT support that as they date from the first incarnation of ZTC..... Like all things, DCC is obviously not the panacea it might appear to be and has its own foibles - which being digital and computerised, have a life of their own! Unlike good old mechanics and DC current which can usually be diagnosed and understood.

It does seem to default to 3. But I came back later and it worked first time, though it had defaulted to 28 speed steps instead of 128. I suspect there are some concepts I haven't understood yet. Another foible seems to be when running in DC mode (which is needed for my automated staging sidings) the loco gets stuck running in one direction and wont reverse. I will persevere. Believe it or not I know next to nothing about DCC and need to catch up fast! Chris

See next post for pictures of chipped Terrier.....

I took the bull by the horns this morning in order to start experimenting with my ZTC DCC kit, and bought a secondhand Hornby Terrier from Alton Model Centre. I managed to shoehorn a decoder inelegantly into the cab. This involved removing the floor of the cab (in fact I removed more than was needed there is now a gap between the footplate and cabsides). There was some rewiring of the inside of the loco, but the job was comparatively easy. This chip only has four wires (which helps) but no doubt it is bigger than a modern equivalent would be. There is no room for the original weight which was in the bunker and toolbox, so I must replace that with some lead sheet. If the decoder were sprayed black it would be less obtrusive, and the addition of crew, especially leaning out of the cab door, would improve things further. As for what I think of DCC - well the jury is still out. I imagine modern systems are easier to use than ZTC, which seems to lose all memory of the loco once it is turned off, needing a complete reprogramme every time I turn it on. That cannot be right.............................! Lots to learn, obviously. Progress today also on the control panel for the hidden sidings. Chris

I'm busy wiring the hidden loops and staging sidings. This board has the most wiring of any because I am using electric turnout motors in the hidden sections, as well as infra-red detectors for automation, and a separate control panel for the hidden section which will hang off the Newport viaduct board. 10 turnouts, 8 infra-red detectors, spread over 7 separate boards, though most of them will have less wiring than in this picture. I'm keeping an index of connections and colours as I go, which from experience I know is invaluable. Peco motors and PL32 switches are being used - I have had bad experiences with SEEPs before and also with the cheaper and more simple Peco accessory switches. I was a bit worried about the quality of my soldering so I watched a few Youtube "how to solder" videos and found that most people seem to struggle in the same way I do. The joints are ugly but they are secure and that is what counts. Progress is slow in the sweltering heat. The two main assets needed for success are patience and method. Chris

Funnily enough I have just been investigating the possibilities for DCC chips. I can't speak for Terriers - I don't have a Hornby/Dapol one bt I will be building one or two of those from kits and will simply make sure I can fit a chip. Regarding O2s I am sure that Kernow will issue theirs as DCC ready or whatever the terminology is. I have an old ZTC system and from what I can see I will be able to fit non sound chips into the water tanks of Southeastern Finecast kits (the boilers are filled with lead, which is pretty necessary for the 0-4-4 wheel arrangement), and especially if I had removed the whitemetal lip on which the tank top sits. There's room in the cab and bunker for a cunningly positioned chip and small speaker, but it will be highly visible. The Wills/Finecast E1 is no problem whatsoever, oodles of room wherever you want.

Hi Freebs - I am very lucky with an early retirement so I am time-rich!

I am starting work on the hidden loops which will lie behind Cowes and the line along the Medina. To do this I had to get a sighting shot on how Cowes would fit, which is what the photo shows. The track templates are generated by the Trax3 software. Behind are some Peco turnouts (the hidden section will be laid using Peco Streamline. Important things here were to see where the turnouts would be in relation to the baseboard frames (I'm using underslung Peco turnout motors on the hidden section) and also in relation to the baseboard joints. Everything good so far. First objective is to get the hidden loops and sidings operational which means making the decision on DCC vs Analogue, and building a control panel. Well, DCC has won the day and I've dug my ZTC511 out of the box it has been in since I bought it in ?2007. And I'll attempt to fit a chip into an O2 in due course. Meanwhile I can test on analogue. But for now the first task is simply to screw down hardwood strips for the baseboards joints (glueing PCB sleepers thereon) and cork sheet for the trackbed. But in the 30 degrees heat, even with an (obviously underpowered) air-con unit, it is hot work. BUT, we are underway on the great project! Chris

Giles and John from Elite Baseboards arrived with the boards and worked like Trojans in the sweltering heat. 29 degrees with the air conditioning unit on full blast! The boards are now installed for Cowes to Newport and brilliant they are too! Now it's up to me to get the track laid and wired up, make difficult decisions regarding analogue and DCC, etc. etc. Years of fun lie ahead! Chris

Despite my silence, work is progressing. The last couple of weeks have been building trackwork. The layout has been designed using "Trax" which I bought some time ago when I found the intricacies of Templot beyond me and more than I needed for the level of realism to which I was aspiring. That's not knocking Templot at all, because it is clearly the Rolls Royce of track designing software. Trax I found quicker to use and it generates turnout templates. My aim has been to get far ahead with track construction in advance of the baseboards arriving, which is scheduled for next weekend. I've learned a lot in the last few days - I've been reading blogs and magazine articles avidly for tips and methods for trackbuilding. At last I am getting some sort of consistency and I've built about 25 turnouts. However, through this process my standards have risen and I am now scrapping and replacing some of the earlier attempts. And this afternoon I reached a natural pause, having run out of bullhead rail! The photo shows my 2nd or 3rd attempt at the scissors crossing at Newport. I've simplified it by making the three way point a separate item, though I'm slightly embarrassed to admit the reason for this is in the already designed and built lever frame for Newport when I realised that my design wouldn't support interlocking involving the three way point. Chris

Been a bit quiet of late. The loft is ready. I have been assembling small shelving units to go under the baseboards and have moved all the railway "stuff" up from the garage into the loft. Still need to get a workbench and something to sit on up there. Baseboards are on order from Elite Baseboards whom I met at the Bristol show a few weeks ago. Installation is scheduled for late June/early July. I made reasonable progress on the model of Newport Engine shed but got to the point where the accumulation of small errors of measurement meant that the top level of the roof was just not working so I scrapped it and started again. Windows and doors thankfully were salvaged, however. The layout plan has evolved. Now the space can be accurately measured and all the obstacles like the hatch and the purlin struts accurately located it became apparent that I was trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot. So I went back to an earlier idea which is that Medina wharf would be represented by hidden sidings on a continuous run. Coal trains heading anti-clockwise towards Ryde or Sandown will travel loaded. They will therefore represent coal being delivered when they leave Newport and coal arriving from Medina Wharf when they arrive at Newport. Clockwise trains will run empty, representing empties from other Island locations when they arrive at Newport and empties to Medina when they leave Newport. One road will be kept for continuous running of anything for fun and running in turns. Chris

It definitely pays off to be patient! Baseboards come next obviously and I am having them built professionally as an investment in the future quality of the layout. I'm also taking my time over the decision on which control system to opt for. DC, DCC or Radio Controlled battery power. Each has a long list of pros and cons. I'm sure radio will be the default when it matures.........

The new home for the Cowes and Newport is now ready............................. Baseboards next! Chris

Yup that looks right:- http://pandhmodels.com/img/p/41-73-thickbox.jpg Thank you so much! I'm not a building construction expert and whilst I recognise the look of the building I just didn't know what it was called. Let's hope my local model shop has some in stock tomorrow. Chris

Here is a link to a photo of Newport shed. Can anyone confirm the construction. It looks like timber walls and corrugated iron roof to me. But I am uncertain how to replicate the look of the timber - specifically which Slater's, Evergreen or Southeastern Finecast sheet in 4mm scale will give the best reproduction? http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/n/newport(iwc)/index27.shtml Any help gratefully received! Chris

That's terrific - really good................ I didn't spot there was a door in the brickwork under the stairs - makes sense that there would be one. No one can get into the interlocking room on my model! How did you make your windows? I put a picture of my finished model in my gallery but cannot work out how to link it to this comment - so you'll have to go somewhere else to look at it. Chris

Send a photo! I'd love to see it. Mine is now primed and has the green paint on it....

Yup. It is now built. I have started painting it and in my humble opinion it certainly looks the part. I'm not intending to add an interior so the internal space is not so important. I haven't worked out how to make the external lamp but will keep my eyes open at the next exhibition I go to. I seem to remember that Ratio make some lamps, or I may go for a real one. Anyway I will post a "completed" photo. Chris

Just compared my model to the "face on" photo...... the basic proportions are correct it seems, but the top landing is too high. I used a ready-made door (Airfix) and lined it up so the top of the door frame was the same height as the top of the window frames, just as in the prototype and in your model.... so the height of the top landing was dictated by the height of the door.... Another discrepancy is the size of the top landing - which again was dictated by the width of the door (the landing needed to be big enough for it to open onto). Moral of the story - don't take short cuts with ready-made components!

I can't take any credit for that - the stairs themselves were ready made! Yes, I've been looking at your model - I think our proportions are a little different although I probably worked from the same front view that you did. Did you add a stovepipe and if so did you find out where to put it? Chris