Les le Breton

I.M.H.O. the 11 plus is a hateful way of dividing children into two groups for life, successful and failure. What follows is extra funding for the successful and not enough for the failures. The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it

Hi GWR57xx, I have indeed planned to have the turnout switches on the same board as the Cobalt turnout motors, this reduces the number of cables to traverse the baseboard joints considerably, which removes the need for even more connectors! As an addition/edit after posting above I tested the Cobalt PSU2 on baseboard 4 which has two motors wired together for a crossover, yippee it worked brilliantly, the real bonus is the ease of changing the Frog polarity so readily by swapping wires 4 & 5 on the motor. Now all six motors working with proper Frog polarity. Hooray!

Hi fellow RMweb browsers. I have been making slow process with Aberaeron and have the following observations:- As my layout is for home use only and relatively small, LED’s are not really needed to inform me of the turnout statuses, so the individual plan will be as follows:- I have installed six of DCCconcepts Cobalt ip analogue turnout motors and looking forward to the delivery of their DCP-PSU2 Dual Output Power Supply. I had originally considered using an unused 12vDC switching power supply, but I don’t want to damage or reduce the effectiveness of the motors. As the layout will eventually have only nine turnouts I don’t think I will gain the benefit of the ip “Advanced wiring diagram”. My baseboards will need to be stored individually between operating the layout, so I have arranged ways to link the baseboards electrics. The track’s DCC wiring is connected via the steel bolts (salvaged from a redundant sofa) which aid the engineer’s dowels to connect baseboards. The turnout wiring has been set up using 3.5mm stereo Jack Sockets and Plugs, wired like this:- The baseboard joins will therefore have sockets connected by short double ended Jack plugs:- Perhaps not an elegant solution for the front of the layout but with the DPDT switches nestling on the frontage it is merely workmanlike hopefully. I know I am probably posting what are old ideas to many, (sucking eggs with granny peut-être) but I hope it is of relevance to others. I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

The human condition is beset with conundrums, Most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally evil, but by people being fundamentally people Terry Pratchett

The times they are a-changing. Thank goodness.

Hi Tim T, I'm pretty much sure that apologies aren't required with the RMweb University. There are so many posts now, the search engines have a huge number of choices, thus many have overlapping topics. My baseboard frames are currently 70mm deep beneath the track base of plywood. I will be adding 10mm for safety and I'm sure that your 100mm will be fine with Cobalts. As a septuagenarian I was erring on the side of lightness so I don't have to rely on an a.b. person to help me lug the baseboards about. Good luck with your modelling. Regards, Les.

Greetings fellow RMweb browsers, I gave myself an annoying wakeup call today; when trying alternative positions for the new point motors, I discovered that the soldering-free connectors were 2mm proud of the baseboard sides and ends! This means I will have to add timber to the baseboard bottoms, preventing damage to the connectors, when the baseboards are flat on a table. From previous posts you may recall that I abandoned another manufacturer’s product which was lower than the Cobalt motors. It seems that I should take up knitting, with my wife instead.. Perhaps I’ll be heating my garage tomorrow and attempting more carpentry instead. Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom. Terry Pratchett

I have been studying the numerous options for me and with a lot of advice from Mick at DCCconcepts I decided to purchase ip analogue point motors. Today I started to plan HOW to wire them; I want to be ready for each stage. The first plan is to consider how each individual motor should be wired, with or without LED track signalling. The connections of resisters and installation of LED’s can be left until the motors are fitted and working. I am indebted to the aforementioned company for their pdf instructions. The following is a translation of the instructions to help me create installations which don't use yards of cable! Having the design for wiring individual switches above, it now needs to be transposed into the plan required for the switch board electrics, principally the switches. The plan below has the following parameters:- It displays the view behind the first of my three switch panels. (One for each baseboard). My layout turnouts are numbered from left to right, as my layout will be controlled from the front, requiring the illustration below to be transposed laterally. Turnouts 1 and 3 operate a crossover, switched with one movement. Because I had planned for four switches (now abandoned,) there is a spare hole for other electrics, most likely for the locomotive shed lighting! For clarity I have not illustrated all of the motor’s contacts. If anyone spots errors I would be grateful to read the solutions. With any luck I’ll be installing the motors soon. When all else fails read the instructions.

Edwardian, you have embarked on a genuine prototypical project. I may be wrong, but was it KNP of “Little Muddle” fame who remarked that the land was there before the railway? Iain Rice was of the same persuasion I believe. Therefore you should be proud of the way you have developed your layout diary, which I have enjoyed for the erudition, humour, honestly and ambition in your “Castle Aching” topic thread. I wish you and your followers a Happy and Prosperous New Year. He who hasn’t made any mistakes hasn’t made anything at all.

Wishing all the users of the RMweb Internet University a Happy New Year in 2018, all those members who use their valuable time giving tremendous help, information, advice and encouragement to others and modellers who give so much inspiration with their layout pictures; thank you all. This is a photograph of my grand-daughter enjoying Dinmore Manor as it reverses onto the Santa express at Cheltenham Racecourse. The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it. Terry Pratchett

I haven’t posted for some time, apart from health issues I have been struggling to get my turnout servo system to work, despite contacting the manufacturers. I have therefore started to remove the motors, the pictures speak for themselves. The servo parts that I haven’t mastered The mess of removing them If only I had come across the University of RMweb, before purchasing the servos, I would have learned which turnout motors would be easier for this septuagenarian to use. Isn't hindsight wonderful! Why make life difficult when, with a little bit of thought, you can make it damn nigh impossible?

A Little Courgette?

Thank goodness that the waterways in your era weren't filled with discarded supermarket trolleys; also, any bikes discarded thus, would have kept young lads busy renovating them. The Colonel must have been using quite a strange lure and the line must have been rather unwieldy.

Hi Stationmaster, Did you mean : A crust of bread (Scottish meaning) or: A clinker built open boat; Or did you really mean to write: Grockles (slang, Britain, various parts of the West Country) A tourist from elsewhere? You might guess I was a headteacher but fortunately I have retired and I am alright now.

Hello Doddger10, it seems that you are more informed about Aberayron than me! I must confess that my knowledge of it's history is quite small, I have gained my information mainly from surfing the web, plus a lot of advice and information from helpful members of the RMweb University. I am surprised that Aberayron had room for a camping coach, it's layout is quite cramped and as yet I haven't seen any pictures including one. In truth, my reasoning for my choice of layout was based on a few criteria:- (1) The possibility of fitting such a small terminus into my domestic real estate, [my wife still thinks the layout is too large]! (2) My fascination with the GWR between two word wars. Apart from researching in my local libraries, my main sources have been on the www; the photo's taken by Ian D Nolan in 1963 and historical web information from Ceredigion archives. Thus the fragile skeleton of knowledge for my layout's provenance has been outed! I hope your search is successful and I'm sorry I'm not in a position to aid your quest. If you do manage to find out more I would be Interested to increase my limited knowledge.

Lamb tart?

Have many passengers flocked to your lovely station yet?

Hi, gwrrob and other Dons of the RMweb University. The limited real estate of one’s domicile, is always the curse of the modelling classes, particularly when modelling as close to the chosen prototype as possible. In prototype situations, especially in holiday periods, even the GWR had to revert to splitting trains in two. This could be a partial solution to one’s dashed prototypical dream. The bonus of this, is that your split train will have two locomotives in steam and have other coach types! The consequences of this would create all sorts of shunting fun with terminus layouts. Or am I scribbling rubbish?

Hi there PUASHP, thanks for posting brilliant, modelling in the process of development, its great seeing what clever modellers do to make layouts look truly prototypical. As a returnee septuagenarian, your photo posted @ 15.37 on 11/11 confused me somewhat: was the gate on the end facing the viewer:- A kamikaze means of escape for livestock allergic to railway vans? The unfortunate lack of the usual materials to build the cattle dock, led the builders to use materials requisitioned from a neighbouring farmer? Or a deliberate, but risky, evacuation gate for a soon to be gored, railway staff dealing with frisky cattle. I’ll get my coat!

My post of Kerhostin Station and level crossing, on the Quiberon Peninsular, has triggered some interest in Breton railways. Although, as before, this posting is off piste, I hope that the dons of RMweb University don’t object. There is a tenuous link with U.K. railways however. I have a few photographs taken by a wonderful model-maker, friend of mine, who lives in Morbihan. They are of Pontivy Station, sadly in a state of dereliction. Pontivy Station facing the track. The link is in the name of Pontivy before a certain battle with the Duke of Wellington. The rear [backside?] of Pontivy station The slowly disappearing track in front of Pontivy station. I hope this post is of some interest. Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

After testing the width of stock travelling over the bridge, I built the central girder, then altered the track underlay to house it. Next I undercoated all three girders with Humbrol Acrylic 33, matte black. This is a view of the three girders in temporary positions. An overhead view of the bridge girders. I now have the delight of creating the boards [or steel] which surrounds the central girder; I assume that this stops ballast etc. from falling down into the river, allowing drainage of the track to be protected. If my lay person's idea is incorrect, I would be grateful if members of RMweb University enlighten me. I think Terry Pratchetts words below are really relevant for newbies using DCC sound. It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done. Terry Pratchett

I forgot to add a photograph of the real Aberayron [GWR spelling], by Ian Nolan in 1963; his photo-craft, is my guide to the bridge I am building. The picture makes it clear to observe the different dimensions of the girders. My model is a pastiche of Aberayron, mainly because I don't have the skills to make an accurate model of the calibre demonstrated by the builders of Little Muddle, A Nod to Brent and Hintock Branch to name a few. I don't have the time either before I quit this mortal coil, I just hope it appears to be nearly prototypical; the model railway, not my departure!

Greetings railway modellers, I have started to build the bridge over my river Aeron using the SS32 Wills occupational Bridge and SS57 ‘Vari-Girdar Bridge Panels, along with some Plasticard. I hope this posting is of interest, the pictures tell the story for girder no 1. This is how I set up a jig to keep the panels in place whilst adding the Plastic Magic liquid. (Other brands were available). I used a strip of .060” Plasticard for the base of the girder extended to the edge of the sleepers; this will be the pedestrian walkway and later, one of the signalman’s control rods and wire routes. The created rear steel and walkway. Doesn't the close up of a camera unearth a host of sins, like lumps of unwanted plastic! Now the safety fence has been added and the contraption has tested the placement next to the track; to facilitate a good fit I removed a sliver of the track underlay angled down to the fosse from the edge of the sleepers. Having started with the girder on the station side of the layout I will repeat the exercise for the girder on the goods sidings side of the bridge. The central girder of the prototype appears to be wider than the outer ones; it needs to be doubly strong to cope with locomotives passing on both of the tracks. (In 00? I don’t add that much ballast though). Because I have used simple Peco turnouts etc. the central girder will have to have its’ dimensions studied when I am fit enough to get my widest stock from the attic. Apologies if I seem to be teaching folk to suck eggs! There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think this is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist. Terry Pratchett

Historically more people have died of religion than of Cancer. Dick Francis

Greetings fellow modellers, convalescing in the bedroom I have been trying to work out some of the details for my take on Aberaeron. My good lady has kept me supplied with a number of Metcalfe models to build, which have helped to balance the look of the layout. I may well exchange the kits with scratch builds in the future, but I have enjoyed building the Metcalfe models which are likely to be added to my Hornby, running in oval track later. I haven’t decorated the pictures with locos and other goodies today because my stock is kept in my insulated attic and I’m not allowed to climb the ladder at the moment! The ditch of the River Aeron, livestock dock, hut and Signal Box View from the station and goods sidings end. I realised, after seeing Ian Nolan’s photographs that I should have built the platform with stone rather than brick facings! View from the front of the station. The switches on the left of the facia control the turnouts of Baseboard 4. By having the switches on the front of the relevant turnouts, reduces the need for complicated connections from board to board, also to a small extent, this arrangement of turnout switching is a nod to the prototype! Why make life difficult when, with a little bit of thought, you can make it damn nigh impossible?