richard w

Thanks for the help chaps. I've had another test this morning but haven't got any further. The ABC braking at point A is ignored every time and I have to hit emergency stop. Push pull is working correctly as train always reverses out after going into emergency stop. I've swapped the BM1s over and it made no difference (point B continues to work fine). I wired both BM1s in series at point A out of desperation but again no luck. As said previously if I reverse the polarity of the bus wires the problem moves to point B. The layout is very much bare bones at the moment with only the bus wires and a few droppers connected. I've checked the manual for the decoder again and there doesn't appear to be a sensitivity setting for the ABC signal. Push pull and ABC is done from CV51 on the lenz chips. You can choose with or without intermediate stop. There is no option for single direction stopping as far as I can see. Current thoughts are to use something like a reverse loop module to switch the polarity of the branch at the half way point. Should bodge the system into working as both sides want the right hand rail to be positive.

Hi Guys I've setup an end to end branch on my layout. Plan is to have a unit shuttling between the station and some sidings off scene automatically for scenic interest if nothings running on the mainlines. I've installed a BM1 at the station (Point A) and the sidings (point B). I've been testing as I go but have come across a strange problem when trying to operate the whole thing. Problem is the train ignores the BM1 at point A and hits the buffers. If I press the emergency stop before this happens the train stops as you would expect, when released the train waits and reverses back to point B as per the settings in CV 51 and 54. Point B works fine every time and the train then returns to A where it fails to stop. Both BM1s are wired correctly taking a track feed from the bus to a braking section in point A and B. No bypass switches are fitted as both points are dead ends. The braking sections are on the right hand rails according to direction of travel. So at point B DCC+ is being interrupted by the BM1 and at point A DCC - is being interrupted. The manual makes no mention of polarity for these things. Just says to create a braking section on the right hand rail. I'm confused by two things. The section being ignored is partially working... 90% of the time the train does not stop but does correctly wait and reverse when the emergency stop is released 9% of the time the train slows down but fails to stop (appears to be going into slow approach mode) 1% of the time the train stops and reverses out correctly (this has occurred about 3 times after hours of messing about) I can flip the problem from point A to B... By reversing the polarity of the DCC bus wires on the back of the command station the issue moves entirely to point B and point A now works faultlessly. Any ideas? It would appear that the BM1 (or bunch of diodes if you've made one) has a stronger signal depending on the polarity of the right hand rail. If true then am I correct in saying shuttle mode with these is not possible despite the manual and internet saying otherwise? Track is fresh peco code 75 & bullhead All wiring is soldered except the connections to the BM1 terminals Locos are a pair of Dapol 121s (both exhibit the same behavior) Decoders are new 21 pin Lenz Silver Both decoders have been reset at least once Lenz ABC and push pull mode is activated in CV 51 Constant braking distance is turned off Controller is a Lenz LH100 command station and handset. (purchased in 2009) Appreciate the help!

New vid is ready. Took a long time to put this one together . Focuses mostly on how I laid the track and includes a 10 min running session at the end. In the running session you'll notice some bits and pieces could do with being a bit smoother. I've rectified most of those over the last week. Still have a few more to solve but most of the collection is running quite happily now. The adjustments made will be covered in a future video. Cheers

I'm still editing the next video which should be ready next week. Everything except the branch is laid, wired up and working. Currently running the first few trains and fine tuning the track in a few places.

Ah, that would explain why the ballast in question is fresh. Thanks Mike.

I've seen this in various places over the years but still don't know if theres a reason for it? I'd be interested in modelling the effects on my new layout, but would appreciate any input as to the placement of it. I'm modelling the western region in 1989. I took these on the Midland Mainline in 2010. The first shows excess ballast both between and outside the rails on the slow lines. The second shows excess only on the outside of the rails for the fast lines. Both taken from the same location at the same time. Is there a genuine reason for this or is it just something random that happens? Thanks for the help.

Made some more progress over the weekend. Almost finished the second mainline track with just another 3 yards to go before making a connection. Re-spacing the sleepers is driving me nuts but I'm very happy with how it's looking. I'd say it looks even better with multiple tracks. Also took delivery of some bullhead points. Really like the look of these compared to the flat-bottom range so will make use of bullhead in all areas eventually as the range is released. I've had two of the new Dapol 121s sitting downstairs for what feels like ages. Managed to get the first one running over the weekend. Not very smooth despite running for a few hours in either direction. I suspect it's because the controller is only hooked up in one place. I've run the DCC bus wires but the droppers are not yet connected. Also continuing to add the superelevation as I go. I start it off gradually with plasticard and then switch to match sticks as they're much cheaper. They also create a nice obvious bank to the curves. Another two lines to go yet before I can start filling up the fiddle yard... Cheers

Just finished the latest update video. Included some running shots and I've also followed the train around the room which hopefully gives a better idea of the size. Cheers

I've been flat out on the layout over the past week. Happy to report that today the first train ran around the layout. So far only 1 of the mainlines is complete but its a start! Work included the following... Making up two boards which will form scenic breaks to hide the fiddle yard entrances. Finish the final fiddle yard backboard Adding plywood bracing to the sides of the track decks just to be sure they wont warp over the coming years. Re-spacing the sleepers on 12 yards of track. Laying 12 yards of cork base on the scenic deck and adding banking to the curves. Soldering droppers to all 12 bits of track and finally gluing them into place. Its taking ages but I'm very happy with the results. The re-spaced track now has about 26 sleepers per 60ft and looks much better. Takes me about 25 mins to re-space a length. Just another 36 lengths to go! The branch will be laid with the peco bullhead which doesn't need any extra work. I'm going to save that for last after the main and relief lines are done. I'm chasing the idea of smooth flowing track with no straights and minimal point work. First test train successfully made plenty of laps around with only 1 derailment which was down to an issue with the banking on the S curve which I've now corrected. If you follow the stripes on the Mk3s you can see the banking transition from one side to the other. It all looks nice a level as the 33 makes its way around. I've noticed one small bump on the scenic part of the layout and thats about it. Really impressed with the banking on the curves. Watching the rake gradually settle into the corners makes all the work worth while.

The branch terminates in some sidings just off scene behind the fiddle yard. Units will shuttle from the sidings to the bay platform and back (automatically I hope).

Bit of a slow start so far this year, busy at work and various other things. I have however managed to complete the deck for the track and have started laying the track itself. As usual its covered in much greater detail in the latest video... Cheers

I wouldn't get too concerned about what glue to use. If you intend on ballasting the track then the glued ballast will transfer noise to the baseboards regardless of what measures you have taken with the cork underlay. I've been using copydex to fix my cork and track down as it allows for removal in case I make a mistake. Hope that helps.

Correct. Probably should have said I've learnt to solder without using additional flux...

Well spotted, I've done that deliberately to maximise storage in the yard. If I’m running a train on track 4 the one on track 5 will remain parked up & so on. If I use all lines as through lines then the clearance will need to be bigger meaning I'd have to remove 2 sidings. Each siding will also have limits marks added to make sure nothing gets parked in the limited clearance zone. I had a similar problem on the old layout but was happy to live it as opposed to losing valuable storage space. I'm also looking into automatic block signalling for the new layout. If I can get that working then running anything from the yard is possible by the use of signalling to protect areas of limited clearance. Cheers.

I stopped using it because most of the flux out there is corrosive. I was finding green corrosion on various wires and joints where I'd used flux. In some cases the corrosion stopped things from working. I've since learnt to solder without it and haven't had any problems.

I've been busy again! Finished laying the fiddle yard today and I'm relieved its done as it took me ages. Track is on a base of 4mm cork and its all the old code 100 from the old layout. As usual I've filmed it all so feel free to check it out... Have an excellent Christmas and I hope like me you'll get some time to work on your layout over to coming days. Cheers

Thanks. Its good to be back up and running again. I've been reading through your Oak Road thread over the last few days and I must say its very impressive. I'll have a picture of your platforms to hand when I start building mine!

Been busy again over the past two weeks building the backscenes. I've used the 'into the town' series from ID Backscenes and its gone up quite well. In total they are just under 39 feet in length, full length with no cutting is 40 feet. I really struggled to find a continuous 40 foot one. Luckily the 'into the town' one works quite well with the scenery I have in mind. Fingers crossed it all works out. With those complete I can finally start looking into laying some track. I'll be doing the fiddle yard first and then progressing onto the scenic sections. Backscene construction is covered in far greater detail in the latest video. Cheers

I've finished assembling the baseboard frames and have now started on the back scenes. Its taken a lot of hours to get to this point but I'm very pleased with how things are going. All the progress made over the last month or so can be found in the latest layout update video. Cheers

We're back in business. Took a long time to get the loft sorted out before I could even start the layout up again. I've now finished the insulation and the difference is huge. All in all a much more pleasant place to work that feels like a proper room rather than a loft. As some of you have seen I've made a video on the first stages of the new layout. I've now built 14 tables and joined most of them together complete with adjustable legs to compensate for the uneven floor. The track plan is not finalized yet but the plan so far is 4 tracks arranged as per the great western mainline with the hope of a 3rd rail branch if space allows. I enjoy watching the trains go round so yards will be at a minimum as I don't want to fall into the trap of putting down track for the sake of it. The layout will still be set in the late 80s which saw a period of rationalisation where trackwork was concerned and I hope to reflect this in model form. When I have a chance I'll post some more up to date pics Cheers

Things are progressing, but slowly. I should be getting some windows installed in the roof in the next few weeks and will then insulate the loft. Taking the previous layout apart and boxing up/ binning the mountain of stuff up there took far longer than I had expected. My day job is quite physical so I often don't have much energy when I get home, layout work tends to only happen at weekends. I'm also right in the middle of restoring my Ford Granada. I've pretty much decided not to use the helix system again as the loft will accommodate a larger layout on a single level quite happily. The slope of the roof up there means that a helix layout has its boards close together which makes for a lot of fumbling around in the dark when working below the scenic level. The focus of the new layout will be terrain and have baseboards which feature as many rises and falls in terrain as possible. I always thought the old layout was much too flat. Videos will start again when I begin building the new baseboards. I'm taking things slowly putting quite a bit of thought into what the new layout should be like. Many ideas have come and gone and I'm still not finalised on a plan yet. Once I've built a baseboard things can get back to normal and I'll be able to pop up there and do modelling whenever I have a spare hour. I'll leave a link below for the Granada restoration I'm doing if you're interested. http://autoshite.com/topic/25964-1975-ford-granada-coupe-the-welding-continues/page-1 Cheers.

As some of you already know I have made the decision to rebuild the layout. I've been thinking about this for months and as much as it pains me to do it I've got no choice. The baseboards are buggered.... I've really enjoyed the last 8 years of layout construction and learnt many things. A new layout will allow me to put some of these ideas into practice and make a more prototypical representation of the NSE aspect of BR. I'll be sharing some ideas soon and will be starting baseboard construction over the spring. Before that i'm insulating the loft and may even be putting in a window so plenty of work ahead. For now its demolition time.. The video I made about the subject is below and goes into much more detail. As always thanks for your support and interest. I'll update when I can but as you all know this isn't a fast process. Cheers...

I used Evergreen Plastics V Groove sheet. Product code is EG4125.

Been a very busy past few weeks. I've sorted out loads of loose ends and bits of scenery all over the layout. This was in preparation for a photoshoot with Hornby Magazine. The list of changes includes loads of stuff i've meant to do for years... Tidy up the backboards and paint into one neutral colour Fill joins in the retaining wall Redo scenery in various areas Fit speed limit signs and AWS ramps Fit dummy point motors and cosmetic wiring Install additional signals Populate the town scene Repaint the corner shop Paint doors on town scene houses various colours Redo all station signage due to fading Touch up track weathering Add extra grasses and scenery Weather the class 08 Start detailing interiors of coaches & add lighting I probably missed some bits but you get the idea. Some pics are below and a vid which better explains the changes I've made. The article about the layout will be published in the next issue of Hornby mag which is available next month. Cheers

Very impressed. Copes with the tight hidden curves and gradients on my layout very well. Glad to see the blinking lights in the computer bank made it through to the final product