young37215

Thanks Phil Yes, point performance optimised by cutting the wires. Both point blades are individually powered. regards Rob

Hi My model of Crianlarich includes the old diamond crossing at the northern end of the station where the Oban and Fort William lines divide. I attach a picture of this below, I am seeking guidance on wiring the 6 frogs that make up the junction. Background is: Track is Peco code 75 electrofrog points Points will be motorised with servos and a Megapoints Controller Each piece of track/point will be independently wired to the BUS The diamond has insulating joiners on every rail I want to make the polarity switching as simple as possible with as few wires as I can whilst minimising the risk of shorts. I think that a frog juicer might be my best solution because, even if I wire the 2 diamond frogs independently (and thus add more wires), there is the risk of manual error with the route setting causing a short. I think I should be able to get a frog juicer to provide polarity control to all 6 frogs with just two power inputs from the BUS and 6 outputs to each point. If correct then this appears to be the optimal solution for what I want to achieve. My questions: does what I say make sense? assuming I have understood correctly, can anyone recommend a frog juicer with 6 or more outputs Thanks for your input Rob

From memory the answer is No, not as a policy as such although I am sure that some were turned off. The environmental lobby had not emerged and more to the point so many first generation diesels were unreliable the approach taken was once they are going, we keep them going!

Thanks for Thanks for the picture, it adds to the pot. What I really want however is a picture of the tea room end wall which is directly behind the signal box in your picture. From memory I think it is blank much as is the south end but I would like to be sure if I can.

The attached link takes you to pictures similar to that above. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/48992-crianlarich/ All very useful but what I really seek are pictures showing: a side on view of the eastern side of the building (i.e. taken from the up platform) the north facing end (the wall facing the signal box) Any takers please?

Thanks, I have a picture already from a slightly different angle but the more the merrier when it comes to drafting a plan. Incidentally I am not surprised the steam heat was on, it looks a typical August day for the highlands! Queen Mary Brake and RMB are on my list of required rolling stock. First things first though so I need to get on and finish the station.

It does and I have waded through them for several hours but none provide a really clear shot of the building, just parts of it. I am hoping that someone has a better profile on film.

I am seeking for assistance with pictures of the station buildings at Crianlarich in general and, specifically, the tearoom. Ideally from the 1980's but any showing detail of the buildings will be much appreciated. These will provide me the detail needed to build a model of the buildings for my 1980's based WHL4 layout. In advance, thanks for your help. Rob

I spend less time modelling during the spring and summer hence the lack of recent updates. However I cannot resist showing off my new WHL station building which arrived earlier today. It has been laser printed in card and built by Dawson Hall. I am delighted at what they have produced which is so much better than anything I could have scratch built and really captures the essence of the distinctive WHL Swiss chalet style buildings. This building will be used for Garelochead which is my next station project. Pictures show the building on an old platform used for design purposes and which is not flat hence the gaps under the building. Nevertheless it still looks brilliant.

Keep digging for more of these!

Steve, Charlie Thanks for the clarification, I am now clear on the situation and how things have got to where they are. I look forward to hearing the EM2's at Bristol although based on what people are saying on here it looks like I need to start saving! regards Rob

Steve My question is more would a custom made EM2 speaker designed to fit within a modern diesel be an option? I have no idea as to the origins of the EM range and guess that they are designed for a different purpose than fitting into models. My point is that with a custom design (and even if it cost more), the overall cost might fall because it would mean less work required by the likes of yourself to fit them. It would also be a better solution for the model because and notwithstanding your skills, it must be better to minimise modification of factory built models. Perhaps a follow up question is anyone aware of dialogue taking place with model manufacturers about them changing the loco design so that larger speakers can be used? Given that model designs already exist, I guess manufacturers will struggle to see any economic benefit of changing designs. However if they are not asked then they are unlikely to do anything. regards Rob

I am waiting to hear the EM's in action at the Bristol show with great interest. I fear that I am going to want to upgrade the dozen base reflex speakers in my class 37 fleet which will not be cheap! This is not a complaint in anyway, shape or form and I am very happy with the base reflex sound fitting by Steve which is considerably superior to the ESU standard speaker. It is simply a case as with many things where new products render older ones inferior and ultimate obsolescence; such is progress. A thought for peoples comment/consideration, is it possible to get the EM speaker in a size that fit within locos and thus avoid/reduce the work involved when upgrading?. I am assuming here that the EM speaker is not something made for models and is something that Charlie and/or one of his colleagues have sourced hence the need to do so much work to get them into locos. I suspect that the EM manufacturers would consider a custom job if there was sufficient demand, even if it were at a higher cost, a speaker that involved less work to fit into a loco might well mean the overall cost falls. Again, to repeat my earlier point, I am not complaining about costs or criticising Charlie or Steve, I just wonder if there is a different way forward?

and my wallet is having palpitations....

Only modest progress this week with more time spent running than building. I have wired up the western sidings at Crianlarich which are now fully operational. Tempting fate I know, but so far electrics are proving straightforward and working well. 37039 arrives Crianlarich with an Oban bound oil train and departs for Oban 37085 pauses with a southbound service from Fort William. Loco will detach and run round before heading back to Fort William.

Today I just about finished adding droppers to Crianlarich, only the diamond at the northern end is outstanding. This enabled me to run some trains, partly for fun and partly to test the power and I am pleased to report that it all worked well. Given the absence of any track laying south of Crianlarich as yet, a mythical landslide has closed the line meaning that trains are terminating and reversing at Crianlarich. 37026 threads its way over the northern crossing and heads for Fort William across Strathfillan 37039 crosses Strathfillan and arrives at Crianlarich with empty oil tanks. Illogical given the landslide but having unpacked the TTA's, I was determined to give them an outing!

Thanks to those who have made offers of photographs. Whilst any picture of the area can be helpful, what I am really after is 1980's material to act as a pointer. Fortunately in this day and age of the Internet, pictures of the WHL are widely available as are videos and dvd's. Historic pictures from my 1980's era are slightly less easy to find although Ernie Brack (SwissIrishErnie on RM Web) has a fantastic Flickr site with a WHL chapter including many 1980's pictures which acts as my main point of reference. Thanks again; if I get stuck then I will certainly take up peoples offers of photographic help.

Progress continues albeit slowly as I try and work out how to utilise my new Megapoints controller and servos. The crux of Crianlarich is the diamond crossover at the northern end of the station with 4 points that require motors and micro switches for frog control. In addition the diamond needs frog switching. Given that Megapoints and servos are new territory for me, I moved the diamond onto a temporary baseboard to test the theory. I then hacked away at a piece of aluminium conduit to create a bracket for the servo. My drilling needs practice! Finally I managed to attach the bracket to the test baseboard at the correct point. The servo was attached and, astonishingly, worked first time just like in the Youtube videos. Thank you Mr Megapoints. I then created further brackets for the remaining points; fortunately my drilling improved. I now feel sufficiently confident to replace the diamond crossover and to wire up the servos. I have not tested micro switch operation because I feel confident about the simplicity of using the servo movement to change the polarity. Time will tell of my confidence is justified or misplaced!

The spur leading from Crianlarich onto the Oban line has been provisionally laid. It will quickly dive behind a backscene to hide the fact that it goes back to the main fiddle yard where Oban has its own section. In addition there is a link to the main fiddle area so that freight wagons can be 'recycled' into the general pool. Electrical installation has started with the main power BUS using 32/02 wire for the BUS and 16/02 wire for droppers linked using screwfix terminal blocks. Droppers are soldered to the underside of the track, I do not intend to connect every piece of track in the fiddle yard, just sufficient to ensure a reliable power supply. The colour coding is garish but essential given my colour blindness! So far I have only wired the fiddle yard, today I plan to start on wiring Crianlarich so that I can start running trains.

Further progress at Crianlarich where I have managed to get the northern scissors junction to feel about right. The points will be operated using my new Megapoints controller and servos, I hope these are as straightforward as the Youtube videos show!!. I also need to work out how to wire the scissors correctly to avoid polarity conflicts. Additional trackwork at the southern end of the station to complete the sidings has been added and pinned in place. On reflection the old engine shed needs to move northwards which means the siding needs shortening. Despite this the overall profile of the station is beginning to create the feel of the location that I seek. Track has also been laid and pinned in the fiddle yard. It will probably get tweaked when operations commence but for now I have something to work with and can start planning the point motorisation fest project. In the back ground Glenfinnan station sits in its revised position and in the far distance a roughly located Garelochead station and trackwork can just be made out.

Reality bites, stuff advertised on B&S has never looked particularly enticing to me. At the end of the day the entry barriers are too high given Ebay their main competitor whose market domination will take a lot to break down.

Modest progress to report this week. Trestles now completed along the first wall which creates the perspective I was looking for. Track laying has commenced and Crianlarich is largely down. It is only pinned at this time as I have still to decide whether or not to add cork underlay where, at this time, my inclination is not to bother. I need to mark out for drilling holes for the point motors, droppers and weather the track before fixing it permanently. Loco and coaches placed just to test for size and the 4 coach trains I want to run; all fits perfectly and looks good to me. This week I aim to complete Crianlarich track laying and then move on to fixing the fiddle yard. I will then be close to being able to run trains, just need to connect some power.

An interesting suggestion but not practical for what I plan because I want to operate the full WHL WTT. Absent modelling all of the WHL stations the single track railway requires fiddle yards to function. The main fiddle yard will act as Glasgow and Rannoch Moor and a second yard on the upper section effectively operates as Corpach, Fort William depot and the Alcan aluminium works. I may well cover some of the main fiddle yard with a lightweight scenic section so as to 'dampen down' its rather imposing nature. I will wait and see how it all looks once I have got things up and running, for now my main priority is to start track laying so I can run trains as soon as possible.

It is 13 days since my first post and it seems like forever. Although I have followed 'best practice' and planned WHL4 meticulously, reality differs from the plan because when track is positioned it feels and looks wrong as often as it does right. Much tweaking and adjusting has resulted in some progress although less than I had hoped for. With another days work today I aim to reach the far end of the room with baseboard which will enable the placement of track for Garelochead station which I hope will allow me to finalise the track layout for this side of the room. The addition of more trestles and baseboard has enabled me to position track for the 8 road fiddle yard and Glenfinnan station which will be elevated approximately 100mm above the fiddle yard. Crianlarich has been tested for platform size to ensure that my planned 4 coach passenger services will fit. Strathfillan is beginning to take shape. Much work required here with bridge construction and the Oban line (to the left) which will disappear from sight behind a scenic break.

The re-cycled trestles put up a good fight but I think I managed to finally defeat them. Boards now laid at correct height and outline track plan gives a flavour of what is to come. First picture is at the southern end of Crianlarich facing north whilst the second is looking south from north of the old and, for a single track line, rather convoluted junction. I aim to add a further board at the northern end to include the elevated track and bridges that take Fort William bound services across Strathfillan before disappearing into a fiddle yard. First things first, so far I have managed to avoid getting pointwork on top of the trestle supports which is a good start. Next step is I need to check measurements and, all being well, should then be able to start actual track laying.