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metijg

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  1. metijg

    Check-like rails for cobblin

    By metijg,


    Getting started
    I wanted to embed some of the narrow gauge rails in cobbles, but unusually for the internet i couldn't find a method which seemed to provide an effective end-result. The most common ways are either to use embossed sheet or modelling clay to fill between the sleepers. As far as i could see neither method provides a clean edge to the gap that the wheel flanges run in and often leave the sleepers visible, which breaks the illusion of a buried rail. 
     
    Therefore, i wanted to add an additional rail next to the running rails to simulate the tram-like look and give a clean edge. Testing showed this to be impossible as the chairs block any close contact between the rails, so the gap is back and the sleepers are visible. I therefore tried the following..
    Detached some sleepers and filed off the chairs Glued them to the board upside down to have a flat surface Super glued rail to them, using the normal sleepers as spacers to keep the gauge Destructively remove the normal sleepers to leave the rail glued to a flat sleeper Added a second rail in contact with the running rails  
    Without a doubt this was the most patience testing modelling I've done, but the end results exceeded my expectations, visually recreating those tram-like rails. My only problem is to find the enthusiasm again to do the rest
     
    Final thought - Super Glue is the devils invention.
     
     
     
  2. metijg

    Points galore - Adventures in mixed gauge

    By metijg,


    Getting started
    4 new points were added to the board - two mixed gauge points and  two narrow gauge. The board is like a swan, it looks pretty calm on top, but all hell breaks loose underneath with a maze of multicolored wiring. So far the running reliability is good, but with the stay-alive in the loco's its hard to tell if it's down to my track and wiring or not...maybe i need a 'normal' loco for fault detection?
     
    The Tillig track has been interesting to use and the transition from standard gauge to mixed gauge to narrow gauge is something different that brings a lot of interest. The track plan is evolving as i put the pieces down and along the way the aim may have changed from an isolated test board to a building block for a small layout. In the meantime, i will try and find a way of completing a continuous circuit with temporary loops, at least for the narrow gauge, to allow some more running sessions. Lets see where it takes me..
     
    The biggest challenge so far is fitting the Cobalt point motors, they are really nice pieces of kit, but the alignment is difficult and always takes a bit of jiggling.
     
     
     
  3. metijg

    Making things move

    By metijg,


    Getting started
    As a proud owner of some Tillig track, but no layout plan i spent a moment deciding on the next step, which should be a simple, self-contained one to maintain some momentum and to get some more insights into the complexity of DCC. I plumped for installing a single HO point, which i would have to make from a kit and then mount on a small board where it could be controlled by a DCC driven point motor. 
     
    The point was relatively simple to build mechanically with the rails sliding into position and some simple trial and error bending, however the real challenge came from the electrical connections which were a bit out of my league, so i resorted to soldering wires to the bottom of the rails. The complexity of locating the Cobalt IP digital motor was managed by following this tutorial from Chadwick and only required a small bit of rejigging once the holes were drilled; the wiring was very simple and worked first time.
     
    Not sure how this builds into a next step, but this was a satisfying one!
     
     
  4. metijg
    I got hold of some Tillig HO / HOe track and had a play around with it. First impression is that It's very different to the standard PECO / Hornby settrack i'm used to, but it looks great and has an amazing variety of points, especially the HO and HOe mix together. Also had three locos (Peckett, Rushton and Baldwin) tweaked by Olivia's trains and they also turned out to be stunning, especially as it's the first time I've really experienced the full potential of DCC.
     
    It's a first step to build some understanding of what's possible and decide on the direction to take.  Here’s a little video to capture my thoughts of these novelties for posterity
    Cheers!
    Tim
     
     
     
  5. metijg

    First delivery

    By metijg,

    It made it through the airport in a suitcase without being blown up! Which was nice...!
     
    The narrow gauge turning triangle was wired to have electrical redundancy with the points powered from both ends to avoid running problems. Surface motors change the points by moving rods and are powered from the CDU in the box-file signal box. The siding on the left is the only part of the Narrow Gauge that can be isolated, but as we only have one 009 loco i dont think it will be a problem. The DPDT switch was wired to the right hand side and isolated from the rest of the triangle. The bottom two points actuate from one switch and the top of the triangle from another, to be seen if this is the best way to have it. Running is pretty reliable, but can be improved with a bit of cleaning.  
     
    The scenic materials were mostly things that i found around the house, kids play sand, dried and sieved soil stuck together with PVA glue and paint onto a base of insulation polystyrene material . After a bit of experimentation, static grass was made to stand-up using a balloon rubbed on hair and the hoover. The joints between sections still need tidying up, as do the points, which need ballasting.
     
    The left hand side was made to be a bit overgrown and the right more industrial. Removable covers were put over the point motors and rodding in case of tweaking. The shed was a lovely kit from Nock and the crane from Ratio, both were incredibly satisfying to make after years without modelling. The main building was an experiment with Skaledale from Hornby. The slate is Backmann packs
     
    The standard gauge track plan had to be altered to have a parallel line next to the narrow gauge, as it was impossible to fit with the original track plan. I was skeptical at first, but in the end i think it adds interest and looks a bit different. To make it work electrically the whole siding was soldered together and the point also wired to be live on all sides. 
     
    An additional siding was also added at the bottom.
     
    Big weekend!
     



     


  6. metijg
    Surfing the wave of a functioning layout to look at the 'nice to haves' ...
     
    Currently trains can be parked in the sidings or the lower space between points 9 and 10, but there are a couple of glitches that prevent more flexibility:
     
    Between points 8 - 6. It would be nice to have a train waiting at the platform while another could shunt out of the sidings onto track 2, however this is currently impossible as the LH Point 8 and RH point 6 means that the track between them is always live. If this was isolated would the power be interlocked with points 6? It would make sense but adds complexity and would break the continues loop of current. Is this worth it?
     
    Between points 8 - 10.  Currently, if there is a train parked between points 9 and 10, on the lower route, another train can't run from 8 to 10 on the middle route as both points 9 are linked and to set the route for the middle would also power the parked train from behind.  I could isolate the lower route just after points 9 and link a power source to points 10?
     
    Additional siding from points 10 parallel to the bottom of the board, which would give a refuge for a loco and allow an exchange of carriages or wagons. Would it bring any useful operational benefit?  
     
    Maybe overthinking this
     
     

  7. metijg
    What a difference a Jigsaw and a pair of Xuron cutters makes!
     
    After the frustration of last time we shifted tactics:
     Locate point motors directly onto the track rather than going through the board, by Jigsawing holes big enough for the whole motor. Massive win in terms of ease of installation and having the perfect actuation and electrical contact.  Easily worth the small loss of credibility for not doing things the hard wayl!   Goodbye Hornby, hello Peco! I'm still disappointed by this as Hornby was the company of my childhood, but the wastage rate of Hornby points due to the spring popping out was too high.   Goodbye settrack, hello streamline points! Where space allows we moved to bigger radius points.   Fettling tight radius curves by cutting settrack rather than using flexitrack that always kinked into first radius - This is still a work in progress somehow  
    The results speak for themselves  - Petty reliable operation for most trains (the dropped Mallard is still being weird and the 0-6-0 is a bit temperamental) and all point motors working after only a few hours of installation. 
     
    The satisfaction derived from driving a loco out of the sidings, around both loops and back home was a great Christmas present. One year exactly since the first bodge job on the back of a door and the Woods Railroad company is finally a going concern!!
     



  8. metijg

    First scenic inspiration

    By metijg,

    Relevant photographic inspiration for the scenic development of slate transshipment, which is starting....now!
     
    Talyllyn from the side
    Detailed site on slate quarrying
    Minffordd yard on the ffestiniog
     
     


  9. metijg

    009 track laying - easier?

    By metijg,

    Following some trial and error  the track plan for the 009 terminus became a reversing triangle with some small siding capability. The point actuation is by buried Peco surface point motors and it was designed to break up into 4 bits with all of the pointwork on the single middle section. Hopefully Its an operationally fun take on Twyn wharf
     
    The base was 2 x 10 mm insulation material glued together. The track was all Peco settrack, other than a bit of flexi for one side of the triangle to give a bit of a wobble to one side and avoid too much straightness. I originally planned to have  Y at the top end, but as it was electrofrog it added some complication so i reverted to asymmetric RH - LH points only. One corner was isolated to prevent shorting and the power fed through a DPDT switch. The remaining track was wired with a huge amount of redundancy as the electrical contact at the points was found to be a bit suspect. 
     
    Either way, for something so simple this took an inordinate amount of time, but somehow the result seemed more precise than the OO loop where every position was a compromise. 
     


  10. metijg
    First reflections from being back in the hobby: Railway modelling rewards patience and perfection!
     
    Problem - The back to back points at the interface of the main lines and the station just didn't work for the majority of the stock. This interface is crucial for the story, as trains that are running on the left hand side should cross here to access the station and it would be a killer to know that trains would always derail here.
    Solution - Ordered an Hornby LH express point (R 8077) and the matching small radius half turn (R628) to smooth the frog-shock as a train crosses the junction. This helped, but didn't eliminate the problem, so an old Peco point was cleaned and put into service on the other side of it (Picture). This solved the problem, but opened up a Pandora's box of other problems! Firstly by going with a Streamline point the set-track geometry was thrown out of kilter and the electrofrog caused a huge amount of problems for a while, until i got my head around the electrical implications. 
     
    Problem - Point motors. Enough said
    Solution - None found and still some points are unpowered
     
    Problem - Wiring all over the place, especially the common power and earth to and from point motors
    Solution - Box file signal box containing the CDU and connections to the Peco levers (picture)
     
    Problem - Flat track that wouldn't fit the scenic back-story
    Solution - Woodland scenic risers. Excellent and so easy to use! (picture)
     
    Overall result is better, but not perfect...!
     
    Possible next steps: Replace standard points with the Hornby express points, which seem like a great product and still conform to the settrack geometry, although not everyone agrees and tidy up the track interfaces and flexi-track curves. 
     



  11. metijg

    The Plan

    By metijg,

    After some trial and error and discussion on the forums i finalised a track plan with two inspirations, Bredon for the 00 part and Tywn wharf for the 009 part. 
     
    00 part
    While the inspiration comes from Bredon, it became clear that the single track on the left ruins the two track fun that the kids wanted, so the siding was turned into a return loop. The idea of a fiddle siding at the back didn't cut much ice either, everyone involved wants to run trains, not piddle around with them! The back story is now this:
    The double line on the right is the main line and will be modelled as such with some banking and eventually signals based on left-hand running The interior return on the left is a branch-line with generally lower grade track furniture The exterior return on the left is an private industrial line which will look the part with sunken track etc.  The station is a single platform so that trains can arrive from the mainline, run-around and leave again on the other line Branchline services could also leave from the main platform The industrial line would have a life of it's own through the sidings at the bottom and would either exit  by reversing up the branch or getting onto the left-hand track further up the line  
    In reality trains will just do laps, but it's nice to dream..! For the kids there are interesting running puzzles, how to change running trains from the inside loop to the outside one without stopping either etc. The sidings and multiple cross-overs provide interest and the opportunity for crashes!
     
    009
    The thinking is less developed here, but it's clear that this will be the finer modelling with a shuttle train that winds it's way from a high point on the top left to the wharf at the station. The original Twyn wharf trackplan was very simple with wagon turntables and manual / gravity manipulation of  the trucks, which then evolved to have a run-around loop and other features as it transitioned from slate to passengers. For my purposes i will take a hybrid of the different evolutions to have something that is fun and possible to run without any hand-of-god intervention as 009 is too fiddly for the younger generation to re-rail. The challenge is how to gain enough height to cross the 00 lines and where to do it.
     
    General
    The back left will be the highest point and the scenery will be built to fit around the 009 track-bed. As a result there needs to be some scenic features to make things work, mainly some water to explain the gradients and also road access to the station. Both of those two things are parked in the thinkaboutitlater box..
     
    The boards are home made from materials lying around with a pine ply top that looks pretty warp free and are 6' x 4' give or take
     
    The location for the layout is at generation +1's house (I'm generation 0 obviously..) so some work will be done off-board by me, some will be done by generation +1, some will be done together during visits and the whole lot will be tested to destruction when generation -1 get to run the trains!
     
    The point of this blog is to share progress with all the interested parties, i hope anyone reading enjoys as well!
     



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