down the sdjr

Evening Star passing Stourpaine and Durweston halt with a local down stopping service.

Work on Henstridge has been slow, I have been building track for a while and learning the ropes. I have a new DCC cobalt point motor to try, see if I get better running over the Peco EMGS turnouts than with the Smart switch units that keep shorting, I must be doing something wrong but I have tried everything. The other option would be to use the Peco servos to drive working point rodding, only 2 points at Henstridge pulled on the same GF lever. I have scratch built the corrugated shed that will sit in the overgrown goods siding. I also have a set of Ultrascale wheels for a Bachmann 3F 0-6-0 being delivered tomorrow.

I spent this afternoon looking through this forum for information. I notice you and many other posters have been doing this stuff for years. Any plans, photos etc would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi Tim, Over the summer I cleared a section of my layout to make room for Blandford. I started to learn how to make track as I love the curve Blandford is on. Just starting to lay the track now, early days but thought I would post a pic. I am surface wiring at the moment to test running quality of the turnouts. A view north. Using any models lying around to test building and Salisbury street bridge positions. Paul.

Its looking really good.

I have recently had a EMGS delivery. Sleepers, 3 bolt chairs, sliding chairs, code 75 bullhead rail and copper clad strip. I like the Exactoscale chairs big and easy to adjust. Todays effort.

It's nice to see a fellow model railway man who likes a roll up and a bit of music making in the railway room. Great looking track. Is it hand made?

Thats a great solution, really nice.

Great thread. Love the look of the copper clad track work. Hope you dont mind if i join in.

Hi Ian, Your advice was the DIY answer i was looking for, sorry my post was not clear. Will be reading your blog in due course. Thank you.

This is how i have been making the tiebars. I use a 1mm strip of copper clad, file the areas i dont want solder on and drill a central hole for the motor pin.I would like to switch from beneath. Excuse the quality i have only recently started making track.

Servos do seem to be the way to go for a beginner like me, but i think i can make something myself. Im going to have a good read over @ikcdab blog before i go any further.

I am sure i have seen a Peco type solenoid stall motor with frog outputs on it somewhere, Hattons Maybe but cant seem to find them anymore.

Thank you Ian. I will have a read of your blog and look at megapoints. I was hoping someone would point me in the direction of a more diy version to save a few quid (have quite a few turnouts to do).

I am using plastic chairs and 1.6mm plastic timbers, am a bit worried about the peco motors causing damage but i will try one without a CDU as i have quite a few in the spares box. Thanks.

I am sure this must have been covered before, had a quick look but found nothing. I am starting to lay the track on my new layout and have been looking at point motor options. Liked the idea of working point rodding but may be over complicating things to start with. As the turnouts need a memory position motor due to no spring catch i have been looking at servo types. Tried the Peco Smart Switch, that has a nice motor but i just cant get the frog polarity to work with them. So i have arrived at the DCC Concepts Cobalt IP slow action analogue motor. Has anyone tried these? https://www.hattons.co.uk/80712/dcc_concepts_dcp_cb1ip_cobalt_ip_slow_action_analogue_point_motor_1/stockdetail.aspx I like the look of them, adjustable throw, frog polarity switching and will run on a wide range of transformer outputs. Expensive but maybe worth it for all the time and effort i have put into the track so far. I am interested in what other folk use. Paul.

Thank you. I assume the 2 turnouts switched from the same lever with the lock on the mainline? So i could get away with my semiphore signals as long as the leaves on the trees are still green? Really informative thanks Railwest.

Hi Railwest, Thats very kind of you. Its set in 1955, rock around the clock and all that.

Very interesting thank you. I am working on a model of Henstridge and now after reading your page realise my up and down signals would have been removed long before the period i am modelling. I have included the level crossing in the model, just 2 gates that i now know would have been padlocked up most of the time. I presume the GF would have been in the station building. Paul.

I am really happy. Made a V5 curviform turnout from a Templot plan, i made the common crossing and filed the switch blades myself. This is the first time i have wired one up and added to the baseboard using Peco bullhead flexi track. It works.

I am using Exactoscale 1.6mm sleepers (EMGS), C&L new 3 bolt chairs and BH code 75 BH rail (EMGS) to make my turnouts. I use Peco flexi BH track with these with no problems. A gentle curve on a B6 templot turnout print (1.25mm) will look realy good with the Peco BH turnouts. I was a bit daunted by building track to start with but soon got the hang of it. Roller gauges, a couple of jigs and a well tinned soldering iron make life a lot easier.

Hi Barry, Looks really good. I spent months searching to get the Bachmann post hut and signal box. I scratch built the other office and the little lean too as it is at Shillingstone. Some of my first attempts at scratch building so not very good. Hope you dont mind if i post a pic, I am a bit proud of them.

Thats in 2mm ? Very impressive indeed.

I dont think i have been filing the heads off properly but the backs come up really nice. Been suffering with cheap files so new ones on order.

I was just in the process of shopping for some new files. You have saved me asking questions. Files orderded. Thanks.