Will Hay

On 12/08/2020 at 09:08, MiniMan64 said:

Any track progress on this one?

 

i know it’s a bit ‘trainset’ and not to many on here’s tastes but it’s right up my street! Four sets of continuous loops and an attic space is exactly what I’m aiming for. Although mine is D.C.

The truth is, since my last post, I've been laying track, playing, taking up, redesigning [my latest proposal, as of this evening and yet to be implemented, is attached. Green is clockwise, blue is Auntie Clock Wise and orange is shared].

I'm still not there with my final layout as, put simply, it just doesn't yet give me what I need.

The fact that I don't have automated points is rather rather restrictive, coupled with the fact that I fourteen locomotives and umpteen sets of wagons and coaches.

It's always laid in some form [five loops at the mo!] and I'm always chugging something around but at the minute I'm trying out the Roco z21 system I bought [magnificent] and constantly putting together Metcalfe buildings!

EDIT.

One massive change I did make was I hated sitting in the middle.

It took me weeks to realise why I wasn't enjoying it as much as when it started in the dining room and moved to the rear extension floor.

It was because I wasn't seeing all of it, at once.

As soon as I modified the layout slightly to be able to sit at the very far end [and be able to see the entire layout] my enjoyment was magnified.

I second the last post insofar Rails of Sheffield are great.

Them, along with Hattons, are my first choice.

I've often looked at Olivia's numerous times over the last six months, i.e. since I started the hobby and have been extremely put off by what I agree is inflated prices.

I've not experienced the somewhat bizarre comment that if you're not from Yorkshire you're not welcome, even though I live in God's own county myself.

The stories re. insecure payments, combined with my experience of their prices, means I'll never bother checking them out again, it's just a waste of time.

I've had a clear out too, to the tune of £3.5k.

That'll teach my wife to bemoan the fact that I can't resist a bargain when, in fact, my previous, multiple purchases turns out to be 'massive' bargains.

One pound maximum fees are great, but don't forgot that PayPal fees are extra.

Oh, and it's hardwood ply with a white primer, not contriboard.

14 hours ago, F-UnitMad said:

Looking at those photos, I wouldn't bother using the traditional methods of ballasting, especially as the baseboard surface looks like contiboard. There's so much track I'd just buy some rolls of this:-

https://www.modelscenerysupplies.co.uk/brands/javis/ballast-underlay-mat-javis-jxgu

Jarvis ballast sheets. Glue them down & lay the track on top - sorted, and back to playing trains.

Many thanks.

Great minds think alike.

Since last dropping in here I'm considering using roofing felt.

I have some in the garage and I'm surprised, firstly, how flexible it is and secondly, how little it 'sheds' its surface.

I'm going to do a mock up with a length of track and see how static grass looks applied on top.

I guess I can combine this with some ballast?

I'm also considering reducing the fiddle area and siding to enable a little more modelling.

The truth is, the more I test the layout the more I think I'd prefer more movement than shunting etc.

Any thoughts on the roofing material?

It's certainly preferable to permanently ballasting the track, especially as this is my first ever layout, not to mention never having had trains/locomotives before.

5 hours ago, Half-full said:

Quite an ambitious plan, I hope you have fun building and operating it.

 

A note of caution though, I see there are first radius curves on the plan, most stock release over the past couple of decades wont go round these easy, you may find you get a lot of derailments.

The three first radius curves you see were added for the sake of adding another line, they've not been used, there's no R1 track on it at all, I successfully incorporated a number of two and three rad curves on this length, along with some very short 22.5deg sections, and other than a few small R606 R2 curves to accommodate the late addition of stations five and six I'm still waiting to arrive, all is up and running 

I see, okay, thank you all.

Buying, trying  and calculating makes sense, I guess with the Woodland Scenic 'shakers' I'm certainly going to need more than one cannister.

It's Hornby track by the way.

I don't have an 'era' as such, this is my first and last attempt at modelling a railway and I'm looking for realism rather than 100% accuracy.

Realism insofar as someone unconnected with the hobby would look at it and think it as wonderful as I would all, rather than someone who identifies the wrong stone from the wrong quarry in the wrong decade.

If I was forced to pick one, I'd lean towards the 1970's, predominantly flush with diesels, a few steam engines and a few newer locomotives that have come in via a De Lorean.

My 11' x 9' is mostly track, apart from my plans of a few grassed areas, track ballast [obviously] and a level crossing leading to car parking and station access.

Not disimilar to the attached, but now with a multitude of changes to where the sheds are shown [three o' clock], along with a further two stations added [six o' clock].

I'm also intending to lose a small track length [168mm, from memory] from each side to bring it in and add hills to the perimeter.

All only plans, of course, knowing me it'll change.

Thanks again.

Hello.

I'll be shortly starting on my modelling and would appreciate a heads up as to how much ballast I'll need, per linear metre of track.

I have approximately one hundred metres of track and don't want to suffer high cost of small quantities, nor do I want to order way too much.

I've read that there are three sizes for 00 gauge so, an idea of perhaps the middle size would be useful.

Out of interest, what determines the size of ballast one might use for 00 guage?

Thanks.

Ah, the site of my last employment.

Bravo

I addressed my issue a different way.

I replaced my [conventional] loft ladder with a concertina type, thereby reducing the footprint in the loft, which means I no longer need a removable section in my layout.

Thanks to all that contributed.

Thanks all.

So, in short, if I'm only using the layout when the removable board is in place and as long as I engage the power after the section has been laid, the slidey fish plates are fine? 

10 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Getting current to the movable board is easy. The complication is arranging that there is no current on the approach tracks when the removable section is 'removed' .

Ah, I see.

So if I'm only using the track when the removable section is back in place, I have no problems?

Why would anyone run locomotives around a track with a section missing?

I'm sorry to dig up old posts but I'm at a loss as to why ensuring current is passed to the track section that's mounted on the removable section seems so complex.

Providing everything is level and that the two ends of track neatly align when the removable board is in place, why not simply use a fishplate, one that's been fettled to slide up and down, and one which can be slid back over the cut joint each time?

Thanks.

We had an extension built a while ago.

At the time we wanted steps leading to the garden in the centre of the patio, because that's where they were before we remodelled.

The builder suggested we move them to the left to maximise patio space, which we did.

To this day I think about it often, i.e. a very close shave as a result of my limited imagination.

This feels like a similar moment.

Thanks to all who suggested the square layout in my 11' x 9', rather than my initial L' shape.

That would have been a big mistake and, like my patio, a wasted opportunity.

Special thanks to Zomboid for his ongoing and invaluable assistance.

After two, twelve hours days on my own at this due to social distancing by someone not overly proficient at DIY, I'm about to undercoat [I didn't have grey, and couldn't wait] and hope to be playing with track layout tomorrow.

3 hours ago, Zomboid said:

You're using DCC, right? You just need to get a connection from the main board to the removable section, which can be any old plug & socket arrangement so that on the removable section the inner rail on each track is connected to the same bus as the inner rail on the main bit, and the same for the outer rails.

Thanks.

<if I could find a thumbs up symbol I'd insert it here>

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

Ah ok, well that's easy really, you can use banana plugs or any other kind of plug and socket to connect from the main bus on the fixed boards to the removable section.

 

Unless over misunderstood what you're getting at of course.

I'm referring to the best method of ensuring that there's 12v power across the track joint, at the split in the board between the fixed panel and the removable panel.

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

The best way to deal with that kind of thing is to cut rails and have them permanently attached to the removable section. I managed to solder them to screwheads either side of the gap and then cut the rails at the gap. I'm dreadful at soldering but it works fine.

 

I'm sure there are better ways to explain it than that. Constantly making and removing the tracks won't do a lot for their lifespan.

Having learnt quick I'm happy with my soldering, my concern is how to maintain current across the gaps.

When I said 'I'm pretty nervous about having to create a track and constantly re-connect part of it', I meant as far as the current passing along the joint, I never intended to constantly remove and relay track.

I like the idea of a countersunk screw beneath the joint in the track, passing the current.

Thanks.

EDIT

I've  no idea why my text is appearing with a strike through.

I'm on my phone and it certainly isn't intentional.

6 hours ago, Zomboid said:

Is part of the left edge a lift up/ out section to allow for the ladder? Do you now have points/ curves over the joins? That kind of thing is a recipe for derailments, especially points over it.

Hiya,

Yeah, I'm acutely aware of that

I'm pretty nervous about having to create a track and constantly re-connect part of it.

In all honestly I doubt I'll add points at that exact point, but until the baseboard is up I won't know how much tolerance I have to move the entire thing down a touch so that only straight lengths are sat on the access square.

3 hours ago, Zomboid said:

Yep, that's what I meant.

 

One last thought- are the R621s flexible track? The one bottom left will need smoothing if so. Rather than using loads of those really short straights, I'd use flexible track for the straights if the lengths don't work exactly, and given what you're trying to do, I'd fill the arc bottom left by extending the sidings a bit.

Yeah, I'm intending to do exactly that.

I've only short lengths [orange] to remind me where my gaps are.

Cheers.

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

That doesn't do any harm, but what I meant was move the crossings on the right up by one R600 and then you'll have space for a blue to green crossover before the sidings branch off. Therefore a train on the outer (or indeed inner) blue line could run straight into the sidings without reversing or running a lap of any of the other tracks.

Gotcha, very good, thanks.

12 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

...if you could fit one in on the right to let blue trains run directly to/from the sidings that would be better still

Like this?

3 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

That is very peculiar. All your other ones are working for me but not that

Try this.

I've since reverted back to my original sidings proposal. [but have attached all designs].

As far as crashes, surely that's always a risk?

I can see my original interpretation of your diamond proposal was a greater risk, but if I'm running multiple locomotives at the same time, as is my intent, then that's a huge risk?

1 minute ago, Zomboid said:

The image isn't showing for me

That's odd, because it's showing in your quoted text.

Thanks again, Zomboid

I now see what you mean with potential crosses with my diamonds, silly of me.

I've added a crossover from blue to green at the bottom.

I've also increased the area of the sidings, if only to add more space for decoration and less used stock.

EDIT

I doubt, by adding a few diamonds to my sidings, I can use all the space shown on my sidings.

I'll probably revert to my previous sidings design.

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

Doesn't matter what I like or not, really, but I do think that's an improvement.

 

I like how you can get (via a few reverses) to/from the outer shed to the siding area, good for loco changes. I can't see an easy way to get from the inner shed to the sidings without going via the station, which would be nice if it were possible.

 

However, can you squash the crossovers up on the right hand side so you've got direct access from all lines to/ from the sidings area? Do you have any intention of having lines for particular directions or is it going to be a free for all?

I've amended to diamond crossings, I can see the gain there, thanks, very nice.

I've also added a means to get from the sidings to the inner an centre sheds.