SteveBedding

Yep, you can get far more blue diesels per foot in 2mm - enough to keep even you happy

Don't ask silly questions My time scale was (and still is for SWMBO's awareness...) to be ready by 2020, ie 10 years late for the 2mm Association's Golden Jubilee - well this is a railway, and a British construction project after all! To be more realistic, I can't see it be anyway near ready to show until 2012/13 (house move and job change at the end of this year ) and that's assuming that the Mayans were wrong... Thanks for this Ian (scanman), in a way it's reassuring that I'm not discovering new 'problems' - it sort of means that my approach/thought process is not too divergent from others I'd looked at the possibility of the PCB sleeper on its side but had discarded it for simplicity (and knowing the limitations of my soldering skills and Playmobil scale fingers!). I'm glad you like the dolls house tape, but I'm afraid I can't take any credit for the originality of the idea - I think i copied it from Missy's Highclere (I don't do original thought...). Yes I'll be at Newbury on Saturday, I'm assisting Mitziblue with Witney Euston and perhaps this time we may start to take things almost seriously and eat the jelly babies not shunt them Ian (artizen), I had seen this site before and was very interested when I first started thinking about a layout (N gauge) several years ago - before SWMBO persuaded me to go GWR and I drifted into 2mm. It is something that I will put away in the 'possibilities' store as whilst it's not for now, I may have a future use for the techniques.... Keep up the comments Pete, and the sterling work on Combe/Moorswater; I've seen several nice ideas there that I'll want to plagiarise at a later date. I'll even run the occasional blue diesel for you... That reminds me, I need to look back at how you lowered your Class 37... Thanks all, more to follow, but in the mean time I've been side-tracked by a little project which may or may not be railway related...

Thanks to everyone for chipping in with your comments and observations; the banter always makes me smile ( ) and the practical nuggets are most definitely gratefully received. Having got the basic track working on board 3, the rush of enthusiasm started pushing me to make a start on board 2. However, I've not been 100% happy with a couple of aspects of the work so far; namely 1) the fragility of parts of the points, and 2), the moving sleeper tie-bar. Even though I was convinced about using Easitrac, I always knew that I would use some PCB sleepers in order to provide simple electrical connectivity to the points; especially to the common crossing and and the blades. The plan was to use thin wire droppers that could be tucked against the rail at the PCB sleeper and when painted/ballasted these would blend in with the other chairs. Actually, when looked at from a distance, this concept does seem to work, but I know its there so I does still stand-out somewhat! Anyway, this gave the planned use of these copper-clad sleepers... Also, I went for the simplest method of making the tie-bar that I'd seen used, ie a thinned PCB sleeper between two normally positioned ones - but more on this later. Construction and operation was simple enough and as seen it worked, however, there were a number of weak points and small failures which although easily repaired, raised a few alarm bells! Overall these weak points could be summed up as locations where there was a 'break' in the track work around the common crossing (the stock rails have remained secure throughout). Whilst this fragility may be acceptable for a static layout, one day I'd like to exhibit Smokey Bacon and thus it must be made more robust. The drawing below shows the 're-think' of the positioning of the PCB sleeper (and the addition of a couple more) that will give a more solid fixing for the common crossing and yet retain benefit of the majority of the sleepers having the proper chairs. I've only shown the positioning for the two points of the crossing, but since all the points on board 2 are the same (B6), the logical sleeper positioning will be repeated for all. I also noticed at this point (no pun intended) that I'm going to have to be 'creative' with the point leading to the second milk bay and goods shed (3rd and 4th track down) as the spacing is a little tight ! I have checked underneath and if used in the off-set configuration, there is (only) just space for the two Tortoise motors - I may try using Cobalt motors here as they are slightly narrower and may fit more easily... I've also had a re-think on the tie-bar solution - too much time studying other layouts over the past week or so leads to indecision! Hindsight says that the original solution looks a little too much like Peco/Hornby points and there should be something better and whilst I want to retain the principle of moving sleeper (simplicity), I'd like to 'hide' it. Well, that's my train (ouch - I'm on a roll with the puns!) of thought, and I now throw it open to the floor for discussion... EDIT: Oh bugrit! I should have realised that as soon as I pressed "Add Reply" I'd notice that I'd miss something! The drawing below shows the additional PCB sleepers to finish off supporting the common crossing AND the check rails.

Hi Richard, Glad you're enjoying the thread - I find that it is almost as much fun as actually building the layout, and certainly keeps the enjoyment levels up. As to the copper tape, I didn't think I was doing anything special with it, and it certainly should stick OK to a gloss surface? I'm using ordinary (cheap ) copper tape (marketed for dolls house wiring or slug repelling...) from that well known auction site, rather than anything expensive that is sold as fit for dcc. The underside of the trackbed were painted in water based satin varnish (again cheap & quick) before I applied the tape; this was also done before I fixed the trackbed to the main frame - thus the ends of the tape were trapped between the trackbed and frame. This was done more to get a continuous end-to-end run rather than any 'clever' fixing of the tape. One thing I did do, was to ensure that as I was laying the tape, I rubbed it down with a soft cloth to ensure that it was a well stuck down. On a previous 'test' board, I had found that the ends of the copper tape had started to peel up within a few weeks and on this one I simply applied some super glue to the ends. Also, as I'm doing the electrics on the underside, I'm securing the wiring with 'blobs' of hot-melt glue, (and again not a planned benefit...) this has usually required a glue blob at the ends of each run of tape.... So I'm afraid there's no magic trick here, like everything else this has been another learning curve for me, and whatever seems to have worked has been more by luck than any reflection of of my knowledge and skills. That said, it may be an idea to varnish over an inch or so (if you have the free length) at the ends to seal the tape down? Hope this is of some help, and good luck with your layout,

Looks like some major weekend engineering work going on there! But where is the PW crew and train?

Hi Kris Looks like you're just about ready for Newbury; I'm rather looking forward to see the 'new' Avonwick with the full circuit - saw it at the Expo last year before the layout discovered steroids . It'll be interesting to see how your Manor runs, I'm trying to persuade SWMBO that she needs one... I'll be there with Mitziblue and Witney Euston, so we'll both be popping over during the day to have a good snoop, and it will be good to put a face to the name...

Oh you heathen!!!! Wash your mouth out......... ( )

There's several chip shops in Calne that 'Elvis' would probably like to visit... Thanks for this Don, I wasn't sure if there was something wrong (or I'd done something daft...) with the motors - I'd tested all of the batch of 8 that I have 'in stock' and they all made a similar noise.

I presume that you're referring to the loco livery rather than the colour of tortoise motors and dolls house tape wiring? Actually, the era I'm focusing was primarily unlined green or austerity black, and very unlikely that they would have polished the chimneys... EDIT: Something like this... ...but I think this one is still too clean! I just happen to have a 28xx body, but I can't yet think of a justification for running it into Calne (ignoring the fact it probably could even get along the line). Oh well, I'll just have to use the 'its my train set' excuse

A quick peek at its bottom... There's not much here that can go wrong is there? As I had previously indicated, what should have been a simple task with the wiring for board 3 became more than a little frustrating! It's only 2 tracks and 2 points, so should have been fairly straightforward - and the Heath Robinson test rig went together without a hitch! However, when tidying it all up, one of the crossings kept on coming back with the polarity reversed! Two days of proding & probing, and swapping out almost every wire, what appeared to be a short-circuit actually transpired to be an intermittent open-circuit with the multi-strand cable in one of the ribbons having completely broken! The two pairs of cables (top - red/black and bottom - red/green) are just temporary links to power the board for testing and initial playing; when I work out how to connect the boards these will be tidied-up. I've left a bit of slack on each of the droppers - for that moment when it all goes wrong and needs a re-work, and used really neat 'blobs' from a craft hot glue gun to stick the wires down so that they don't float about everywhere. I've used cable ties and sticky pads before on previous layouts, but I found that very quickly these lost their adhesion and became worse than not being stuck at all. Normally, I would plan everything before I got stuck in, but I'm supposedly an electronic engineer so I thought I could do this with my eyes closed! Now I've applied hindsight and done the planning (albeit after the event) but it will act as a reminder when I come to do the crossover at the other end of the platform... Now to move on to board 2 (the complicated one)...

"Peace in our time..." seems an appropriate headline for the next instalment Despite the controversy that it may cause ,... ...I felt it a wise investment (in future peace, harmony, and the overlooking of certain as-yet unspecified and undeclared acquisitions...) to allow SWMBO's blue Class 24 to be the first to run on the fully working section of track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZXMsur6xLg Several things are immediately apparent from this clip 1), there still needs to be a fair bit more cleaning of the track, 2), likewise the wheels, 3), I'm no photographer!, and 4), the tortoise motors are surprisingly noisy - though I hope that this will reduce when the landscaping fills in the edges of the 'sound-box'! It has taken a little longer this week than I had anticipated to get to this stage; I had (stupidly?) expected that the wiring of the micro-switches in the motors to be fairly straightforward - and in reality it was, but my utter failure to 'RTFM' meant that I kept swapping over every bit of wire except for the one that was wrong!!!! Very embarrassing, but more on that later I have also been instructed to introduce 'Captain Ted' who will be acting as SWMBOs representative and supervisor when she's not around to ensure that a modicum of propriety is maintained!

Pete It certainly looks like you've got this challenging building right - I agree with Kris in that the larger stone work seems more appropriate for the structure. Also, all that open space inside is just screaming out for some interior detailing, which of course no-one will see, will cause lots of stress, but will eventually make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside Quick question - do you do full drawings before construction, or build 'on the fly'? I only ask as this looks like the result of some serious planning and preparation.

Thanks Don, I'd decided right from the start I was going to go down the Easitrac route, and skip the PCB versions... ...actually, although it has had its moments of frustration, having built the points VERY slowly (more from anxiety than conscientious method) and using every jig and gauge I have at all times, I found that the actual flow and movement trough the points went well on the first attempt. What I have found though, is that the chairs are inherently weak (even when carefully glued down and the rails pre-bent before fitting) and the slightest 'snag' will cause them to fail. For the next batch, I'm going to re-think the positioning of the PCB sleepers I used for power feeds and place them more towards the vulnerable positions. For instance, the curved B7 point uses approximately 28-30 sleepers of which 3 are currently PCB (ie about 10%); the revised lay-down will probably use about 5 which will lock down the ends of the crossing rails, blades, and check rails. My perception is that this will retain the 'look' of the chairs that Easitrac gives but will make the track-work a little more 'Steve-proof' . I'll get down to work it out exactly some time soon as I also want to revisit the method of using a moving sleeper as a tie-bar - too much time spent studying Highbury Colliery last weekend has made look very critically at what I've done so far. But this was always going to be the 'learning' board...

I think I've a way to go yet... ...and I can't catch up too quickly as Highclere was the inspiration several years ago to get back into railway modelling ? Too much Hobgoblin I suspect... I don't know why, but I've always been rather fond of this 24 - perhaps because it is the first (converted) 2mm loco I got running? I got 'his' and 'hers' Class 24's for our 1st wedding anniversary a year or so ago (SWMBO's is blue) and they both work extremely well with the drop-in wheel-sets. I think that this should give me the clue that my modelling seems to work best and easiest when someone else has done it! Thanks Pete - I'm surprised myself how well everything seems to work first time; with my attempting to do 2FS work with LGB/Playmobil scale fingers and thumbs, I'm beginning to suspect that the pixies or railway faeries are working in the wee hours to correct my bodging. You aren't missing any from Coombe Junction are you? As for diesels on Calne, I always had another cunning plan that would see the potential for running 3 sets of rolling stock on the layout; 1) 1930s/40s GWR steam, 2) 1950s BR Steam (Ivatt Class 2 & 3MT), and 3) 1960s BR Diesels (Class 03 & Derby DMUs). The working title of Smokey Bacon would cover the first 2 quite happily, but the last would have to be Stinky Bacon. However, with some of the cussin' over the past two days, when I spotted the broken chairs (and now a loose check rail), it nearly became Pork Scratching !!!!

Major milestone achieved - the first train ran under it's own power on Smokey Bacon OK so it is the wrong era, wrong region, and a diesel to boot - but who cares it moved!!! Apologies for the quality of the video - it's taken me nearly as long to get these uploaded as it took to do the work in the first place! Also many thanks to Messers Heath and Robinson for their assistance with the temporary wiring http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45iO2MwIBko http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOmKMU5VZqQ I did finish off the other jobs before 'playing' trains; the track at the board joint has been replaced, the two broken chairs on the crossing rail couldn't be replaced easily and so I have resorted to replacing the entire sleeper with a copper-clad one. Whilst I'm generally impressed with the Easitrac system (the basic track is superb!), I do have growing reservations with the points. To improve to robustness, when I come to the next crossing on board 2, I'll have a complete rethink on using additional copper-clad sleepers at positions where there may be a weakness or risk of snagging. Well tomorrow's another day, and hopefully I'll manage to get the wiring tidied and the points motorised...

Thanks for the credit Trevor - but it was actually Kris who responded - I would have said roughly the same but was having a lazy start to the morning ! However, there's no reason why you couldn't build the bufferstops yourself from surplus code 55 rail (not Peco though, as this is actually still code 80 rail embedded deeper in the sleepers...). Missy made a simple little jig for Highclere (see here) to bend the rail to the right shape, and it would be simple enough to solder the bent rails together. After the 'fun' I had with the first one, I got thinking about an alternative approach in using Missy's bent rails for the inner ones and laminating brass strip to one etched side to make the outer brace; the upright would be made from ordinary rail bent to profile. If this worked, I could get 4 bufferstops from one etch which would show the bolt detail on the outside where visible... ...sounds like a cunning plan but probably more effort than either simply making a fully etched one or building one from plain rail

Matt, I have to say that they've come out rather nicely - a credit to your research to ensure the numbers are correctly paired. Just as a matter of interest, had you considered the article by Maurice Pearce on GWR.org ? This could add a little bit more to your detailed B-Set. Keep it coming - with lots of pictures please.

Hello - back again at last; many thanks to everyone's supportive comments, it is too easy to get embroiled in the close-up detail, and forget to step back an look at the overall picture! Too many distractions have got in the way of Smokey Bacon over the past few weeks & withdrawal symptoms have been setting in... ...that said, some distractions have been self induced (can't always try to blame SWMBO ) and have been very enjoyable! The Calne Show last weekend was extremely good with the chance to have a real good 'nose' around Chris Hewitt's excellent EM gauge layout of Calne (photo by Neal Mansell) in the 1950's... ...and the pleasure of learning to drive Highbury Colliery (and yes Pete, there were Jelly Babies involved ); all this was capped by the opportunity to meet Mr Don Lovelock, the son of the last 'Stationmaster' of Black Dog Halt, who was forthcoming with some lovely anecdotes of the Calne Branch and who kindly offered to make available his superb collection of old photographs of the line - what an absolute goldmine of information! Anyway, with SWMBO sacrificing the dining room for the next week, I'd better crack on an make the best use of the forthcoming weeks leave - but I've already noticed that there seems to an increasing list of domestic commitments that is creeping in... The starting point is to complete the track work on board 3. This will run the 'main' line from the curved crossing, through the scenic break and into the cassette store, and to lay the head-shunt leaving the station; the head-shunt ended in a rail-built bufferstop and this gave me the opportunity to try out one of the Association kits. This appeared to be a very well thought out etch, with each rail part being soldered together in pairs, and then each assembled part lining up when the etch was folded up - bright idea - I've got about seven of these to make so I'll knock up a quick jig to ease alignment... ...so far so good. Everything lined up nicely, the pieces were tinned, and then... ...I now realise just how bloody awful I am at sweat soldering !!! Apologies to the etch designer - I accept full responsibility for bodging his perfectly good design - but I ended up sweating the pieces with the trusty blow lamp (recovered from the kitchen - I knew it was going to be a good investment!), and then assembling each part/layer one at a time. Well, not quite as intended, but it did work in the end The kit does come with options for either a rail-built buffer beam or a wooden one (again beautifully etched laminated parts), but I opted to use a copper-clad point sleeper instead for simplicity and to reduce the amount of soldering I had to bodge! There have been a 'few' moments when frustration has set in, and the swear-box can now fund the next purchase of the Easitrac point chairs needed, but in the end I reasonably happy with it. I can rationalise this by 1), board 3 will eventually be rebuilt/replaced for the extension ( ), and 2), I have another six to do, so I ought to be able to improve! The last picture shows the bufferstop in-situ, and I pleased to say, distance does cover the multitude of sins... On the down side, I've noticed that 2 chairs holding one of the crossing rails have failed and will have to be replaced (that'll be tricky) and I do need to redo the rails over the board joints before I can move on to the board 2 track-work. If all goes according to plan, then I hope to have power to the board 3 rails this week and can actually do some real testing of the point work - fingers crossed!

Wow - S$%^ Stuff Happens ! For what was a slightly tongue in cheek comment, I didn't expect such immediate effects. It looked pretty fabulous before, but now it really oozes 'character' (or something...) WRT the burying of the track, it was sometimes prototypical to set the track in concrete alongside cattle docks to aid cleaning - certainly this was the case at Calne.

Maybe a little bit too 'clean' in the pen - the cattle are obviously very well behaved... Seriously, another fabulous piece of work as we have come to expect

The brass posts and rails look quite stunning - thanks for yet another top-tip!

Great to see the progress on the layout. I may have missed it somewhere but are you using the Easitrac points (I saw mention of using the track so I'm guessing you are)? Just from experience, I found that using the aluminium jig for the crossing can be a bit of a challenge, but eventually I found that 145' solder and pre-tinning worked OK. I shall continue to watch with interest

You don't do anything simple do you!