Dagworth

Damn, now I've got Guns 'N' Roses in my head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYoIgKxOK4A

Yep, Alsager. Street view has been a superb tool with building it https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.0928658,-2.2992801,3a,75y,49.13h,98.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYIhmSTdFLLAF5FBmteV33A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Andi

It IS very definitely North Staffs, and it still stands, the station is still open but the building is now a private house. Andi

Thank you, still no guesses at to which real station the building is borrowed from? Andi

In the scenic length you've got you wouldn't even notice if the points themselves were not curved, you'd be looking at a curve radius of about 40 metres or more, not enough to affect trackwork but enough to look much more natural. Peco points have enough flex that the will curve to that radius no problem. Ravensclyffe has NO visible straight track! Andi

Rebuilding the station, I wasn't happy with the original version of the derelict platform, the new version is much more detailed, removed edge slabs, damaged brickwork, a decent station building. I've done some more since that was taken too, putting in some detail where the slabs have been removed. Main reason for slow progress though? This is my 3000th post on this version of RMweb. Andy Y, can you break it again so I can get on the with the layout please? Andi

Don't 3rd rail EMUs carry a Short Circuit Bar for use in exactly these circumstances? They certainly did when I was driving, it was one of the times when its use was expected. Andi

Suggestions on the layout design: Curve the whole scenic track towards the backscene, it will look so much better aesthetically. Connect the branch to the main line offscene and scrap the small fiddle yard, then you can run freight up the branch and not have to worry about space in the fiddle yard for it Andi

You've still got the same error in the dark green fiddleyard, you need to rearrange the points as per my drawing so all roads are the same length Andi

No mate, it's a completely knackered Lima 40 Andi

Referring back to my photo of yesterday, consider how far you could reach over a board set 1.5m from the ground, and how you would work on such a board. This time the class 40 is on top of our upright freezer which is 145 cm tall. You can see that I can only just comfortably reach the nose 55 cm from me. Now add another 45 cm of baseboard (5cm taller too) and then add trains and platforms etc. Now try to reach the loco that has stalled at the back climbing the gradient from off the helix. Andi

Ah, I took it as you reading Bow Locks as its second meaning.... A

I wasn't suggesting making the N-gauge layout fold up, I was suggesting that you build a small layout as a test bed, as others have suggested. Such a layout could then be stored for use when you feel the need to run trains while you build the big one. I can set the whole thing up in about 20 minutes. packing down takes less time. Andi

Eh???? Bow Locks is the name of the layout! Andi

Bow Locks folds up into a pair of 1'x1'x3' boxes, they would store under any layout Andi

One of the big problems of building a large layout is keeping focused and keeping your mojo going. I needed a side project a couple of years ago, not all smaller layouts need to take a lot of space to store. Have a look at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94290-bow-locks-was-a-bit-on-the-side/ Andi

This is a 120cm long board. The top of the board is 80 cm from the floor The nose of the class 40 furthest from me is 1 meter from me. The vertical ruler is 45cm long The back of my head is about 70 cm above the board. I'm 172cm tall. Now try putting another board above this one and imagine the contortions to even try to put a loco on the track at that distance, let alone repair a dodgy soldered wire. That's what I mean by full and clear access. Andi

Any track that you do not have full and clear access to is "hidden". Your boards are planned at a meter wide, there will be times when you need to climb on the baseboard to get at the tracks at the back. if you don't have enough height to sit/kneel on the board then you will have problems. I gave you some very good advise regarding testing your helix plans with a circle of set-track, a train and some inclined piers. You have ignored it. THAT IS HOW YOU GET DATA, Test, trial... In your job you should know that trial is everything. Learn from the experience of others, we are telling you things won't work because we've been there. A very old adage, don't try to run before you can walk. You have a long long way to learn to walk... This is the only way I've found FROM EXPERIENCE to deal with hidden track, under this board is pointwork for the entrance to the one of my fiddleyards. The entire top deck of the board is made detachable, half a dozen screws and it can be lifted clean off. Then you have access to the pointwork beneath Andi

If you change the pointwork at the right hand end of the green yard like this it keeps all roads equal length, same as the blue yard. Andi

Power cars sound fantastic, but you need decoders in the mk3s too so they hiss and fart as they pass! Andi

you had.... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/741-the-forum-jokes-thread/?view=findpost&p=2328648 Andi

Are you sure you aren't thinking of standard 10k pull-up resistors on TTL inputs? Andi

https://www.track-shack.com/acatalog/Peco-SL-47-00-H0-Scale-Point-Motor-Dummy-Peco-SL-47.html And http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/84599-dummy-point-motor-placement/

Other option is to put a resistor in parallel with the LEDs as well as the series current limiting resistor, this may act to shunt the power away that is causing the LED to glow when it should be off, but high enough value that it will still permit current through the LED when it should be on Andi

You can use either rail feed as return(red or black) not just the red wire. 6pin decoders for N gauge don't use a blue positive feed at all, they return to a running rail. No idea why you should be getting a voltage when the function is off though. Andi