Savoyard

I did some more tests last night and here is one with a Bachmann Brassworks Mk 1 coach.

On the test chain link ones, I reduced the links by one link each side and placed the magnet within the end link, so when they link together it is in essence a 3 link coupling, it's a compromise but I am going to experiment further to see how it can be refined and look more prototypical, this was very much a first stab.

Hi John, I only ran it at the that speed to see if the coupling would stay connected, I suppose it was a stress test. That what I would expect and I thought even for the wagons I was testing it with this might have happened as they were smallest magnets I had, but I was surprised they didn't when I did the test. I have looked and there are thicker magnets at the same size and this would make them robust, again some testing to be done. At the end of the day I want to make is easier for me on my home layout to do some shunting and pull around a small rake of 2 or 3 coaches, and the early indications are that this has the potential to do that, and at just the cost of the magnet which is about 13p each and a dab of superglue. They can easily be added to existing screw or chain link coupling very quickly and easily, I did another coach and loco last night in a matter of a minutes, and whilst it is not a pure 3 link it looks a lot less intrusive than the other methods I have seen so far. So for me it looks like it will work, as for a bigger layout it may be a different story but I intend to test it to see what it's maximum may be, as I've said it's a prototype of an idea I had and I was pleasantly surprised it worked and more than I expected, time and testing will be the proof of the pudding!

So in essence no one can patent such an idea which suits me as I had no intention of patenting it. I just thought I'd found a cheap and easier way for magnetic coupling which may benefit fellow modellers so I wanted to share the idea.

Today I think I think I may thought of a slightly different way to magnetic three link coupling. I've just started a new post on it here.

I have been looking at ways of making coupling easier without loosing the essence of three link coupling. There are a number of variations to magnetic coupling using rare earth magnets, but tend to have limitations and rely on the stock always being the right way round or have two magnets which makes it bigger and more obvious. Today I think I had a brainwave and thought if the magnet could be incorporated within a link it will not be as obvious and you may not need to have the stock the 'right way' round, this brainwave came whilst I was on the way to Ellis Clark Trains and I discussed the idea with Ellis. Tonight I decided to give it a try and made up some prototypes using two wagons and an Class 08 and here is a video showing the proof of concept. It will need further testing and refinement, but I have already had the 08 pulling a Bachmann Brassworks Mk 1 round the layout at speed!

I had running problems with the Fairburn Tank Engine with the rear bogie lifting on the curves, so this weekend I started relaying the curves at each end of the layout which I completed today and I also reworked the station head shunt. The photo below shows the difference in the alignment of the original curve and the re-laid curve, to get the curve right I created some curved templates in AnyRail, printed them off and then laid the track on top of them. Prior to the change the Hattons Flying Scotsman didn't run well, it now runs smoothly round both ends of the layout. I spoke to soon about the Cobalt IP Point Motors, after a couple of more shorts both lost their addresses.

Finally completed the circuit and had a few test runs, just a three way point and the cross over on the fiddle yard side and the new point on the station area to do. I've spent a lot of time getting another three way working with the Smail point motors, the point blades need to be freer to work with a slow motion point, they would probably be OK with a solenoid point motor but since I discovered Tortoise point motors I've never used them. I've used all my Smails and even though I've got plenty of spare Tortoise point motors I don't want to have a separate power feed for LS150's, so I used two Cobalt IP Digital point motors which I am cautious about using as the have a tendency to reset their address after a short. Fortunately tonight the two have behaved themselves despite a couple of shorts on the layout. I contacted DCC Concepts today and they said to return the faulty ones and they will fix them, which I will do next week. I will take some pics and possibly some video tomorrow as I will no doubt be testing different locos!

Hi Rod, I'm looking forward to seeing and it inspiring me for my layout, it is looking like we will be down the August Bank Holiday weekend. Are you using tension lock coupling on your stock? Whilst I like the idea of three link, it would be nice to be able to sit back and control the trains without the hand of god so to speak, Yesterday I completed the wiring of the station side and all points working correctly, I have decided to make a change to the station head shunt and reintroducing a crossover, I will hopefully have that done tomorrow. This is an example of the wiring under the boards, I have used copper tape fed from the bus wire and this is attached with choc boxes which can be disconnected if I need to isolate the board. The connections to the track and point motors is from the copper tape. I will be working on wiring up the fiddle yard side tomorrow and hopefully complete the circle. I did some test running tonight and I am pleased that making the alterations suggested by Peco on the points for DCC has improved running over the points despite the track still not being at clean as it could be. I will upload some videos tomorrow showing the slow running.

Hi John, That's looking good. In 2013 I replaced all the steel rail on the Tottington section of my OO Gauge layout Holcombe & Tottington. It was steel rail on wooden sleepers with plastic chairs and the running was awful so I replaced it with nickel silver rail and rebuilt it in situ, here is a record of the work. The rebuild is mainly on page 5 though it all started with the replacement of a faulty point (see page 4) and the improved running made such a difference I decided to replace the whole lot. It was a steep learning curve but worth it. Peter

Hi Rod, I am pleased with the extra bits on the layout as it isn't squashed in those areas now. Today I wired up the double slip and two points at the top of the second photo above and I had a trial run round with the Class 37 and four Mk 1's which was reasonably successful, it's just getting the hang of the three link couplings which vary on each model. I hope to have the rest of the points on the station side completed tomorrow and then make a start on the fiddle yard side, this may take a little longer as it includes some Marcway points for which I need to work out the wiring. I have ordered a 50' turntable from Greenwood Model Railway Products to use instead of the original plan to modify a Peco OO gauge turntable, I also ordered a point kit to have a go at building one from scratch. The scenery is something I am looking forward to doing, but I will find daunting so perhaps not next week, but the week after! LOL! I am looking forward to seeing Ramchester as I am sure it will give me some ideas how to do my scenery. Peter

I've added a couple of extension pieces on the station and the diagonally opposite side on the fiddle yard side, this helps to improve the track plan. Here is the revised layout on the station side. I'm experimenting with some strip pine for the platform edges and also mocked up the scenic break with some cardboard before the lifting section in front of the door. The slightly revised layout on the fiddle yard side. Tomorrow I may start the electrics so I can do some testing.

Some progress this evening on the station section, some track has been laid but the goods yard area and the turntable area are just placed to see how it looks.

I'm blaming you for that Rod as it was one of your layout photos that gave me the idea. I look forward to seeing the transformation of your fiddle yard into Maryport! I am working on the real station section at the moment and it seems to be coming along nicely, I may have the track laid to see if it works this evening, again I am not going to rush the electrics until I am sure it looks and feels right. All being well it is looking like we will be down for the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August so hopefully time to see Ramchester.

I've laid the track semi permanently on the fiddle yard/station section to see how it looks, it will no doubt need some tweaking but I don't think it looks too bad for a starting point I extended the station section to allow a run round of four Mk 1 coaches. Tomorrow I will start to tackle the real station side and this will be a little more complicated. Here are some pics of the work so far.

Today I've made a start on laying the track. I started with the fiddle yard side and decided to take a different slant, it will be scenic rather than hidden, it will be a station with a run round, after seeing the parked coaches on Rod's Ramchester I thought why not make it a station on which coaches/wagons are parked. I have used the short Marcway crossover and one of the three ways on the station section, after a quick test I will be extend the station area by about four inches so a loco can run round four coaches. The two remaining Marcway three way points have been used on the goods yard area. The track and three ways on the goods yard section have only been placed to see if it works. I also laid the track over the lifting section. One of the concerns with a lifting section is forgetting it is open and a loco ends up falling off the edge off the cliff so to speak. To avoid this I came up with this idea on the original OO gauge layout. The power on the section before the lifting section will be fed from the lifting section only and the electrical connection made using the brass latches, so when the lifting section is up that section is dead and the loco will stop prior to the drop, I will make sure the dead section is long enough to cover the length any stay alive capacitors.

A rethink and no doubt one of many as I start to lay the track. I laid the first two roads of the fiddle yard yesterday and then realised it would be better if the main curve over the lift up section should be at the other end of the shed otherwise I am very restricted on the scenery on this section so I've turned the layout through 180 degrees and it seems to work quite well. Laying the track will tell! It also means the station is now back in it's original position only at a lower level. Also a slight change to the layout name to 'Ploverleigh Junction'.

I've been playing around with the layout plan in AnyRail and this is the latest idea, eliminating the station cross over and just having an island platform, and also making room for a engine shed at the turntable. It will no doubt evolve further.

I laid the first bit of track on the fiddle yard section on Sunday and tested it for clearance for taking stock on and off. I've not done much since except I'd been wondering about whether to ditch using cork underlay and just lay the track on the board, and yesterday my copy of 'Building a 7mm Scale model railway' by Peter Smith arrived and he doesn't use it, so I relaid the track on the above section without the underlay. I did a quick test using a Bachmann Brassworks Mk 1 and whilst there is a slight difference in wheel noise it is not significant. Now to work out how the planned track plan will actually work on this section.

A blank canvas. Having rebuilt the baseboards and everything is level, I realised the OO layout wasn't level as the floor actually slops towards the back of the shed by as much as an inch. With the boards attached to the wall I was able to reduce the number of legs increasing the usable storage space underneath. I know how the builders of the channel tunnel felt when the two halves met, after I refitted the lift up section at the door and put the spirit level on, it was absolutely level, not even slightly out, I felt quite pleased that the rebuild had worked. I am hoping to make a start on the track laying today starting with the fiddle yard which will be on the boards on the right of the first photo above.

Knott Rederring is no more, it has ceased to be, it is a dead layout, well a demolished one! It has all been taken down ready to start work on it's replacement 'Ploverleigh'. It was an interesting project which gave me something to do in the early days of lock down and has resulted in me replacing my original plan for a OO gauge layout based on Longton Bridge Station, for which I had laid most of the track, for a full O gauge layout and a decision to drastically downsize my OO collection. All the boards are now done, so once I have tided up the mess I will take some photos and let battle commence on 'O Gauge - The Next Generation'

Hi Rod, I've looked on the web at pages on the L girder system and it looks interesting but I've already done over 3/4 of the boards but there may be one or two places I could make use of the principal at a future date. I was talking to a friend tonight about it and it used it on a section of his layout where he wanted a viaduct, so if it would work I may do the same in the area at about 2 o'clock on the layout where I would like to have either a small river, stream of canal going under the track in this section. The latest thinking is the August Bank Holiday weekend, but that could easily change, if that weekend would be a problem we will be down again at some point. Peter

Taking Ray's comments into hand and having a further play around in AnyRail, I've made some changes to keep it mainly within the existing boards with some minor additions. This will no doubt change when I start laying the track but it gives a reasonable idea of what I can achieve in the space. Also a change to the name of the layout to 'Ploverleigh', which is the imaginary village in Gilbert and Sullivan's 'The Sorcerer', performing G&S being my other passion. I am still tempted to have it as a preserved railway so I am not restricted in what I operate, but then I should build it first!

Hi Ray, It is something I will change, I just wanted to see if the track plan would work in principal within the space I have available, it will no doubt will change when I eventually start to lay the track. Also I will be using a Marcways reduced crossover on the station run round, not two Peco points as on the plan and Marcways three way points which are smaller than the CnL ones used on the plan so this will make a difference. I have completed rebuilding the baseboards on the top part, but before I start rebuilding the station area baseboards I have taken the opportunity to reorganise the storage under that part of the layout so a slight delay in service.

Hi Rod, Will do, Sally was talking with her mum yesterday and we may aim to come down towards the end of July if we are allowed! I will let you know in plenty of time. I have been playing around with AnyRail and a couple of friends have put suggestions forward. One of the friends actual works for Network Rail in Cumbria and I've incorporated his suggestions in this plan, it is a very rough first stab to see if it would work. I like the way he suggested incorporating the curve into the station creating an island platform, it could be a branch line disappearing off into a tunnel, reappearing after the hidden fiddle yard on the other side. He also suggested having a small turntable using the Peco OO one, which I already have, and modifying it for a small tank engine. With all this, if it works, it will be a layout with a lot of interest. I've made a start on taking up the OO track and completely redone the baseboards on one side, levelling them out and permanently attaching them to the shed wall rather than being separate movable sections. Doing this I found the shed is not as level as I thought.