squeaky

Jack Well spotted I have amended

I have now received the M8 bolts for the end leg attachment, the bolts make the end panel completely flush for attaching to the next module. On the inside I have used a 30mm washer and wing nut to secure it. It really could do with a 40mm washer as the hole in the leg is 25mm, although it seems pretty secure. I have also filled in the gap between the corner ends to stop the leg being squashed when clamped to the next module. I have also been playing around with the layout design and Dutch_Master you are correct and ideally I wouldn't have the switches so close to the board end, however the design calls for 4 switches end to end to fit in a 900mm board, so I don't have much choice. I have made a couple of changes and this the 9th version of the plan! I have made the 3 freight car spurs at least 23 inches long which should allow 3 freight cars in each if needed. I have decided to hold off on a 45 tonner for now and I will use my trusty MP15 as the site switcher. Hope you are all not getting too board with changes.

I have setup the boards in the dining room and i'm now using the peco templates to play around with track layout. The problem with the current plan is that the switches on the middle board are overlapping the joins between boards as the boards are 900mm long. So I have changed a couple of switches and compressed the middle section so that 7 out of the 8 switches are all on the middle board, the 8th switch is on the right hand board. I have also reversed the right hand most switch so that there are now 3 unloding spurs for scrap cars.

Well the boards are now fully built, just waiting on a few longer M6 bolts and the M8 bolts for the end legs, but I have enough bolts to put it all together for a test run. Please ignore the mess on the patio..

Thanks Martyn, I have that very same Kibri also waiting to be built! What about this one? http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/326-6483 Jack, there is also a pair of parallel jaw pliers on my shopping list, the misses will go mad when she finds we haven't got any foil for the sunday roast

A few items arrived today That lot should keep me busy.....

You are both correct, I plan to get some more 6mm ply and fill in the gap between the 2 end supports and then use an M8 bolt through the centre hole and a large washer on the other side. I have shown it with a coach bolt and a 30mm washer but it needs to be a 40mm washer or I could use another piece of ply and then the washer. This is the inside, you can see that the washer needs to be slightly bigger. Here I used a coach bolt, I've ordered some normal mushroom head bolts so it will be completely in the recess, thus allowing another board to mount flush against it. The other option is to counter sink the 6mm holes and use counter sink M6 bolts to make them flush.

Paul They were custom size boards and I actually went for 500mm wide which is about 20inches. The cost was the next size up, so the 900mm x 400mm is listed as £28.21 so for a custom size of 900mm x 500mm was £38.11 each. The leg kits are £9.40 and you then need to soure the 34mm square timber for the legs themselves,these cost me around £10 for 8 x 1.1m lengths. I made the legs the correct height for Freemo. This is a picture of the inside of the end of the board before the leg is attached. This is with the leg in place Next add one or two M6 nut and bolt either side to secure it. Hope this helps, if you need more info then please let me know.

What do you call a reasonable price? I found one at a certain shop in Liverpool for £74, they also have the black one at £74 and a green one at £92!

I think we have same affliction, I have on the way from Canada 8 x Sullivan scrap wagons! http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH97584 http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH97583 http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH97514 http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH97513 I'm going to go with a 45 Tonner as the scrap yard critter as I like the outside rods, reminds me of an 08

I like that, I was thinking of the 44 tonner, but wanted a generic looking one, well there it is!

Today I have finished the first board of the 3, this will be the middle board. The second board has been started..... Just 2 more to build and I can start putting some track on the boards to find the best plan.

Well the baseboards have arrived from Grainge and Hodder, now where did I put the glue..........I've dry fitted one and they go together very nicely. Martyn, you are correct, I need to get the boards built, print out some peco templates and have a play and see how it works. I've amended the plan slightly, i'd like to keep the loco spur just so I can build a shed for the switcher to go in! One of the yard switches is now a curved one!

Martyn, following your idea. I have done this in AnyRail, the only extra bit i've done is add a loco spur that could have a shed for the loco to be serviced/stored. The resident loco can be parked out of the way if need be. Do you you think it makes it look too busy?

Thanks Martyn, it look more like a Scrap yard now. I will draw it up in Anyrail later.

Phil, Thanks for that, gives me a few ideas, as I said my layout is based on Sullivan, but will take inspiration from other scrap yards, I'll take another look at a Bachmann 44 or 45 ton. Maybe something like this? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bachmann-HO-Scale-Train-GE-44-Ton-DCC-Equipped-Yellow-Black-Stripes-62201-/361130744827?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item541511dbfb Does anyone make a model of a 65 ton??

Nick, That sounds really good

Phil, I was watching that YouTube video earlier!! Martyn, is this what you mean? Today I have received this... Needs some weathering.....

Nick ,that is the plan, baseboards are ordered, track can be ordered when I finalise the plan. Hopefully myself and Sammy can bring 2 modules, if they fit in the car!

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm trying to design a layout that is interesting to switch but also useful as a Freemo module. The idea with the loop would be to have a resident switcher to switch the cars around once they arrive from the main, so a local comimg off the main could be reversing in or going in loco first. It's very difficult finding a workable design in a reasonably short amount of space. I have made the loop longer and the headshunt is about the same(Paul), I've moved the crossover to the other side of the scrapyard(Martyn not sure how you meant with one LH and one RH), Dutch I understand that an outfit of this size wouldn't have its own switcher, but you could have a couple of locos moving around at once. Let me know what you think

Ah, sorry I mis-understood what you meant, so something like this? I like it, it means that the switching is done off the main

Yes it would be a crossing, the only issue with using 2 switches is that it takes more room, thus making the headshunt a bit shorter, is this what you mean?

I'm in the early stages of building a Freemo module to take to the Freemo event in September. As you can see it's called "Sullivan Scrap" It will be 2700mm x 500mm which is about 9ft x 18inches. I have ordered baseboards from Grainge and Hodder which will be about 2 weeks, they weren't cheap however my carpentry skills seem to be getting worse as I get older It's very loosely based on Sullivan Scrap yard in Holyoke, MA https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@42.201875,-72.602426,3a,75y,287.53h,85.02t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1soVvQ2kUS1kf14Mpk6ZvMAg!2e0 Mainly because Athearn do some very nice wagons, which I have just ordered from a model store in Canada. http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH97584 Here is the first thought put down with AnyRail. Let me know what you think of the plan, does it work?, it's double track with a sweeping bend, the right 2 spurs are the scrapyard and the left hand one is the headshunt.

You can never have more than enough freight cars!!

Well there hasn't been much happening with this layout, but as we intend to go to the Freemo event with it again this year we had better get it finished! I have been buiding and painting the lumber yard buildings, the first job was to build a spray booth. Here is the lumber store after painting Here is the lumber office after painting There is still plenty to do on both buildings and plenty to do on the layout......