Chris Horner

Has anyone  had any problems with the pantograph servo being temperamental? Are there any fixes or replacements available. Mine hardly ever works. 

Maybe not exactly a DCC question (but then again the servo only works using DCC) but I have 2 original Inter-City liveried Class 90's with LokSound V5 from LegomanBiffo, and the servo's used to raise/lower the pan on both hardly ever work.

I've had the bodies off and you can feel them spinning quietly & if you touch the cog wheels whilst its trying to turn, it makes a squeak sound and then works fine for the rest of the day. Only to come back a couple of days later and they refuse to operate again.

Is this a recognised fault, and is there an upgrade or a quick fix? (I've tried a dot of plastic grease on one of them but still no joy)

Track down! Still undecided if I should create another road off the right hand dead end siding or not. I’m thinking of having a scrap loco line. Plenty of time to decide while I give it a thorough shake down for a month or 2.

Looking forward to filling the holding sidings up with my stock now!

Well all the points are down. Got a week off to lay the last bits of track. Fit the last 5 point motors and the wire up underneath!

On 02/05/2020 at 17:24, robertwm3110 said:

Could i resurrect this topic as I have a similar issue with a Cobalt IP digital motor.  This one is a simple r/h turnout which for unknown reasons now has a dead frog when the turnout is set to the r/h line.  Initially this started as a short and the frog was showing wrong polarity and anything running through it immediately shorted out.  I tried reprogramming to no avail.  I also swapped the input to the motor - that didnt cure the problem but after I put the input wires back to how they were the frog changed from wrong polarity to dead.  The current status is therefore that running straight line the polarity is correct and no issues, but when switched to the r/h line its dead. Longer locos will run through it but something like a shunter with small wheelbase stalls. Any thoughts?? Do i need to reprogramme, if so with what CVs.  Power is NCE procab 5 amps. 

Could I ask if you found a solution to this. I’m experiencing the same problem with one motor. Works fine on one lead off the point but shorts the frog on the other. Thanks 

Spent the afternoon adding a couple of pieces of plain track and then started on the wiring as looked like jungle creepers were taking over under the baseboard! Used the terminal blocks, as seen on one of Charlie at Chadwick’s YouTube videos. Made everything a lot simpler, even if it doesn’t look it!

On 08/09/2021 at 07:55, 5BarVT said:

Another vote for the angles on the boards it makes for a more interesting track plan.

Paul.

The angles were done more for necessity than anything for decent access and the radiator but I also like the way it looks. I’m thinking of not having any backscene apart from the dog leg where the arrival road comes in. Think it’ll give it a more war hammer model gamer table look. But may change my mind

Last 2 points on the Depot arrival end weighted down. Will probably wire up this side before starting on the 10 remaining points at the neck end. The underside looks like a jungle at the moment with wires hanging everywhere!

Things starting to happen now. First set of points (brilliantly made by Hayfield, check out his blog on hand made points) have been wired up and stuck down. There was an issue with a yellowing of the rails which was traced to the PVA glue fumes that was used. I did change to Evostik timebond to do a couple, but while this has stuck them down ok, it was far too much of a messy gloopy ordeal. So I’m now waiting for some copydex to carry on with. 

On 31/05/2015 at 06:13, mightbe said:

It seems odd that I'd never heard of this before, especially with the widespread use of PVA/white glue in and around track.

 

I think what I may end up doing is nothing until it's painted and ballasted and then use some high-grit sandpaper. That way I won't have issues removing paint etc from the railheads.

Did you ever solve this problem after painting? I’ve recently had the same experience with some hand made C&L point work. A day after using PVA to stick down the points the rail has gone very yellow in places. 

6 hours ago, JeffP said:

Nice plan, and a change from rectangular.

Will it be urban or countryside?

Urban. Any scenics will mainly be of a busy working maintenance depot and holding sidings 

full templot plan laid out. 

Hi Jamie

Can I ask how you got on with this? I'm going to be wiring my own DCC sound layout using a Z21 and Cobalt point motors soon. Whilst researching what size wire to get for the Bus and droppers I came across this thread and, because of the similarities with me, was curious to see what the outcome was.

Thanks

Chris

27 minutes ago, gr.king said:

In case anybody does not realise, it is already perfectly possible to bend the Peco large radius turnouts to a moderate degree, if you want curved points - but not to anything like the extent of being able to lay a circle of toy track on a small round coffee table...

No I’d not realised, thanks. The template on my design had used PECO SL-E186 points and they do not look that severe a curve to be honest. They’re just listed as ‘double radius’ which doesn’t line up with any other firms (marcway, C&L) description of the radius of their points

37 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Chris, Have a look at this new idea that's in the pipeline:

These are straight turnouts as designed but they can be made to curve.

 

Thanks. Already got one eye on these. Although doing curved points might need some bodging 

I emailed Peco yesterday as to the possibility of a time frame for OO Bullhead curved points. This was the very timely  response I got back.

“Next items due out in this range will be single and double slips plus a long crossing, with these likely to be available by the middle of 2021. We are also working on the mould tools for medium radius turnouts, with these hopefully available towards the end of this year. It is likely that curved turnouts would be next, but not until 2022.”

which is bad for me, as I need about 14 RH curved ones for my layout. 

On 09/01/2021 at 01:15, martin_wynne said:

Hi Chris,

 

I can't speak for Wayne or these specific products, but generally to curve a turnout with a moulded base:

 

1. snip through and remove the tabs between the timbers under all rails except the straight closure rail.

 

2. that will make the base quite flimsy, so it will need to be stuck down to a template at the required curve.

 

3. in the case of similar-flexure, the curved switch blade/closure rail will need to be slightly longer than if assembled straight, so ideally it would be supplied a little over-length for trimming to fit, or exchangeable for a longer length.

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

Thanks Martin

To plan my Layout, I used SCARM software using Peco Large Radius SL-E186 curved points as a template. I'm using RTR stock not EM, but to get a realistic looking track, I've always been in 2 minds whether to just use standard Peco points & either BH flexi or standard flexi & do my own sleeper spacing. Or construct/order some Marcway ones with SMP flexi track, as I think Peco's BH curved points will be many years away! Being a total novice with points & radii I thought Wayne's might be a good 3rd option to get a more realistic looking curved point near to a SL-E186. Do you have any thoughts?   

Wayne, earlier in the thread you alluded to the possibility that they could be curved with some selective adjustment, as had happened with your N gauge points. Would this be easy enough to do? I’ve looked into buying other hand built points (my track plan needs 14 curved ones!) but am very tempted to wait for yours as they seem easier to construct and have a fantastic look.

On 05/12/2020 at 19:29, porkie said:

The baseboards look fantastic Chris. 

Really like the track plan. I Will be following your thread now. 

Keep the updates coming fella 

 

Phil 

Thanks Phil. Couldn’t be more happy with the baseboards. Model scenery supplies certainly did a good job, if I’d had a go myself it wouldn’t have been anywhere near the quality. 
The track plan has been messed with for a long time, and I’m never 100% happy with it, but I wanted a maintenance depot, a fueling shed and some holding sidings, and that’s what I’ve got. I had to give up space to have 2 head shunts and a loco return line, because I didn’t want them all dead end, and being a ‘last one in, first one out’ scenario.

Spent the afternoon detailing a Bachmann 47 and sound fitting a new class 85 but managed to pin the plan down onto the baseboards and slice off the excess. It goes to show that the months of pre planning we’re worth it and I now know that everything fits. Just have to wait for the bullhead track now. 

Well a lifetime of planning is slowly starting to take shape. The baseboard has arrived! Excellently made by Model Scenery Supplies. I'm absolutely useless at woodwork so decided it was a sensible idea to have the major structural stuff done for me. I managed to get it built up in about an hour, and it was easy enough.

Next I have to wait for the track to arrive. After edging towards normal Peco track and using sleeper spacers I've decided to go with Peco Code 75 Bullhead, so have ordered a batch of flexi, and pre ordered the 8 medium points that I need. The problem starts when I get around to needing the curved points (about 14 !) so I might have to look into building my own. Any advice gratefully received.

In the meantime I've started to have a go at sound fitting, detailing, and weathering my fleet. I'll put some pictures up when I get chance.

Evening all. After many years of collecting different models and not really doing anything with them, I decided to take the plunge and start on a layout to run them on. Nothing too fancy but always wanted a Diesel depot layout, so I  thinned my stock out so I could run OO gauge DCC sound stuff mainly based around 1988-89. The baseboard has been ordered from Model Scenery Supplies, as anything to with woodwork has always been at the bottom end of any skills I’ve got. (Measure once, cut fifteen times always seems to be my way, where wood is concerned!)

So after many years of drawing plans and not doing much about them I’ve finalised on this. It’s a 3 road shed and furling point with some holding sidings and headshunts for both so it wouldn’t be a case of last in, first out. The baseboard is a funny shape to fit in with basement constraints.

I was hoping to use the new peco bullhead range but it seems I might have to wait for them to bring out curved points. In the meantime I’ve decided to push ahead with unpacking an airbrush I bought many moons ago, and have a go at adding detail & weathering to my locos. I’ve always wanted to try it and will upload my bumbling progress as I go along.