devondynosoar118

Looks much more fun than late night telly...

Might I suggest a few minor changes?

Ditch the foam underlay, it will cause more trouble than its worth. Track is best glued down IMO, to a good FLAT base, cork or I lay mine straight onto the board. Use a contact adhesive to glue it down, not too much in case you have to lift it in future but a good bead on the back of the track and on the board will hold it, put a few books on top to hold it in place.

Ensure every section of track has a separate power feed to the DCC bus. This can be done with droppers or wired fishplates.

How old is the track? Recycling has its limits if you want good running, old flexi track can be more bent than it looks and points over 20 years old, especially insulafrog types are crude by comparison to modern ones, and will perform accordingly.

Screws are only suitable for carpentry, they have no place on track, for the reasons you have outlined!

Well done on the split chassis conversion, hope the remaining chips stay un fried! Maybe a forum posts in "modelling questions" with pictures of all the problem areas of track will yield more knowledgeable help than mine.

Mega shed grot in all those photos! Can't help identify anything, but soaking up the atmosphere.

We need a mini Wiggo, then a Faller car can knock him off his bike, then he can be hit by a passing tram. Many cyclists would say this was ultra realistic modelling....

Nice mustang! My mum learned to drive in one when she was in the US.

I don't get the moulded coal either. It is even worse removing it from the 2mm models! As a big prairie fan this one hits all the right notes for me, thanks for sharing.

Yes I agree buffalo, the chickens were really good. I think the pick axe wielders were the only other human figures that worked. How about a projected back scene, if it was not too bright I think the movement would complement train movements in the foreground.

If you are still looking at an electro mechanical solution then I would look at these too: http://www.microflight.com/Online-Catalog/Actuators-and-Servos

Nigel Cliffe has used their components to great effect in his 2mm scale dcc controlled couplings.

Well done! Nothing like a deadline to keep you going.

I often let young people drive at shows, my son was very proud to be given a chance to drive a narrow gauge layout at Exeter when he was 6.

I would take any advice from Missy as very useful, she as made some amazing gear assemblies and signals in 2mm!

The other alternative, which I feel has great potential for models is this optical system, a variation of the illusion "Pepper's Ghost"

http://www.eyeliner3d.com/peppers_ghost_history.html

Not a single piece of evergreen strip in sight! Proper engineering all round. I like that we small gauge modellers get our materials in fractions of an inch from Eileen's Emporium, and you get yours by the foot or kilo from B&Q and the engineering shop!

Wow, I see the turkey arrived early this Chrismas! I particularly like the numerous coats of paint, dodgy electrics and missing parts. It reminds me of a beetle I scrapped, it's PO had re wired it using some telecom cable he got from work, unfortunately he only got one colour...

I am sure this will look wonderful once you have worked your magic. As its panto season, " come on boys and girls, everyone shout 'we believe in the kit fairy..."

Some later additions to his buildings such as the 1927 canopy extension in Kingsbridge use steel beams. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference even in 7mm unless you were upside down under the canopy, an unlikely viewing position I would think. Fantastic work again, the brackets and valencing are both exquisite and complement the top quality work on the main building perfectly.

I agree, got to be worth a prototype. If you combined this with having yourself laser scanned, shrunk in CAD then laser printed to scale you could walk round your layout in miniature!

Picks jaw off floor.....

Is that the final shade of LT maroon I spy? Looks great, will be very smart when completed, engineering standards as high as usual. I want one.....

Maybe I could swap for one of the kids.........

:!

The dummy motion looked so good I thought it was working! Adding working inside motion is definitely in the "extreme" category for me.

Any plans to weather the 4mt?

Very informative, thank you! Does the inside valve gear all work too?

I have to admit that I struggle to get 1 reliable track layout on the top of the board, the idea of getting two working properly makes this system impossible for me! Did you see the post on moving cyclists just up the list fom yours?

Well done, looks like a neat and durable solution which doesn't cost a lot, all boxes ticked I reckon.

Sorry, didn't see the magnet on the loco. The only problem I can see is the junctions, you cant make the loco do 90 degree turns!

As said above, great idea. Look forward to seeing the results. Not thought of extending this concept to include the other Farthing layouts?

So the magnet moves under the board and pulls the car along? What moves the magnet?

I never realised what a monster layout this was. Loved watching the blue Pullman on the loop with the lights on, looked really smart. Seems like we will get to enjoy your blog for a good few years too!

That looks great!