Waton

[eldavo]

The decision was made. Spare time in the last few days has been taken up with wiring board 3. Wiring up the first couple of boards was quite interesting but it's getting a bit tedious now as it's all just more of the same. Four point motors installed and a bunch of wires going in all directions.



It is organised and there is a system honest! Each of the Conrad point motors is wired to a bit of tag strip to simplify matters in case one has to be changed out due to failure. Of course when I took the pic I carefully selected the one for the catch points so there are actually only 3 connections as there is no frog to switch. Spare cable is wound up and hot glue gunned to the underside of the boards out of the way.



All the pairs of feeds for the different track sections along with the point motor circuits are run back to another bit of tag strip where any commoning up or other shenanigans can be dealt with. There are a lot of spaces here as the colour light signals haven't been installed yet. From the tag strip essential "off board" cables are run to a D shell socket mounted on the rear of the board framing. Simple really.



Next up is definitely running the track across the join to board 4. Well definitely assuming I don't get inspiration as to how to build a free-standing control console or decide to build the platform and/or station building!

Cheers
Dave

Edited September 4, 2017 by eldavo

[jackrob]

Nice to see you making such quick progress. Keep it up.

[Pete Harvey]

Dave

 

How are you finding the Conrad point motors are they hard to wire for point control and polarity?

 

The layout is coming on leaps and bounds keep the pictures coming.

 

Pete

[eldavo]

How are you finding the Conrad point motors are they hard to wire for point control and polarity?

 

The Conrad motors are very easy to wire as they come pre-wired with 6 leads and diodes in the appropriate actuator leads. They take 16v AC which is a little different or you can feed them +12 and -12v with a common 0v DC which (for me) is even odder. The actuator rod is a bit fiddly to fit but otherwise they seem OK. When I get to proper testing of course we shall really see what they are like.

 

Cheers

Dave

[eldavo]

I've just about had enough of track building I think. I really enjoy it but the last bits feel like they are turning into a chore somehow. Most of the track is now built and fitted on board 4. This includes the last of the points, a B6 right hander, and the main lines to Birmingham. Only the branch to Walsall to finish off but that includes (probably) another pair of catch points. Haven't quite decided whether the catch points will fit without looking too cramped. I'm also trying to fit in another scenic element on this board but I fear it may not fit.



Here's an overall view of the Western end of the layout with boards 3 and 4 hooked together.



Onward and upward, still a huge amount to do. I really should cut some holes in the sky at this end sometime soon otherwise things really aren't going to work very well!

Cheers
Dave

Edited September 4, 2017 by eldavo

[Pete Harvey]

Looking very good Dave

 

When is you first show booking?

 

I can not get over how similar your layout is to Water Orton.

 

Pete

[eldavo]

... When is you first show booking?

 

I can not get over how similar your layout is to Water Orton.

 

Glad you think it captures some of the feel of Water Orton Pete, it's a bit of a challenge given the huge compression that is needed to fit it into the 10ft length. Now if the challenge had given me 20+ feet to play with...

 

 

Bit early for show bookings I think, still many months of work required to get it into some kind of operational state. For show usage it will have to be extended to add decent fiddle yards rather than the temporary cassettes I aim to use initially. I suspect it may get some public exposure at some point though.

 

Cheers

Dave

[Pete Harvey]

Ok Dave

 

It never hearts to have a deadline keeps it all fresh and the enthusiasm up.

 

I will look forward to seeing it at some point.

 

Pete

[eldavo]

Whoopee, all the track on the scenic area of the layout is now built, laid and wired! As the sun is shining I thought it was an excuse to assemble all the parts and see what it looks like. Here's the view from the Western end over the newly laid track on boards 3 and 4.



From the other end it looks a bit different. Gonna take a while to get it all up to this state.



Putting some rollingstock on and looking at it straight on the trains look awful small even if it is only 10 feet of layout!



In fact the EWS 66 nearest the camera is hauling 8 TEA bogey tankers. This train is just a smidge too long to hold in the goods relief line and still let another train pass behind it and run to its right into platform 1. Looks like 6 or 7 bogey wagons will be the limit for this. Of course the train could be longer it's just that it will block the crossover to the East of the station!

Another 66 is approaching from the West dragging some cargowagons coming in from the single track Walsall branch and about to pass through platform 1 and head South. In platform 2 a Central Trains 170 is sat waiting and will proceed to Derby.



Of course you can always take shots that make the layout look more complete like this one of the 170 heading off to Derby.



Too much to do.

Tip of the day: Don't leave a layout with trees made from wire and hot glue out in the sunshine, the trees will start to wilt!

Cheers
Dave

Edited September 4, 2017 by eldavo

[saizei]

every time you post updates it gets better and better,

 

keep up the gr8 work!

 

Gary

[JZjr]

The layout is stunning!

 

The trackwork in amazing and trees look like they have been shrunk down from those over the road from me!

 

I can't wait to see the finished product!

[bcnPete]

Dave

 

Only just stumbled upon this - and it looks very interesting.

 

I shall now return to Page 1 and work my way through....questions may follow!

 

Any more photos you can post?

 

Pete

[Pete Harvey]

Dave it looks great it's a pity that could not build it in OO I must say it looks excellent in N.

 

Keep the pictures coming please?

 

Pete

[dave_long]

The photos certainly benefit from the natural sunlight, very realistic as I too know the water orton area quite well, can't wait for the other scenics too start!

 

 

 

 

rgds 

 

 

[mudmagnet]

Dave,

 

Looking really great. Good to see a 'N' gauge layout in a reasonable size and not crammed with track. Looking forward to seeing the scenic development on the new board.

[MichaelW]

Hmmm... Those photos of the track really make me wish I hadn't started with code 55 - they look so good! I feel a trial layout coming on, even though I have 3 on the go already...

[eldavo]

Bit more progress. All the track on boards 3 and 4 has now had a blast of Halfords grey primer followed by a dousing with Plasticote Suede effect paint. The sleepers around the pointwork have also been hand painted with raw umber to make them look a bit more like timber. Ballasting has started largely because I have found that the glue I've used to lay the track doesn't like hot weather and comes unstuck! Getting a goodly dollop of neat PVA and some ballast is now somewhat of a priority.



A basic platform structure has been knocked together from bits of plasticard and this has had a blast of the Plasticote suede effect to give the effect of a tarmac texture to the top surface. The sides have had Scalescenes brick texture applied. Blowed if I can get my printers to print out the brown brick in the right color though so I have done some after market adjustments to the colour with Carrs weathering powders which have then been sealed with Testors Dullcote. Here's a closer view of the works. Bit of a mess at present.



These odd bits have appeared as well...



Lots to do...

Cheers
Dave

Edited September 4, 2017 by eldavo

[Pete Harvey]

Its looking good Dave just keep the pictures coming.

 

Pete

[eldavo]

One of my pet hates is messy track wiring. I've seen quite a few layouts with absolutely drop dead gorgeous trackwork which has been ruined (IMHO) by clumsy soldering leaving great blobs of solder and wire visible. Now I am by no means the neatest with a soldering iron but I do try to make the wiring invisible. There are one or two places on Cramdin that make me cringe so I have put a little more thought to it with Waton.

My plain track is built in sections of 300 to 600mm in length so there are a number of places where I either have to bridge a gap or add droppers/feeds. This is N gauge so the current flow is small and the largest baseboard is only 3ft long so, even if I switch to DCC, there won't be much voltage drop. So with that in mind I have opted to bridge sections of track together within the boards using 5 amp fuse wire. It's finer than layout wire so should be easier to hide. Here's a section with some bridging wires in evidence. Of course they are a nice "suede" colour having been sprayed along with the track!



With a bit of careful ballasting these can be made to almost disappear. Not completely in this case but not bad and the pictures are showing this larger than life-size so at normal viewing distance all should be well. Just mustn't let any one near it with a camera!



Of course as I am using copperclad sleepers I can cheat a bit by soldering to the sleeper rather than the rail. There is nothing in the Peco rule book on using flexitrack to say you can't add the odd copperclad sleeper though. Soldering the fuse wire is tricky (for me at least) and so it doesn't always hide away as I would like. This is not one of my better examples!

When the PVA is dry I'll be along with my soldering iron to "adjust" the alignment of those rail joints!

For the main feed wires I am using standard multi strand layout wire of 3amp capacity. I strip about 10mm of insulation and tin it then pass it through a hole in the baseboard, bend over the last mm or two with pliers and solder to the sleeper/rail. In fact if you can get it really close to the rail it almost looks like a chair. I strip more insulation than is absolutely necessary then a short section of conductor will be visible below the baseboard which can be useful for checking with a meter when fault finding.



Again the careful application of ballast can improve the look of this considerably. Bit of rust colour on the rails and some weathering and she'll be good enough I reckon.



Here endeth the lesson. Now I must either go and do some more ballasting or practice my soldering!

Cheers
Dave

Edited September 4, 2017 by eldavo

[eldavo]

Question: How much ballast does it take to complete 2 boards of N gauge track?

Answer: Too bloomin much!

I decide I wanted to get the ballast completed so the last few days I have used up every spare moment doing bits and pieces of ballasting. Can't do more than 30 minutes or so without it doing your head in so there have been a lot of sessions but IT'S DONE!!!!!



Some sections were even done twice because some twit forgot to lay in the PVC cable ducts under the pointwork before ballasting. Doh! Had to dig out some bits and fit them. The pointwork still looks a bit of a mess as stray paint needs cleaning off but this won't be done until I've applied some rust colour to the rail sides. Another fairly tedious job that has to be done.



As the weather is set fair I might even take a trip up to Water Orton tomorrow to get some photographs of bits of buildings and other details I can't find on the web.

Cheers
Dave

Edited September 4, 2017 by eldavo

[eldavo]

Successful reccy trip to Water Orton yesterday and came home with over 100 photos of buildings, structures and details. Good chinwag with one Mr. Harvey of this parish who is local to the area. Still haven't figured out how I am going to build the station building, quite a complicated structure really. Couple of interesting bits and pieces that might find there way onto the layout in the short term though...





Cheers
Dave

Edited September 4, 2017 by eldavo

[eldavo]

More progress though less than I would like. Spent some time building a small structure then decided it didn't look good in its intended location! Some of the rail sides have now had a slop of rust colour and terrain forming has started on board 3. The flat area will be a car park.



The platform has had a touch more paint and some edging textures added. I had to go out and buy a new printer for the PC yesterday because I couldn't get the results I was after out of the existing beast!.



The odd splodge of rust colour on sleepers will hopefully be hidden when the track has had a couple of weathering washes.

Cheers
Dave

Edited September 4, 2017 by eldavo

[jackrob]

Good progress mate. Keep it up

[Will Vale]

As I mentioned in the "how realistic" thread, I think this is looking magic - often the only giveaway that it's 2mm is the broad scope and easy flow of the plan, which would be more likely to be compromised in a larger scale!

 

I also have a couple of questions if you've time:

 

* How're you going to handle the ballast weathering washes mentioned above? Airbrush, or paintbrush, or something else? I'm hoping to get some tips for my layout since I've only done darker, dirtier ballast before, rather than clean main line stuff.

 

* In your pictures from Water Orton, what's the hammerhead-shaped box tucked away in the concrete alcove? I'm sure I've seen something similar in pictures of Whitemoor but I don't have a clue what it is.

 

Cheers and thanks!

 

Will

[eldavo]

...

 

* How're you going to handle the ballast weathering washes mentioned above? Airbrush, or paintbrush, or something else? I'm hoping to get some tips for my layout since I've only done darker, dirtier ballast before, rather than clean main line stuff.

 

* In your pictures from Water Orton, what's the hammerhead-shaped box tucked away in the concrete alcove? I'm sure I've seen something similar in pictures of Whitemoor but I don't have a clue what it is.

 

...

 

1) The ballast washes will be applied with a brush for two reasons; firstly I don't have a compressor for my airbrush and secondly I want to avoid too even a covering. I'll slop on several very dilute acrylic washes of blacky/browny yeuck and rusty colour until it looks right. Each wash only takes a couple of minutes to do and doing it in stages will avoid the coverage being too even and allow me to judge the effect and adjust (I hope).

 

2) My sources tell me it is something to do with the point heating and a bit of Googling seems to suggest it's a heater transformer. Page 22 of this link has something similar: Unipart Rail Point Heating Handbook

 

Cheers

Dave