Hayfields turnout workbench

[hayfield]

Just thought I would share my slightly untidy workbench 

 

 

Nearly complete, just needs tiebars and bonding wires, getting use to fitting J chairs

[dhjgreen]

2 minutes ago, hayfield said:

Just thought I would share my slightly untidy workbench 

 

 

Nearly complete, just needs tiebars and bonding wires, getting use to fitting J chairs

My Ferranti training school instructor would not be happy to see those handleless files.  Quite a tidy bench by my standards though

[hayfield]

2 minutes ago, dhjgreen said:

My Ferranti training school instructor would not be happy to see those handleless files.  Quite a tidy bench by my standards though

 

I am not advocating anyone copies me, but the ends are very blunt, I use them sitting down and they fit in my palm. Now if I were walking about in a heavy workshop etc you are perfectly right

 

Using any tool please take care, the sharper or hotter the more care is needed. My most dangerious items are when I drop a scalpel off the bench, especially when wearing slippers

[martin_wynne]

On 03/08/2021 at 13:55, hayfield said:

My most dangerious items are when I drop a scalpel off the bench, especially when wearing slippers

 

Another danger when trackbuilding is to lift the workboard to the light, to eye along the rails. Not noticing that you have left a pointed needle file between the rails, which will slide down into your eye. Ask me how I know.

 

Martin.

 

[Captain_Mumbles]

Ive lost (or is that gained?) a lot of time going through your thread after having you stop by and I thank you for your time and advice on my newbie thread. Truly inspiring stuff here mate.

[Captain_Mumbles]

On 05/08/2021 at 13:48, martin_wynne said:

 

Another danger when trackbuilding is to lift the workboard to the light, to eye along the rails. Not noticing that you have left a pointed needle file between the rails, which will slide down into your eye. Ask me how I know.

 

Martin.

 

I have done something similar where I have had the hobby knife scalpel roll off the work bench and, when I closed my legs to catch it I stabbed it into my other leg.

[St Enodoc]

41 minutes ago, Captain_Mumbles said:

I have done something similar where I have had the hobby knife scalpel roll off the work bench and, when I closed my legs to catch it I stabbed it into my other leg.

@Barry O!

[Barry O]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

@Barry O!

yes .. and I still have the scar!

 

Baz

[kandc_au]

20 hours ago, Captain_Mumbles said:

I have done something similar where I have had the hobby knife scalpel roll off the work bench and, when I closed my legs to catch it I stabbed it into my other leg.

Doesn't tickle either....does it!

Khris

[KeithHC]

Warning, model railways can seriously damage your health(and wallet etc.)

 

Keith

[Dominion]

I wanted to show off my first double slip. I have been avoiding tackling one for ages !

Many thanks to John and Martin, for the advice and knowledge imparted through this discussion topic and through Templot, and also to Gordon whose posts on Eastwood Town first got me interested in 00-SF and gave me the confidence to have a go.

In the end I did not find this double slip significantly more difficult than a single slip. So if anyone is procrastinating like I was, have a go !

[hayfield]

Dominion

 

Excellent piece of work

[Dominion]

Thanks John. The clearance at the open blade tips is less than it should be. Now it is on the layout I will run some full trains through it forwards and backwards and see if they need adjusting.

[hayfield]

With

the house refurbishment I can now concentrate on a few builds. An A6 this time to 00SF. Looks and works so much better than standard 00, but you will need a Back to Back gauge as RTR stock still varies. A mixture of Exactoscale and C&L parts

 

 

I tend to first fit one set of stock & switch rails, then I can easily fit the additional switch chairs. Common crossing, followed by the straight stock rail then the straight switch rail. Then I fit the curved stock and switch rails together

 

I spoke with Phil at C&L earlier this week, the new track bases for both EM and P4 are due very soon with the thicker 1.6mm sleepers, he will also still keep the P4 thin track base available for as long as it needed, its still a good seller

 

There will also be a second new 7mm track base in the new year

 

 

[hayfield]

 

A trailing crossing formation is the latest item on the bench, to 00SF gauge

 

 

A close up of the special switch chairs, the centre parts of the block chairs are visible. I find it easier to fit the straight stock and switch rails first.

 

 

[hayfield]

 

It's copperclad time, timbers cut and gapped

 

 

Then the Vee's can be soldered up

 

 

Followed by the stock rails

 

 

[hayfield]

 

Building the double slip. The first set of switch rails are made up as one slightly oversized  piece

 

 

If left in one piece the tiebar becomes very stiff, I cut it into 3 pieced and make a hinge from a brass H sectioned fishplate soldered only to the central part

 

 

The first one is fitted and you can see the parts of the second, the switch blades are filed to length and are just a push fit

 

 

A close up view of both bent switch rails in place

 

As you can see the last two photos show two of the crossing rails

 

By pregapping the copperclad timbers I can test the crossing with a loco before moving on to the next bit

[kandc_au]

Hayfield,
All I can say is Thank You for posting all these builds.
I have found I have learnt, and still am learning a lot from them.
Brilliant for giving encouragement to those who have not tried or are still learning to build there own!

Khris

[hayfield]

Khris

 

Thanks for the encouragement, its good when people question what you are doing. The trouble is some things become second nature and I miss out vital instructions

 

I think when we have an open mind we always learn something new, or remember things that have slipped our mind

 

Just finishing off a simple copperclad formation, next up is a trailing crossover with a slip in the middle, all chaired. The single slip will show how I use the Exactoscale slip and K crossing chairs

[St Enodoc]

16 hours ago, hayfield said:

the switch blades are filed to length and are just a push fit

Apologies if you were going to tell us later anyway, John, but how do you retain the switch rails longitudinally?

[hayfield]

6 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Apologies if you were going to tell us later anyway, John, but how do you retain the switch rails longitudinally?

 

I am post something later a simple process showed to me by Mr Solomon some years back, however whatever you use to throw the switch holds them in place anyway

[hayfield]

 

The crossing rails are fitted

 

 

Dont forget to test as you go, this is one of the reasons to make the isolation cuts before starting to fit the rails

 

 

Next up are the slip switch rails, first made as one piece slightly overlength. Then cut into 3, the centre part has brass H section fishplates soldered to them. As per the others the switch rails are cut and filed to size and fitted

 

 

The tiebars are simply soldered into position, these switch rails are very easy to change, had I not cut the rails the switch rails would be extremely stiff, as there are four of them and they are very short  

 

 

Next up is fitting the K crossing check rail, simply filed at both ends and bent, then soldered

 

 

Not cheating, but I use this jig. Its made for code 75 & 100 flatbottom rail, flatbottom needs one for each side, plus this jig files the switch rails as well as the Vee. Whilst being for flatbottom it works for bullhead as well , and is able to hold these short lengths. Just speeds the process up (a nice to have not a must have or essential)

[hayfield]

 

The next project is up and running, timbers cut and common crossings made

 

 

I am in two minds as whether to solder or glue the K crossings

 

 

 

The non-slip side stock rail of the single slip is fitted first

 

Next up the two ends of the curved (slip) rail are fixed in place

 

I have decided to build it all glued in place so a bit of a design change is required, simply as there is too little space for hinged switch blades

 

Close up of the central crossings

 

 

The central part of the slip rail, one of the few occasions of using the M (small) chairs

 

 

Chairs fitted for the slip side of the crossing

 

 

 

 

[hayfield]

 

I have decided to use the chairs to hold the obtuse (K) crossing in place, rather than solder up the crossing in situ. The bent switch rails are held in place with cut down check rail chairs

 

 

The crossing rails are prepared and chairs fitted, both then are offered up and stuck in place

 

 

The slip crossing rails have some parts from the slip fret, namely a special slide chair and 2/3rds of a block chair from the slip frets.

 

 

Like the other crossing rails I use functional fishplates at the common crossing end and using a gauge stich the obtuse crossing ends

 

  Not forgetting to test when possible at each stage, tweezers and rail offcuts for electrical continuity 

 

All a bit Heath Robinson and for those not used to using the special chairs chopped up standard chairs will surfice

 

 

[hayfield]

One of the areas of track building many find challenging is building the common crossing, this is another variant which some may find a bit easier 

 

 

This is a P4 B6 turnout, I was watching a Youtuber make a start at building turnouts, what interested me is that he made the common crossing in situ rather than prefabricating it prior to the build

 

 

The one difference in the build sequence I made was to substitute temporally two plastic timbers for wooden ones, whilst I solder up the common crossing, simply plastic does not like heat, In future I may try it with plastic timbers as did the Youtuber.

 

 

A quick close up of the crossing area, I will post updates and how I fit the common crossings