Pottery Quay. EM test track / shunting plank.

It's a very brave piece of track building. Looking forward to see it progress.

JB.

 

Excellent stuff, looking very nice all the hard work track laying/building will be worth all the effort.
Cheers

 

Thanks for all the likes.

Track building is not all that difficult and it's something I enjoy, well I did until I started the tandem as that is my first build using C & L chairs on plywood timbers and I have learnt a few things from it, mostly remembering that you have to omit chairs in certain places to allow for the chairs on adjacent rails that have yet to be fitted and it certainly adds time to the build, but overall I'm pretty happy with it, as the bogie runs through it very sweetly and it doesn't yet have the check rails, which I will attach one I can get an 0-6-0 chassis to run through it.

 

And now to pick up where I left off yesterday. I put all the switch rails in the other turnouts and my 9 foot bogie runs through them all, so I'm pleased with that.







So that's all the turnouts done, all bar the check rails. So next is to get the turnout operation sorted. I'm using SG9 servos bought from china at about £1.30 each for 10 including packing and postage.


They are fitted into MERG servo mounts. I'm also using their micro switches for the common crossing polarity switching.

I have assembled the MERG servo 4 operating units, which require testing before fitting the chip set. I have been waiting for the female portion of the 2.5mm power supply sockets to arrive so That I can progress on that front.

 

Not much visible progress this week, the two Servo4 boards were finally tested and finished. I have also marked and drilled the holes for the electro-magnets for the Sprat and Winkle couplings. I have also put some tails on them to allow for quick changing should the need arise.

There has also been a bit of track fettling following the production of a rolling 0-6-0 chassis which showed up a few tight spots, this will be on going.

Off to London tomorrow, for a visit to Scaleforum on Saturday I hope to arrive late morning.

 

Progress this week has been a bit slow, but the wiring up is progressing. The first two bays of board 2 are pretty much there apart from a few common returns, the black wires. Then I just need to tidy up a bit once I can find the spiral wrap.



Then on too the last bay, which will include the baseboard links.

Won't be much progress next week as I'm off to see my parents.

 

Only just got around to doing the update for last weeks progress. The wiring for the track and turnouts is pretty much complete on board 2 and a start made on board 1.





Still to do on board 2 is to fit and wire the electro-magnets for the Sprat and Winkle couplings. A 2nd pair of eyes is needed to fit the servos for the tandem turnout, hopefully I can get that tonight at the club.

 

Sorry folks, no photos this week as when I came to take them I found that I have broken the lens on my phone camera.

The servos were fitted on Tuesday evening and work is progressing on board 1. I noticed this morning that I have not fitted the power feeds for the servo4 circuit board on board 2, this will be rectified next week when I return from London.

 

This weeks update is again sans pictures, the cost of repair is nearly the cost of another phone as the broken lens has damaged the photo cell or whatever it's called.

The previously omitted power cables have been installed. I have fitted most of the electro-magnets, but have run out of screws. To keep up momentum a start has been made on cutting out the front facias, as the off cuts will provide material for the control panel, which will help to finish the wiring.

 

Slow progress this week as a funeral and a visit to my parents have curtailed modelling time this week.

The electro-magnets are fitted and wired and I have made a start on building the control panel and that's about it, for this week. I'm hoping that I can get all the lectrickery sorted before Christmas and I can move onto other more exciting developments, like getting a loco up and running.

 

Progress has been slow of late due to the death of my father back in November, this has reduced the modelling time by a considerable amount, but in odd moments the wiring has been slowly progressed, I'm hoping to get it complete by the early new year.

I wish one and all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Phil

Sorry to hear of your recent loss. My mother passed away earlier this year so I can kind of guess how you might be feeling at the moment. The railway modelling took a backseat for me too, but hey, there's no rush!

Anyway, I like what you've been doing with your trackbuilding. I might be doing a small diorama in 7mm/1ft soon and I'm wondering how you found building your track into foamboard went. Would you do it again?

All the best for Xmas and the New Year.

Mike

 

Hi Mike

So far it appears the foamboard is stable enough since I re-did it with PVA, but the proof will come when I can actually run something on it, rather than just pushing wagons along on it. This will hopefully be in mid January, provided nothing else interferes with progress.

 

Well, the 'lectrickery is pretty much done, at long last, except for some tidying up.

With the help of a fellow club member a return to wood butchery,to this end a start has been made on the legs. Also the back boards and front facias are in hand to allow the board joiners to be fitted and the control panel fitted to the front of the layout. With this done I will be able to set up the servos and start testing the layout.

I also need to get a loco built for track testing, chassis building is not my strong point, but with grit and determination I hope to beat my nemesis. It probably include an awful lot of bad language.

 

A bit of progress, the layout now has legs and front fascia.






Next is the toggle clips to hold the two halves together and workout a method of aligning the top of the fascia, instead of the current bit of stick.

I have also opened up the box of bits for the 1361 and started to cut out and fettle the chassis bits, when I have progressed a bit further I will start another thread.

 

Phil,

I am following your thread with interest, because I plan to build a 7mm diorama with about the same dimensions. May I ask what vertical dimension your layout has?
Why not putting a hidden beam over the whole length to get rid of your stick?

Michael

 

Hi Micheal,

I will measure up the verticals, the next time I'm in the clubrooom and let you know what the dimensions are, as they were arrived at by guestimate. When I had the layout up on it's legs, I decided to cut the backscene down as it was way too high.

The layout is portable and so a one piece beam will preclude taking the layout down. Having given it a bit of thought, I may use a a couple of timber blocks with an EM gauge society, board alighning dowel, or failing that another toggle clip on the inside front to hide it.

 

Hi Micheal,

Here are the vertical dimensions of the layout :- 1200mm from the floor to the bottom of the baseboard, 1330mm floor to trackbed level, 1680mm floor to the top of the box. The verical height of the box is 480mm and the max vertical opening is 300mm. The club room floor is not level and all measurements were taken at the fiddleyard end as the adjustable feet were at their minimum. The vertical opening is the scenic section, not the fiddleyard.

HTH.

 

Thanks Phil,

much appreciated. I think that I will need to make my vertical opening a little higher for a 7mm presentation, but your dimensions give a pretty good impression how to proceed.

Cheers,
Michael

 

Hi Michael,

I think you would be looking at around 400mm to 450mm in 7mm as a reasonable size for the aperture.