Unigate's Work bench

[Unigate]

Hi Folks,

No posts from me for a while but I was working on a modern image N-gauge Micro that was based on Kingswear (well BR blue rather than modern image, but as a veteran bodgeller the term has stuck). Anyway, its been a frustrating calamity of events and hence NO photo's.

It started with me buying timber from a well known high street DIY chain. I checked it in store and it looked fine, but after cutting and screwing it together there was serious warping problems. In the end I decided to buy some MDF kits from Tim Horn - they were very good and went together really well (no affilliation other than as a satisfied customer).

I laid the track, wired up and tested and then sprayed the whole affair to weather both track and the baseboard surfaces. All was good, I then proceeded to build the fiddleyard cassette which was an MDF kit obtained from the N-gauge society. It went together really well, BUT it won't fufill the traverser/storage cassette role that I had envisaged; so effectively I have a series of tracks wired up that can't be connected to one another so that I can run my "trains" onto and off the scenic section. I have never built a traverser/sector plate before and the MDF kit seemed the most appropriate way to proceed, but despite following the instructions the track level of the cassette is higher than the track level on the board, and I can't get it to align properly. The instructions recommend using the peco N-gauge fishplates to connect to the end of the track but this is not going to work as its so fiddly trying to join and disconnect it and that's without any rolling stock on it!

So after alot of expletives I have put all my N-gauge back in the cupboard. I need to rethink the layout that I had in mind and rethink whether I want to carry on in N-gauge. I do have other scales on the boil, and actually returned to my former 00-gauge micro BLT. It worked okay, except that the loco kept stalling on one of the electrofrog points. All was fine after a wipe with a cloth impregnated with white spirit, well at least for a frew passes back and forth before said loco stalled again. The tracks look clean to me and the loco is brand new (Bachmann 3F), it runs over all of the other points well and does not stall so Frustration and a little exasperation are my modelling words of the day!

Sorry to take up so much space venting my spleen, I thought railwaymodelling was supposed to be an enjoyable hobby relieving the accumulated stress of modern life and work.

Mark

 

[JimG]

Mark,

Can you show us some pictures of your problem with the cassette storage system on your N gauge layout then we might be able to suggest some ways of improving matters?

Jim.

 

[mickoo]

I laid the track, wired up and tested and then sprayed the whole affair to weather both track and the baseboard surfaces. All was good, I then proceeded to build the fiddleyard cassette which was an MDF kit obtained from the N-gauge society. It went together really well, BUT it won't fufill the traverser/storage cassette role that I had envisaged; so effectively I have a series of tracks wired up that can't be connected to one another so that I can run my "trains" onto and off the scenic section. I have never built a traverser/sector plate before and the MDF kit seemed the most appropriate way to proceed, but despite following the instructions the track level of the cassette is higher than the track level on the board, and I can't get it to align properly. The instructions recommend using the peco N-gauge fishplates to connect to the end of the track but this is not going to work as its so fiddly trying to join and disconnect it and that's without any rolling stock on it!

Would it be possible to raise the track on the scenic section to the same height as the traverser/cassette? I agree with fishplates, thats going to be painfull, lots of model traversers have no direct connection between the two tracks, purely relying on alignment and held in place by some other securing method, locking pins, latch bolts etc.

Sorry to take up so much space venting my spleen, I thought railwaymodelling was supposed to be an enjoyable hobby relieving the accumulated stress of modern life and work.
Mark

LOL, it's just a different stress that makes you forget about the other stresses

 

[iploffy]

Bulldog clips to L shaped pieces of aluminium, that works well.

 

[Unigate]

Many thanks to you all - Jim, I'll need to pull out the layout board and cassette to photograph it, but I very much appreciate your preparedness to have a look and give me some advice. Mickoo, I did try to raise the ends of the track on the scenic section, but the problem with that was that I was reliant upon the rail connectors/fihplates providing electrical continuity and maintaining the gauge, this is what has ultimately proved to be too fiddly. Jordan, I like your approach its very neat, I wish I had those skills

I think that I need to revise and condense the track layout on the scenic board and install some points to act as a cross-over on the fiddle yard section, or I have to come up with a novel sector plate/traverser, which I seem to lack the imagination for at the moment. I will sit on this for a while and have a good think.

Mark

 

[Simon]

It is always these "moving bits" that give problems - it's the same for all of us I think.

There are all sorts of beautifully engineered solutions out there, but in the meantime another possible approach for you to consider is soldering the rail ends on to some copper clad paxolin, which needn't be to any scale so long as it is gapped to give insulation one rail to the other. You then glue this to the board/cassete end with your favourite poison, personally I'm a great fan of epoxy resin.

If you want to give it a try but don't have any pcb/copper clad paxolin I've got loads spare and you'd be very welcome to have some, just pm me your address if you want to give it a go.

You know you need small trains running in your life....

Simon

 

[iploffy]

tried and tested and cheap

 

[Unigate]

Okay Folks,

What use is a workbench without photographs? I have never posted/shown pictures of my modelling before, primarily because there are no pictures - so today I "pop my cherry" so to speak. You may recall that I was working on an N-gauge micro that has left me frustrated due to issues with the fiddle yard and sector plate. So I have put it all away and been beavering away on my 00-gauge micro instead (there's a theme beginning to appear here).

I had previously laid and wired the track, made the platform, but was disappointed with the way in which the platform looked and thus left it at that. So I have tried to improve the platform, fixed it to the layout board and now begun to develop the ground around the track.

The inspiration for the layout has come from two different sources, the first is the Dursley branch and the second is a series of images depicting a 7mm gauge layout called Osney Town. Although I never got to see Osney Town in the flesh I was completely smitten by the presentation and standard of modelling. What I am aiming to capture on my layout is the cramped (nee claustophobic) feel of a small semi-rural station surrounded by a large factory. It will be viewed from "behind" the station, thus looking from the station yard/approaches. It is very much a work in progress, it is not cutting edge, in fact the main aim is that I complete it so that trains can be run in a scenic environment. It measures 5.5 feet by 1ft and is powered by conventional DC - I am still learning the basics and very much believe in learning to walk before trying to run. I hope that by sharing these pictures with you will help to spur me on - procrastination and frustration have seen me abort so many previous layouts - so fingers crossed!