Another window has opened, fellow WT-ers, so I’ve gradually turned my attention to the layout once again.
Reluctantly, I’ve decided to forego all intentions of operating it remotely: points in the loop will be operated manually as considered in the beginning, and the working catch point will be non-operational. Additionally, there will be no automatic uncoupling.
Whilst I’ve played with wire-in-tube and angle cranks quite successfully on a previous occasion, this time it wasn’t. The problem seemed to be with slide switches I was using to provide the throw. Albeit the mechanism worked, but there was just too much resistance for my liking, with the inevitable future consequence of having to mend or replace when it all went pear-shaped. No thanks. I think it was probably down to the sloping hole I’d drilled in the plastic handle of the switch, but having not the foggiest about enjuneering stuff, I couldn’t quite be sure. In any case, even though train sets traditionally have their chunky mechanisms on show, the auxiliary bits of this method of operation were just too in your face, so out have come the tubes, cranks and slide switches (the holes that are left will need filling back in), and old Uncle Tom Cobbly an’ all.
Ideally, I would have liked to have connected the wire-in-tube system to a ‘Faringdon’ style brass slide mechanism, but apart from the existing problem of not being able to access the underside of the board, the hinged letter box style front would have put paid to any protrusions in the fascia. So that was that.
How I’m beginning to loathe that fascia and it’s frame: they’ve been nothing but an obstruction since I started the change of theme and, believe it or not, I find it a little claustrophobic. I wonder if that’s ever been said about a layout before?
Turning attention to uncoupling, I decided to give up on the cylindrical neo magnets I was harping on about last time and sent off for some long rectangular ones instead. Now these really were the business. Only trouble was, every time I opened the window, they shot off and attached themselves to a passing satellite so extreme care was required when anything made of metal was about. However......when push came to shove, I just couldn’t be bothered digging out the track bed at the required points (oh how I wish I’d laid the track on some form of underlay), so I gave up. Actually, the straw that broke the camel’s back was deciding the strategic points at which to place them. A quandary. And what about on bends? Would they fail to uncouple (or even recouple) when required? Enough was enough. It was back to uncoupling the Kaydees with a wooden skewer; the American way. I consoled myself by considering how unprototypical the Kaydee shuffle was
Since then, I’ve also decided against Kaydees: there’s just no point now going to the trouble and expense of swapping over, so the tension locks stay. I’m opting for one of those plastic bent spoon type uncouplers available on the bay. But that’s quite some way off.
Now that those onerous decisions have finally been made, it’s on with the track laying. Here, things have fared a little better in as much as there were no short circuits or gremlins of any sort with the electrics (more down to fortune than design), so I’ve begun trying out some track painting methods which I’m just making up as I go along, working from photos from the ‘Steam Days’ mags as a guide.
This photo shows some sleeper colouring tests with different washes and powders on an offcut of rail:
Looks okay, especially for the siding, and a mix of washes should prevent a too uniform look to things. Please ignore the couple of light coloured ones which have been left as a reference.
Next, I’ve experimented with a thin wash of mixed up Humbrol enamels over Matt black on the rails, again in an attempt to keep things variegated. A lighter wash will be applied next, before dry brushing in places with a light rust mix - especially on the ‘dead-rail’ and the chairs.
So that’s it for now.
Now I’m off to paint as much of the track before finally gluing it down.
Cheers for now,
Jonte