Latest progress. Still need to fashion some lower supports for the ladder from plastic strip. I was going to replace the walkways with something thinner but, to be honest, I couldn't be bothered! Worth the effort do you think? Matt
Hi all, I've been contemplating changing my proposed trackplan to remove the run round loop. As has been established by now, I am not confident that I will be able to wire this thing up, especially with the added complication of adding frog polarity switching into the mix. As a result, my enthusiasm for the layout is starting to wane, just at the point I was about to make progress. Changing the plan will essentially leave me with a platform road and two sidings and it'll become a glorified inglenook. My thinking is that although I lose the ability to run around a loco hauled train in the station, I'll considerably simplify the wiring. The alternative is I adopt insulfrog points and keep the original trackplan. What do you reckon? Is it a worthwhile sacrifice - operation for simplicity or insulfrogs to keep the trackplan? Matt
Hi Matt You don't have to do the additional frog wiring on electofrog points, it just that it makes them more reliable. As Peco state in their instruction, they can be used straight out of the box and will be no less reliable than insulfrog points. If you haven't seen it, http://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical.html#live gives loads of useful information. Ed
Hi all, Here's my completed (but unpainted) Dapol 35 ton tanker wagon. I think the effort with some plastic rod, strip and sheet plus some replacement buffers and ladders make all the difference! Now I have a second to do, which I won't bore you with! I need to get some replacement transfers because the originals are yellowed. Thanks for looking Matt
Hi chaps, More random rolling stock from me! I picked up this old Triang crane in a poor state and am having a go at tarting it up in my usual style! The jib was beyond repair so I'm hoping to rebuild it from plastic sheet and strip to the correct width. The metal underframe will require quite a bit of cleaning up as it seems to have been immersed in WD40 (or similar). Most of the time so far has been spent disassembling and removing parts to be replaced. I've got a rather nice set which includes etched pulleys, one of which is visible in the photo, and a cast counterweight. It's been hacked about hence the plastic dust everywhere! Matt
Hi Matt I just read your post 103 don't despair If you can hold on for a few days I hope to help you out in a step by step wiring of your layout all the best Bob
Hi Bob, I can wait, plenty of other things to be getting on with! Remember the Triang/Hornby crane I was working on? My 1 hour of modelling time today was spent on rebuilding the jib. Everything so far is from a mix of plastic sheet, strip and 'L' angle. It's pretty flimsy but should be stronger once all the strengthening pieces are added. Matt
Hi Matt After reading back you said it was to be DC and one loco in operation only, and requiring the most basic wiring with electro frog points used in unmodified state as you are not wanting to complicate it any further than is needed. So a basic diagram based on the plan needed. For a most basic DC wiring with no mods to the points I have draw up a diagram that has only 3 insulated joiners and 3 power feeds, this will allow one loco operation The points will artificially isolate (Nutral state)the track that is not aligned behind them up to the insulated joiners position, Example, point No1 set to station, = track is live +/-, = loop and siding +/+ = Neutral ie have the same polarity on them in this case + + causing a neutral state so you could park a second engine on either and it won’t move. Second example point No1/2 set to loop, the station line will have a Neutral State -/-, again a loco could be left now in the station with out it moving, the Siding behind point 2 will also be in a neutral state +/+, a loco could be left in this position with out it moving. Third example point No1/2 set to aline to siding, the station line will have a Neutral State -/-, again a loco could be left in the station with out it moving, the Loop behind point 2 will now be in a neutral state -/- again a loco could be stop in the loop , and the becomes siding live +/- Point 3 won’t have any effect on the others sections as the insulated joiners are behind the “V” and only these short sections will change polarity. If you decide at a later time that you would like to isolate a loco in the section of track ahead and including point 3 a on/off switch can be installed in the feed wire to this section. Matt I hope this helps it’s about the most basic I can think of hopefully I have got it right Ironically I am a diagnosed Dyslexic my self struggle to read properly but for some reason wiring diagrams etc have never been an issue and a made a career out of fixing electrical issues with high tech automotive wiring and electronics.
Now that, kind Sir, is why I like this forum so much in comparison to other, larger ones! All the advice I've been given here regarding my electrical-phobia has been great and has really been appreciated! I feel I can almost make sense of this diagram - the only change I might make is to have an isolating section behind point 3... although I don't want to get ahead of myself! Thank you once again for taking the time to post that! Matt
Hi Matt thats exactly the way to do it. I wont bother with the tutorial now. unless there is something else you need. all the best Bob
Cheers Gary! Crane progress - a few hours of chopping plastic 'L' beam later and things are already stronger. What's become obvious is I've got some of the dimensions wrong (this is all guesswork so far), especially at the hook end which is too wide. I've put too much time and effort into it to start again, and any attempts at dismantling would end in disaster so I'll just have to live with it! Matt
I know I said I could live with it...but I couldn't! Cue some nerve wracking disassembly and reassembly after narrowing the hook end by about 3mm... you see, size does matter! Joking aside, it looks all the better for it in my opinion. Need to leave it alone for the glue to go off properly now because it's still pretty fragile at the moment. Matt
It does - it's not very apparent in the photo. The hook end is approx 9mm whereas the other end is just under 20mm. I think the camera is distorting the picture a bit because the taper is more noticeable than it appears! Matt