Old Ply Branch and industries HO Shelf Layout

Thanks Andy,
I will take that as a compliment...I may be looking for parts to be printed when my eyes stop doing their job.
As Gary mentioned, there is a fair bit of detail in the pipe line...pardon the pun.

Kind regards
Chris

 

So I bit the bullet and pulled my turnouts today...started having trouble with dead blades so I gave them the live frog upgrade.
2 different methods...



First method fixes the Electrolfrog problem...
The only part I cut off was these 2 small joiners behind the blades.


I bridged the frog rails...and bridged the feed wires across to the blades to feed them as the little tabs are no longer reliable to feed the blades reliably.



This method will need a SPST (single pole single throw) switch to operate the polarity change on the frog as the blades are switched side to side keeping the frog the same polarity as the blade that is touching the main rail.

Also insulated rail joiners are needed to isolate the 2 frog rails from further blocks of rail when installing.

The Insulfrog turnouts are wired the same but I just cut and remove the thin wires joining the frog and rail section. They will also need to have Insulated rail joiners on the frog and a switch mechanism to align the polarity of the frog. After watching a pile of how to vids and reading articles I feel these are both fool proof DCC friendly metheds that will work fine for DC as well.



Thats 3 done...2 to go...for now.



Just realised I forgot to drill the 2 leading switch machine holes...lol...oh well out they come again


Kind regards
Chris

 

Thanks for posting up these ideas Gary...I have found a pile of similar Ideas on the net and YT as well. Lots to think about.

For the switching mech... I have ordered a Bullfrog switch machine as I am interested in the design they have used...there are many similar variants of the mechanism but the idea is basically the same with most...

I have found I have some space constraints due to the framework under the module so I may still end up just running a simple 3mm dowell push rod under the trackwork to a slide switch that I can mount on the front of the module. I have been looking to use dowel in a sleeve of 4mm Retic riser tube...should work fine.

On another note I dug out the control panel I made for this end of the layout. I decided to get it working so I can Isolate all the spurs in the industrial area. I am going to Install an extra switch to allow for me to install the WifiTrax module I have that enables DC running with my tablet or device via wifi throttle apps such as engine driver. The WifiTrax module is also set up so I can add on a DCC upgrade at later date.

Here are some pics of the control panel not quite finished...I had to rewire the power feed to the track...LEDs were all working though so that's a start.


I run the LEDs with an old Nokia 5V DC charger using DPST switches to activate the lights and power track when sections are selected.



I will post up more about the control panel once it is closer to being installed/finished.

Enough for now...
Kind regards
Chris

 

Oh and I forgot...I got a bach of trees from Japan...Cheap plastic Armature but I gave them the hairspray treatment and plotted a scene around the fencing I have up.

Nothing is glued in but they look pretty good...they are very uniform so I will need to use variety and vary colour to splits them up a bit. Will need to cut and colour if using in clumps of the same tree.



Kind regards
Chris

 

Not wrong...points are made to work as off shelf...unfortunately I am at the perils of second hand turnouts...they worked fine until I started flinging glue and paint around...

Anyways...I spent the arvo with my youngest putting together part of an old Kabri kit I had on the shelf. Taught him some basic preparation, got him to sprue cut all the parts while I sanded them... he had a go at painting the decking with washes...came up great with some instructions.

This is the derelict house we built out of the Sherifs office kit...I sanded down some of the waste stock to add stumps for extra interest.




Kind regards
Chris

 

Hi Again everyone!

I found a couple of boxes of Peco pallets and 44 gallon drums in a box from australianmodeller.com.au...and decided to spend an hour or so to get them all weathered up. I found once you finished painting the barrels...I put a coat of wash over them and rolled them in dark earth which I sprinkled on a flat surface and spread out a bit then rolled the drums over it...I also dabbed the tops in it as well and then rolled the drums on hand towel paper to finish them off. They came up great.
I also got an old dodge ute or pickup as the yanks call it and tested out a block control module I had bought a couple of years ago from WiFitrax.

Here are some pics of them... I also posted a link to the YT post about the WiFiTrax module that gives a basic explanation of its capabilities.
To check out their products here is the website... www.wifitrax.com









Kind regards
Chris

 

Whoops I almost forgot to mention I had been working on the flat stand as you can see in the pics in the last post...this has a base of glued down card, wait till it sets before continuing!! and then with a couple of thin layers of cornice plaster(with acrylic paint to tint) and letting each layer fully set... I finish the surface with a fine foam sanding block. Further details will be added such as cracks, slab joints and other spills and material mess etc...leave it to your imagination.

Here is the YT link to the process I used and a short layout update:





Kind regards
Chris

 

Hi Again everyone! Hope your all well...
Not too much to report on the layout at this point but I did manage to get my Static grass applicator project done...PVC pipe fitting and Electronics that Gary directed me toward...quite a simple little project but producing a strong current to help stand up some of the big stuff.
These are the basic body parts I used...

90mm IO screw cap fitting
90mm storm water drain pipe
90mm to 60mm reducer
60mm PVC pipe
2 PVC caps
and a steel meshed strainer.




I measured and cut the pipe to accommodate the electrical parts and glued the 90mm sections together allowing access to the inside of the 60mm section for further assembly. The mesh was cut from the strainer to fit tight inside the modified screw on IO cap that had been modified and then glued using Hot glue gun into place...A wire was then twisted around the mesh and soldered into place so it did not fall off. The wire was then fed through a 1/8th hole drilled in the second 60mm PVC cap that was modified to seal this end of the container.









The next job was to complete the top section of the unit that would include and on/off switch and indicator light and of course the main operation piece...the 12V DC Ion generator. I googled the basic wiring diagram to make sure I was on the right track and made good the connections.
below is the final diagram I used.

The ION generator was sourced from Oatleys Electronic...here is the link http://oatleyelectronics.com//product_info.php?products_id=1203&osCsid=0c8qmq9cdie81tq4acrirerht7
And the rest was left over part from my control panel sourced from Jaycar.

Note: A 9V Battery is an alternative power source for your tool if plug in cords are not your thing.





The switch and indicator light was then drilled and fixed into the remaining 60mm PVC cap with the 12V power supply and the last of the project assembled...I made sure I insulated all the wire connections and then used packing noodles to secure the ION generator inside the tubing. Hot glue was used to secure the power feed wire to the cap to prevent it from being pulled out accidentally. the grounding wire was fed out the side of the 60mm tubing before the ION generator was installed.











Now it was time to test the applicator to make sure it had been assemble correctly and would meet my needs...The test was a success and I found I would not need to glue the top section together as it was a tight fit. I found by using the screw on IO fittings, it allows me to make different gauge mesh heads that can be changed out when applying different materials. Adding a connector to the Active wire in the container allows for easy change out.
This is the finished product. I found all the parts cost less than 50 AU dollars to complete and less if your a plumber with spare parts lying around.



Well that is as many uploads as the site will allow for this update...please go check out my short films for the rest of the build info. Hope this helps anyone that has not already attempted this kind of project.





There are also other info and tutorials already on Platform1MRC forum for you to refer to...make sure you go check them out...they were very helpful.

https://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/static-grass.4540/#post-73201

https://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/modifying-my-static-grass-applicator.4723/


Kind regards
Chris

 

I also got delivery of some Mini Metals 1/87 HO scale R-190 truck and trailer kits yesterday.

Sourced from Auto World Store...
Link... https://www.autoworldstore.com/

I really like them and they fit my scene perfectly. One problem out of the blox was that the 5th wheel plate had been assembles incorrectly and needed alteration. Details are noted in the short film.
Here are the glamour shots. Geez after taking these pictures I noticed that i really need to get on with painting up the timber loads...they are sooo yellowy plastic...lol



This is the short montage of the "unvailing"...Hope you enjoy the short film.




Kind regards
Chris

 

Yes I head your words of wisdom...the way it is all assembled I will be able to disconnect the larger section and create a 60mm section to fit on similar to what you have done...

The whole bottom end of the current static machine can be disconnected easy enough...just need another end cap and some more mesh.

Cheers again for the tips...what I really need to do is get my switch machines installed now...just got a pile of dowel to create a push rod system.

Kind Regards
Chris