HO Exhibition Layout Build

Thanks Paul - I'll give them a watch and see how they go.

Ian

 

Morning all,

I've been working on Anyrail this morning and I have amended the layout plan to include the curved extension to be added to the right hand end.

Ian

Attached files

 

Toto wrote:

Hi Toto,

I'm using peco solenoids - they are relatively cheap, and ridiculously easy to mount directly to peco pointwork as I have been able to simply cut away the foam baseboard to take the solenoid. I will be fitting some thin card under the track around the points before I ballast so nothing will fall through and you'll hardly know they are there (until they SNAP the blades across).

Ian

 

Toto wrote:

Thanks Toto.

Ian

 

Hi everyone.

Things have been a bit quiet on layout construction over the past week or two as I have been spending some time operating trains and working out what I want to do in regards to uncouplers. I thought I had found the right spots for magnetic uncoupling but the number of curves mean there would need to be lots of undertrack magnets and there would be too much chance of accidental uncoupling. I thought about using electromagnets but I don't want extra switches on the control panel. In the long run I decided to go with manual uncoupling so freight cars can be left anywhere needed.

As I'm planning to run the layout with a sort of twilight effect, I need to have a light on the uncoupling pick so I can see what I'm doing. I have a couple of picks attached to small touches that I made a few years ago which work really well but you are forever turning them on and off with a twist switch on the end which is very frustrating on a shunting layout. I thought of doing away with the batteries and running it from a transformer but the power cord would get in the way. I found the answer on the Jaycar website - a mercury tilt switch. All I had to do was replace the original switch with a tilt switch and then the light would come on when the torch is vertical but turn off when it is horizontal so the batteries aren't wasted but there is no more fiddling with switches.

I made up the prototype today and it works quiet nicely. I have another torch/pick to modify over the next month or so and I plan to take construction photos of each step or maybe even make a "Gormo" type how to video.

Oh, for our UK members, Jaycar is like an Australian version of Maplins - HI DE HI (sorry, I can't even think of Maplins without hearing that in my head).

Ian

 

SMR CHRIS wrote:

Thanks Chris. I'll bring it with me to Wyee on the 1/9.

Ian

 

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all the advice on the airbrush but I think I'd rather put $99 towards a new loco as I'm quite happy doing my painting with a brush and the occasional rattle can when needed. I'm on holidays for 2 weeks as of 3/9 so I hope to get some more work done on the layout then.

Ian

 

Toto wrote:

Hi Toto,

No loco in particular, just a general thought - I always try to be make sure I get the most value/use/enjoyment for my modelling dollar and I would get more from a loco than an airbrush.

Ian

 

Hi everyone!

Well, I'm on holidays now so I get to tackle one of the bigger jobs on the layout - building and fitting the curved right hand extension. The curve is rather tight with a radius of 100mm and I can't bend the 3mm mdf that I used for the fascia on the main board that tightly so this part will have 6mm mdf top with a pine frame to keep it at track height. The curved part of the frame is being made of a couple of bits of 30mm x 65mm pine screwed to the top and each other which will then be shaped to the curve using the bandsaw and benchsander (it's quite handy to have a father who is into woodwork with a shed full of tools and equipment). If all goes to plan, I hope to have some pics to put on here by the end of the week.

Ian

Attached files