My next adventure - North Quay

[Izzy]

That all looks good Ian, both above and below. So neat and tidy. I like the white underneath to see things clearly, it’s amazing how much electronics is fitted there, although the mention of CBUS etc. is way above my level of understanding ….

 

Bob

[Ian Morgan]

Yes, finding space for some more servos is a bit like Tetris. Once it is all in, I will use some more cable ties to make it tidy, and secure. Dangling wires are a liability on exhibition layouts. I have fitted some tool clips to hold the inter-baseboard connectors while in transit.

 

The Tetris problem will also apply to the buildings. The two main boards bolt together closely in order to fit into the flight case, so tall buildings will need to have corresponding unobstructed ground on the other board so that buildings do not collide. All good fun.

 

 

[Lacathedrale]

The layout looks lovely, very well done, @Ian Morgan - may I ask why you went with servo-mounted permanent magnets rather than electromagnets? Your point about distance has reminded me that my own layout is going to need whatever I do mounted to the sub-roadbed, not the layout baseboards - since the latter is raised about an inch above - so thank you for that timely nugget!

[Ian Morgan]

20 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

may I ask why you went with servo-mounted permanent magnets rather than electromagnets? 

 

Thanks for the complement.

 

Various factors influence my choice of permanent magnets:

• Using a Layout Control Bus (LCB) to operate accessories and DCC to just drive the trains means I only need 6-wire connections between baseboards (2 wires for DCC track bus, 2 wires for 12VDC general power supply and 2 wires for the CAN Bus)
• Using Merg CBUS (one of many available LCBs) and Merg DCC Command Station means I can operate everything using the Merg hand-held throttle, so I do not need a control panel. However, on my Freshwater layout I found physical push buttons were more practical for uncouplers, so you can see I have added push buttons in the fiddle yard board.
• I am using servos to operate the points. The Merg CBUS modules that control servos can support 8 servos and I have one module under each baseboard, so I have plenty of spare outputs at no extra cost. The Merg module can also accept up to 8 inputs, so the pushbuttons in the fiddle yard all feed into the module that otherwise only has two servos to worry about, one point and one uncoupler).
• Electro-magnets need a high current and can heat up if activated for long periods. Servos only take a high current when they move and very low current when stationary (up or down). I would also need a different CBUS module to control them.
• A servo, home made mount and a couple of magnets work out at a fraction of the price of an electromagnet from the likes of Gaugemaster or Peco.
• It is possible for a single servo to raise magnets under multiple parallel tracks. On Freshwater, three servos actually provide nine uncoupling positions.

All this is planned as part of a complete layout control 'system' which has the flexibility for me to add further gizmos and animations that I am intending to incorporate - watch this space.

 

It is also possible to use servos in a more traditional setup. A Merg Servo4 module or similar can be connected via long wires to toggle switches in a control panel. A Servo4 can control up to 4 servos. Four servos and a Servo4 module work out at about £5 (GBP) per uncoupler.

 

[Ian Morgan]

All tracks are ballasted now (hooray) and I have fitted some more servo operated uncoupling magnets. Clearing the trackwork of excess glue, paint and ballast where it should not be has started.

I used Mod Podge for the first time to fix the ballast, and found it to be almost as bad as the Copydex I first used on Freshwater. It is rubbery and shiney, but I can at least manage to remove a single piece of ballast without all its neighbours coming along with it. Hopefully I can get the layout operating smoothly in time for the Basingstoke club open day (and grand opening of the new clubrooms):

 

I still have three months to get the scenic work done before going to Germany.

 

 

[Ian Morgan]

The tracks are laid, ballasted and painted, but still need more running and cleaning to remove the remaining bits of ballast and paint from there they should not be.

 

A start on the scenery is now possible. A backscene has been added, albeit not very neatly but hopefully trees will cover up the worst bits.

 

The most noticeable scenic element at St Helens North Quay is the small gasworks, and large gas holder, which had to be included in the model.

 

I acquired some of the Hornby Skaledale gasworks models second hand which form a good, and quick, basis to work with, and I also found a Walthers gas holder kit. This is meant to represent a vertical lifting type with a surrounding framework. I wanted a rotating lift holder without the framework. There was not room on the baseboards for the complete gas holder, so it had to be cut down to fit in a corner as, sort-of, half relief. Not much of the Walthers kit has been used in the end, although it did provide the important tank parts.

 

Some foamboard discs were cut and araldited inside the gas holder tanks to strengthen them before cutting to fit the layout. Because of the height of the gas holder, only the bottom section of the tank will be permanently attached to the layout, the upper sections will be removable to allow the baseboards to be bolted together for transport. The gas holder is raised up on a foam board base so the top of the holder will be above the height of the backscene, allowing the full circle of the 'lid' to be fitted, overhanging the rear and side of the backscene.

 

Here is a photo of the bottom section of the gas holder. I decided to go with a fixed lower section, with just the upper sections representing the raising and lowering sections. This may not be absolutely correct for the location, but is a valid option, and the Walthers kit is easier to modify for this purpose. The upper sections need a lot more work to make them fit, and to add more detail. They will also mask the corner of the backscenes.

 

Edited September 20 by Ian Morgan

[Caley Jim]

Re: your gas holder, Ian.  You could always employ the trick used by the creators of Donaghadee in the middle left of this photo:

only modelled in half relief with a mirror behind them!  Took me a minute or two to work out what was going on!

 

Jim

[Ian Morgan]

Neat idea.

 

Hopefully, because the two 'ends' of mine curve back into the backscene you would not see that the rest of the circle is not there.

 

 

[Ian Morgan]

The gas works is slowly progressing:

 

[Ian Morgan]

The gas holder is progressing well. The Walthers kit, if built as intended, would probably be strong enough mounted on a layout to withstand the rigours of exhibition life. However, I wanted to model the self supporting type of gas holder, plus I need to make the top 2/3 removable for transport and I need it to overhang the backscene boards as I do not have the room to model it in full. I cut out some discs of foamboard that were araldited inside the holder at various positions, and that strengthened it enough to perform the required surgery with a fresh new razor saw. I am quite pleased with the result. Evergreen and Plastruct strips, hand rails and stairs have been added to detail the walkways and the helictical rails. I just need to complete the support structures for the stairs and add some fine brass handrails that I found on Ali-Express and it will be ready for some Tamiya fine grey primer spray, as applied to the base section already. The base section will be permanently fixed to the layout once I have rusted and weathered everything.