ben pez Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Nice work jeff coming along great Cheers Ben Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jason T Posted October 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 10, 2015 Are you going to have a couple of kick back sidings too Jeff, for DMU's and the like? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 10, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 10, 2015 (edited) Are you going to have a couple of kick back sidings too Jeff, for DMU's and the like? Not a bad idea - I can easily add the kickback siding onto the siding furthest from the main line. Would be a good use for the (presently) unused space, and I have a few DMUs. I wouldn't have thought of that. Jeff Edit: Easy to add one in each direction! Edited October 10, 2015 by Physicsman 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 11, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 11, 2015 So, here we go! Just coming up to 7 weeks into the layout building and the first track has been laid. I decided to start laying track in the fiddle yard, unlike KL where I went straight to laying the slips almost immediately. Reason for the change? I wanted to re-familiarise myself with the tracklaying procedures and it's been a while since I've done any soldering - so a bit of practice should improve my "performance" in a relatively out-of-sight place! I'd forgotten how much time this takes. Especially as I decided to remove all the previously fitted droppers - I want to be able to trust that what I fit now is going to work electrically. What, with unsoldering, cutting wire, re-soldering, testing for continuity, testing each Cobalt, working out the correct position and fitting the Cobalts etc etc..... it took ages! But very enjoyable! The first bit of soldering on KL2 took place at 16.18 BST..... Anyway, here's some pics. A chair and a table to work on: Getting the tools and wire ready: The first wired-up turnout: these are Marcway 60/36" points... The turnout in position: ... and its Cobalt duly fitted: More shortly! Jeff 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 11, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 11, 2015 After two and a half hours this is where I've got to - the first 3 fiddle yard turnouts are in place with associated Cobalts fitted. Already getting very "wirey" under the board - and I've only just started!! I'll be out in the Bunker at 6 in the morning. The bug has well and truly struck!! Jeff 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted October 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 11, 2015 Sensible place to start Jeff. good to see you getting the turnouts lined up properly. Care with track laying pays off later on. Don 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Alister_G Posted October 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 11, 2015 Love the use of the clamp-stand Jeff, very schoolmasterly Great to see the first bits of track going down. Al. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 12, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 12, 2015 More pics to add to the collection. The sections of PVA'd, straight track are now weighed down and awaiting glue-setting. Jeff 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben pez Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Great progess,makes me wish i had put cork down before track to get a realistic shoulder when the ballast is down! Yer live & learn i suppose! Cheers Ben Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 12, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 12, 2015 Great progess,makes me wish i had put cork down before track to get a realistic shoulder when the ballast is down! Yer live & learn i suppose! Cheers Ben I wouldn't worry about it Ben. The cork is down to provide a bit of sound deadening. Since all the boards are covered entirely in cork everything is still at the same level as if put directly onto the board. I'll get a decent ballast shoulder by deep ballasting. Ais Gill looks fine as it is!! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 WOW Jeff, Cork, Track, Motors, Wiring, good grief man there'll be G***** next. Its looking really neat mate, I'll be back for an update again soon. All the best. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 13, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 13, 2015 WOW Jeff, Cork, Track, Motors, Wiring, good grief man there'll be G***** next. Its looking really neat mate, I'll be back for an update again soon. All the best. Thanks Andy. Maybe g**** by Christmas - not saying WHICH Christmas!! I've spent quite a lot of time in the Bunker - laying track - over the last 3 days. I don't feel like I've got very far as everything seems to take ages. Maybe I'm too critical, and I'm still fitting lots of droppers - 2 pairs for every yard of normal track - despite saying i'd cut down. Oh well, the soldering iron is no longer dusty!! I'll post a few pics later when some of the PVA will have set, and I can remove the weights holding the track in place. Jeff 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 I trust you've ordered a golden spike when the last bit of track is laid Jeff. Looking very good. You'll probably have the best laid fiddle yard of any layout I can think of. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 13, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 13, 2015 Just to prove the point of my "slow-coach" progress - but some progress, anyway - here's a couple of pics I've just taken... Still enjoying myself, though!! Jeff 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Do you have a plan (rough will do) of the fiddle yard please Jeff? i see you have a point going somewhere off the outside loop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 14, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 14, 2015 Here you are, Peter. One very roughly drawn fiddle yard plan: Jeff 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Neater than I could do on the PC Jeff. Will those dead-ends lead to cassettes or such like? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 14, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 14, 2015 Neater than I could do on the PC Jeff. Will those dead-ends lead to cassettes or such like? Yes, that's the idea. Each dead-end is around 150cm long, so they're also useful for accommodating the odd train or two! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Ah. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
67A Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Hi Jeff, Great to see tracklaying commenced and it looks good in itself, very nicely done. A bit of advice on your wiring if its okay, its a good idea to pre-wire the cobalts as you have already done however if you cut those wires to about 20cm and solder them to a 6 section of 'tag strip' all in the same configuration you can fasten this to the framing which makes testing and occasional replacement much easier. Keep up the good work mate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 14, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 14, 2015 Hi Mike. I've fitted 10 Cobalts/10 turnouts to date. All the wires you see on the point motors are relics from the dismantling of KL. I've let them be for the minute as the blue and yellow wires are the motor connections - useful for testing and moving the actuator wire to the vertical for fitting. I'll fit a new set of wires shortly. Must admit, once the fiddle yard track is down, I'll come up with a neater-than-last-time wiring solution. In the meantime, it's a "wire jungle"!! Jeff 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted October 14, 2015 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 14, 2015 Ever get that annoying experience: you've bought something recently, put it "somewhere safe" - and now you can't find it?!! It happened to me today. I realised I'd re-stocked with metal rail joiners, IRJs and PCB sleepers from Marcway about 5 weeks ago. Could I remember where I'd put them? Not on your nelly! It's been narking me all afternoon. Just unearthed them in the most logical place - one of the boxes that holds a selection of Marcway turnouts. Phew!! I was getting low on joiners and I didn't fancy shelling out money for stuff I'd already bought. Update: 3 curved turnouts and several sections of SMP have gone down today. Sorry, no pics at the moment. Will get some for tomorrow. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Rowsley17D Posted October 15, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 15, 2015 I do it all the time, Jeff. I now put stuff in labelled crates or old ice cream containers. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gismorail Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 I'm always loosing bits and pieces and getting a nark on when I can't find them like you usually find them later on in a logical place when I'm 'not' looking for them. It's what's my mother always used to say ' It's in a safe place' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Jeff, again just caught up so I am sorry if it has been said before, but why not install facing crossovers at each end of the fiddle sidings. Would give you more operating potential and make full use of the FY Derek Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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