Programming

[Stokeyboy]

Hi all. Just a quick question on making a stand alone programming track in conjunction with my Elite. To make it simple I have considered using a wood plinth long enough to take two straight track pieces, one of these being a digital power track to connect to. Would this work with some table lamp wire?. Cheers.

[ColinB]

Yes, it will work with table lamp wire, it will even work with "bell" wire.

[Chrissaf]

This is mine and as you can see it is almost identical to your proposal.

It uses Fig 8 Bell / Speaker wire directly soldered to the track rails.

.

If you use the Hornby DCC power clip / track, then you may also need Hornby X8011 crimp terminals to attach to the end of the wires.

.

/media/tinymce_upload/8a32bc69c16ffdc70cbd4819c5267d0b.JPG

.

[Stokeyboy]

That is exactly what I'm looking for. Tidy piece of kit that. However, not sure what you mean about the crimp terminals. Can I not put one end of the cables in the power track terminals and the other end in the program terminals on the Elite?. Not that au fait with the electrical side of things. Thanks again.

[Chrissaf]

The product page for the X8011 says that they are used to connect wires to the Hornby Power Tracks and Power Clips, Basically they give more robust connectivity compared to just pushing bared wires in the connector recepticles.

.

Extract below from the X8011 product page.

/media/tinymce_upload/bd350be933913453882997b7b606baaa.jpg

.

PS - My wooden base was carved out of a stock length of 2 x 2 timber. I used a 'slide circular saw' to the do the carving. Then sanded smooth.

.

Something similar to this, but not this particular brand / model. This image is just an example. Used the slide saw to make about 100 parallel cuts along the length of the 2" x 2" timber to depth of 1", then chiselled out the waste material before sanding. The circular blade can be set with a 'stop' to a set height, then being a slide action the bottom of each cut is totally flat and parallel.

.

/media/tinymce_upload/5dd01068ae17626da95f17b5c91b863c.jpg

.

 

[37lover]

Chrissaf,

Would not a piece of 2" x 1" with offcuts glued & screwed to the ends have been easier, quicker, and cheaper? No doubt you'll agree, but say the 2" x 2" was already in your possession.

[Bulleidboy]

My "programming track" is fixed down on my control table, with power wires soldered to the rails, and permanently wired into my Elite. The piece of track (Code 75) - is about thirty inches long, has cork underlay, ballasted and has buffers at either end. A bit over the top, but it is there awaiting a loco!

[Bulleidboy]

Sounds as though we have the same "tailor" Chris.  😉

[Chrissaf]

Yes BB, it shows very much in your Flicker account, a lot of expensive detail on show in your layout and I can certainly see that what things look like are as equally important to you too.

[Chrissaf]

@37lover

 

Chrissaf,

Would not a piece of 2" x 1" with offcuts glued & screwed to the ends have been easier, quicker, and cheaper? No doubt you'll agree, but say the 2" x 2" was already in your possession.

.

Yes the 2 x 2 was in my existing wood stock. But even if it wasn't, I am an OCD perfectionist and did not want to have timber joints or screws. For my OCD, appearance is everything, more so than function. Apart from which, the photo does not do the finished product justice. In the flesh, it is a work of art 'carving wise' with a polished finish. I am a skilled woodworker and I knocked this up in no time at all. I hardly had to think about it, my hands worked instinctively on auto-pilot with little thought required to make it. In everything, I will spend whatever it takes to get the look I want, whether that be time or money, I have no interest in doing things on the cheap. That is just the way my mind works ... I cannot help it. I am fortunate enough to have deep pockets to indulge myself and do not need to concern myself with the cost of things.