Gordonvale

For tension lock couplers. Acquire a piece of soft flexible plastic about 0.25mm thick. EG: supermarket veggie packaging or laminated A4. Cut a 10mm wide strip about 100mm long, and thread it in the centre of the track, so that it goes over about 8 sleepers and under two sleepers at each end. Check that it doesn’t foul the backs of the rolling stocks wheels. It forms a raised hump. Adjust for height by pushing items of rolling stock over it to ensure that the coupling hooks lift clear of the bar. Depending on your make of track and its sleeper spacing and stock manufacturer, it may be necessary to adjust these details. Pulling stock over the ramp just depresses it and doesn’t lift the coupler hooks as they pass over. Pushing stock over the ramp lifts the coupler hooks. Stop, then move off in the opposite direction and the uncoupling is done. Once adjusted, fix the ramp in place with a track pin at each end. The mechanics are similar to those of the Hornby R617 uncoupling ramp. The major differences are: • the R617 contains a spring to raise the plastic ramp back up after being depressed by a coupler, whereas the homemade ramp has natural spring in it; • the homemade comes free of charge; and • if using laminated A4, the homemade can come in many colours.

I'm just wondering out aloud. Has anyone done a comparison exercise of conductive substances? eg. Tape v Paint v Wire Glue

Copper coated sticky tape is useful. It doesn't "wipe off" like some conductive paints do and it is solderable. Conductive paints can have a biggish resistance too.

You can divide the oval in to 2 electically separated sections, by using 4 IRJs. Power each section from the one controller. In the power to one section (or both if you so desire), add a potentiometer rated at say 25R, wired as a rheostat. This will vary the resistance and hence the current supplied to the section. You can then utilise this to slow down the faster loco as it passes through the section, so it doesn't catch up to the slower loco.

RNA, I must apologise for misleading you. Utilising exit tracks 1, 2 & 3 will cause a short. The "yellow fellow" where it is off track 4 is good. The turntable, by automatically switching polarity at track 4, rectifies the situation.

Yes, just disconnect from outlet 4 (counting clockwise from the inlet track) as this has opposite polarity to the inlet track and the rest of the circiut, and connect to outlet 1 2 or 3 which have the same polarity as the inlet track and the rest of the circuit. Alternatively, keep the point on the main that turns in to the sidings in the straight position, and, the first point in the sidings in the postion bearing to the left, when driving off the turntable. These two points act as electrical switches and positioned as described will prevent a short.

As a comparison, my Hornby Meccano City Of London draws 0.5A, running light or pulling 10 coaches.

The turntable rail bridge polarity changes from that of the inlet track when in half of the 16 possible positions. Going clockwise from the inlet track, the first 3 positions match the inlet track polarity, the "yellow fellow" in Chris' diagram is the first postion where the rail bridge polarity is reversed. Hence the "yellow fellow" is shorted if the siding points are set in certain positions. Moving the "yellow fellow" to one of the 3 unused outlet tracks will sort things.

and both can be concealed in a Hornby R8015 point motor housing.

It's always nice and warm in the tropics! The 60 amp rated power supply barely breaks a sweat powering 25 circuits on the layout and 3 circuits on the "test bed & maintenance depot" board. Plus a shed load of LEDs. The four 5W rated resistors in series give 20W "short circuit protection" and remain at room temperature under normal "training", typically 3W.

I use a desktop lab supply, with enough amps for the job. 60 amps in my case. /media/tinymce_upload/cfb0300b20fcf6282c0c94c1fcb73cca.jpg

One of our club layouts is laid on that stuff. No problems with it at all. One thing to note is that track pins don't anchor well so glue is required to fix the track to the base.

Thinking about the real railway: . there are no uncoupling ramps - plenty to be found on models . pacific locos haul rakes a lot longer than the 3-5 coaches seen on most models . main line platforms accommodate more than the 3-5 coaches seen on most models . don't have roundy-roundy running, Circle Line excepted. I would put forward the argument that 99.99% of models do not (even cannot) try to follow real railway practice, and the 0.01% that do fail to do so.

Not a problem on my layout. There's an opposite hand cluster just down the line, as would be required in the OPs set up if wanting to change lanes when travelling in the opposite direction. Go from 1 to 2/3/4 via 5; 2 to 1/3/4 via 5; 3 to 1/2/4 via 5; 4 to 1/2/3 via 5. /media/tinymce_upload/532e27bf9b1af95d0cdbbc71a758f0cf.jpg

/media/tinymce_upload/8d69f3437c6c4d02ad23c65cc7d50cd1.jpg IRJs recommended

Scale is 1/4

phill300, You must know by now that the only good thing to come out of Hebden Bridge is the road in to Lancashire.

Crossover at 6 o'clock same hand as that at 8 o'clock. If running clockwise can switch from outer to inner. If running anticlockwise can't switch from outer to inner.

Maybe a zig-zag to the right?

I've no problems removing label from track, but how do you get the label off your fingers and into the bin?

If you have a coach with the corridor on the left, and you turn it around longways, the corridor is then on the right. Am I missing something?

Bought a Pendolio set in 2012. Laid track out on my billiard table - firm and level - for a test run. Controller cut out after about 2 secs. Transfered train to layout - no problem. Binned the set controller.

Thanks Chris, my library is now updated!

Posted some images of SS178 and a polarity diagram I knocked up. Waiting moderation. SS178 is the service sheet for R070, but unfindable (to me anyway) on the Hornby site. Mike's thinggy is the intruction sheet that comes in the box.

Here's the SS front page /media/tinymce_upload/7c65b68493f3229eaa6e5a6b2ff420cf.jpg Here's the SS back page /media/tinymce_upload/932b2253b2fbada1a7d73329a4f1f098.jpg Here's my polarity diagram. As the rail bridge turns to any of the 16 stopping positions, the polarity of the end joining the inlet track 2, is the same as the inlet track 2 at positions 1 thru 5 and 14 thru 16 (no track at 15 & 16), and the opposite polarity at positions 6 thru 13. /media/tinymce_upload/5bb37486a6d2471e58cfb3d3ed224a4d.jpg