96RAF Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Wiring up Class 56 R2335E to install a DCC socket and to cater for dual ringfield motor bogies that I have installed, which require fabrication of some power pickups on the traction wheels side of each bogie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81F Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 This weekend I've been converting an old horby Dublo Banana Van into an LMS steel bodied van - Well that's what I intended. Having done the body (which was a bit worn) I felt changing the couplings on the chassis was too much trouble so I swapped it for a DAPOL one so the finished article will be a bit of a Hybrid. Doors and end vents are from a Shapeways Print. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81F Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 This weekend I've been converting an old horby Dublo Banana Van into an LMS steel bodied van - Well that's what I intended. Having done the body (which was a bit worn) I felt changing the couplings on the chassis was too much trouble so I swapped it for a DAPOL one so the finished article will be a bit of a Hybrid. Doors and end vents are from a Shapeways Print./media/tinymce_upload/ade6f6ec91c117e363ca143c2e8d1af2.JPGoops forgot the photo! Still got to paint the top of the brake lever and apply some transfers and weathering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidboy Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Absolutely nothing - I am sitting on the balcony of a condo in Florida - it's 2.30pm and 85 degrees, and I am just contemplating going for a swim. However I was just looking at a Hornby M7 on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Wiring up Class 56 R2335E to install a DCC socket and to cater for dual ringfield motor bogies that I have installed, which require fabrication of some power pickups on the traction wheels side of each bogie. All done but one motor seems to have more resistance than the other so one runs well and the other doesn't kick in till more power is applied (don't know if its electrical or mechanical but they both turn very smoothly by hand). Any ideas on how to balance the loads - maybe a small value power resistor in the free running motor. At present its running on an R8249 decoder (I'm surprised it could handle 2 motors). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twintop Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 I continued with converting my 2 bay platforms into through roads.I have now inserted a medium facing radius point into the up main with insulating joiners where necessary to create an addional electrical section - no DCC here !!! .I wired this section up on a temporary basis to the section switch for one of the ( now disused ) bay platforms to test my soldering and running over the new (re-cycled) point. All successful, so the wrong line running is no longer needed. .Next stage is to plan how to diverge from this point into the two bays - one option is to remove and re-use the redundant small radius crossover set of points from the bays that were used to run round. I can then add a siding from these and use this for storing a coach or maybe to stable a station pilot. I could just use one point to diverge into the two bays, but I think a siding would be useful. Once this is planned, then I will have to add island platform pieces to where the ststion building used to be to be able to lay track into the old bays. I also need to plan carefully if I can add a crossover at the far end to take trains from the new platform one through road onto the platform 2 road that leads back onto the UP main. At the moment, platform 2 bay can feed into the UP main or the branch, but platform 1 only feeds into the branch. If I cant get 6 coaches plus a loco in then I may not bother - but initial observations are that it may just fit if I use small radius pints. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choralc Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 DCC bus, three Lenz LS150 decoders, with their own separate power bus and two R8216 accessory decoders finally installed. Two more lessons learned. One is check droppers for continuity as you install them and second reset second hand decoders to default settings before programming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groy Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hi SoT and others.Well I'm busy at the moment at the far end of my layout ( "Hooting Bay" ) where I'm redesigning the main station and installing a new (bought second hand) loco shed and turntable area. This means, as I intended before, to take the unseen tracks that go through the station down through the base board to the fiddle yard which is under neath the main baseboard.At the far end of the layout I already have a similar situation underneath a large farm diarama that works well so I just want to kind of mimic that.Apart from that I've just bought a lovely looking second hand virtuallt pristine Lima GWR panier tank to add to my vast fleet of locos (as if I hadn't enough locos already).But there again we may take some time off and go to the coast for a few days. We'll see what the boss says!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twintop Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 There Is one good thing about Eurovision, it occupies the other half so I got some good time working on the railway last night - coming down from the loft at midnight !!I started off putting a new spring in a PECO point – a very fiddly job at my age – but I managed eventually. I am having a few problems with the points now but I suppose they are anywhere up to 20 years old now so can only be expected and the point motors do fairly thump the blades across.I then made up a Superquick island platform end and fastened it to 4 lengths of re-cycled island platform pieces and positioned them at the end of the remaining platform 2/3. This is now sitting weighted down with 5 locos on a piece of wood. This is because I i had not stored the platform bits correctly over the last 16 years and so they were a bit warped, so I am hoping that glueing them to the baseboard will cure it.So, back to wrong line running whilst this is on as the station is now reduced to two through platforms whilst the works are ongoing. The down relief line can handle down services and the down main the UP services.The down main is also handling branch services as well as I also cut a length out of the platform two track ready for fitting a point that will link in to platform 1 and enable through running from platform one back onto the UP main, so eventually I will have 5 through lines instead of the previous three.The point motor is attached to the point and next stage is to cut a slot in the baseboard for the motor to sit in and wire it up. I am hoping that with some juggling of fishplates and removing some chairs I can fit in the point without having to remove the existing platform 2 track.Then I have to decide on whether I retain or remove the existing crossover that allowed for running round in the old bay platforms. It could serve the same purpose on the new through roads and avoid running round via the main line but was it prototypical in the 60s to have a crossover midway on the platforms. I know they do it now and split platforms into 1A, 1B etc. But did it happen in the 60s ?I think I will retain it as its all set up and working and will allow running around a three coach train which is all that is used for shuttle services down the branch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkingthedog Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Bought a Peco inspection pit yesterday. Shall try and install it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Finishing off the paintwork, lining and numbering of my 3 car CL395 Blue Rapier following on from conversion to DCC and installation of Cyclops leds to supplement standard directional headlights lights.Maybe should have installed some red leds at the same time - a job for another day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VESPA Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Sadly, nothing as my interest in model railways has dipped badly this week after a marathon effort with the dining car. Never had such a low on my interest of trains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazy Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Well I have been chopping a fowler 2-6-4t well into this the photo will turn up. /media/tinymce_upload/773d089f49000c51d7a6c8da559835ab.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choralc Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I have had difficulties with my R8216 and Lenz decoders. My convoluted track plan with its concentration of points and associated motors are proving difficult to trace! One R8216 seems to be unreliable and one port on a Lenz also but not as maddening as a week ago :) New lesson: Definitely do modules. Easier to move if I have to and easier to work on smaller boards as you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twintop Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 A very frustrating day on the railway as I had a full day in the loft and whilst I made progress it was nowhere near where I wanted to be.I cut a hole in the baseboard for a point motor, soldered wires and inserted the point in platform 2 road - it forms part of the crossover that will take trains from platform 1 onto platform 2 road and hence onto the main line.I connected the earth and tested the point operation by jumping the positive wires and its all OK - just needs a switch inserting into the control panel. I also wired in 2 more feeds and so that was platform 2 back in operation as a bay road, so I tested it with running an 0-6-0 04 diesel on a works train. I then had to clean the track all the way down the branch and once a class 20 diesel had been test run, a 2 car class 105 was used to run branch line services to fully test the re-commissioned platform In the meantime I removed the weighted timber from platform 2/3 and the glue had worked and so platform 3 was ready for trains again, with Duke of Gloucester on a 6 coach maroon express.I then turned to making plaftform 2 a through road and temporarily laid a point and track and made the join and commenced test running. However I am not happy with the alignment and so have removed the end of the of the newly installed platform and will have to modify that so I can have a smoother lead in off the main line - although it looks minimal at the moment the curve is not smooth and engines do a noticable jerk on transition from the curved point to the platform road.However, at least several services have used the ttrough road a class 40 on a six coach express and a standard 3 tank on a thee coach local. They ran OK but I may as well get the curve better at this stage. I did not have any more point motors so I will have to take up the track anyway - I just laid it temporarily for testing.So - where did the day go - I have no idea - but I did have a good time all round. Next stage will be to re-align the platform 2 track, construct a new platform end and make a temporary track to turn platform 1 into a through road. After that it will be completing the crossover at the other end and insering a point that will lead to one or maybe two new bay platforms. Then I will have to re-number the platforms ! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twintop Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I have now dismantled the end of platform 2/3 and after some very careful planning drew up a template for a new final 8 inches of platform/ramp allowing for 6 coach trains and a smoother track alignment.from the main line. I have cut out the shapes for the platform top from spare Superquick platform parts and so the next stage is to assemble these and hope they achieve what I want this time, instead of my hasty previous attempt. I can't progress much further after that as I need points, point motors and a base for a surface mounted motor..Still a long way to go, but coming along slowly. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twintop Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 At kast some decent progress. I made up the platform 2/3 end/ramp and placed it in position and its fine, with Lord Rowallon taking 6 MK1s round about 20 times on both the platform 2 and 3 roads, I have also laid temporary track from the UP main to platform 1 and tested it with a standard 3MT tank and three Lima MK 1s. All seems OK. I cant do much more until I get some points, switches and point motors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gitter Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Hi Lads, as MD for Strath Na Gowan Railways , I have decided ( as a bonus ) to reward the company staff by taking them over to Ireland for a weeks trout fishing, but will be keeping in touch via Wi-Fi , Hugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkhill Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Building more kit buildings and laying cobblestone roads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazy Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Been finishing this needs glass putting fixing in the cab a some weathering. /media/tinymce_upload/d81dc59c4aae5fb6cb9f852afbf102ba.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choralc Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Have put a 'run-in on rolling road' program into RM and am running the DCC-equipped fleet through using the change loco button button. SImply marvellous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 RM and a rolling road is ideal for those kinds of jobs choralc.I set up simple program to fatigue test a sound decoder by incrementing the speed steps by 5 up and down the speed range (0 -> 5 -> 10 -> 15 ->->-> 100 -> 95 -> 90 ->->-> 0) interwoven with selecting each sound variation, then having RM repeat the loop 99 times.I listened to 1 round of events to be sure it worked, then closed the railway room door and went out shopping. Hours later it was still doing its thing. A last check that all was still working properly and a tick in the box for that decoder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twintop Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Managed to get into the loft at last, a few weeks since I was up.2 steps back today and 3 forward as I took up track/points laid temporaily so I could accommodate a double skip that will facilitate running round from either plaform 1 or 2. I then laid a curved point leading to the double slip so track into platform 2 is now done and tested. A small piece of track needs cutting and inserting between the slip and platform 1.Point motors are attached to the point and the slip and tested, but permanent switches need insering in the control panel. Finally the ditsrict engineer attended in his maroon inspection saloon pulld by an Ivatt 3 MT geen 2-6-0 and the changes passed, so normal service resumed now Next task is to replace the release crossover between platform 1 and 2 with plain track - the double slip has removed the need for the cross over now - and add a point to make a crossover at the east end of plaform 1/2,Another task though is that I will have to demolish sn embankment to accommodate the siding from the slip that locos will use to run round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twintop Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 More solid progress today. I have added in a small radius Y point on the route into platform 1 to enable a trailing loco stabling siding to be added. Once tested, I then started on demolition, with all the track from plaform 1 removed and most of platform 2. This was because the slip has maded the crossover redundant and so they could go. The track into platform 2 was then re-laid with plain track and tested - this time the engineers saloon got super power in the form of a Patriot - REME - Hornby. The Patriot then hauled a 6 coach train of Lima MK1s - 5 maroon and 1 blue/grey to fully test clearances.Still a long way to go though - next stage is to lay track into platform 1 from the Y point and complete the crossover at the East end. Hornby Stanier 4 MT 2-6-4 tank was on PW duty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerTheHutt Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The weekend saw me fix my first DCC installation that I fluffed up a month or so back. *very pleased/smug with myself* :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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