what are people doing on their layout right now

[chrism]

Thanks Chris, most Merchant Navies have been sorted but 2 of the 9 to finish. 1 WC/BoB to rename and number then all 10 are sorted,  3 more Moguls to do, 3 kit builds to start, 4 class 4MTT to renumber, 2 Q1 to do, 5 class 2 Ivatts and after @Newportnobby  brought it to my attention a long time ago 2 Schools will be appearing! So a few days of work to get done but then the loco fleet should be ready to hit the shed!!

That's going to be some shed 

Me? I'm trying to work out if I can get cranked actuating rods for three signals on a single 3-doll post down through the baseboard, moving the arms satisfactorily and fanned out sufficiently underneath to be able to squeeze the solenoids in under there. It's gonna be a tight fit.

Your a cleverer man then me Sir 

Says the chap who's renumbering n-gauge locos 

I think I'll reserve judgement on whether or not I am until I know whether or not I've succeeded in getting the signals working 

[Newportnobby]

after @Newportnobby  brought it to my attention a long time ago 2 Schools will be appearing!

That's right. Blame me
(I can live with that)

[exmouthcraig]

@Newportnobby, We found 2 very cheap to be fair to you Mick BUT so the missus understands I'll blame you, you wont hear her screaming when the bank statements arrive up there!!! Luckily one of her own horse just "had to have £193" spent on it. The deal is what she 'HAS' to spend on each one I get to spend the equivalent on what I 'HAVE TO HAVE' were always skint but works very well

[TylerB]

I've come to the difficult decision that an incline I've been working on for a while on my tram layout just doesn't work. Unusually, it's not the angle of the incline itself which is the trouble, but the transition from level to incline and vice versa (a problem with some of my articulated 3-bogie trams is that they will happily pivot left and right but they have no vertical movement at all around the articulation, which means the centre bogie rises right off the track on anything more than the most gentle of level changes).


Anyway, it's not the end of the world as what I've come up with as a replacement should be just as interesting, if not more so! But I'm not going to curse it by discussing it in detail yet

[Bealman]

 Curiouser and curiouser! 

[Stuart B]

HELP!  I lifted my Farrish 4MT up to re-rail it and caught the rear coupling...PING!!!.  I found the coupling but the bottom part of the coupling box housing has gone 'who knows where'.  Questions;  Can I safely dismantle the front one?  Can I get spares?  Will I need to find a wreck to cannibalise for parts?


By the way, if anyone has a spare then I will happily pay postage plus a fiver to the charity of your choice.


Thanks


[put in this thread because so far it has answered all my questions!]

[chrism]

Me? I'm trying to work out if I can get cranked actuating rods for three signals on a single 3-doll post down through the baseboard, moving the arms satisfactorily and fanned out sufficiently underneath to be able to squeeze the solenoids in under there. It's gonna be a tight fit.

Your a cleverer man then me Sir 

Says the chap who's renumbering n-gauge locos 

I think I'll reserve judgement on whether or not I am until I know whether or not I've succeeded in getting the signals working 

Well, obviously I'm not cleverer - since I haven't succeeded in getting them all working 

After a lot of fiddling I've had to accept that there simply isn't enough room under the baseboard to fit cranks and solenoids in for five signals on two posts immediately opposite each other beside a single track, especially when they are close to a baseboard framing timber.  I have, therefore settled for one functioning signal in each direction - the advanced starter protecting the single line section and one of the arrival home signals. Only rivet counters will really complain if a train ends up in platform 3 when the signal allowing into the station was for platform 1.

In my defence I will say that this really ought to have been included in the original planning, but back then I had no idea that I'd be trying to make working signals so I didn't design things around them - I will do when I get on to Woodland and Broughton.

Can't complain too much I suppose, at least I have all three starting signals working as well as the advance starter and one arrivals home signal, all with the means to prevent trains passing them when at danger.

I'm now putting in the proper wiring, starting with the plug in connection needed between baseboards 1 and 2 for the signals on baseboard 2, then I'll move on to the connection between baseboard 1 and the control panel for all the signals, plus the power for them.

Once that's done I can reassemble the layout and test the new point and trackwork that I've put in at the end of the fiddle yard for a diversion track out to Torver before I finally glue it all down and add the point motor. Once I'm happy with that I can return to the currently half-built Mk2 control panel to get that finished and (finally) installed.

[crewearpley40]

we look forward to coniston news - theres lots on this issue in model rail magazine chris

After a lot of fiddling my end too I've had to accept I have, to settle for one functioning signal in each direction and unashamedly asking the lads for help at the club as its not my strong point

but thanks again for this - maybe coniston deserves an airing with this added to your threada chris

[ntpntpntp]

Milestone day in the construction of my loco depot module boards:  control panel wiring of track and points completed, plugged in and seems to be 100% correct!   I had a couple of section breaks not cut through the rail (30 seconds to fix), and no track power to the traverser bridge but that was down to bad solder joints where the wiper contacts connect to the bridge rails (the traverser is an old long discontinued Brawa item so probably been dodgy since it was made).












There are a few point frog polarity switches to adjust (and probably actually replace the Peco microswiches with the old black slide switches because I've really "gone off" those microswitches these days!)

Then it will be time to add missing sleepers, spray the track and get on with ballasting.

[dannyboy]

Looks impressive. 

[exmouthcraig]

@chrism, shame really BUT 3 out of 5 ain't bad and everyone has got to be happy with getting 1 working signal let alone 3 on the same stand!!

I managed to get all of my renumbering done including a WC we didn't even know we were getting  just waiting on Fox to deliver plates for the MN so a couple of hours were killed by painting 12 water cranes ready for the shed.

[Stuart B]

HELP!  I lifted my Farrish 4MT up to re-rail it and caught the rear coupling...PING!!!.  I found the coupling but the bottom part of the coupling box housing has gone 'who knows where'.  Questions;  Can I safely dismantle the front one?  Can I get spares?  Will I need to find a wreck to cannibalise for parts?


By the way, if anyone has a spare then I will happily pay postage plus a fiver to the charity of your choice.


Thanks


[put in this thread because so far it has answered all my questions!]

panic over - turned out the housing wasn't damaged, I was just looking at it wrong.  All repaired now

[Barry Sutcliffe]

  Success, I managed to convert a Graham Farish J94 0-6-0 tank to DCC. I used a Digitrax DZ126T decoder - fitted in the cab and a Digi hat from DCC supplies. Total material cost about £70.00. (that include price of loco)  and only 1 hour in time. It runs a treat.

[RailGooner]

Hi @Barry Sutcliffe  and welcome aboard!

[chrispearce]

Plotting, planning, scheming, searching goggle earth for possible locations for my 'Plan'. Soon, after some domestic DIY jobs which I hope to sort out next week, I will actually make a start. Then I will open a thread on this glorious Forum which is something I have long wished to do!