what are people doing on their layout right now

[LASteve]

If there's any better reason for the restoration project on Beal & Castle Eden, I can't think of it.

Well done, George. 

[Brian taylor]

At the moment I am building the baseboards for a 12ft by 5ft layout and continually changing the design of the layout as I keep getting over-excited at what I can build on that space in N gauge lol.

[AndyRA]

Another weekend keeping the rails clean by running the trains

[crewearpley40]

Fabulous to have a running session andy. Great photos and stock as always. Chris

[LASteve]

Always great to see your pictures. Nothing more therapeutic than sitting back and watching the trains go by.

[Brian taylor]

Wow, am really impressed by those pictures, wanting to get my setup running more than ever now but know it will be a good while yet before I'm even close lol.

[KevTheBusDriver]

TODAY... I've been installing a new pcb to control 2off 3-aspect signals (WL101 DOWN SLOW & WL100 DOWN FAST). The pcb was designed and built by myself - there are 9 relays on this board! WL100 protects the crossover DF-DS so will have a 'feather'. I stopped tonight at 21:15 having got WL101 working. WL100 awaits tomorrow...




This board permits automatic running; isolator sections, reed switches for cancel and autoclear, override with shunt signals.




Once this lot is working I'll put a video on YouTube... kevthbusdriver

[Newportnobby]

Clever stuff which doth completely bypass all my understanding, but I've never understood electrickery.
'Tis a black art and the work of Satan

[dannyboy]

Clever stuff which doth completely bypass all my understanding,

I am okay when it comes to getting power from A to B, (or even C), via switches, even DPDT, but that is about my limit! PCBs, diodes, relays and the like -  .

[port perran]

Very impressive work but waaaaaay beyond my technical understanding. Like others electrickery is, to me, a black art.

[KevTheBusDriver]

Well, the board took most of my spare time on Tuesday to install, but it's all working and I manged (eventually) to put a descriptive video on YouTube:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vplfsR-77lw

The electrics aren't that complicated - you really only have to know how a relay works and how a transistor can be wired 'as a switch'. Although it took a week to design & build, this board hasn't cost more than about £15 in parts. What's next? Maybe signals WL102/103 (they are are on a gantry...).

[PGN]

Playing trains.

Or, as I explain to my wife ... it's a (scenic) test track, so I'm testing things 

[KevTheBusDriver]

Sunday 12 Dec 2021...
install & wire new 4-aspect signal gantry at Pleck Junction;
Here's the original 3-apect version dating from about 1985...

The 3-aspect junction signal (WL103) was wired to only show Y when 'off' if the diverging route was set. In order for the 4-aspect version to 'look' at the correct signals ahead, it needed a 'router':


The new signals also required a new control board...


The new gantry on the bench:


And does it all work? See the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_VGkPXcvzk

Having spent at least 4 hours underneath Pleck Junction this weekend, I'm running trains now!

[Newportnobby]

Great stuff! Really nice mix of green and blue diseasels, too.

[Trainfish]

I fitted just over 5 metres of backboards over the weekend. Next I have to fit just over 5 metres of backscenes and lots of countryside.