Opinions please...

[njee20]

Great looking board, well done!

Definitely no need to prime ply for Copydex.

[emjaybee]

Great looking board, well done!

Definitely no need to prime ply for Copydex.

It's a bit of a hotch-potch of bits, some of which has been kicking around for years in my workshop, hence I was thinking it would be prudent to prime.

[Papyrus]

I've only just caught up with this thread - it's an interesting idea for a small space layout. You don't say what plans you have regarding the type of stock you intend to run, but I do query how useful the headshunt will be - it's less than 30cm long and would only hold a small tank loco/shunter and a couple of wagons. Are you intending to have a station, if so, where? I know you have done the woodwork now but I think I'd have almost been inclined to make the right-hand siding into a passing loop and put a small station on the curve.

I've never bothered with priming the ply. I wouldn't have thought it necessary to prime for Copydex to stick - in fact probably stick better to the raw wood.   

I use cork strip for a track bed, it sticks fins to the ply with PVA.

Yup, I'd go with that too.

I'll be interested to see how this progresses.

Cheers,

Chris

[emjaybee]

I've never bothered with priming the ply. I wouldn't have thought it necessary to prime for Copydex to stick - in fact probably stick better to the raw wood.   

I use cork strip for a track bed, it sticks fins to the ply with PVA.

Sorry, missed your reply initially. I'm not going with the cork underlay. I'm going with track straight on the ply. Hopefully I've got the 'bed' smooth enough.

[emjaybee]

I've only just caught up with this thread - it's an interesting idea for a small space layout. You don't say what plans you have regarding the type of stock you intend to run, but I do query how useful the headshunt will be - it's less than 30cm long and would only hold a small tank loco/shunter and a couple of wagons. Are you intending to have a station, if so, where? I know you have done the woodwork now but I think I'd have almost been inclined to make the right-hand siding into a passing loop and put a small station on the curve.

I've never bothered with priming the ply. I wouldn't have thought it necessary to prime for Copydex to stick - in fact probably stick better to the raw wood.   

I use cork strip for a track bed, it sticks fins to the ply with PVA.

Yup, I'd go with that too.

I'll be interested to see how this progresses.

Cheers,

Chris

Chris, no plans for a station. The two sidings are to be just that, but with either a small industry or goods yard next to them. As this is only intended to be a progression from a test loop, and somewhere to practice electrickery and scenickery, the headshunt is only aimed at small scale shunting.

[ntpntpntp]

Good bit of woodworkery practice too 

[emjaybee]

Good bit of woodworkery practice too 

Cripes! If my regular clients saw this baseboard I'd never be asked back into their homes!

[guest8097]

one easy way to find out if your trains will climb a gradient is to build a jig. with N gauge use wickes plastic trunking, and stick your track to it with double-sided tape or 'sticky fixers' you can then either just use the 'lid' on which you fixed the track, or the main trunking beneath, in which you can incorporate wiring. using spacers and a ruler on a piece of MDF on your bench or kitchen table, you can assess whether or not the slope will work.
If you are using curves then you can cut easily short sections of trunking cap (and main trunking) to stick under the track with 'sticky fixers' and then experiment. The advantage of using 'trunking' thus is that you can incorporate back-to-back pairs of diodes which if soldered across a break in the track, will effect a slowing of the train..try it! I have.. works a treat!

[emjaybee]

Thanks for the reply.

I've already tested gradients a few years ago with a test loop propped up at one end. What I have in this scenario is well within the capabilities of what I require.

Just run through what you're talking about with diodes. Why would you do it, and how does it work?

[emjaybee]

Following my succesful assault on the title of 'Child of the Year' after presenting my father with his shunting plank on Fathers Day, my two sisters didn't stand a chance, I am now putting a bit of time into this folded loop project. (Although I am now inundated with shopping list for materials, kits, scatter etc., etc. and a deluge of progress photos.)

The bulk of it is a loop, but the tricky wiring is the two turnouts. Mainly because one is a double slip.

The diagram below has the insulated fishplates in BLUE.

The main feeds are the RED and BLACK triangles.

I understand that the FROG of the LH turnout (GREEN wire) will be connected to the Cobalt to be correctly switched.

BUT how the heck do I wire the Double Slip for DCC? I'm struggling with the Peco explanation. The three pre-connected wires are in GREEN.

If someone could dumb this down even further for me that would be great.

[jpendle]

BUT how the heck do I wire the Double Slip for DCC? I'm struggling with the Peco explanation. The three pre-connected wires are in GREEN.

If someone could dumb this down even further for me that would be great.

Hi,

So wiring it for DCC is no different from wiring it for DC.

First there should be FOUR wires already connected to the slip, one to each frog and one to each stock rail, right in the middle of the slip. And just for clarity by stock rail I mean the two longest rails that form the outside of the slip.

Second, you need to COMPLETELY ISOLATE the slip from the rest of the track work, so you will need 8 IRJ's on the slip.

Third connect the DCC track bus to the two stock rails.

Finally connect the left most frog wire to the right most Cobalt's switch, and the right most frog wire to the left most Cobalt's switch.

BTW some Cobalts have a built in Frog terminal which switches the bus power for the Cobalt to the frog. If you are planning on having a separate accessory bus then this can cause problems because if a short occurs with a loco on the point you have effectively connected your track bus and accessory busses together through the Cobalt.
You can avoid this by using the separate independent switch on the Cobalt.

Regards,

John P

[Snowwolflair]

So wiring it for DCC is no different from wiring it for DC.

Absolutely 

[emjaybee]

So, if I understand correctly.

Cobalt motors are going to be IP Digital. (Orange)

Wiring should be like so...

[jpendle]

Yes, that's right.

John P

[ntpntpntp]

One tiny thing: given that the double slip has IRJs on all rails, there's no need for another IRJ on the point V rail which leads to the slip.  As it stands in the diagram you've got a totally isolated length of rail there    Just need the one IRJ for the straight route out of the point.