what are people doing on their layout right now

[D1042 Western Princess]

I'm in a panic, as I have a magazine photographer visiting tomorrow and the layout is a mess

I wish you luck. Can I ask which magazine your layout will be featured in?

[GeeBee]

Still nothing happening on Martini Holt just cannot seem to get my act together yet
Graham

[paulprice]

I'm in a panic, as I have a magazine photographer visiting tomorrow and the layout is a mess

I wish you luck. Can I ask which magazine your layout will be featured in?

maybe....

[D1042 Western Princess]

Still nothing happening on Martini Holt just cannot seem to get my act together yet
Graham

I'm tempted to suggest one too many Martinis, but I won't. 

Oops - I just did.     

[Newportnobby]

Still nothing happening on Martini Holt just cannot seem to get my act together yet
Graham

Is that just a case of the mojo going walkabout, Graham, or some worries about your health following your stents operation?

[Graham Walters]

I've come to a standstill, can't seem to move !

I want to get trains running so that I can have some fun as well as building.

My problem is wiring, my OCD has kicked in and I am looking for lots of different coloured wires, I'm up to 17 at the moment and I still have the bus and droppers to think about.

Or am I just being too methodical ?

I'm working on the premise that 12 point motors will require 24 different colours, plus a common, then there are the points indicator circuits another 24 different colours !

I just don't know where to start with it all !

[Yet_Another]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sourcingmap-Arabic-Number-Print-Markers/dp/B00EZ3U6YI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1439238077&sr=8-2&keywords=cables+labels+number

[GeeBee]

I've come to a standstill, can't seem to move !

I want to get trains running so that I can have some fun as well as building.

My problem is wiring, my OCD has kicked in and I am looking for lots of different coloured wires, I'm up to 17 at the moment and I still have the bus and droppers to think about.

Or am I just being too methodical ?

I'm working on the premise that 12 point motors will require 24 different colours, plus a common, then there are the points indicator circuits another 24 different colours !

I just don't know where to start with it all !

There lies the route to insanity just use the primary colours with sleeving
Graham

[Tdm]

I have a couple of unused long streamline points and a crossover, and have just worked out a way of using them on my layout to give me either a long triple loop run for a single train running on the track, or allow me to run 2 trains simultaneously - one using a double loop, the other a single loop.

Have got to lay the points yet, but the additions are shown as items 12 (xover), 2G, and 2H (left & right long points), on the scarm layout drawing below.

 

[andy.t.south]

Just kicking back with a beer watching and testing all my loco's with and without rolling stock on the just completed elevated section on Little Winjin it's the first time it has been powered separate from the main track but a big dose of cab control looming for sure!!   

[Newportnobby]

Just kicking back with a beer watching and testing all my loco's with and without rolling stock

Therapy. Bliss

[jivebunny]

What am I doing on my (test) layout? Kicking myself that I left a point wrongly set.......... My favourite locomotive as well, Christmas present from the girlfriend 

JB

[D1042 Western Princess]

What am I doing on my (test) layout? Kicking myself that I left a point wrongly set.......... My favourite locomotive as well, Christmas present from the girlfriend 

JB

What? Another airborne locomotive? 

Details please, we NEED details!

[jivebunny]

Ha, well if you want the gory details...

I decided I needed a proper test / running-in layout yesterday so I knocked up a baseboard from some bits of wood I had laying around and put together a simple "loop and sidings" DC setup using whatever bits of set track I could find. I plonked it on the coffee table and after thorough testing with an 08, I inaugurated it properly by giving my small fleet of "preserved" steam locomotives a run. 70000 was last up and as it came around at the end of its first half-speed lap I realised I hadn't set the points back to the main loop after it had left the sidings...

Too late. The leading bogie hit the blades and bounced off the rails, pulling the driving wheels off the track with it and causing loco and tender to dive nose-first off the track and onto the floorboards 18 inches below. As you can see, the buffer beam acted as the landing gear. Despite the rather heavy impact and horrible sound there was no other damage and the mechanism is absolutely fine and still runs perfectly straight.

This evening I'll be adding a "guardrail" alongside the points to mitigate any derailments, and implementing new safety procedures, namely a compulsory stop upon leaving the siding to give me time (and act as a reminder) to set the points back!

I've dropped DCC Supplies an e-mail to see if they happen to have a spare Britannia body laying around...

JB

70000 "Britannia" laying injured alongside 60103 "Flying Scotsman", 60022 "Mallard", Llangollen's 7822 "Foxcote Manor", a 4F and a 57xx

[D1042 Western Princess]

Ha, well if you want the gory details...

I decided I needed a proper test / running-in layout yesterday so I knocked up a baseboard from some bits of wood I had laying around and put together a simple "loop and sidings" DC setup using whatever bits of set track I could find. I plonked it on the coffee table and after thorough testing with an 08, I inaugurated it properly by giving my small fleet of "preserved" steam locomotives a run. 70000 was last up and as it came around at the end of its first half-speed lap I realised I hadn't set the points back to the main loop after it had left the sidings...

Too late. The leading bogie hit the blades and bounced off the rails, pulling the driving wheels off the track with it and causing loco and tender to dive nose-first off the track and onto the floorboards 18 inches below. As you can see, the buffer beam acted as the landing gear. Despite the rather heavy impact and horrible sound there was no other damage and the mechanism is absolutely fine and still runs perfectly straight.

This evening I'll be adding a "guardrail" alongside the points to mitigate any derailments, and implementing new safety procedures, namely a compulsory stop upon leaving the siding to give me time (and act as a reminder) to set the points back!

I've dropped DCC Supplies an e-mail to see if they happen to have a spare Britannia body laying around...

JB

70000 "Britannia" laying injured alongside 60103 "Flying Scotsman", 60022 "Mallard", Llangollen's 7822 "Foxcote Manor", a 4F and a 57xx

I suspect we've all been there. In my case a brand new OO Hornby Brush 4 on its first run, the point set to the siding where I intended to add a bit of a  goods yard at a later date, NO stop block, the 4 foot drop, a loud bang - oh  !!

Picked it up - it rattled!  (with myself).

My fault, but not a good move. It did run after, but not very well.

I know just how you feel. :'(