Extension: Build progress part three

The fiddle yard tracks are now finished, just wiring required, so work switches to the front section.

The new section is clamped to the existing board in an attempt to use the existing dowel pin positions. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to line up properly and with all that scenery, a spirit level can't be used. The dowel pins ended up being nowhere near the existing ones, so completely new positions need to be setup purely for the extension board, whilst still keeping the old ones should we need to exhibit at 16ft.

We found that the best way to align the two boards was to use a piece of scrap track and check the height across all four tracks. Under this section there are two large cramps holding the two boards tightly together while pilot holes are drilled from one board to the other.

With the pilot holes drilled, the boards are separated, larger holes drilled and new pins pressed into position.

And then the locking catches are added.

After removing and refitting the two sections several times to ensure everything lines up properly, we're happy with the alignment and work can continue.

Here the alignment of the new board can be seen against the existing tracks. By using half fishplates, these can be slid into position between the join to ensure perfect alignment. The ballast, once added, will hold the track in place but the fishplates will keep everything aligned while the glue dries.

The first tracks start to appear. An old level crossing, with its barriers removed, is used as a template for the new, automated level crossing (more to come on that!)

Checking the position of the turntable siding track to ensure that the level crossing is in the right place.

The level crossing will have servo-operated gates, this involves attaching stiff wire to the underside of the gates and feeding this through the base of the crossing and the boards. With the holes drilled in the correct position, the proper crossing can be installed and fixed into position.

More track added and screwed into position.

This is as far as we can really go without connecting to the board at the other end. Time was running out, as was the battery in my drill!

Looking from left to right, the tracks look reasonably straight. The viaducts will clearly need to be raised to the height of the existing upper loop tracks. The viaduct will (hopefully) span the entire five foot extension.

The crossing will be protected via two signals, we had just enough time left to screw these into position.

There will be a full write-up on the level crossing project, which has been ongoing for some time. Once it's installed and operating I'll do a full report on how it was done.

The boards were then separated ready for transportation home. Next week we'll do the same at the other end!

It doesn't look like much work but in reality, getting these two sections to perfectly align took a lot of fiddling, tweaking and cursing. We got there in the end though!

Solent Model Railway Show - 25th & 26th Feb 2017

Our second outing of 2017 and also our second outing with the trailer.

We were setup and fully stocked (all 15 stock boxes!) in under two hours.

A quick modification was made to the turntable controller, which involved installing two resistors and uploading an updated program to the Arduino, this stopped the turntable from randomly turning by itself and the turntable now performs faultlessly.

Elsewhere, it became apparent that the points on the far end of the recently modified upper loop still didn't work properly, so I spent some time during the second day getting these to work. All of the points now work around the back - including the fiddle yard!

Having replaced some of the tracks at one end of the fiddle yard, I decided to begin replacing some of the sections within the (current) centre fiddle yard board, removing some of the cut tracks to improve reliability. Unfortunately a dead-short developed within one of the new sections shortly after I'd finished screwing all the track back into place but this was swiftly dealt with and the transition between the rear boards is now much smoother. A few more tracks need to be replaced but the main running rails are now perfectly aligned.

No casualties at all this time, everything has returned in running order. Clan Line recently had its armature replaced for a home-wound one, this performed much better on the layout this time, as did the two 8Fs which have undergone further work to resolve the sluggish running. Also making a proper appearance for the first time in ages was the 0-6-0 diesel shunter and a rake of petrol tankers. The brick wagons also made a successful return, running quite happily along the top loop.

Finally, the Pacer reappeared, this time on the outer loop as the show came to an end. With everything safely stacked in the trailer, we look forward to our next outing in March at Wimborne, which may potentially be the final appearance in 16ft form...

A few pictures from the weekend:

All setup and ready to go

Double heading on the coal wagons

Electric loco + Pullman coaches

Twin 8Fs back in proper running order as the blue & grey EMU storms through the new upper sidings

Brick wagons, coal wagons and the usual long rake of Southern coaches. All four sidings were put to good use!

Busy turntable sidings, lots of moving and turning using the motorised turntable

GWR 0-6-2 being turned 

Twin maroon LMS 0-6-2 tanks

Really need to replace that wheel!

Busy station as usual

Royal Scots Grey hauls the petrol tankers, later this rake was reduced in length so that the 0-6-0 shunter could manage it!

Petrol tankers again as the Lima Rail Car trundles along the shuttle line

Back of the rake

The run-through, viewed from the other side of the tunnel

Something lurking in the tunnel!

80059 makes an entrance

Looking down on the layout

A very busy fiddle yard - the isolated siding sections now fully operational, allowing storage of six complete trains on each side

Also added illumination via an LED strip

And of course the Pacer had to make an appearance once the show came to an end!

With thanks to the show organisers for their hospitality (and for feeding us!)

Extension: Viaducts

I decided to go with some viaducts for the upper loop section of the extension.

Okay so Hornby Dublo never actually produced one so we're going to have to cheat a little and use the Hornby / Triang version and make it look more Dublo-esque!

For starters, I won this one from Ebay for a reasonable price:

I then acquired two more, rather unexpectedly and for free during one of our local model railway club nights. They've been used in a sceneried layout so need cleaning up first, but they're free!

The other one has similar scenery on it:

The same viaduct, after cleaning:

Some plastic primer:

First coat of Sahara Beige, sadly Halfords no longer supply this so I've had to source this from the internet:

Three complete, Dublo-style viaducts!

After another model railway club night, I now have two more viaducts!

These were given the same treatment, for the five foot extension we'll need to cut this down to size a little, as demonstrated by the five feet of track used to mock this up:

 (with thanks to the cat for photo-bombing my picture!)

Extension: Build progress part two

More patch leads have been made.

The front boards will eventually be converted over to patch leads, the connectors for the new sections have arrived ready for installation.

Here the first hole for the dowel pins has been drilled and the female pin pressed into position. Lots of measuring before making the holes in order to get the new section to line up with the old.

The new section will fit in between these two boards. We need to ensure that the boards will work in both configurations and that the tracks still line up if we need to run at 16ft.

With the dowel pins fitted, new catches need to be installed, again these need to line up in both configurations.

Work can now begin to lay the tracks.

The main inner & outer lines go in first.

Followed by the sidings.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints (and only having 8 soldered track sections when I needed 10!) work had to be halted once we got to this stage. The two outer tracks were fixed down at each end as a reference point so that I could work on the board at home.

And, 50 long straights and 10 cut track sections later, the fiddle yard section has its track laid.

I've modified some tracks using a different method this time, this leaves a long track section at each end of the boards and will make alignment and connection much easier. Later on I will revisit the track sections on the adjoining boards and tidy them up using the same principle.

Next job is to add the electrical connectors and wire up. 

Then we can move on to the front section...