Track Foundations

The original track plan had to be discarded as it was in too poor a state due to being used for constructing the baseboards. So during this last week I printed out and pasted together another full size track plan. This will be pasted to the baseboards and used to position the turnout along with laying all plain track in situ. First task was to make sure the new track plan fitted… Hmm overall the fit was not too bad but there were a couple of very minor tweaks to be made. I’m putting the slight misalignment's between the two track plans (the one used to cut the plywood and the new one) down to the difficulty in pasting all the sheets of A4 together. Also even though I’ve calibrated our two printers there seems to be a very slight twist in the printouts from them both. Only a very small difference but over such a large area it has had an effect.

 

The above photo shows state of play a few days ago with the three sidings at the front having cork underneath and the new plan glued in place ready for track laying to start. At this stage the rest of the plan was only taped in position in an effort to check the fit before cutting the cork underlay. After redrawing a couple of areas to get the track to get a better alignment, with inspection pits and the rise up the coaling stage ramp, it all fits a lot better.

I discovered that Templot has the ability to print out the cess at the track edge. This assured me that I’d cut the plywood for the mainline track bed to the correct width which should allow a small shoulder on the ballast. Phew! I’m not too concerned about the rest of the track as most of the shed area will be reasonably flat with possibly no shoulder to the ballast edge.

 

As of this morning the entire track plan is now secured in position. Due to the size of the baseboards I think most, if not all, of the turnouts will have to be built on the bench. This may cause a few minor problems with track alignment if I lay too much plain track first. So bearing this in mind I’ll have to get to grips with turnout construction pretty soon.

Two areas I need to think about soon are:

1.  How am I going to lay the track within the running shed? Is it to be embedded within the running shed floor or laid on top?
2.  Also, before I lay too much track, thought needs to be applied to cable runs for applying power to the track, as well as how many power sections to create which will help diagnose any electrical shorts that I’m bound to experience with DCC.    

 For now though I feel the need to stain some timbers…

New Skills to Learn.

To learn more about how I can use Servos to control turnouts and signals, a few days ago I joined MERG (Model Electronic Railway Group). What a revelation the last few days have been. The response on the forum to my initial post has been fantastic. I’ve never built a circuit board let alone studied electrical components (apart from long forgotten schoolboy physics some 40 years ago).

MERG have a number of starter kits for newbies like me. So to get myself started with circuit board construction I placed an order for the three Pocket Money Kits pictured below for the princely sum of £5.60 inc. p&p.

 

I was extremely surprised to have them arrive the following day within 24 hours of placing the order. MERG have a lot of information and resources available for its members and there are more than enough kits available for my current needs. I just need to learn how to build them. You’re never too old to gain new skills and this is another one this hobby is leading me to learn.

The purists may scoff

Just arrived this morning is a reproduction of the shed plate carried by locomotives that where allocated to Penzance (Long Rock) Engine Shed. Yes, I know Rospeath Lane is not a model of the facilities at Long Rock but in my alternative history it would have been the primary Engine Shed for that area so would have been allocated 83G as its shed code.

I wait for the derision from the purists, then we'll see if I'm brave enough to display the plate on the layout if it ever goes out to exhibitions...

 

Progress on the Two Main Baseboards

Hopefully the photos below will depict my progress over the last few days

Last few sections being glued in place on the second board after checking on the turntable for position, height and alignment

View from the front with the last fascia being fixed in place

It all looks OK, ready for the different sections for the baseboard tops to be cut and glued in place.

 

Checking all the cut-outs for the inspection pits, also the position of the boards that will support the mainline and head-shunt to the coal stack sidings

All baseboard tops fixed in place with two coats of primer/undercoat. The piece resting on top will be the continuation of the gradient up to the coaling stage.

 

 

 

Next task is to lay the cork underlay then, to gently break myself back into building track, I might start laying the sleepers and rail for the three sidings at the front.

A revised Track Plan (v.18)

Baseboard construction was put on hold this week due to the creation of a credible Signal Box Diagram. While I’d been waiting for the glue to dry on each section I’d put some thought into the signal diagram and how engine movements would be controlled. Even though I’ve read a few books on the subject I eventually realised that I needed some guidance and posted a request on the Scalefour Society’s Forum for advice. The information I received was superb and highlighted a number of issues with my original track plan and future thoughts.

If you have a few moments to spare, as it does run to 45 posts, the forum thread can be found here.

In a nut shell, the main issue I had with the plan was the control of movements across the crossover that allowed exit/entry to the Engine Shed. The general consensus was that railway companies tended to build track layouts that were cost effective for the location, (in both track and signalling).  It was thought that my crossover design added a level of complexity that the GWR would not have built.

So I set out to draw a simplified track plan which, like the GWR, will save me money in track and signalling components along with time in construction

 

Luckily I’ve been able to draw the new track plan to, as near as dammit, fit the profile boards that I’d previously cut. The outcome has created a more prototypical plan and looks better for it.

 

With the original track plan, if all my thoughts had come to fruition, I was looking at around 30 levers in the signal box. The new track will only require 20. The number sequence above is not set in stone because the creation of a locking table and dog chart might highlight levers that could be moved to simplify the interlocking. At this moment I’m not sure if I’ll build the locking frame as a  mechanical or electrical frame, one thing for sure is it will be a project in its own right.

Baseboard construction has restarted so my next post should show them built, painted and ready for track construction to begin.