Thursday 24th July

Worklist:
Make a cassette

We had most of the bits cut to size the previous week - all we needed was the short sections of brass angle for the inner locators, which Stephen prepared. Geoff had cut and glued a pair of the longitudinal timber packers to the MDF base, so all we had to do was assemble everything.

We realised that to set the two running rails at the correct gauge, we needed two guides. Laurence first made two plywood rectangles, but decided to turn two round brass 'buttons' - a great idea.

It took a little while to decide what the critical issues were and the order of assembly, but we settled on assembling and fixing one whole side of a cassette - the 'business' side. Then we fixed the short running angle and its even smaller outer angle to the board edge, carefully aligning it in all directions, with the trail rail of the adjacent board.

Note: the button gauge and the sticky-tape packer under the brass angle. We assumed the locating angles would need something inserted to make them easier to plug in and started with some tape.

Once that was in place, we assembled and fitted the 'identical' unit for the fixed side of the junction.

This enabled us to fit the final running angle. This was only tacked as we were running out of time, but desperately wanted to see it working.

At first, we found the cassette very tight to insert and remove. We then noted score marks where the brass angle ran along the aluminium running angle. We persisted inserting/removing it for a while, and it eased a bit. 

We decided that we would reduce the length of the brass angle on the fixed side, which we had made the same length as the removable side, just because it looked right! It really only needs to be about 10mm - the same 'engagement' as the movable section. We will also shape the edges of the brass angle a little more,  all of which should do the job.

We haven't decided how to get power to the cassettes yet. We've seen at least three options - wiper blades in various forms, bulldog clips on the top of the side angle uprights, and an end feed, where a mini cassette unit, with wires attached, plugs onto the open end. This had the advantage of forming a stop-end which included a microswitch that cut the power completely, if struck.

All-in-all, we were extremely pleased with what we had created. We now need to decide what other cassettes we need to make, which depends on how we will store stock, and decide what sort of enclosure we would like.

Thursday 17th July

Worklist
Investigate cassette construction and determine fiddle yard connection to the layout.
Play trains!

As Laurence was healing well, he was let out to join us on one of the hottest days of the year.

As none of us had used a cassette system like we intended before, some experimentation was required. 25mm aluminium angle (non-anodised) and 12mm MDF were brought together and a mock-up assembled. We were then able to check rail height alignment with adjacent board and realised we could incorporate a packer strip rather than routing the base for the coupling sections (See sketches). The packer also obviates problems with deep flanges lifting the wheels off the running rails. The pieces for a full-length (770mm) cassette were prepared and dry-assembled. It all seemed to work, so full assembly next time.

Whilst this was going on Stephen idly undid the screws holding the bridge down, and popped the whole thing off. It was amazing the difference it made. The tight, awkward space became a lovely yard, and lived up to the sketch prepared weeks before. The yard needed a permanent magnet, which was made up in record time, but would be fitted next time.

Laurence hadn't seen the work of the last few weeks, so we decided to play trains! We all had a go and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Lunch in the garden was tempered by the amazing heat. S&L squeezed under a cooling shrub, but Geoff braved it in the open. I bet he repairs the umbrella before next week.

As the board connections are being changed to 8mm bolts, the old 'Cottesmore' bolts are no longer needed, but they have great sentimental value. John supplied them all and, we assume, came from work at British Airways. They were either off an aeroplane, or from one of the many jigs he made. We won't be throwing them away.

Thursday 10th July

Worklist:

With Laurence still 'slinging-the-lead', it was left to Geoff and Stephen to venture into the 'field' of electromagnets(!).

Geoff had assembled the magnet and run through the instructions. But first, there was a final check that we actually needed one instead of a permanent magnet. The boards, loom and control panel were assembled, together with a load of stock.

Geoff either pondering goods stock movements or how to operate the controller
for the first time. (He finally made things move!)

Once fully satisfied that an electromagnet was required, we got started. The magnet gets fitted from above, with two fixing lugs placing the magnet more-or-less at the right height. The position agreed, first the track ....

.... and then vinyl-sheet sub-base were removed.

 Then a hole was cut right through the chipboard base.

As the magnet would need some adjustment and the fixing holes were so close to the friable chipboard edges, we decided to oversize the holes and use countersunk bolts.

Once ready, Geoff laid some thin cardboard sheet and built a lovely infill section 

using the original rails.

Large washers/plates were fitted underneath.

While the track was being rebuilt, Stephen fitted a push switch to the control panel and two blue wires (note that Laurence) through the loom to the board, and hooked-up the magnet.

Power:   Ideally, the unit works off a maximum 16v DC, although 18v AC is also usable. The laptop power supply we use for the point solenoids is 19.2v DC, so some stepping-down was required. Geoff found and fitted a Zener diode, which dropped the voltage by 6.3v to around 13v. The unit worked very nicely, albeit some adjustment is required to align it perfectly with the track. An alternative reduction method may be needed if full testing shows a need for more volts.

The platform forms a guide-rule for our longest trains that will fit in the fiddleyard. A four-unit rake of Stephen's disconnect timber wagons fitted nicely. It immediately showed an interesting stock operation namely, as a transit point for timber mine props and general timber supports for Worton Court Minerals (up the small tunnel and onto the fiddleyard via the rear entrance). The usual tree-trunk loads will have to be exchanged for sawn timber - a nice little exercise.

Aluminium angle and MDF sheet has been purchased ready to make-up and test a cassette storage system, which is new to us. This will enable the fiddleyard to be properly designed and built.