Wednesday 30th September 2022

Worklist:

Make and fit brackets for the control panel.

Carve the scenery foam on exchange board #4.

Apply paper mache over foam.

Review results of new roadway plaster method.

Laurence fighting a mouse invasion at home this week, but he's promised to come next week. (Yes, we do believe him on both counts).

Geoff had been hunting for some aluminium angle to make a pair of brackets for the 'Local' control panel (Masons Yard), similar to the main panel. Having drawn a blank, a flat plate was suggested and a suitable 3mm rectangle quickly found. After a detailed discussion regarding fixings, panel and bracket positions, the plate was cut to size, cleaned up, clamped together and drilled. One key issue with the brackets is that the have to allow the panel to be fitted on both sides of the layout - one side for use in the workshop, and the other for if we ever get to exhibit all 6 boards at a show. Final positions agreed, holes were drilled in the both sides of the panel and baseboard. The plates are fixed to the panel with 2 x 6mm hex bolts with tee nuts on the inside of the panel. A single 8mm hex bolt fixes each plate to the layout, also using tee nuts. The array of drills for pilot holes, bolt clearance and tee nuts often caused confusion and two heads were definitely better than one!

Workshop format - the normal panel position.
Slightly overlapping the fiddleyard board.

Exhibition format location. Central to both scenic boards and fiddleyard.
(Hidden run-through to fiddleyard in foreground).

We haven't decided on the exact method of supporting a backscene for exhibitions, but we always bear it in mind and are happy that there is space for some form of framework.

The view from underneath.

Geoff then attacked the scenery foam glued down the previous week with a serrated knife. After hoovering up debris from this and that left over from the tie-bar ballasting, the track was cleaned ready for a full test the following week. However, a blade on another point failed to convey electricity. Geoff had used a new method of fabrication to obviate what he considered a visible wiring issue, but each of the points has required insitu modification - much to his frustration. When fixed, a successful running test was completed.

While this was underway, Stephen applied newspaper strips with diluted PVA over the scenery foam and integrated some of the usual brown water colour paint into the final PVA coat.

Finally, Stephen took an offcut of aluminium and a sandpaper block to the area of roadway plaster he'd applied the previous week. Rather than gluing chinchilla dust to a plaster base (as before), he'd made a mix of the two. He was now able to easily scrape the hardened mix to the required levels while maintaining the required surface finish. Pleased with the effect and ease of use, the areas will be extended in due course. A shaped tool may be made for use on the check rail sections. [NB  The check rails are code 90 rail set inside the Peco code 100 track. This will allow a cleaning block to pass over the check rails and infill undamaged]. 

Wednesday 21st September 2022

Worklist:

Check newly ballasted points are free to move.

Ballast areas around tie bars.

Experiment with new roadway mixture.

Fit new edge profile to transition board.

Glue foam for landscaping on transition board.

Discuss control panel fixings.

Discuss testing of full exhibition layout in a straight line!

The blades on the three points were teased back into working order following ballasting last week. Geoff then carefully applied ballast around the tie bars. The track will be over-sprayed to homogenise the ballast colour and add some oil and dirt.

Stephen was still concerned about the masons yard roadway finish. On the main station board, chinchilla dust had been glued with PVA onto the plaster road base, which was smooth. The masons yard road crossings had been created with different height rails to ensure that the running rails could be cleaned without scraping the road check rails and infill. However, gluing the dust between the checkrails had been attempted twice, with poor results, and the lumps could not be reduced in height without removing the dust/texture. Stephen removed the 'lumps' and decided to excavate the plaster a bit deeper, then apply a mix of fine plaster with the dust mixed in. This should allow the height to be reduced without losing the texture, but an inspection next week will show if it works.

Some more of the white faced 6mm MDF was unearthed, cut to shape and glued into place along the board edge. Foam blocks were prepared and glued into place. These will be shaped when set.

An extensive discussion took place on how to fix the local control panel to the baseboard. One key aspect to be considered was the fact that the control panel needs to be fitted on both sides. Schemes included tubes and pipe brackets, end angle plates like the main panel and the like. No decision was made, but the discussion confirmed the need to test the new boards thoroughly, in order to determine position and height. This led to another discussion - could we test the straight exhibition configuration in the workshop? The total length was 2 x 1140mm + 4 x 800mm = 5480mm. Stretching a tape measure to 5.5m led initially to a diagonal arrangement, with Worton Court supported over Geoff's workbench on two short legs and the fiddleyard diagonally positioned in the doorway through to the front garage. This would require an extra trestle to be made - just a simple pair of non-free standing legs. Slight variations in direction edged the layout around until the layout was almost exactly in its usual position, with one end on the storage unit shelf, and no extra trestles required!!!

Although eager to test it out asap, we will complete the basic scenic work and clean up the yard area track first and hopefully have a go in a fortnight?

Wednesday 14th September 2022

Worklist:

Test uncouplers.

Start ballasting track.

Laurence still on family leave, so just two again this week.

This would be a full loco-powered test rather than a hand shunt exercise, so the layout needed to be set up for running. The first transition board (Quarry line tunnel mouth) would also be required for access to the engine shed siding.  Once set up, a loco, two wagons and a van were used to successfully test the magnets without any adjustment. The movement wasn't excessive, but it was more than enough to uncouple. The exercise did highlight the need for an overhaul of some couplers - one of those 'Roundtuit' projects.

It was then decided that ballasting the track was probably the next task - why not. Three tubs of different coloured ballast were retrieved from a storage box. The original Cottesmore trackwork was ballasted with a material used by British Airways to soak up oil spillages in their workshops (care of John). Cat litter had been tried, but (according to collective memory), it wasn't quite as good. The three tubs we had were different colours, possibly down to Stephen, who had experimented with colouring and blending ballast for a project. As the ballast would be dirtied/over-sprayed later, colour wasn't an issue. Size was, and we needed to sieve them first, but without a sieve, we improvised. Stephen's yoghurt pots to the rescue. A pot had holes drilled in the bottom for the maximum size required. Another with smaller holes - minimum size - and the 'fines' were also separated. It took some time, but the sound was pure Caribbean and we had quite a collection in the end.

Geoff mixed Screwfix PVA with water and filled a small applicator bottle. Instead of adding washing-up liquid to counteract surface tension, he now uses IPA Isopropyl alcohol, delivered via an atomiser. We started off with one tub of ballast, then sieved another tub and used that, and ended up using the third tub. The ballasting was completed on all three boards except for the tie-bar areas, which will be ballasted with care, in due course.

Dry ballast adjusted by brush.

IPA applied before diluted PVA.

A finger comes in handy as well.

Gaps left around tie bars where more careful application is required.

The photo below looks odd, but it's just those curved tracks tricking the eyes. This transition board will never be seen at an exhibition, as it will only be used in the workshop. The handed version (The second engine shed) will need ballasting as well, if we can scrape any together from somewhere!

Wednesday 7th September 2022

Worklist:

Continue wiring the uncoupling magnets.

Laurence still on family event/holiday.

Stephen had purchased some miniature SPDT toggle switches for the uncouplers and other 'accessories'. These needed to be sited and fitted onto the control panel. We were going to cut strips of coloured self-adhesive plastic to define the trackwork, but we didn't have any to hand. Some will be sourced. In the meantime, the track centres were lightly drawn in pencil, the switch locations agreed and marked, and fixing holes drilled. An old section of aluminium angle was adapted to take another switch, which was fitted inside the control panel. This will allow the switch directions to be reversed depending on whether the layout was in workshop or exhibition format. The only planned accessory so far is a set of operating doors which will be visible and not so dependant on switch direction.

The 4 uncoupling magnet toggle switches

The overall direction switch (reverses up/down)

The servos direction is determined by whether the signal wires are connected to ground. The doors can be added to this arrangement or labelled appropriately.

Then, testing of the magnet servos took place, but problems occurred. There was a lot of 'judder' in all of the servo's movements. Closer inspection showed that one of the known faulty servos had been installed by mistake and needed to be replaced. We then realised that the servos had been 'hard wired' together with crimped terminals. These had to be removed and new plugs with short wires soldered on the servo tails, to allow the servos to be swapped-out if required. It was also decided to add a socket for the doors servo. Geoff then connected the master 'trimming' unit and adjusted the end travel points.

This completed, testing progressed with a replacement servo, but things still weren't running smoothly. Geoff decided to fit a physical damper, to reduce the juddering. An ancient coil of phosphor bronze draught excluder provided short strips that were screwed near the moving end of the magnet holder and everything became much more stable.

Magnet up (against baseboard) 

Magnet down (away from the baseboard)

A strange day of obstacles and solutions, but progress was made. Now where can we get some sticky-back-plastic?

The servo controller board is becoming quite busy. It can handle 12 servos, but wiring them into the system requires more wires/connections and is generally more complicated than simple motor or solenoid actuators. The master 'trimming' unit connects to the orange RJ45 socket just off the left hand side of the photo. It needs practice and the instructions to carry out any modifications.