Bachmann 2 EPB

A quickie today.

Been waiting for this for a while. Postie delivered this morning.

a parcel van was delivered as well.

I have inadvertently, well start again. I made the platforms long enough to fit a Class 33, Two bogie parcel vans and a CCT van, it turns out that this is also long enough for a four car EPB, bonus

The new layout, servo mounts

The postman bought me some servo motor mounts today.

I got them from a guy from eBay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124240616571

They go together well.

I did make one modification by adding a 2mm bearing to the hole where the lever goes up through, I can see this wearing through at a later date.

They are just pin-point bearings drilled through.

Assembled, only another 12 to go. The piece next to the servo is long enough to fit Two micro switches, ideal for frog polarity and anything else you might want to switch.

The new layout, track, 21t wagon.

More progress on the new layout, which yet to have a name.

After testing the track, I have probably done this to soon, the track has been blown over with rail grime.

Not that I like this, it's all a bit uniform but at least it gives you a base, a sort of 'primer' layer to work with and is a good way to start, especially with hand built track, covers up all the copper clad sleepers.

The postie bought me these today.

You can get them from Amazon. They also do packs of 15.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TYCFKY8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

They will be used to take off feeds on the positive or negative polarity for the frogs and anything else that may need a feed. It saves on any soldering something I do not believe in under a layout, ask any BT engineer.

I have also finished the 21ton mineral wagon kit, PC03 from Parkside Models, now part of the Peco group. Just transfers to fit when they arrive, not sure if the diagonal white line comes in the transfer pack.

That's it folks.

The new layout, first test.

With track laid and wired up.

Is it time for a test to what works and what doesn't.

Oh well, plugging it in we had an amidiate short circuit, well, did I expect it to work straight from the box. I thought I had taken enough care but there is always the unexpected.

Two shorts reared its ugly head, one, I hadn't cut one of the switch blades right through at the frog end. The other, I had soldered a check rail across a joint....

....both easily sorted after a bit of head scratching to find them.

Time for the very first test bearing in mind that the frog polarities have yet to be fitted and the 'Diamond' yet to be wired.

https://youtu.be/tiPyedSWzFU

Well it's looking good. I chose my Class 33/1. One check rail was a bit tight but other than that it works fine.

The new layout, wiring

Yes, I have started wiring. It's DCC so only Two wires.....

....not quite, I can see at least 19. Thats without the frog polarity wires. Technically I suppose it is Two wires. I always work on the principle of Black to back.

All soldered up and ready to be clipped to the 'Bus' undernieth.

I use these for clipping to the 'Bus wire.

Not one to be lead under a layout using a soldering iron above ones head. Parkstone Goods has worked perfectly for years using these.

The new layout

It's going to be a long slow process with this one.

The track on the upper level is laid and stuck down using Copydex. 

coming with a better idea of switching the double slip, this is the result.

The Two halves pivot independently.

We have also started on the control panel. A kit one from Model Railway Solutions.

I cut the top out to make a frame, a piece of perspex will be installed for all the switches etc.

We have started to collect a few things.

Yes, it's going to have Third Rail!

One has to grab stuff these days when you see it as some things are becoming hard to find.

As a slight deviation, a friend of mine asked if I could build a couple of points for his layout, these were duly built to 3mm scale 12mm gauge track.

One right hand and a 'Y' for his Ealing North layout. No drawings, gauges or plans were used, so if they work I will be amazed.

The new layout

If you didn't notice in the last post, the track was played but the point work wasn't stuck down, I have been trying out a new way of making stretcher bars.

This looks like it might work. I'm not convinced about the strip of plastistruck holding things together, this isn't strictly true as the Two pins that go down through the baseboard are attached to a stretcher bar underneath, I'm sure whether to solder these.

All of my previous layouts have had up to 6 or 7 points, not to bad, this one has 12. Lots of pennies for point motors, been thinking about this and have gone down the servo route and all will be controlled by a Megapoints controller. A first for me. So we have made a servo mount.

looking good, only 11 more to make.

Another one of those updates!

I have been informed that it has been a while since I posted something. It would seem that the last post was on the 17 September last month.

What's he been up to you may ask?

Well, I have said before that one is probably lost himself in some project somewhere or other. This occasion is no different.

I was building some Parkside wagon kits, I finished one of them.

Four more to go.

These have been put to one side as last weekend 26 September 2020 I picked up these.

A rather large display unit or is it to be a piano, no, it's a new layout project. No name as yet but talking to a friend of mine it will resemble something from South London, 1970s. The idea of an island platform terminus on the upper level and goods on the lower. It was only suppose to be 7ft long but has already been extended by another 3 and half feet, making it 10 feet in length.

How far have we got?

track building has commenced. No computers stuff was used in planning of this track work.

I'm thinking along the lines (sorry for the pun) of bi-directional running, a train can enter and depart from either platform from either track.

In case you hadn't noticed, I actually enjoy building track.

This looks rather impressive, if I say so myself. I'm not normally one for loads of straight track but am impressed with this, yes and it is straight, not really that difficult to produce. So many layouts out there with wiggly track.

That's really it for the moment but am in the process of investigating using servos and control systems to operate this lot.

I think there might be something interesting to present to you over the weekend, that's of course if it arrives in time.