Progress (or otherwise) on Jeff's new layout

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

I seem to recall that aluminium square tube is much cheaper in Oz than here in Europe Jeff. 

I think Max (Maxinsouthoz) used it as his baseboard supports and when I suggested he had more money than sense, he pointed out that it was quite reasonably priced.

Here, it should carry a warning or at best, only payable by "proper cash money" !! 

Lovely stuff - strong, light and easy to work with but my oh my,  it's expensive …………………. :shock:

Does it come in just the one cross section or are there thick tubes and thin tubes ?  Just thinking, you'd need heftier stuff for the baseboard than for a lighting rig …………… :hmm

The price here was reasonable. There is still a bit of weight in even what I bought, and it would support  quite a bit. I believe there are different sizes and thicknesses, but for the plastic connector pieces I think there is only the one size, to suit 25mm square tube. I have seen the other sizes advertised on an aluminium wholesaler's site.

The tubes I have for the main bars over the layout have a lip on them on one side, intended to support boards to make thinks like tables. I intend to use them to deflect light downwards, with the LED strips mounted below them. As this hasn't been tested, it remains purely a concept in my head at present.

First steps in fitting the lighting frame in. This is only temporarily screwed in to get a measurement for how much more I need to trim from the upper rail. I have used three nice long screws through the aluminium and into the wood of the baseboard frame.

There will be a mid support, as per my drawing posted yesterday, but as you can see, the system is sufficiently rigid that the top rail stays nearly level anyway. I have allowed the thickness of a backscene board between the end support and the baseboard edge, for a future backscene to be inserted. The same will apply at the other ends.








The roll of LEDs tested with a 12V DC transformer/rectifier. These are the warm white ones, but I also have some cool white versions. I can choose which looks better before fixing them in place. It may even be possible to have both at the same time.




The aim is to get a more even lighting effect over the whole layout.

Looking good so far Jeff.

Thanks Peter.

As detailed in my Workbench topic, a new second-hand European purchase for me was this Roco Swedish Rc5 locomotive in the obsolete blue livery that is still around. I hard-wired a budget Zimo MX600 decoder for the job as this was an older model that was not DCC-ready.Now all I have to do is add all the handrails and other add-on bits that came sealed in their bag in the box, and choose a number from the transfer sheet that was also included.

The end results of my labours from earlier.

Firstly, the Swedish Rc5 loco now has all its detail parts fitted, and has been numbered 1337, and is ready for service when I next run a Continental train theme. The transfers included the ASEA names for the sides of the pantograph bases. There was one centre handrail missing for one end, so I have made one out of brass wire, which was still unpainted in the second photo. I removed the coupling and pocket at one end and fitted the fully detailed snowplough.








 Back to British, the SECR D now has a crew. The fireman has temporarily parked his shovel and is having a breather. I have no idea whether the colours I chose or the dress style are appropriate for the period represented. The D's were right-hand drive, but the driver knows there is a signal coming up on the left with the left-hand curve, so he has moved to the left to observe that more clearly.

You don't waste any time Jeff - I'd still have been wondering what shade of black to use for the couplings ……… :oops:

Does she pull well ?

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

You don't waste any time Jeff - I'd still have been wondering what shade of black to use for the couplings ……… :oops:

Does she pull well ?

It pulls reasonably well: I removed the traction tyred wheels and put the plain ones on. That improves the pickup but lowers the traction available. I am only asking it to pull three birdcage coaches plus two 4-wheel luggage vans.

And I guess it pulls them adequately Jeff…………….


I have always hated traction tyres although I can understand why they were fitted.  The problem is, they stretch easily and most fluids used for track cleaning will attack them.  Any stray oil and or grease turns them into wonderful skis …………….

Lovely looking loco. I'm still kicking myself for missing out. I'd be doing away with the traction tyres too.

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

I seem to recall that aluminium square tube is much cheaper in Oz than here in Europe Jeff. 

I think Max (Maxinsouthoz) used it as his baseboard supports and when I suggested he had more money than sense, he pointed out that it was quite reasonably priced.

Here, it should carry a warning or at best, only payable by "proper cash money" !! 

Lovely stuff - strong, light and easy to work with but my oh my,  it's expensive …………………. :shock:

Does it come in just the one cross section or are there thick tubes and thin tubes ?  Just thinking, you'd need heftier stuff for the baseboard than for a lighting rig …………… :hmm

the aluminium price in USD has cycled between $1200 and $3000/ton over the last 30+ years, right now near its highs.


That is the overriding factor, it probably was very cheap at the time Max got his supplies. No so now.

With my left arm being a little sore from the second covid jab, and a few aches and pains afterwards, I haven't done much on the lighting support rig for a couple of weeks, but I got started again yesterday. It doesn't look like a great deal more, but there was a fair bit of cutting and trimming done, above and below scenes.

Anyway, here is the progress to date.. I only have to do the linking support in the middle at the corner, now. Then I can start stringing the LED strips and wiring them up.

Coming along nicely Jeff.

Hi Jeff.   Bravo.    Kevin

Thanks Kevin. Glad to see you're back on deck again.

:cheers

Hi Jeff.   Writing to a “ Southern Expert “ as you undoubtedly are from a plank modeller that chose the sensible route having a small Railway with a lot of interest. But,every time I get going I end up in hospital, this time it will be different, fingers crossed,  or I hoped it would? I have my ex LSWR Adams  02 and my ex LSWR Road Van,if they both had NEM pockets it would be a piece of cake, I don’t know which couplers you have gone with? off hand, but rightly or wrongly that was my choice for the Inglenook Junction, being the simplest to work on. I don’t know if you have had your hands on the ex LSWR Road Van, but I can either Bodge the couplers or do “a proper job “ the latter being preferred,     Please advise. Best wishes Kev 

I have just been a little extravagant (again!) and fitted legomanbiffo sounds into my LT Museum/Bachmann S Stock train. This requires two LokSound decoders - one for each powered driving car. I put lights in some time ago, using direct pickups from the track to power the LED strips, but a couple probably need the wheels cleaned and pickups tweaked as they are flickering a bit.


I did a very quick run to demonstrate a few of the sounds. About two-thirds of my Underground tracks are, well, underground, in tunnel, but I kept the recording going to capture the traction sounds as the train gathered speed. Braking uses F5, and I seem to have judged it rather well, considering I haven't had much practice with it yet.


The speakers I used are some square mega bass types from Roads & Rails.

   
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[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote:

Hi Jeff.   Writing to a “ Southern Expert “ as you undoubtedly are from a plank modeller that chose the sensible route having a small Railway with a lot of interest. But,every time I get going I end up in hospital, this time it will be different, fingers crossed,  or I hoped it would? I have my ex LSWR Adams  02 and my ex LSWR Road Van,if they both had NEM pockets it would be a piece of cake, I don’t know which couplers you have gone with? off hand, but rightly or wrongly that was my choice for the Inglenook Junction, being the simplest to work on. I don’t know if you have had your hands on the ex LSWR Road Van, but I can either Bodge the couplers or do “a proper job “ the latter being preferred,     Please advise. Best wishes Kev 

Both the Kernow O2 and their Road Vans have NEM pockets, Kevin. The choice of couplings is yours.

My Road Vans retain their tension lock couplings, but the O2 is a pull-push version, so it has a Kadee coupling at the bunker end and none at the smokebox end - I fitted full pipes there. the pull-push sets it works with also have Kadees at the inner end and none at the driving end.

Hi Jeff,

Nice LT Museum/Bachmann S Stock train video, impressive enough pulling into station that you're left waiting for the doors to retract! Little project for you there perhaps!

Is the fencing across the other track a sign of of poor LT maintenance practices due to labour shortages post BREXIT? All those workers having headed back across The Channel whence they came?

Colin

[user=2170]Colin W[/user] wrote:

Hi Jeff,

Nice LT Museum/Bachmann S Stock train video, impressive enough pulling into station that you're left waiting for the doors to retract! Little project for you there perhaps!

Is the fencing across the other track a sign of of poor LT maintenance practices due to labour shortages post BREXIT? All those workers having headed back across The Channel whence they came?

Colin

Stopping in the right place takes a little practice, applying and releasing the F5 key for the brakes.

I only noticed the fence when watching the videos while editing them together. I had knocked it off the viaduct above the track there.

I know the feeling, a cow or two and a horse "lying down" in the paddocks or characters in all sorts of odd Amelie like places (blame the grandkids for that!) All only to be spotted when you capture that perfect video.  :roll: