Petermac's Railway

Ignore Liz`s list Peter tell her there are more important things in life like your layout that requires your attention.

As long as the roof isnt leaking does it really matter.

The goverment here are saying losing only 20,000 people will be a good result so i personally would rather do something i enjoy if i were to be amongst that number than doing some petty decorating thing.

Brian

Brian are you fit and well now? Noticed your vehicle has not moved much of late.

Derek
unfortunately not i have bowel cancer and i am at present undergoing chemotherapy .

I am staying positive and hopefully the treatment gives good results.


Brian

Sorry to hear your news Brian. Good that you have a positive attitude. Stay safe.
Best wishes 

Derek

Best wishes Brian.  Hope you will soon be on the road to recovery

Barry

Hi Brian,

Sorry to hear that, but I like your attitude. Many of us will be out of mainstream life for some time, as long as mail order works it's a great opportunity to get on with some modeling. I'm under "voluntary quarantine" as in "we are letting you back as long as you stay housebound for the next 2 weeks". After coming from a country with less cases than the state of VA.

I read somewhere that the true infection rate is at least 6 times higher than that reported due to the number of asymptomatic individuals.

Nigel.

Thankyou for the kind words i have not mentioned it before on YMR but thought its about time i said something if only to possibly help fellow sufferers know they are not alone.
The staying positive is very important as its very easy to allow your mind to go to dark places.

Peter i apologies for littering your layout thread please feel free to delete if inappropriate.

Brian

It's not always easy Brian, but your positive attitude and maintaining your interests will help keep your focus pointed in the right direction.

Kindest regards,

Bill

[user=2137]Briperran[/user] wrote:

…………………………………………………………………………….

Peter i apologies for littering your layout thread please feel free to delete if inappropriate.

Brian

Absolutely no problem Brian - just as long as you know we're all thinking of you and wishing you the very best of luck with it.

I ought also to say that I have been in touch with Brian elsewhere following his reply to Derek on here - just in case you were wondering ……………………………..

Best wishes, Brian. I hope all goes well.

Evan

A question concerning Peco points ……………………..

Until recently, I hadn't bought any Peco Electrofrog points for some time and I notice the design has changed slightly.

They say, in bold lettering, that no modifications are required for DCC operation.

Does one still add that link wire between the stock and switch rails or is it now superfluous ?  The moulded webbing makes it much more difficult to fit it in that there are 2 thin bits of web, 1 each side of the stock rail rather than the old "obvious" area where this wire went.

In addition, I am using a small radius "Y" point but there is no wire to the frog - is this correct and if so, how does one change frog polarity on such a point ?  I'm wondering if this is a faulty point - it wouldn't be the first I've had.  Peco do say that frog switching is "an option for better connectivity" so presumably, the point will work OK without it.  Those tiny link wires one has to remove if switching the frog are not present on the small "Y".

It's best to alter the points now Peter, rather than risk it and find you get bad running and have to do them in situ.

I think if you've got a really clean environment you might get away with making no alterations.

My 009 electrofrog points have no wire attached to the frog and to alter them would mean taking a cutting disk or fine saw to the rails to make an insulating gap for the frog. Needless to say I haven't, and I do find I'm having to spray contact cleaning on the end of the switch rails where they meet the stock rail, every time I want to run something.

Regarding the Y point,….

http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=14270&forum_id=6



Ed

Thanks Ed and sorry, I didn't realise you'd already posted about these points.  Just shows, one has to read everything !!!

Mine is exactly as yours is and I've wired the power feeds where you did yours.  I'm thinking, for the frog, I might take a wire from inside the 'V' (on the surface) and drop it through the webbing and baseboard.  I'm using Tortoise switches.

I'll study their factory fitted wires but I'm surprised they don't short out unless the frog has a polarity switch attached.  I wonder how they've got around that one ……………. :hmm

Fortunately, this will be the only small Y on the layout - I feel much happier with the larger points that I'm familiar with. 

No need to apologise Peter, that thread was posted nearly four years ago (which is a bit frightening - where has that four year gone).


Ed

I'm looking for help/advice.

I'm in the process of relaying one half of the layout and in doing so, have hit a snag regarding point motors.

This area is using Tortoise motors controlled via a mimic panel with route indicating LEDs.






All was going fine, if slowly, when I had to place this point directly above a timber batten on the existing baseboard.



Several timbers below the baseboard converge at a point almost directly under the operating tie bar which prohibits mounting any form of motor under the point, or even to make sense of a slightly remote mounting.  No problem, thinks I, I'll use a Peco PL11 surface mounted motor of which I have plenty in stock.. 

Now, the snag !!  The Tortoise motors run on 12v DC but the PL11s run on 16v AC via a CDU plus, there's no facility for frog polarity changing nor LED route indication.

Any "lateral thinking" ideas would be greatly appreciated Gents.  :hmm

According to Mr Lambert, they will run on 12v DC Peter.

https://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical_Page_2.html#Bookmark4

(3rd para)

For switching the frog you'll either need to rig up a micro switch being pushed by the tie bar or motor, or cheat and use a Gaugemaster DCC80

https://www.track-shack.com/acatalog/Gaugemaster-DCC80-DCC-Autofrog-GM_DCC80.html


Ed

Edit: Forgot to say you shouldn't need a CDU just for one point.

 

My word Ed - you must have been waiting for my post !!  Thanks for the speedy reply.

I will have several solenoid motors on sidings etc. around that area - probably 4 or 5, both PL11 and SEEP controlled  so thought maybe it would make sense to add a CDU for them all.  This one forms part of the fiddle/storage yard so wanted to operate it via the mimic panel.  Maybe I could have a re-think or simply dispense with the CDU for this 1 motor.
 
I had considered fitting a microswitch - I have some "in a box" somewhere - lost since the house move !!  I had also read about the GM DCC80 but wondered, given the current delivery delays,  if there was an easier and/or cheaper way.  Maybe not …………………….. :roll:

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

My word Ed - you must have been waiting for my post !! 

I'm actually sitting, waiting for our shopping to be delivered Peter, so I can't really start anything  :lol:


Ed

[user=1338]Ed[/user] wrote:

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

My word Ed - you must have been waiting for my post !! 

I'm actually sitting, waiting for our shopping to be delivered Peter, so I can't really start anything  :lol:


Ed

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

There's luxury for you - your own personal shopper !!   We can't get deliveries here Ed although some are lucky enough to have bagged a slot on "Drive" at the local supermarket.  We were not so lucky so, having decided Liz is more expendable than I am, she shops every 10 days or so.  (Just joking of course although, for various reasons,  I am considered "High Risk")

Actually, this part of France has thus far avoided the worst of the outbreak.  Fingers crossed I'll be able to say the same in 2 or 3 months time ……………..

We've been having shopping delivered for years, it's easier than carrying it.

It's now got more difficult to get a slot, though my sister who I live with is having chemo and is in the high risk group.

Unfortunately she is the car driver, but can't go out and I'm very limited to what I can get in two pannier bags on a bicycle  :lol:


Ed