East Coast Main Line - in the sun

I'd forgotten about your laser cutter Dave - I had a vision of threaded rod …………

That looks solid enough.  What spacing do you plan to use between the supports ?

Hi both. I am basically using what I have. The laser is only a hobby laser, and an early variant at that, so I am limited to about 2mm MDF. There will be 8 pairs of towers making up the circuit and I have sized it so that a complete circuit of 4th radius (outer - up) and 3rd radius (inner - down) will drop by 80mm. I think that is the minium drop I can get away with and still give some clearance. The cross pieces joining a pair of towers and made up of two pieces which will be glued together for additional support along with extra strengthening at each pillar. I will post a blow up picture of the pieces when I am ready to put a complete tower assembly pair together. Hopefully if someone spots a major problem they will let me know before I start glueing them together. Just been looking at buying some more MDF so I can continue the build but, although I have found somewhere in Spain who can ship it, it's more than 3 times the price of the supplier I use in the UK so it will have to wait for my friend to come back from his trip in late January.

If my maths is correct a circle of radius 3 rack is 3173mm long and dropping 80mm gives a gradient of just over 2.5%

Should be doable  



Ed

Feliz ano nuevo (happy new year). Well minor works on deconstructing the current layout continue. I am now gradually removing the track screws on the scenic sections. They aren't really required where the track is fully ballasted and don't impact on running trains. Had a few local visitors over the Christmas period, mainly Spanish friends, so it was nice to be able to run some trains. The helix project has now come to a halt pending a new supply of MDF. My friend across town is driving back to the UK shortly and is bringing more back with him which is kind of him. Anyway a picture showing the current state.



As you can see, I am three sets of pillars short and loads of track support sections. Hope it all works after it's finished. I am anticipating that there willl be a few trains that can't make it up and down. As long as it is only a few they can run around the scenic element only. The main thing is that the vast majority are ok with it. If not it's back to long slopes.
 

What's the spacing between the towers Dave ?  2mm MDF isn't known for it's tensile strength ………..  I'd hate to see another Tay Bridge style disaster !! 

Hi. The unsupported length of each span is approximately 240mm. I have the option of adding a further 2mm supporting "rib" underneath each section if it is necessary. I am also playing with the design for the new fiddle yard to see if it makes sense to use the helix just for getting down to the required level but to incorporate a more traditional slope for getting back up. That means I could get down quickly as the train leaves the scenic section but come back up from the other end using the slope.

Just a short update on the helix. All but constructed now the new delivery of 2mm MDF has arrived from the UK (via a friend who drove over). Construction is almost complete with just the on and off link spans to design and cut. I am going to cobble together a make shift section as you come off the helix so that I can test it in it's current location. The top exit is pretty straightforward but I think the lower exit may require a bit of a redesign of pillar 12 so that the bottom part of the outer pillar doesn't get in the way of trains coming off the helix, but then that is what testing is for. I have done a quick test with radius 3 and 4 track and it appears to work fine so at least my maths was correct althogh I may actually use radius 3 for the inner (as I have a load spare) and flexi for the outer. I am bolting the top and bottom spans in place to give it some rigidity but the middle spans are just placed on for now. It's all got to come to bits to go back to the UK. Once there I will probably glue it all together and give a spray of paint to protect it. The mk 2 for the other end of the layout will won't look like bodgit and scarper made it on a Friday afternoon.

Wow that is a major construction effort but a very clever design.  Laying the track will be fun!

Looking good Dave  



Ed

Oooh yes - I like that Dave - it looks strong and sturdy yet lightweight.

What sort of clearance do you have in there - i.e. should an inner train derail, can you access it from the outside or are you employing child labour to stand inside it …………………    I'm seem to remember it's double track ……………

Thanks all. I have kept the clearance to an absolute minimum but I think inner or outer derailments will require access via the centre given one of these will have walls on two sides. I am going to try for double track but I still have the option for the up from storage line to be a long slope. It's a bit crude in places, where I have had to modify the design on the fly, but it is sturdy enough (I hope). The revised designs for the mk2, for the other end, are ready to cut and they should be a bit more presentable. Got a viewing on the house here in Spain on Saturday so all work may be put on hold if they are interested and the dreaded teardown of Tinkers End will have to take place. Although the couple coming may love model railways and be keen to keep the layout.

Well test running with a selection of trains up the helix worked ok so it is now dismantled and put in a box ready for the, hopefully, not to distant sale. I am next going to start removing wiring and point motors from sidings etc. This means the basic layout will still look intact and I can also still give the trains a run. A bit of a pain being in limbo though. Back to the UK in April by plane so a couple of complete trains in my carry on luggage. Will have to see what I dare take in the car when we go for the summer. I have also had another request for the over the track signal box I made for a guy near Portsmouth, this one is for a guy up near Derby. Keeps me occupied, but a new project is on the cards but it does require me working out the issues with my 3D printer, It prints the supplied test prints really well but, as yet, I haven't managed to get it to print anything else properly.

I have also done a little more on the trackside version of the original over track signalbox I designed and cut for a guy on the south coast.



Not quite finished yet. Needs internals and weathering and maybe lighting although I am not sure about that yet.

Also got a request for another over track version so I am on with cutting that as well.
 

Nice looking signal box Dave… sounds like you are becoming The Man for over the track signal boxes.

What's the plan, sell the Spain place and then look for something in the UK?

Moving is a pain but it's nice to have a change.

I'm impressed you manage to keep your mojo going Dave.

Building the helix then immediately dismantling it and now partially dismantling the layout, even if it is only point motors must make it very hard to keep going.

Do you have an operating layout in UK or is it still in the planning stages ?

The UK house is coming along but I don't get a lot of time there at the moment. The new shed is just under 8m x 5m so quite a bit smaller than the space I have here in Spain. The plan for this year, along with actual house stuff, is to get the shed insulation installed and hopefully the electical supply. It is then ready to start building the mk 2 Tinkers End. I am sticking with the basic E shape of the current layout but trying to fix some of the short comings of the current layout, particulaly in respect of DMU operation. Unfortunately the reduced size, especially the width, will mean less industrial area and associated goods sidings.

The house in Spain is formely on the market now but who knows how long it will take to sell. We have a quote from a moving company but I won't know how much space (and weight) is going to be free for bits of the actual layout until everything else is packed.

I have also had a picture of a different signal box sent me and am currently in discussions about designing and cutting it. On the plus side, I took my laser head off the machine for a good clean and to have another go at making a better air assist for it with the 3D printer. In the mean time I have installed the new head I had bought, wow, it is air assist and cuts 2mm mdf in a single pass. Things are going to be done so much quicker.

Steady progress then! My best wishes for a speedy and profitable sale.

So, you have a laser cutter and a 3D printer?

You'll have to get used to a different kind of weather back in Blighty Dave but at least you won't have the Brexit problems to worry about …………

Is the housing market brisk in Spain - I understand it's gone sleepy here with regard to Brits moving over - I think it's mainly Dutch house hunters keeping the market alive.

It seems your laser cutter has moved up a few gears - 2mm MDF in a single cut is fantastic !!  You'll be turning it into a commercial operation before too long ……….



 

Not sure about turning in to a commercial operation but the odd request certainly keeps me occupied, especially in this limbo time. I think Brit buyers are less than they were although our two new neighbours last year were both brits. I have no apetite for adding things to the layout as I know it's only a matter of time before I will have to take it to bits. The laser cutter projects, and trying to get my 3D print working, are more self contained and can hopefully fill in the gap. Looking at designing an engine house at the moment (as well as a different signal box). I had started the design work on a brick built structure (laser engraved brick work) but then happened to be reading the Dec 2023 Railway Modeller and there was an article about Bath Green Park engine shed. Now I know it's nowhere near the east coast mainline but rule 1 may apply. Looks like a reasonable challenge.

I gat an online edition of Railway Modeller Dave so I'll have a look at Bath Green Park shed.  They probably copied it from an LNER design anyway ………….