Once you get the first set of Peco microswitches sorted Max, the other 14 will be easy !

OK.  Time to fess up - again.  One end was fixed by muscling the switch across until it would throw properly.  The other end I had carefully removed the bridging joiners and then picked up a different (unmodified), turnout and installed it.  :oops:

Note to self, "Check and Double Check."

What it did show me was how easy it is to remove the turnouts by unsoldering the wires and snipping off the bent over and glued pins.

I once spent an age looking for a short in the wiring under the boards only to discover that I'd left a pair of long nose pliers lying across the track.

Glad you got it sorted, Max. I guess you need a good old IN tray and OUT tray for your point modifications ;-)

OK.  I've been a bit distracted.  Back to the thread.

I've made a couple more modules.



The second of the double ones, and . . .



a single one.  This is the only one that I was able to save from the first layout.  Even then I had to solder the points of the frog together and put in an extra frog wire to get it to work.



I might make up one of Sol's CDU's so I can bench test the solenoids.  Everything else works.

I made up one of Sol's CDU's out of an old project box and one of my collection of laptop chargers.

Now I can test each one before I move on to the next one.



I'm using the DPDT switch next to the red LED bezel.  Terminals 1 2 and 3 have the three wires to the solenoid motor and terminals 7 and 8 are the 12 Volt DC power supply for the LEDs on the turnout.

I'm constantly in awe of how neat and precise your work always looks Max.
I guess that some of us are organised and tidy and others, like me, are ….. erm….. not.

Thanks, Warren.  Thank goodness for the cropping board. 

Good progress, Max. I think that making these up on modules is exactly the right thing to do. You are making up your own "set-track" pieces which you know work fully before inserting into the layout. Might even be a business in it

Thanks, Geoff.  I'll need to speed myself up a bit. 

Number 4 (showing the carnage of building). 

Now that looks a little more like home ……………thumbs

Do you find it gets easier as you get more done Max ?

When I'm doing multiples of anything, I usually find a quicker/easier way to produce a better end result by about half way, so go back and re-do the earlier efforts …………..

I think I'm getting better organised, Peter.  Five to go at last count.

Each one still takes me between 4 and 5 hours.

Sounds more like a sentence than a hobby.

More like a paragraph. 

Now that is what I call a photo of work in progress, Max. None of this photoshop nonsense trying to suggest that everything is beautifully clean and white behind the finished module. ;-)

My little work area is constantly like that! Mind you, I can nearly always find things. It is when I tidy up that I then can't remember where things are anymore!!

Sounds like you are nearly half way with your modules. When doing similar things, I usually get fed up around half way and then "invent" a different way of doing things to re-kindle my interest. I remember taking part in "Management Training" exercises where I was never categorised as a "completer/finisher". Trouble is, when modelling on my own, there is no team around to do the completing and finishing for me :sad:

Looking forward to seeing more candid photos of your progress.

That's certainly a very interesting concept Max but I wouldn't fancy doing it for the 40+ points I have.

Great work though. :thumbs

Thanks, guys.  The proof of the pudding, and all that.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone do it like this - maybe there's a reason why . . .