4mm Not exactly too small

[Oliver Bulleid]

​

​

Quite some time ago, Bill, made a nice little baseboard that fitted on the Beetle's rear seat but it really was too small so another board joined it even so 2mx50cm is pretty small. A trackplan, courtesy of Carl Arendt's site, was sourced and here is the result.​

​

I always find that the underside of layout is just as revealing as the fancy bits on top however please note the absence of wiring, just two substantial wires connect the boards but there is total control - a full DCC layout. It is intended to be operated Iain Rice-style, from the front and to one side. ​

​

More to follow.​

​

​

​

 

[Jon Gwinnett]

Interesting. Does the copper? Foil work well as the bus wire? Looks very neat.

 

[Oliver Bulleid]

Copper tape has been used on the past three layouts without issue.

You might consider 35A cooker wire as an alternate

Tim

 

[Jordan]

What's the layout setting - Country, Railway (or Railroad, hopefully!! ), scale, etc...?

Having owned a Beetle myself, many moons ago, it's rear seat strikes me as an odd sort of place to build a baseboard....
As usual, I must be missing something....

 

[Oliver Bulleid]

Jordan,

I have just spotted the typo, so much for using predictive text.

The theme will be revealed as the project progresses - all I can reveal is that it not something that I have previously used.

Tim

 

[Jordan]

Jordan,

I have just spotted the typo, ...

Ah....

 

[Oliver Bulleid]

​

​

​

This is the high-tech DCC set-up, rubber bands and cup hooks hold the control unit in place and the transformer is screwed down. The unit in the lower right corner is a ZTC 302 turnout motor, I just need to understand how to configure it for use with the MultiMaus DCC -Help please ​

 

[Heather Kay]

I'd be wary of those rubber bands. They'll perish over time, so it might be better to use something more permanent, such as wire.

 

[Oliver Bulleid]

This method was used without issue on previous layouts, Postman Pat has plenty more rubber bands, judging from his deposits outside our door.

Tim

 

[Heather Kay]

That's fair enough. Obviously, bands can be replaced. I was just going by those I've used to bind cables together for storage, which crumble when you pick the thing up.

 

[Oliver Bulleid]

​

​

That's a nice little Ruston, it can go where the gronk cannot reach.

Soon to be completed and painted in faded BR green.

Tim ​

 

[Dog Star]

...Postman Pat has plenty more rubber bands, judging from his deposits outside our door.

Better that than deposits from Jess the Cat .

 

[Oliver Bulleid]

​

​

I found the Canon G9 and took a better snap, the Ruston is the work of Paul B. aka Halfwit, who is both a gentlemen and a scholar. It is neither a Judith Edge or Impetus kit but an A1 with RT chassis and High Level twirly bits. ​

​

In the next few weeks, the layout will become a very small corner of Meldon with a few tiny Southern locos.​

​

​

​

Thank you Paul​

​

Tim​

​

​

 

[halfwit]

If anyone's interested, the basic A1 Models Ruston body has had sandboxes added from rectangular styrene strip, with seperate lids (no they don't open!), more stryrene strip has been used for the axleboxes and tensioning rods (used on chain drive locos to move the axleboxes forwards or rearwards to tension the drive chains), and the white strip just seen on the bonnet top is a channel which the bottom of the top-hinging bonnet side doors sits in whilst open. Radiator and fuel caps are cut down handrail knobs, and the exhaust 1mm brass tube. The rearmost part of the cab opening has been plated over, as per DS1169 which saw service on the Southern Region. Gearbox is a High Level Slimliner+ with 108:1 reduction and the motor a Mashima 1020. Etched chassis is from RT models. Wheels are Romford 10mm discs, Gibson Lowmac discs could have been used but in my experience often have concentricity issues. Kadees are mounted on 'L' shaped brackets soldered to the buffer beams.

Looks rather nice under that loader.

 

[Oliver Bulleid]

​

The Walthers kit of the Glacier Gravel Company is very good, in fact, excellent but it could do with a bit of detailing. ​

How, for instance, does anyone service the loader, there is a walkway but no access from the ground, the Plastruct 90431 appears to be made for the task. Unfortunately, you have to import it from the US.​

BTW, the loader is not finished, it needs the feet otherwise no one could exit the ladder.​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Tim​

​

 

[Dog Star]

Somehow the top of the ladder fitting does not look quite correct... or rather the H&S inspectors have yet to call.

The photo suggests that the handrail / guard around the top walkway has no "opening" (or gap) for the worker to transfer from the ladder to the walkway... the arrangement looks like the worker has to climb over the handrails, not what I would expect by analogy with current Network Rail methods of access to signal walkways.

Maybe the ladder needs to be lower with extensions to the protection / hoops?

regards, Graham

 

[daifly]

It would also be necessary to get on to hands and knees to get under the bottom hoop then leap about 4ft onto the bottom rung of the ladder!

 

[Jordan]

Somehow the top of the ladder fitting does not look quite correct...
Maybe the ladder needs to be lower with extensions to the protection / hoops?

It would also be necessary to get on to hands and knees to get under the bottom hoop then leap about 4ft onto the bottom rung of the ladder!

I hope Tim doesn't mind, but I've highlighted the relevant part of his Post, which should be taken into account...

 

[Oliver Bulleid]

Thanks Jordan,

I tend to ignore this type of comment

Tim

 

[garethevans1986]

Looks good, looking forward to seeing the finished article.

Gareth