Guess what - more changes to track plan!

Looks like I have found what I think is a feasible track plan for the lower or Southern area which was the former staging yard.
I have decided to change this to a town with a terminus, and engine roads. The idea is to make up and break up trains here using my Y Class, then call on the locos which are rostered for the train from the loco tracks. Lot more engaging compared to simply letting trains into 'hidden' staging.

I now kinda enjoy shunting! So this adds alot to the operational point of things.

Here is the track plan (Click for complete image)

Changes to TrackPlan - Again!

I think adding another station is needed on this plan - so I decided to change the branch line next to staging and make it another town - although this comes with a massive trade off as the space for a three track station and a 'main' line next to it causes a huge compromise in realism. I decided to go for operation over scenery. Don't know whether this will work.

Attached are some pictures:

Installing ANE Smartswitches

Spent the entire day building a 'CTC' panel for the main station. Eventually worked out how to have two LEDs light up at the same time, one showing RED, the other GREEN, depending on how the points are thrown. Basically, you need to connect the LEDs in series. The LEDs must be bi-color and I used the two leg type.

Didn't get a chance to play at all! Was consumed in getting this panel up and working.

I think the ANE Smart switches are kind of worth it now, although they are expensive at nearly $20 a pop (more for the decoder version), because the package comes with everything and I really like the LED read out - tells me at a glance which way the points are set - really difficult when you have the layout at near eye-level.

A real pain to install but a few tips I have are:

1. Make a small bend in the wire supplied the other side from the bottom up into the point, then secure the wire onto the servo Horn then the Horn onto the Smart Switch. This is kinds awkward, but more effective I think. Also, use the servo horn with the double arm and thread the wire into the first or second hole, this way the servo arm does not need to move alot to change the points.

Well, that's one tip for now.

12 Months On

Well it's been 12 months since I purchased my first locomotive (Austrains T375) and I began from scratch. Since then, alot has been achieved.

• Benchwork
  
• Erection of Shed and concreting
• Layout Design (about 50 plans were created)
• Track layed out and then ripped up and relayed to its final form
• Signalling circuitry completed
• About 30 pieces of rolling stock bought, constructed, and painted (no decals as yet applied)
• Six Locomotives purchased namely, B75, B67, T375, Y164, T357 and S311 (Don't think I need anymore)
• Some track painted
• ANE Point motors installed onto 6 points - still to do about 4 more.
• Final Layout plan settled on.
• All track have feeder wires.
• Bus wiring layed out.

Current RollingStock:

Maybe the next 12 months, I may see the following completed:

• All track ballasted
• All track painted
• Grass and Trees
• Signalling Completed
• SEMs BW cars constructed and painted - looking to do at least 4
• US Tank Cars modified and painted accordingly
• Decals applied to rolling stock (hate this job!)
• A station constructed and painted
• A Goods Shed constructed and painted
• Probably some more SEM freight wagons constructed

I think the most difficult parts, laying track, track plans, building benchwork are behind me.

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S Class Video - S 311

Humbrol Paints

Suggestion is to use #20 for Passenger stock



For Freight stock use Humbrol 100 Matt red brown, can be sprayed or brushed.



For weathering Humbrol matte 110 or 118 applied with an airbrush for locomotive dust



For AW/BW Roof colours - use either #26 or #29 (I think #29 is more appropriate (Dark Earth/Brown)

RUST: - Polly S Rust P02-414323

Chart:

http://scalemodeldb.com/paintcharts/humbrol

for weathering

Humbrol matte 110 or 118 applied with an airbrush for locomotive dust.

Received the S Classes today

No derailments!! But I think the B Classes look better - some reason I think the nose of the S classes looking from above its too flat.

Changes to 'Ingle'

Well, what do you know - again a change to the trackwork.

As suggested by Anthony on a recent visit to make the main loop track at Ingle longer and to use a curved point at the west end. Spent the morning (beginning at 0530am when it was nice and cool and bright) relaying this section of track - alot of hard work, drilling, cutting track, soldering, going through the steps multiple times to get it right.

I think, its better to have a longer loop track rather than a head shunt at both sides.
Now, I will get 8 of the ANE model point servos so I can press a button and simulate a signal man at this station.

Here is a photo:



Followed by some signal pics:

Signal Placed on track

Here is the signal on the track - looks quite real.





and here is a video

San Mateo Signals

This week I began constructing the double head San Mateo Signals. I really had a very tough time! One thing I noticed is how delicate the brass work really is! I made a complete mess of it. Luckly I ordered two and hope to improve on the second. And to make matters worse, one of the LED legs broke off so now I am down 1 bi colour LED :(

The instructions were very poorly written - even the grammer was not up to scratch - anyhow I called Bill and he explained a few things on the phone and sent me another diagram which explained things further.

Here are some photos:








As requested by Wayne, here is the schematic for the detection circuit and signal - all credit goes to John of course (and Rob Paisley http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/CircuitIndex.html) as he created and helped me with these circuits.

Detection Circuit WORKS!

Thanks to John from railpage.com.au, I build the circuit which detects the passing of a train turning the signal to red using a current sensing architecture! From what turned out as a dream, I cannot believe this is now reality!!

Here is a small video:

Grade gone

I built it and it took me 1 week and its gone in 5 mins....

Somehow it didn't do it for me - layout seemed more toy like - maybe because it felt like a yo-yo - up then immediately down mmm... oh well at least I gave it ago and will reconsider my options - I really want to add a trestle bridge in that area so will most likely build a small L girder benchwork or something.

Building the Grade

I decided to build an incline because my layout seemed too flat! So, using some basic calculations I build a 2% or 1 in 50 grade (to calculate this you divide 1 by 50 then multiply for 100 to give you 2%)

I see that the maximum grade or most frequently used maximum grade used by VR was a 1 in 50 so I thought this should be my maximum on the layout.

Here are some photos for the building phase.

Track Plan

Some Changes
Create another 'branch' line from Ingle to staging. I thought part of 'operation' is also controlling signals and points - so this branch line adds another dimension to the layout - also it gives at least one more operational move. Only draw back is that this branch line is a 'dead-end' where the 0-5-0 will have to play its part to move the loco the other way round -
Another draw back is that the the radius of the curve of the main track to staging had to be reduced to 20inches - quite tight - but since this is 'not visible' I think this should be OK

B Class

Received two B Classes today - B67 and B75.

Automating Signals

In preparation of buying some signals for the layout, I considered the prospect of placing a couple of Home signals on the layout. I wanted to control these signals with a button and make the signal drop to red after the train goes past it.

I saw this as two issues:

1. The ability to control the signal just like in CTC and to have the circuit detect the passing of a train to drop the signal to red.

2. The detection circuit.

Now, railpage user JLB51 has helped me tremendously. He provided me with a circuit that uses two 555 ICs. The first 555 is used to drive the RED led whilst the second is used to drive the GREEN. The first 555 is set up as a bistable circuit whilst the second as an Inverting Buffer or Schmitt trigger. Thanks to JLB51, I was able to create his circuit on a breadboard and to my delight the circuit worked! Here are some pictures

This one shows the signal set to Green.




This one shows the signal set to RED




Now, I need the detection circuit! Again, JLB51 has kindly provided me with some valuable information to get started on this.

New Track Plan

Well I have made some serious changes to the layout. When I first started, I thought running a train behind a backdrop at Stawell would be a good idea as this is some what realistic in that a train only goes pass the major station once. However, after laying out all the track and spending countless hours building the layout, I found that running a train behind the main station in a hidden fashion does not work at all!

There is much more pleasure derived seeing the train in motion. So I have done away with the crowded yard which was Stawell and gone totally fictional, but still somewhat based on VR prototype.

Here is the new plan. I think this will operate more realistically. Only problem now is that I don't have too many industries to shunt too.

Major Changes to TrackPlan

I have made major changes to my layout - I don't know but when I was playing, I felt disengaged and kinda bored with the trackplan based on 'Stawell'. Now, I have created a new plan (and will have to rip up track again) and this time it is freelanced but still based in Western Victoria. I have quickly made up the track plan (attached) - major changes.

The significant change is that now instead of leaving Stawell (renamed to Stawham - i have made up all the town names quickly) and setting the DCC system to autopilot to watch trains go by, now I am more like a 'driver'. Just like what you were trying to tell me in the first place! I know I am really slow to pick up things. Anyhow initially I didn't know what to expect or what I wanted.

So, the staging tracks are gone! Yep, they are gone, but not totally - instead of making them invisibile I have incorporated them into the layout - so Stawham has say 3 yard tracks and Meredith has two, at both these locations, trains will be made up and broken up. So staging comes in the forefront of the operation. That's what I thought initially happend at Stawell.

So, a goods train would leave Stawham, go pass Johnson, pass FarPlace, and eventually arrive at Meredith.

Sometimes a train will stop at Johnson and FarPlace to pick up wagons or set them out. Still have to work on this little as Australia doesn't have all those industries as the Americans have?

With passenger trains, some trains will stop at all stations. The terminating stations are Stawham and Meredith.

I think with this plan, I am more engaged just like your Border District plan. It's kinda based on a medium trafficked branch line - yes it is all made up.

The major disadvantage of this plan is that the number of trains in an operating session is limited compared to the Grampains plan.

Connection of Layout

Connect the track work as per the plan behind the main train station. Trains will leave staging, do three laps behind 'Stawell' and then run through the main station, and immediately exit to staging.

Did a mock run today and had a pass at Stawell, with T375 waiting at Stawell, whilst Y164 did three laps and then passed through. As soon as T375 stopped at Stawell, then only did Y164 depart staging - I think there was about a 5 min wait for T375.



This seemed quite realistic and I enjoyed myself watching the trains roll on the other side of the layout - got an eye-level view as the benchwork is some 140cm high and sitting on a stool, it seemed just like train-spotting!

Objectives of the Layout

The purpose of the layout is to provide some operational possibilities as well as continuous run.
On the plan, you can see a track that goes behind the main station 'Stawell'. What I want to get at is the feel that the train is doing mileage before going through the scene 'Stawell'. I like to see a train go through the main scene once.
However, on the other side, I will be looking at dipicting a country scene so it doesn't really matter whether the train goes through this scene multiple times.

Here are some of the elements that I am looking for in the layout:

* Era early 1970s
* Continuous Running with Operational elements

* Two trains, should not cross more than once, therefore, once there is a cross made at the station, Stawell, then one of the trains will immediately exit into staging. The other will then be able to proceed - just like in real life.  (Basically this means that the mileage dipicited or mileage that I am modelled, is from the last loops on either side of Stawell.  This being Great Western on the Melbourne side and Deep Lead on the Serviceton side. 

* A train should only travel through the main station once
* Both passenger and freight trains will operate on the layout
* Some passenger trains will terminate at the main station, freights will not.
* Trains will consists of 'Express Goods', 'Fast Goods', 'Goods', 'RoadSide Goods', and Light Loco - Roadside goods will shunt at the station. 
* Not sure whether a fast clock will be used.

This is what I think an Operating Session will be like:

Six trains at staging:

A train departs staging, does a few laps of the layout before arriving at main station, where it will be scheduled to wait for another passing train. This train departs staging, does a few laps, then passes the stationary train at Stawell, and immediately dissapears into staging.

The clear is given to the train stopped at Stawell, this train then immediately goes into staging.

One can have a maximum of three trains stopped at Stawell, one in the Station Track, one at the arr/dep track, and a DERM at the docking station.

Lets see if this works out.....

Point Automation

I purchased a set of Servos and a SwitchMaster from Time Saver Layouts (http://www.timesaverlayouts.com/) to automate some of my points. I connected the first one this week to the point that targets the staging yard (on the plan, the lower left point).

After a few days, I got the thing to work.
Initially, I had the servos travel too far which caused the metal connecting rod to protude very high into the air - making this look somewhat unrealistic. I then made the servo arm travel only a small area and this looks much better.
The speed of the points changing looks very realistic, however for that particular point, I didnt mind if it 'snapped' to one end or the other.

Unfortunately, I had to remove the spring inside the point. A good website that shows you how to do this is : http://www.sol.me.uk/hogallery/steeltrack/index.html

Here is a small video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnE5NxiKDU0
Now, back to creating the staging yard.

Layout Details

NOTE* I am indebted to railpage.com.au user tsubameau for helping me tremendously to create a realistic Western Victorian track plan.

Begin construction of the benchwork in Jan 2009 - before that did some initial plans.
Layout will be round-the-walls, and will span 6m on one side and 4.6 on another side.
The height will be 135-140cms, on 12mm plywood.
It will be located in the Shed outdoors.

The operations will be based on Western Victoria in the early 1970s, most likely 1971.

Track plan:


Some photos of the layout so far: