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Camdale layout


aussietmrail
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Back on track have finished the rewiring of the northern corner module and finished layout the track on the car port cornel module, tomorrow start sorting out the bus feeder wires completing that module, next module be the  station complex module that the the control panel hooks up to, only changes be the splade  connectors to the terminal strips, worried that the splade connects will pull away from the wires.

 

The temporary main line is the track to the left of the first pic and track to the right leads into the station complex, second pic the first point to the left of second pic is the shunt line for the auto car carrier loading dock, second point is access to the turntable, I will have steam locos I will have to turn around, and refuelling dock for diesel locos.

Saturday I will get stuck into finishing off the bridge project at long last , second pier is not finished yet , be spending a lot of time on the layout now, trains will run this year.

 

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead.

 

 

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At long last I have built the cradle for the trannies that powers the layout, four all up, much easier now, not finished, still need to cut sides for the cradle so the slide throttles will sit, two the them , be mainly used for shunting or main line.

In the first pic the 4 way plug needs to screwed down so it can be turned out.Last night of winter,  pretty cold had to put the rack suit on , next crazy 34 degrees next Thursday .

Tony from down under keeping on moving a head.

 

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At long last I have finely connected the control panel to the first station module, put power into the control panel and bingo she still is working fine but haven't connected power to the throttle transformers as yet till I finish rewiring the station modules, two years in the planning and building the control panel, wont be jumping up an down till the first test loco runr around the whole layout  .

Pic 3424 I replace the connectors with terminal block strips, , the splade  connectors I grinded down to half so they will fit in nicely into the block terminals , a couple turns of the screw driver to get a good connection., second pic over all shot of the control panel lit up showing each block throttle, the blue led is the spare unpowered.

Now that is all done to a point other than finishing the transformer cradle I can now get stuck into finishing the bridge off, then be able to work on the last stage of the layout at long last..

 

Tony on a high from down under keeping on moving ahead

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That looks a little too complicated for me Tony.

What do the knobs actually do? Are they section switches and what are the indications of the associated lights below them?

There's going to be a right power surge in your neighbourhood when you power up! How many transformers are you using?

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Hi Mick,, that panel came about because  it was the only way we could get three throttles to work on DC, the nobs are four way rotary switches, I said there was one spare used for neutral being the blue colour, other three colour led indicators are the three throttles, two are remote and one for shunting or main line, of can have one remote and two slide throttles. Each throttle has its own transformer power supply, safer that way rather than trying to split one transformer, that way I will hav plenty of power to run three or four locos,

Yes I can soon adapt to DCC if I want to but in the time frame I have wont be worth spending that kind of money , over all I am very happy with the amount of effort I have spent on this layout, be happy to get a few good running sessions on it, will make the most of it leaving half st up.

Oh yeah when I will have the four trannies powered up they will be plugged into the 15 amp line which is a plug on the outside  under the pergola  direct to the main power board , maybe I need to get surge protector board, .

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead

 

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Thank you Jim and Andrew, this is what keeps me going, with the help from a friend that did the  most of the soldering behind the switches, I did the rest .

Can't wait to see the first test loco run around the whole circuit, it is coming up to my 5th year of construction, fingers crossed trains will run this year early next.

Very windy here, b finishing off the piers of the bridge and top road deck side framing that will hold the bridge up.

 

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead

 

 

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Amazing stuff Tony, it takes me all day to wire up a point! All those wires and lights make it look like something out of an old Flash Gordon film. At least all those transformers will keep you warm in the winter.

As you say Tony, keep on moving ahead.

 

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Hi Jim,, thanks again, , that is the next challenge is to design the second points panel, haven't decided if I will draw up a track plan on the panel face or do the same as I did with the  block switching panel .

Yesterday I made a mistake on the second pier front arch, had to buy more pine, now I have enough so the arch face of the pier be in on be whole piece  instead of two halves with a join to try and hide , no need to now..

Tony from windy down under keeping on moving ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

t long last finely under way with th construction of the last two stages, one good thing is I didn't need to have the bridge set up to put the curve deck in place to hit some small marking stakes for the larger adjustable stakes, was pretty hot today waited till it cooled down,be up early tomorrow to hit in the tow sets of stakes which be shorter that the ones that hold the bridge down.

I will have to extend the curve decking past the brick retaining wall , the first take is two foot out and the next three foot, every three feet I drop down 3 quarters of an inch , the level jig will have to go in a foot onto the bridge, that curve is 6 feet in length will be adding another 4 feet with hinges for easy storage.

The second pic is my new work bench, I swapped computer tables, the other table I couldn't have the light on the side like this table,, need more room just na matter of shifting the lap top out the way.

Tony from warm down under keeping on moving ahead.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have being pretty busy working on the new section to the layout, post are in and levelled with the level jig, pretty happy with the progress, have added the other curve deck to the other deck , tomorrow will set the curved deck so I can set up where the next post be going which will be in the lower garden , longer post, will have to do two post , too many pis.

I am hopping the extra long section will clear the brick retaining  brick wall which is on an angle.

Wont be nailing down any track to the next post is in position, second last pic I have a special way for when the track is down and cut on the curve bridge join will line up every time, hopefully by the weekend the first ramp be finished ready to nail down the track and  run a test loco, exciting stuff , come a long way since 2014, after so many changes 

 

 Tony from nice down under keeping on moving ahead.

 

 

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Is this latest section of your layout going to be permanently sited Tony? I thought I'd just about got my head round all the modules you've been constructing and now you've gone and plonked some more directly in the garden!

If this is permanent then I'll be honest, if it were in my garden I doubt those posts would last a year. I've edged a big part of my garden in those short 'treated' log rolls and I'm not sure what they treated them with but they've just rotted in the ground. The tops are fine but the bottoms have gone. Perhaps it's just our climate that causes it but I'd be thinking something more substantial for posts here in the UK. Are your posts concreted in?

I'm pleased to see the progress you've made and you're right, you've come a hell of a way since 2014 but just have another think regarding the posts. I wouldn't want to see it coming apart before you get the rest of it finished.

By the way I like the new workbench. That's what I could do with - somewhere to work that's exclusively for that purpose and doesn't mean having to take over the dining room table! Maybe I'll make room for one in the attic.

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Is this latest section of your layout going to be permanently sited Tony? I thought I'd just about got my head round all the modules you've been constructing and now you've gone and plonked some more directly in the garden!

If this is permanent then I'll be honest, if it were in my garden I doubt those posts would last a year. I've edged a big part of my garden in those short 'treated' log rolls and I'm not sure what they treated them with but they've just rotted in the ground. The tops are fine but the bottoms have gone. Perhaps it's just our climate that causes it but I'd be thinking something more substantial for posts here in the UK. Are your posts concreted in?

Hi Mick,  many thanks, to answer your questions, no the layout isn't permanent, the post are and I designed them  only to last a year, hope we are are not here in a year and my layout be at my mums is the plan, in the mean time construction still moves on. Today I will set up the now large curve measuring 10 foot in length on a 12 foot half radius curve be stunning to see the trains running on that curve, haven't made up my mind if I will have a mountain on that curve mainly to protect the curved point .

   Pic 007  I  screwed in ply off cuts to lock in onto the post , pic 008 have done the same for the curve to lock into the end of the bridge and the track line up every time.

Once I have got the stakes in place in the lower garden and done the  same with adjustable legs, hopping the stakes will clear the brick retaining wall , if not will have to figure out another way, at least it is only one place that will give some trouble. Can't start laying the track down till the ramp is finely finished , hope by the end of the weekend , be a big milestone connecting the bridge up with the back corner module.

Those stakes didn't cost much could get bigger ones to brace those posts, might get bigger ones for the bridge and thanks about the work bench , is perfect for when working on the ship get the lap top out the way and more room when playing  flight sim with the joy stick .

More pics to follow after today's effort.

Tony from cloudy down under keeping on moving ahead

 

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Hi Mick, many thanks yeah sure will I think I will leave the curve the way it is, may be a cutting with a small tunnel to protect the points out in the open , will put the mountain on the back curved deck, the best way to cover the metal hand rails on the balcony , track be going through bottom and middle hand rail, 4 inches be enough clearance. 

The legs are in place in the lower garden and levelled to the grade quarter inch a foot, had the move the stakes along 5 inches to clear the retaining wall, that will be as far as I will go, next working from the back of the layout hopefully will meet up well and not cutting anything off the curve deck 

Don't think I get any work done tomorrow, have to work in the back garden trimming a couple of hedges before it gets too hot 33 degrees predicted and rain , will see what it be like Friday, Thursday is out and that is a hot day storm predicted for the afternoon. OH yeah I will be replacing the stakes that hold the bridge down for bigger ones as I ant to drill holes for quarter inch bolts with wing nuts instead of screws, moving along nicely, b on a high hen I link up the decking. Then there is the job of nailing down the track and cutting the brass strips for the decking track joins never ends.

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have progressed some more on the northern ramp at the back of the layout venturing out into the garden after two attempts , I came up with a great idea on using aluminium  strips to hold the timber brackets in place, worked out well, needed to make that bracket so I can level the curved decking on the grade.

In the first pic where the level is I still need to cut a leg to stop the bowing  , second pic showing that the deck is level now moving onto the third  and forth pic showing my nifty level jig, works well and third pic showing the level, the jig is three feet long , every 3 feet the ramp goes up 3/4 of an inch , ramp is about 40 feet in length and height from the back of the layout to the bridge is 7 inches.

Just two more steps before the northern ramp has joined up finely, be over four years in the making , will be  on a big high, next will be paint  the curved decking and straight section , plus the section that will bridge the jag, on track. The car port be a lot easier, decided to keep the ramp to gain the height onto the second station. The weather is going to be kind  from Wednesday on till the weekend 29 degrees make the most of it.

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead

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It seems like you're on your own out in the garden right now Tony so I'm relying on you to keep the forum ticking over while we in the UK take shelter from the rain and the cold - no pressure!

It's early evening here and we're down to 4 degrees already, a far cry from the 29 degrees you're expecting. I've not done anything on Worsley Dale since I relaid the ground level track because I don't think we've had a sufficiently long dry spell since, but at least it's done and once the weather improves I can get back to it. In the meantime I'll follow your progress.

 

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Hi Mick, yeah will do that, Deano sent me a couple of pics, clear sky's but a lot of flooding  where he lives in UK, it was our turn today , believe it it rained all morning couldn't do anything on the northern ramp,, with a break  between the showers I got the new spiral Module  out  and fixed up the track that will continue onto the spiral .

More showers tomorrow,, decided to make a start on the spiral, hope to finish Sunday ready for painting and track laying,sadly when it is raining can't set up the bridge, haven't got enough tarp to cover it , with the spiral gaining 5 inches only 2 inches to go go to climb up to 7 inches, second station is in the car port, being a suburban station,, platforms 8 feet long ..

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow the second curve section from the back of the layout is finished, all I have to do not is link both curves with a curved arch viaduct bridge when it is a cooler day not till next week , plenty more to do in under the pergola till it gets hot, I now can paint the second curve section and even nail track down . I still have to redo the bus wiring on three of the modules so then I can actually run a train from the end of the bridge right around to the spiral corner module, getting very excited and even more using the block control panel.

I plan to have signals and point motors on the points further away from the control panel, will be designing a second control panel for the point motors, and other points, busy time ahead,  under  8 weeks to go till Christmas, It looks like I wont have trains running by them so will aim for May 2020 , 6 years  in the building.of Camdale.

In pic two and four the bridge be level to the front curve, I put a string line across and it be level to last leg  on the upper garden , thinking I had to climb up 7 inches only be about 3 inches now , the first leg in the lower garden will have to be raised to level, going to look awesome, will  screw in place ply strips to stop the train when derailing and  falling into the garden .

Tony from hot down under keeping on moving ahead.

 

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