ThomasI Posted July 6, 2019 Author Share Posted July 6, 2019 "Operation Shadow" is ready. Now the big junction is in work. 22 points. Here the central locking drives are to be used in larger numbers. In addition to servos. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted July 6, 2019 Author Share Posted July 6, 2019 So at least with the big Peco Code 75 points the use of the central locking drive is amazingly simple. I need spring steel wire and a brass tube. Neither Cranks nor an omega loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 In contrast to the two modern new lines, the old route has many curves and a larger slope ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Very impressive work again Thomas. The canopy looks to offer an ideal place to sit and watch trains passing by and that junction set-up is immense. Just can't help thinking about all that track cleaning....! Did you do anything further with the use of slide switches as a means of locking points in the correct position? I don't see any in the photos you've posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 20 hours ago, mick said: Very impressive work again Thomas. The canopy looks to offer an ideal place to sit and watch trains passing by and that junction set-up is immense. Just can't help thinking about all that track cleaning....! Did you do anything further with the use of slide switches as a means of locking points in the correct position? I don't see any in the photos you've posted. Hello Mick, I have used the central locking drives so far only with Peco switches and there it needs no slide switches to lock the switches. I have generously provided the springs with sealing grease from the diving supplies, so I hope that will last. Thanks to the cheap Gaugemaster Frog Juicer and Servos which cost less than 9 Euros and survive on the outside, this is too much trouble for other switches. And the canopy works also against rain I learnt yesterday. 👍 Regards Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted July 15, 2019 Author Share Posted July 15, 2019 Other as the High Speed Lines cames the Old Line with sharp curves and steeper grades... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 I don't know if the artificial green will survive winter. But if you don't try you will never know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 That looks stunning! You'll have to forgive me if I've used that term before. Are you using standard scenic products? I don't think I've ever seen anyone attempt scenery like that outdoors before. What are you using to fix it all down? That rock looks very realistic - is it a type of stone chipping? You are certainly raising the bar to a whole new level (and I've probably said that before too!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) Hello Mick First of all, I use the commercially available material for landscape design as I do it indoors, except that I use waterproof and UV light resistant adhesive. When everything is dry, I spray it extensively with spray glue or clear coat. Which is better, I have not found out yet. The rock consists of a mixture of a filler which consists of marble powder, synthetic resin and glass fibers and the marble gravel which forms the bottom of my garden. Regards Thomas Edited July 19, 2019 by ThomasI 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 It is as hot as ever since the beginning of the weather record in Germany in 1881. I set up four catenary poles and then fled from the heat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 It's been really warm here too - certainly the highest temperature I've recorded since I set up my weather station in 2012, but not quite so intense as you've had it over there. You can be forgiven for taking shelter. The catenary looks very good. I admire your patience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussietmrail Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Hi Thomas, wow agree with Mick you are going great, guns, with your progress of the latest handy work of, I have had a short stay in hospital, didn't take the lap top in, home today but no work on my layout till next week, give me a bit of time to recover. Are you making the catenary posts, I wont be an extra added cost, they look good,, will that section be peramen]antly in place or module since you have so many points there. Look forward to seeing the first train run,, how is the temp has it cooled down saw you copped 42 degrees one day last week, like our summers. It is 10 degrees outside , westeelies haven't hit yet mid August, 21 degrees today.. Tony from cool down unbder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 And it goes on. Since on the Old Line no place for a fly over was to change from the German left hand traffic to the Italian left hand traffic, the distance over the ramp is single-tracked. Furthermore, I worked on the branch of the high-speed line to the Italian railway station and already the substructure of the Italian station. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 4 hours ago, ThomasI said: And it goes on...... ...and on and on and on by the look of it! It just seems to get bigger each time I look at the latest photos. Have you worked out how many metres of track you've used or how many you expect to use by the time it's finished? I do hope you've got plenty of friends to help with that track cleaning. Yes, I know I keep going on about it but it's what I think when I see it. The first photo in your latest post for instance, are you able to access the elevated lines easy enough especially with the catenary in place? It's all absolutely amazing - I trust you'll be having open days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 (edited) Hello Mick. Outdoor I've laid about 200 metres of track, indoor about 160 metres. If I follow my plans and make use of the whole garden and the conservatory it could become more than 700 metres in the end. But when I finish the circuit through the Italian train station, there are about 320m track outdoor and then I will first make a break and watch what works. So that end with +700m will not be before 2027 or so... 🤔😎 As I use only catenary poles and no wire it works. Many of the catenary poles are from Viessmann and they have a connector, so it's easy to peel off. Also, the distance from the front to the rearmost elevated track on the mentioned photo is less than 50cm. Otherwise, the tracks do not pollute so much. Have even (with a few dropouts) get a test drive on a unclean section that has not been used since last year. My plan also provides, as soon as it is possible in the driving season then regularly to send at least the cleaning trains over the track. Since I work almost exclusively from home, a few trips a day should be possible. The Italian train station will have removable elements of 60 cm in two places so that I can easily go through it to the tracks behind it. Regards Thomas Edited August 3, 2019 by ThomasI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 That's a lot of track! In my experience the track stays pretty clean and stable for the first year or so. I used to wonder what all the fuss was about cleaning track but as time goes by you'll begin to experience tarnishing of the rail tops which will need cleaning if you're to maintain satisfactory operation. Maybe the process of actually cleaning the track leads to the increase in tarnishing as even the finest rail cleaners are by their very nature abrasive to some degree. I've always used the Garryflex abrasive blocks rather than one from any RTR manufacturer. Oh and don't forget the birds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 45 minutes ago, mick said: That's a lot of track! In my experience the track stays pretty clean and stable for the first year or so. I used to wonder what all the fuss was about cleaning track but as time goes by you'll begin to experience tarnishing of the rail tops which will need cleaning if you're to maintain satisfactory operation. Maybe the process of actually cleaning the track leads to the increase in tarnishing as even the finest rail cleaners are by their very nature abrasive to some degree. I've always used the Garryflex abrasive blocks rather than one from any RTR manufacturer. Oh and don't forget the birds! In my experience track tarnishing also varies depending on the manufacturer. Very bad is the burnished profile of Tillig. The non-burnished profile of Tillig, however, is great, even on waterproof glue that I use as a gravel adhesive, it does not respond. Roco, on the other hand, reacts more strongly, especially to leaves on the rails and the like. At Peco, I have the impression that the Code 75 profile beats better than the Code 100. Although that's actually illogical. All in all, however, I have the impression that the mass of dirt can be controlled with the rail grinding and rail polishing trains from LUX, so I only have to clean it by hand on the exposed areas. As far as the birds are concerned, I live in a part of the Rhine valley in which the collar parrots have settled down and they do not tolerate other birds beside them, but they also do not come into the gardens and shit on the tracks. Voles are more of a problem with me, the dog has almost caught one today, which has then saved in the hollow stringer of the bridge, see the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted August 12, 2019 Author Share Posted August 12, 2019 A little further towards the Italian train station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 Looks fantastic Thomas. How many separate circuits are there and thus how many trains will you be able to run simultaneously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasI Posted August 14, 2019 Author Share Posted August 14, 2019 Hello Mick! The number of trains also depends on the expansion of digital control. Without anything, 5 trains can run at the same time in the first stage. But even if I set up only a few blocks on each circuit, it is 10 to 12. An automatic control of the parking station allows then from 25 trains upwards. Regards Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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