Plotting the course.....for the new year.

Almost two years ago, I posted a punch list of things that I wanted to be done with the layout.

**Sunday, 3 February 2013

Time to get organised.

Several projects have been horribly neglected since becoming besotted with DCC, materials for other projects have stockpiled to the point that the domestic authorities are in the process of intervention.

PROJECTS THAT REQUIRE ATTENTION!!!

•  The illumination of Victoria Street, so far only one module has been completed, The Railway Station. The rest of the layout still resides in the dark ages.

• Project completed for Caulfield Exhibition.

 

• The animation of the crossing gates.

 

• Nailed it!

• The construction of several other classes of Melbourne trams, these will include the W2, X2, VR, PCC 1041 and a Z1/3, plus the reworking/painting of several existing models with the correct decals and the installation of DCC friendly lighting.

• Needs to improve, I have been distracted by other non Melbourne models, but this W2 from the dark arts of 3D printing looks very interesting. This year this will be the year.

• The construction of 2 to 3 more modules featuring back scenes such as residential, educational, and industrial to compliment the current retail, recreational and railway aspects, all with simple trackage to offer longer operational running.

• Planning in progress, intend to do clearance testing of chicane with flexitrack before committing to building module and depot. Watch this space.

• The updating of the track wiring for DCC, and the elimination of terminal strips in favour of plugs and sockets.

• Project completed for Caulfield Exhibition, with the ability to run DC

So there is the rundown of what I promised myself, and the results. The Blog not only chronicles the progress of the layout, but is also a reference to projects planned, attempted and executed. This also includes the spontaneous refit of the study that I did last year.

Some housekeeping has also been done, W5 800 which blew a motor at Caulfield has had a heart transplant and is now back in service.

The Bride's parents bought me some weathering pastels (Pan Pastels) for Christmas, I have few Bachmann Brill bodies to practice on before I grubby up my fleet, plus that I have been reliably informed that 'less is more' with this medium unless I want my models to resemble drag queens.

What will the new year will bring...

• Hopefully an extension to the layout.
• Some different Melbourne models to be built and modified.
• More DCC fit outs.
• Experiments with live overhead on DCC.

From under the wires with a new punch list.

Glenn.







 

Well, That was quick.

It is that time of the year again, another year done and dusted, The layout underwent a fair bit of work, rewiring for DCC, building and street lighting, the Caulfield Exhibition, then the installation of the animated gates. Fun times all round.

So as per usual, and somewhat late this year, the time honoured Victoria Street Christmas Card.

 

 

The season brings its annual wishes and hazards, above all be safe, enjoy/endure your family, reflect on the year, and try not to eat or drink too much.

 

 

From under the wires, and the LED Christmas lights that I will harvest later...

 

Regards Glenn

'Open Sesame'.........'creak, groan, clank'

Yes, I have done it! I have finally animated the crossing gates of Victoria Street. Another item has been ticked off the bucket list.

 

The finished product.

 

 

The gates are operated by a Tam Valley DCC servo decoder, the crossing lights are controlled by a six function decoder. The four crossing lights are LEDs mounted on the shafts of plastic provided by cotton buds, each LED has its own light feature, two are alternating strobe, one the Mars light function and the other the rotating beacon. This provides the prototypical mismatched sequence of rotating beacons that were installed at these crossings.

 

 Also the tram signals are operational, with a fibre optic thread running from LEDs using the other two functions (headlights). A LED is mounted on the facia in parallel of the tram signal to show its status.

 

An OFF/ON switch is fitted between the DCC bus and the servo decoder, plus the six function decoder in so to isolate the set up when running 'antique' DC rollingstock. 

 

 

 

Another dodgy video, but it works.

 

 

Then from above.

 

 

From under the wires with a smirk of satisfaction.

Glenn

More on the Gates

Now the fun part of installing the mechanism/control for the gates to the module. Holes were drilled at the base of the pivot points of the base board when the module was built, in the hope at the time.

The servos are fitted on Brunel Hobby servo mounts in a way not envisaged by the designer, the servo is mounted upside and with the inner side of the mount missing to allow the sweep action of the servo crank. The pivot pin is made from copper wire soldered to a copper wire 'staple' that that is hot glued to the crank, the pins of the 'staple' lines up with the holes of the crank, and the pivot wire lines up with the centreline of the servo shaft. A clearance hole was drilled in each of the servo mounts for the pivot wire to protrude through.

 

One of the four servo assemblies.

 

 

The crossing gates are readily available, made by Peco, while British in origin, they have been kitbashed and details added to make them more like the older style gates that dotted the railway network prior to the more contemporary boom gates. These were drilled out with a pin vice with a 1mm drill bit, along the centre line of the hinge pin.

 

 

 

The pivot pin through the gate post hinge.

(The copper wire will 'give' in the event of impact,

the post is pressed fitted onto its base)

 

Before with the crossing lights.

 

 



Work in progress

(the servos are pinned with thumbtacks until final positioning)

 

 

The front of the module will be replaced with a perpex window so to keep an eye of the inner workings.

 

From under the road, under the wires.

Glenn

 

 

 



"Open up the gates!"

One of my many projects on this layout was to somehow animate the gates of the crossing square of Victoria Street, I do now believe that I am a step closer to fulfilment.

I have glanced over the possibility of using servo motors in the past, but had no real idea how to make it all happen, today I stumbled across the dark arts of Tam Valley Depot being offered by Brunel Hobbies at the Croydon Model Railway exhibition.

After parting with/investing some cash, I came home with a servo decoder and four servos, in the process of cooking the Sunday roast, I nutted out the how to put it together, then program this collection of components, and made it work as a proof of concept.

Some happy snaps...

 

 Blu Tak is a wonderful product.

 

 

The entertaining part will be fitting it under the module

and making it work.

 

Behold the wonder of technology.............(and dodgy video)

 

 

some tweaking will be required, but that's where the fun is.

 

 

From under the wires with a new way to spend money.

 

Glenn

My cup runneth over again..

 As per usual at this time of year I have engineered a week off to co-inside with the Melbourne Cup Carnival, and as per usual there is a punch list of stuff to do around the house that not only would choke a brown dog, but also a thoroughbred.

 While I am permitted to wander down to Flemington (with the bride) to catch up with mates, sample a few beverages, and give money to bookies, the off days include a burden of tasks to be completed to the satisfaction of the minister of war and finance.

 So here is my homage to the spring race season, traffic mayhem, punters everywhere,  unpredictable weather and trams.

 

 

 

Planning is in progress for the extension....

From under the wires, studying the form and from the only place that has a public holiday for a horse race.

Glenn.

Extending Services......?

While the layout 'works' at the moment, it does require a fair level of 'plonking' to rotate rollingstock at the fiddle yard end.  In reality the layout requires a depot, not a big one but one that would allow the stabling of trams and the ability to shuffle trams on certain roads to suit certain needs, without the issue of  'manhandling'.

I have cunningly devised a possible extension that may do this, first the original fiddle yard becomes another terminus, the space between the fiddle yard and the 'Railway station' becomes a chicane that allows the establishment of a small three road depot behind the 'new terminus'. (laughs manically while forming his fingers into a steeple like manner while chanting "Excellent, excellent")

This 'Chicane module' would offset the layout into the foreground, while freeing up space at the rear for the Depot.  The Chicane module therefore would be twice as deep as the other modules, but would free up some real estate for some residential development.


Now what would be the scene of the new terminus, another retail strip/beach type could work, but I was thinking more along the lines of an industrial setting. The inspiration for this terminus is the route 57 West Maribyrnong, which terminates at the Commonwealth of Australia/Defence Department Explosives Factory at West Maribyrnong, oddly enough.

This terminus features some open ballasted track, that once upon a time, had a siding for extra trams during shift changes at the factory, and then for quite a while did not see Saturday afternoon/Sunday services, which it lent itself for a great place for layovers for enthusiast's excursions. This ticks a few boxes for the scenario at the other end of Victoria St.

The Explosives Factory at Maribyrnong has been around for over a century, original making cordite, then moving onto TNT, then other stuff that could give you a nasty rash. The tramline was extended over the Maribyrnong River in 1941 as things were a little tense then that led to some urgent oil/petrol rationing, this tramline provided workers (mostly women) to service the war effort.

 

The inspiration...

An old photo of the West Maribyrnong terminus with siding,
 the explosives factory to the right, Cordite Road on the left,
 (note the single blade point for the siding)

 

The plan...

This is a rough draft, the fun part will be making it all fit.

 

 

Because a layout is never finished,

 

From under the wires with a pencil and some paper.

Glenn