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Tony M
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I started today in doing a mock-up of how the spiral will sit to the track plan, it wasn't easy with the module, so I moved the module out the way and changed a couple of curved around, wow worked out even better.
Again I had trouble trying to get the cursor onto the bottom right hand corner of the first pic, the only way to fix it is put the last pic on first will try that next post.
Top pic I thought I take through the trees, looks good, of course the spiral deck be above the balcony hand rails, plants being a good back drop and the train on the spial as well, be pure awesome can't wait for the special day.
Next pic I shifted the module out the way and wow the spiral sat perfectly, also shifted it down 6 inches as well, on the corner module be five tracks, not sure yet on the amount of points and they be mostly the large Pecko radius points
Lucky last pic the first set up, wasn't easy having to use pieces of old leg posts, will be much easier after I have levelled the module this week.
The pic above is the better one, I have a level jig to work out the grade to quarter inch a foot 24 feet in length rising 7 inches to the bridge.
Tomorrow I be doing a mock-up pont how the points will go to the plan on the spiral, then I will paint the module, one final module to build..
Tony for humid down under
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Tony M
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I got stuck into a point and track muck-up to the track plan, has turned out well be awesome when the the trains are running through the points, be a bottle neck though merging onto a single track main line, I love single track running with another passing loop on the front of the layout, will keep the chief controller on his toes.
The points on that module I will motorise and working signals, be a distance from the main controller, depends on what throttles I will first use, remote I can walk with the train, friends over will need a controller then, sit in a chair controlling a train.
I also decided to join the module up to the gray module to see how the double track lined up perfect, there is two other station to go in between the gray module and a 2ft bridge connecting the the corner module. I don't like to have too many module joined up together, came up the with rail bridge over the road.
Break tomorrow, Wednesday I will level the corner module with the first station module, so
I can paint the module and begin relaying the track and points permanently.
Tony Attachment: 007.jpg (Downloaded 58 times)
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Tony M
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Spiral corner model is finished with track and points down, yesterday I spent making up the bus wire harnesses with the feeder wires soldered in place and paired off and coded, tomorrow I will solder the feeder wires onto the track
Top pic track and points down at last
Next pic looking down from car port end , the point to the left of the oic on the last track is for the auto carrier unloading and loading dock modelled on East Perth terminal where the Indian Pacific ends her journey and returns to Sydney which I be modelling first till I build my version of Sydney Central station.
Last pic I drilled the holes for the point motors, will motorised these points a fair way from the control panel, I could walk around with the train when I am using remote throttles
Have worked out I will need 42 lengths of Peco flexi track to complete the first circuit, hope to have enough track go 30 lengths and older lengths, will see what money I get for my birthday end of June and buy two boxes of Peco flexi track. There is an eBay seller in WA selling boxes of Peco track for $100 plus postage, hope to buy two boxes.
Will have to make a start on the main control panel pretty soon, doing the building of the panel during the day and wiring of the rotary switches at night.
Next construction is of the spiral levelling al the curved deck sections, not take long, have made a special level jig to measure and cut the legs to size and all over again track laying with bus wiring never ending, going to be pure awesome when the first train runs around the whole layout , be a robin cutting ceremony first train over the bridge and video of the big even.
Have being at this build for four years, coming to an end soon , layout always be on going.
I think I have sorted out the loading on of pics with cursor, has worked in the two post I just posted
Tony from down under
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Tony M
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Hi Si , that is what I do now right click the pic but I load on all the pics first before previewing then works ok, will try that method again now.
First pic had trouble, took a while for the cursor to show up, when finde for the rest, finely.
The first pic looking down the photo, going to look awesome for when the Indian Pacific glides through the bride into the platform, the East Perth's terminal platform is the longest in Australia hold of 28 passenger cars I will try that and see if I can fit in the platform to scale length.
The track to the right of the pic close to the side edge of the module I can move up more and larger curve to link up the inner track on the other module is part of the next station complex stage a foot wide lengths three needed at 7 foot in length.
Second pic of the bridge connection and road under neath
Third pic, is the two double bus wire plugs, for blocks, 1,2,3 and 4, 1 and 2 have no feeder wires coming off the bridge.
Lucky last the double plug for blocks 1 and 2 and the single plug for block 3 , all that wire needed so I can run more than one train, a lot more fun with more than one friend over for a running day.
I have being busy working on the ship, now ready to work my way up to the top deck, far better than the last build.
On a high, could be ready in JUne to run the first train.
Tony from sunning down under
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Tony M
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Hi Si, yeah quite happy and on a high, my friend offered to wire the rotary up for me, save me doing it and cursing as I go from one switch to another, was very nice of him to offer, I now can concentrate on the layout and ship project at night.
Going to lite up like a Christmas tree, pt some power into a couple of them quite bright, bright, but being out side will kill the brightness of the LED's, can't wait to see the panel finished.
There is a second panel to be made as well, for the point switching, a bit bigger than that one, I still need to screw in a ply bottom to the panel for the remote controllers to sit and local throttle.
Each throttle will have it'sown transformer and a separate one to power the LED's, the only problem with DC all that wire just to run more than one train but worth the effort.
Maybe I might pull an old one apart to have a look, amazing how they worked it out to get the switch to that size.
Tony from cold down under
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Tony M
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All the modules to do with the station is now complete and, joined up the corner module main line to the approach module today, next job is the bus wiring, three to wire up, the approach and corner be the hardest.
I am glad I replaced the bolts with dowel making it much easier and using clamps to hold the modules together, two more modules to re-drill the holes for the dowel.
Pic one of the dowels and clamp used to hold the modules together.
Pic two the corner module after leveling and cutting the legs to size
Pic three the curved section , I wont have the car in the car in the car port while running trains, the curve is very close to the car and i want to cut back 6 inches for the single track deck to link up with a small bridge.
The single track deck curve works out well linking up to the two 6 foot straight sections, I plan to make ply brackets for the the to screw to the retaining wall at the side of the car port.
More pics to come next post, getting close to the big event, can't wait.
Tony from down under
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Tony M
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All the track and points are down on all the modules, I closed the gap on the main line between the corner and approach module, can't run a train till I solder in the bus wires, three modules to do, next job.
Ran out of time and light today to solder in the fiber glass brass strips, will do that tomorrow, but I may run my sons Thomas tanks loco, hope she will run, going to the first loco on the layout , run her on his birthday in July.
First pic I decided to move the point where the diamond cross over now is to the outside track, making it easier for the passenger trains to go through especially the Indian Pacific with 28 passenger cars, two locos.
Next pic a close up of the cross over , very old and still working ok .
Last pic , I swapped the cross over with two points for better access to the shut track and passing loop second track
The cross over left is a single slip for access to the outer platform tack when I have the terminus platforms set, the third track be covered with a platform , going to be a lot of fun keeping the chief controller on his toes when I have a couple of friends over for a running day.
Tony from down under
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