Post #36

 I have made some progress since the last post dealing with getting the track finished to the stag where I will be able to make a complete circuit around the baseboard. It was only this week when that happened. At this stage I could push a wagon right around the board but to operate under power will take a little longer.

Reflecting  now on my first tramway layout some fifty years ago, I realise how simple it was to make it work from the overhead in that there was no need to worry about reverse loops and diamond crossing were a breeze to lay as they were all one unit and no gaps required. This style then required the overhead to form the return path for the power, so a little harder to test until the overhead was in position but more simple in the end. But the two rail system will allow testing with either DC or DCC connected up.

After the failure build of my first double junction due to two different height sleepers received in an order of printed circuit sleepers from Fast Tracks, I then turned to my second double junction but this time I used sleepers all the same height. As I now couldn't use and mix the two types of sleepers I was running out of the turnout sleepers. So as this section of track was to be hidden under a roadway I cut up the outer supporting board around the outside of the sleepers. They weren't cut straight but it didn't matter. Look at the photo and you can see what I am referring to.

The first rail is in

 Again I used eleven inch radius curves due to the Electroliner. I don't use any templates, the only essential tool is the NMRA track gauge which puts the track into the right spacing/gauge. It is a slow job and tedious, is this why there aren't many traction modellers? But this style of modelling is a two edge sword with the overhead still to come. I am always up for a challenge.

As can be seen I am using standard Peco code 75 track mainly to speed up construction. Another issue I encountered was again variations in sleeper height. The plastic track sleepers were slightly higher than the PC ones so prior to joining the track I had to slightly sand down the plastic sleepers which then worked out okay.

In the double junction the two turnouts are different, the trailing one doesn't require blades as it only has the one direction. The facing turnout is operated with a single blade. So far it has operated okay with pushing a wagon through it but under power it may be different, I'll have to wait and see. I need to get in and cut the gaps into the pc boards to enable operation. I have thought of hooking up a light to each rail and in theory when the last gap is cut the light should go out. (To be proven)

I am tackling each set of work throughs one at a time. So I will work out how to connect up the point motor another time, anyway I need to construct a control panel first.

I am pleased how well using the code 75 rail looks a lot better than the code 100 track that is outside one side of the trolley barn, but the appearance will improve when the ballast goes down and the rail is painted and weathered.

The three photos above show more progress down the 'other' long side of the layout. I didn't use cork underlay on the layout as I am not sure how stable it would be gluing the pc sleepers onto it. By gluing directly onto the plywood baseboard it gives a strong stable surface to glue to. The bottom photo clearly shows the 11" radius I managed to find out at the Rosehill Model Rail exhibition two years ago. It was intended for N scale but with some slight sanding it fits perfectly between the tracks in HO scale. A good find. And the same exhibition is on again this weekend, I wonder what gems I might find there?

As can be seen in the above progress diagram of the layout, there is now a complete circuit of the board. I can now feel I am in the home straight. I hope that I can complete all the track laying by the end of the year. I made a start on the curved diamond crossing which failed so I need to come back to it later. SO when all the track laying is done then I suppose I will need to build the control panel and start putting in the point motors. But that is all for another day.