Latest Diary entries are now at the top of this page.
For my latest updates please see the "Latest Updates Page".
.......... THIS PAGE NOW RUNS FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP .........
MONDAY:- 11 - 05 - 09
The track leading into platform three under the Transport Exchange has been relaid now and the Pendolino enters without any problems (fingers crossed!!)
I've started populating the fiddle yards and giving some of the stock a run around the layout to "stretch their legs." Some of my stock has been stuck in boxes for years - no wonder they blinked in the sunlight today!!
My GNER (Mallard) Class 91 had a run around and kept on falling over (literally) after the pointwork below the Motorway Bridge. It did it at both slow and fast speeds. I breathalised the driver (it showed up negative!!) and scratched the grey matter for a while. Nothing else was derailing in that area. I rectified this by inserting (on the outside of this curved track area) a couple of pieces of 2mm card. This raised the outside rail and hey-presto, no more falling over.
I'm also having a devil of a job with the HORNBY Grand Central liveried Mk.3s. They just won't negotiate my pointwork whilst exiting the main fiddle yard! My old LIMA Mk.3s whip through the same pointwork with no problems at all (famous last words!!). I think I may have to open each coach and insert some liquid lead unless anybody out there has any other suggestions??
I have also had to re-lay the entrance / exit tracks to / from the fiddle yard tracks 1 - 8; the Pendolino and other sets continually derailed there. I straightened out a couple of "kinks" and smoothed the curves which has hopefully done the trick.
The motor in my Eurostar Power Car is extremely jerky and won't pull or push the six cars (plus trailer) very well; I'll have to call the doctor for some medicine!
Here are some photos of the fiddle yards populated with stock.
This is the DMU (above) FIDDLE YARD.
There are eight tracks, numbered ONE to EIGHT from top to bottom.
Tracks 1, 2, 7 & 8 hold three car units while the other four hold two car units.
The MAIN FIDDLE YARD.
Seventeen tracks ... numbered 1 to 17 from FRONT to BACK.
Since my last update I have fixed into position strips of 120mm high, 4mm thick perspex along vulnerable sections of the layout. Anywhere the track is situated close to the edge of the baseboards I have fixed these "anti-knock strips." These are in four areas. Along the edge of the DMU siding (near the door); Along the edge of the main fiddle yard (seen above); alongside the loco layover sidings to the right of the arch bridge, and finally alongside the TMD / loco washer / refuelling areas to the left and right of the Control Panel.
My eight car Pendolino (above left) is in what will be platform 2 and the ten car (HO gauge Mehano) TGV unit is adjacent in platform 1.
Platforms 6 (left) & 5 can hold trains containing eight (00-gauge) modern vehicles; platforms 4 to 1 (far right) can hold trains containing nine (00-gauge) modern vehicles.
The city landscape and Transport Interchange (above right) are above the Class 91 / Mk.4 Mallard set in what will be platform 1. Eurostar and TGV sets are in platforms 2 & 3 respectively, whilst the Cotswold Rail Class 08 has pushed the Eurosprinter into what will be the TMD, adjacent to platform 6.
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FRIDAY:- 01 - 05 - 09
I have now tested the (new) Control Panel and all the wiring. There was only about six or seven sets of transposed wires or toggle switches the wrong way around on the Panel.
I did have one major "problem" that again, needed severe scratching of the grey matter. I could not get anything to move in the station area which had me really stumped for a couple of days.
After peeking through the "spaghetti effect" on the rear of the Panel, I again had a "kerching!!" moment and I called myself a really really Silly Billy .... well .... words to that effect!!!!
I had wired together all the feed sections for both controllers within the station and TMD areas .... BUT
.... I found that I had omitted to connect them to the other feeds on the layout plus the controller.
With that rectified, everything works magnificently.
I have gained a further "problem" that had not occurred prior to the Panel renewal; namely the continual derailling of my eight car Pendolino when entering platform 3 under the Transport Interchange. The set runs well in reverse being pushed by the power car though.
Minor surgery of the track laying variety is now in order.
I am, at last, able to put some of my stock through its paces testing the layout. It looks really great and gives me superb pleasure to finally see some of my DMUs racing around .... at long last!
SATURDAY:-25 - 04 - 09
Twenty-six days it has taken me to refurbish my Control Panel. I have completed the task with five days to spare from my original estimate of one month. I have totally de-wired the old Panel and rewired from the switches to the solder tags of the updated Panel. I have also finished off wiring from the solder tags to the appropriate items on the layout.
The signals (with the blue switch levers on the yellow backing rectangles) have been wired from the switches to the solder tags for now. After the platforms have been built and positioned, I will then site the signals and finish wiring them up.
The two photos below shows the vastly improved "spaghetti Junction" effect below the Panel.
The "spaghetti" look of the under side of the Control Panel is now vastly improved (which I was also going to do to the original panel). I have also tidied up the wiring between the under side of the Panel and the layout.
Talking of wiring, you may notice that brown wires have crept in. Unfortunately I could not lay my hands on three 100m reels of purple wire prior to Easter, so, as I didn't want to be held up, the remainder of the isolation switches will have brown wiring instead. Not a major problem, as it won't be seen.
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31 - 03 - 09
I have now "bitten the bullet" and started on the updated Control Panel.
I have printed off / cut out / stuck down the nine sheets that make up the Control Panel.
THIS IS THE NEWLY UPDATED (and final) CONTROL PANEL
I successfully (without cracking the perspex this time) drilled out the 269 holes
into which the toggle switches were fixed.
I then disconnected the switch wires from the solder tags before properly and tidily
fixing these solder tags to some 2" x 2" uprights. I then removed the original panel,
fixed in and re-wired the new one
I allowed myself the month of April to complete this task ... I did it with with five days spare!
Here is the Control Panel with the toggle switch holes drilled out (left photo)
and the underside of the Panel a few days to prior to completion (right photo).
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The motorway bridge has now been finished. The sides and central reservation have received the
"textured" concrete paint treatment and the remaining white lines have been "painted" into place.
The Transport Interchange has been recycled from the previous layout and tarted up somewhat.
I have also incorporated a High Rise Office Block behind it to give a "big city" atmosphere.
The bus / coach entrance / exit now disappears under the aforementioned office block
rather than abruptly finishing with no backscene.
I have "built" a block of Council Flats which is situated next to the Stroley Signalling Centre;
both are situated behind the station throat. The block still needs to be completed.
Whilst I had the "paint out" doing the Motorway Bridge, I changed colours and "painted" in the
warning strips / lines on the DMU siding platforms.
The HSE will be down on me if I don't finish them off properly!!!
17 - 03 - 09
Completion of the cutting area.
After covering with earth / rock coloured paint (above) I then used hanging basket liners teased away from their cloth backing as the rough grass base before sprinkling flock materials randomly all over.
Even though I say so myself, the whole area is quite spectacular as can be seen in the six photos below.
03 - 03 - 09
The "country end" cutting has now been given a coat of mixed emulsion paint of the rock / earth variety. Rough grass (stripped away from hanging-basket liners) will then be added.
The construction of the arched (not the Motorway) bridge continues. "Rough stone" paper was glued to the shaped card (below) then fitted to the undersides of the arches. The shaped card sides, again after the "rough stone" paper was glued in place, was then attached to the outsides of the ply bridge sides.
Driver's eye view (1) Heading towards Stroley International along the Down Main (above).
Driver's eye view (2) Heading away from Stroley International along the Up Main (below).
The bridge decking (roadway and pavement) is now virtually complete. Yellow and white lines have been "painted" in; just the "planting" of the street lights and the population remain.
CONTINUED FROM W - i - P:- PAGE ONE.