East Cheltwell

[Eastern]

Unfortunately, over the past couple of months, I had to take more of the layout apart for the builders to come in and have a good look at the joists, water supply/waste pipes and and electricity for quotes to have a new bathroom upstairs built. So after a couple of months and today’s and tomorrows weather forecasted to be 44’C it seems like a great idea to put everything back together!
Here is the before:

[Journeyman]

Glad you are back at it, look forward to watching and learning

Dave.

[Mountain]

Your layout and the way that it is made portable is an inspiration to others. Have you needed to make any adjustments to the track on the baseboard ends? I found that I ended up making and using short sections of rail to bridge the gap with the other rails set back as I had previously made the track to sit flush, but after about a year there was movement... I adjusted it a little at first but then I decided to use short track sections to bridge the two boards instead as then the layout can do what it wants... The only downside is that ballasting will need some thought in this area.

I love your layout though. It is nice. What do you use to join the boards together?

[Eastern]

Thanks Mountain and Journeyman - At some point I had the idea of perhaps exhibiting on the local layout circuit - it would a novelty to have a British 00 gauge layout shown! Not sure if the pictures are still visible (Photobucket ) on page 1-2 but each module has two guiding dowels with two bolts with washers and butterfly nuts. Touch wood over 10+ years the alignment of track hasn’t been an issue. The track is soldered to bronze screws and is still pretty secure. The only issue is one of cats who takes great delight running riot and knocking over trees and signals - all black to gather, and wiring and bus connected -

[Eastern]

Everything went back together and I ran some trains - I did notice though that on some part of the layout the track was lifting; perhaps the age, dryness/damp or changes in temperature. This was remedied by fastening the track temporarily and then re-ballasting with liquid pvc. Another part of the layout has caused some consternation which I have lived with; however, I have decided it is finally time for the local permanent way crew to lift some track and re-lay a couple of sections. As you can see on the pic., there is a bind with the track joint, and it should really have been laid with a much wider radius - from this angle it looks really noticeable too


In the next pic.the baseboard join is fine, but there is also dip just to the right and the track is not level here either:

The wagon emphasizes the dip, so the plan is to lift the two sections of track and replace at a wider radius - and more importantly, use a spirit level!

Not surprisingly after 11 years, I thought that some work would probably be needed, so onwards and up - now where is my Dremel!

[Bufferstop]

I'm possibly teaching my granny to suck eggs but both tracks have a misalignment at the joints. If you can find a big enough open space, pre curve your length of flexi to the radius you'll accept, take a rubbing of the rail heads, then us it to make your own "Traksetta", from carton board lay it over the joint then cut it in before removing the template. Don't cut at the board joint until you are happy with the curve. If you can think of anything that would force the tracks to be set wider, put it in to explain the wider gap.

[Eastern]

Hello Bufferstop - yes absolutely misaligned - it wasn't really noticeable until more recently when there stated to be more derailments with the front bogie of larger locomotives causing more annoyance as well as some lifting of the track - Thanks for the advice on re-laying the track and making a template; I'll definitely have a go - luckily I have the additional space to widen the curve as the picture shows with the new flexi-track next to it so fingers crossed , it will work out!

[Eastern]

Work stopped as I had to order some code 75 fishplates, but demolition continued! Thanks Bufferstop for the idea of a template - I sort of used that idea and also realized that without lifting a lot more track and points, the outer curve had to go wider. The curves are much smoother and I also have filled in the dips with stock card.


You can see how much wider the curve went



I also had to add some additional track which has helped with the curve profile as well.



To do: rewiring and soldering, fixing track to board and soldering rails at board join as well soldering and landscaping - I also have some ‘repair’ work due to a rambunctious kitten which as broken a loading gauge and several signals

Competing priorities helping SWMBO with another project which I have also been working on - a 1/12 scale dolls house

[Ex-Pat]

The track divergence looks well - sometimes in real life it happens for a specific reason such as to avoid an obstacle etc..

Have you given any thought as to what, if anything, you might put in the gap so that it appears to be there for a reason?

[Eastern]

Have you given any thought as to what, if anything, you might put in the gap so that it appears to be there for a reason?

Unfortunately, the two boards join here so options are limited - I did consider a small brook; but that won't be very feasible as is- I have been looking at older railway pictures to get some prototypical ideas where the curves change somewhat. It does appear that some times track was lifted and re-laid changing the curves. Ideas on a postcard