Okay what's your point?

[centenary]

you will want a larger hole for the slow acting motors, I used 8mm with servos, basically the wire that sticks up bends so needs a bit of space.

Hmmm, have to disagree with you there. Yes, you will need an 8 - 10mm hole for the throw bar hole but, with a solenoid point motor, I see people having to cut out a huge rectangular hole under the track and baseboard for the solenoid motor body and little lugs that fix into the track sleepers. There again, I havent used solenoids so dont know if someone has invented a way to fit them without the huge cut out.

[aleopardstail]

thats fair enough, saw Tortoise motors recommend a 10mm hole, the thing throws further than the tie bar to hold it, not by much but seems to be.

solonoids use a rigid bar so are fine, slightly larger holes for both makes alignment easy

I've got a point that needs lifting to fit the servo and another that works but could do with adjusting

[Dad-1]

I almost feel the pain of potatan.
He's trying to do things by the book, but finds not just pages missing,
but complete chapters !!

There is one huge amount to learn and doing it all in one project is frightening.

It was never a sprint, more like an ultra marathon !!

Geoff T.

[aleopardstail]

I almost feel the pain of potatan.
He's trying to do things by the book, but finds not just pages missing,
but complete chapters !!

There is one huge amount to learn and doing it all in one project is frightening.

It was never a sprint, more like an ultra marathon !!

Geoff T.

the real pain is "the book" is always written by someone who really knows what they are doing, and usually has forgotten all the stuff that was a royal pain and invariably leave out a bunch of stages

I do have a few more to fit servos to, will have to film one as even though "drill hole and screw the mount into place" sounds easy there is a lot of "I didn't think of that" stuff.

e.g. get the actuator wire, stick the Z crank into it. now insert it into the point from the top. it will now hang vertically, align your motor to that and it should be centred

[Dad-1]

Ha, Ha,
Some follow on from the 'barks' loco build that's suitable here as well.

The manual said "remove locating & adjustment screw and lift clear"
It turns out said component was seized into the cylinder head.
O.K can't smash component as I need it, so cylinder head to come off.
Carefully 'drift' out, using gentle, or not so gentle application of whatever would work as a punch !!
Strip, clean, check.
Re-build engine.
Hey NOW I could remove the adjustment screw and it went just as the manual said !!

30 seconds work became a full weekend. And for potatan model railways can be as awkward as car engines.

Geoff T.

[aleopardstail]

[Phred]

@aleopardstail:
Heehee - love the tool application chart!

[potatan]

cant_be_tight_if_its_liquid_meme.jpg

Clearly I'm going to need to find a bigger chest of drawers...

I almost feel the pain of potatan.
He's trying to do things by the book, but finds not just pages missing,
but complete chapters !!

There is one huge amount to learn and doing it all in one project is frightening.

Geoff T.

I've just discovered the free-to-download MERG manuals which are an absolute deep mine of interesting technical data. I haven't learnt everything I need to know yet, but I can confidently assert that a CV is nothing to do with a DCC Loco shunter running around the stations looking for work to do.

Don't worry though, I'm still having fun learning ten new disciplines at once and I now have 658 pages of PDFs to wade through, which I find almost as much fun as watching a train going round.

Thanks all.

[potatan]

I do have a few more to fit servos to, will have to film one as even though "drill hole and screw the mount into place" sounds easy there is a lot of "I didn't think of that" stuff.

This would be great. I'm a little way off from point motor/servo fitting right now, having reassessed, so if you get something filmed in time I'll certainly give it a watch

[aleopardstail]

cant_be_tight_if_its_liquid_meme.jpg

Clearly I'm going to need to find a bigger chest of drawers...

I almost feel the pain of potatan.
He's trying to do things by the book, but finds not just pages missing,
but complete chapters !!

There is one huge amount to learn and doing it all in one project is frightening.

Geoff T.

I've just discovered the free-to-download MERG manuals which are an absolute deep mine of interesting technical data. I haven't learnt everything I need to know yet, but I can confidently assert that a CV is nothing to do with a DCC Loco shunter running around the stations looking for work to do.

Don't worry though, I'm still having fun learning ten new disciplines at once and I now have 658 pages of PDFs to wade through, which I find almost as much fun as watching a train going round.

Thanks all.

if the electronics side is of interest MERG membership can be highly recommended, not just for the kits but they have a forum which is a goldmine