Derry's Yard - A Set-Track shunting loop Project

[Dad-1]

Made me laugh Chris.

For any form of limited representation I'd need half an aircraft hangar.
My little 48" x 10" board doesn't quite do it !!

My experimenting on the loop has at last borne fruit. It's quite confusing and very easy to 'get lost'
in what you have clear first. There is a progression that works, found after many hours of thinking
and getting in a muddle. You wouldn't think rearranging just 6 wagons would be that complex.

One improvement would you believe was to reverse the way my little Peckett B2 was facing. My small
modifications to points mean that I get few power loss stalls. I get more stalls by forgetting to change
points in time !! My biggest problem is I planned to use a J94, even bought a Zimo decoder to improve
slow running but that extra length could cause significant problems.

I'll recharge my camera batteries and try doing a video, but these exercises take ages in comparison to
that needed for classic inglenook 5/3/3 exercises.

Now time to think of scenery, strengthening the board, re-wiring with heavier wire. Still undecided as
to using manual rod operated point changing, or DCC ?? All was on hold while the concept was tested.

Geoff T

[ChrisGreaves]

Made me laugh Chris.

Well, I am glad that I have served my purpose!

I was struck by the complexity of Freight Rail and Reciprocal Switching, not only of track (three companies) but of equipment (now I'll have to drop this wagon here for five minutes ...) and so on. Once I discovered computer programming, modeling left me. At age 14 I loved the logic of shunting wagons into sequences; at age 21 I loved the business of shunting strings into sequence.

A year ago I discovered the (what is that little logic program that everyone talks about?) while thinking of using a toy-train circle as one of my 12vDC system demonstration applications. "Inglenook " that's it! I saw it as a neat problem, something to keep the kids amused while mum and dad inspect the system.
That, I think, made me think that I might have fun during our short winter (six months) building buildings with that brick paper.
Then I discovered NRMF.

I think that the Funicular project is, for me, an achievable goal and a happy blend of my love of railways and physics (and of course, maths).
It is well said time and time again in NRMF "Whatever makes you happy ...".
I would add "Whatever makes you raise your arms in triumph every now and then"
Cheers
Chris

[Dad-1]

The much awaited Video !!!

https://youtu.be/OvasOszkqBI

I say much awaited, but sometimes I think people don't like my threads because I give the impression that I know
exactly what I'm doing and comments would be superfluous. It's always nice for comments, and yes Chris, a laugh is
well worth the trouble.
Only now I've proved the concept will I start making into a 'Propper' job. The board needs a surround, some stiffener,
all the temporary wiring replacing. More buffer stops, and all the additional scenic works.

A question for which I'd like some answers. Do I permanently add that un-wired, scenic only, strip of track behind the loop ??
As part of the scenery I could add a line of engineers wagons including the Cambrian Crane.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

The dead back siding will be added in short form, on which I will
park a few engineers wagons for scenic purposes only.
Although I may wire in a separate track feed to have as a possible DCC programming
line.

All now on hold as I've just started decorating the bedroom, adding plaster cove. Once
started her indoors expects it to be done quickly !!

Geoff T

[Dad-1]

An afternoon off from decorating !!

I found the headshunt just worked with the Peckett B2 0-6-0, however as I believe I mentioned at the beginning
it was my plan to use my Hornby LNER J94. That loco had a few things to sort out. 1) the Hornby decoder was not
well matched to the J94 giving a rather jerky speed range exactly where I needed it smooth for Kadee operation.
I have now fitted a Zimo, but not had time to do more than check it functions, first impressions was it's already lost
the majority of the stutter without any adjustment. 2) this J94 has large Hornby couplers held in by a screw and
not at a height that Kadees will like. This will need completely new fabricated mountings, it'll have to wait until
decorating is finished.

By using a J94 I needed to extend the headshunt by anything up to an inch (25 mm). I had some small aris rail that
now provides a suitable ledge for both the headshunt and the new 'posing' siding to protrude out of the side !!
The 'posing' siding has wires attached to the three set-track pieces and could become a programming track with
it's own supply socket.



When the scenery is developed there will be a wire crash barrier to prevent anything being pushed off !!

Tomorrow ?? Painting skirting boards, door frames - NO play !!

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

This project was a trial, but at last I've fully decided it has legs !
All about points.

I've made up the fittings to hold my gas brazing rod, this was the minimum gauge
able to take the required pressure without bowing during use. Each fitting is different
therefore all needed to be marked.



They will be worked from the front where I hope to attach small turned wood knobs.



I mentioned earlier about a small modification to give a very slight improvement in
running over these dead frog points. The small check rails alongside the plastic frog
are dead, no power feed, yet when passing either diverging, or straight ahead loco
wheels pass over the ends. I have these wired into the polarity switches that I use
to give the chance of an additional moments power pick-up. While insulated points
like these do not have to have polarity switching I found from experience that reversing
over such points can introduce short circuits where wheels can bridge the gap. Mine have
therefore been treated as live frog with IRJ's.
Another puzzle has been that Frog Juicers have worked fine on this layout, yet caused all
sorts of problems on the recent Green Frog Brewery shunting layout, where in the end they
were replaced by mechanical micro-switches.





After removing all my scrappy odds of wire the underside now looks almost reasonable !



I now have to fit Kadees to my Hornby J94 and refine their working reliability before the task of
developing some scenery.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Arse about face !!
I've just varnished around the tracks, but not underneath as there was no way I was going to lift
all the trackwork, frog juicers, wiring and manual point operating systems.
Do as I say, rather than as I do !! Why didn't I do it earlier ? Simply that I didn't know if the basic
idea was going to work well enough to make up as a half decent layout. Now it's too late.





That second picture shows the roughly, 30 mm extension, through the end wall. I was always intending
this to be worked by my Hornby J94, but before that had Kadees fitted I used a Peckett B2, finding that
was the limit to work the magnetic un-couplers as required.
I was also uncertain if the puzzle could be worked with 7 wagons. Much practice later I've decided I can
use 7 wagons, currently thinking no puzzle combination is impossible.

Here we have an old HD hopper wagon holding my 'Game' cards, this to me is the essential part of a true
shunting puzzle layout. Every move needs a reason, no moving stock on a random basis - that wouldn't
be a puzzle !! That doesn't mean that you don't make a move that won't help you achieve the required end.

You are in fact working two separate puzzles, one for 4 wagons on the right where the wagons must go in,
in the correct order. Your left hand siding has the 3 unwanted wagons and any order will do, hence being
in brackets.



There are still teething problems setting up my Kadees. I find on one end of one wagon the dovertail NEM
pocket holder is sitting at a slight angle. I might have to un-attach, more or less cut off, and stick on more
carefully.

When the varnish dries I can start adding some 'Yard' ballast, black & dark grey, generally filthy looking.
Loads of constructive fun to be had. I will eventually do another full puzzle video.

Geoff T.

[Bufferstop]

Looks quite respectable in its varnished wood finish, you might even get permission to leave it in the house from time to time. But perhaps not standing on the saw-horses.

[Dad-1]

As it's a 'Yard' I've cut out and fitted 2.0 mm mounting board
between the tracks and layout edges. This was to reduce the weight
and volume of ballast to be laid.
Until now I'd not really thought about any scenery, or buildings. Today
I've ordered a small Wills gent's toilet kit. No fancy indoor facilities, this
is a rough environment from the grouping days.

For those used to refined modern standards that world could be a shock.
Our first place had an outside 'bucket' toilet where each week the contents
were dug into the garden !! Plus when training in Belgium the gents urinal
was a painted wall in the yard, Ladies had to walk behind you to the shared
sit down facilities.

Hasn't life changed !!

Geoff T

[glencairn]

For those used to refined modern standards that world could be a shock.
Our first place had an outside 'bucket' toilet where each week the contents
were dug into the garden !! Plus when training in Belgium the gents urinal
was a painted wall in the yard, Ladies had to walk behind you to the shared
sit down facilities.

Hasn't life changed !!

Geoff T

That's bringing back a memory or two. especially in Belgium. (not all that long ago). Grandmother had a similar place as your first place, in Bramhope, Yorkshire. a different time altogether.

Glencairn

[Dad-1]

As said at the very beginning this was an experimental 'Loop' shunting puzzle.
The use of Peco Set-Track points was taking a chance, can you run reliably at slow speed over them ??
Well not many locomotives will. I know from experience that small 0-4-0's, even many 0-6-0's can't manage it and I've
tested Peckett B2, W4, Ruston 48DS and Bagnall, all failed. The Hornby J94 manages quite well, a roughly compensated
chassis (centre wheels with vertical movement) in addition to being quite heavy. It was always planned that this was the
loco to be used.
While I'm still fettling the Kadees there are the occasional hang-ups, but as can be seen some minor improvements will
cure these. The video is cut short as the SD card filled up just before the exercise end and I wasn't prepared to do another
take. My apologies to those gifted video creators, I can't add headers, footers, or even edit to hide glitches. This is the
way it really goes !!

https://youtu.be/0od9mqE0rQM

A new stiff rib screwed to the back upstand in preparation to having a protective lid fitted. Then to dream up scenery to
make it look reasonable. The smoke generator is giving me trouble and I might have to drop that idea. I'm just not getting
enough smoke.

Geoff T.

[Bufferstop]

I missed the bit about the smoke generator, fitted to a loco or for background effects? I've never been very impressed by the "smoke" they produce, looks too much like a smouldering fag-end to me. I'm about to redesign a real powerful smoke (and flame) generator that sits in our lounge. They've just ceased production of the halogen fireglow bulbs that it relies on to make the smoke rise and light up the flames. It uses an ultrasonic vibrator to create a mist on top of a reservoir and a small fan to blow the mist across the bulbs. Their heat causes the mist to rise and their red glow is reflected off it and looks convincingly like flame. My party piece is to drop a slip of paper into it and reach through the flames to retrieve it. Anyone know where you can get LEDs that run hot.

[Dad-1]

John,

I have some LED's that run hot.
Don't know anything about them, like what power they should have but being
surface mounts I had to add small leads to power up. They are High Power whatever
that means, so as they came for free I stuck 12V through one.
It got so hot it melted the soldered joints on my leads !!

Still should have a hand full 'Somewhere'

Geoff T.

[Bufferstop]

I'll remember those Geoff, first bit is to maximise the use of the existing hardware, I may play with a second fan to encourage the mist to lift. I've seen a layout in which a terrace of houses had chimneys belching smoke, it involved a large home made heater/evaporator in a box with a fan to push in air and a collection of tubes to the chimneys. I suppose it all depends on how much you enjoy mucking around with surplus parts. Which I should take one task at a time, there's a part built turntable downstairs awaiting my attention, it's got as far as rotating 180 degrees with a Hall squeezed on its deck.

[Dad-1]

Hi John,

It's always comforting to know there are project that we'll fit is sometime.
No fancy plumbing for me, but here outdoors where smoke is easily dissipated.



The small mounting block was stuck to my baseboard by PVA glue. Enough oil was
split for it to fall off - Now a job for screws !

Remember those who say they have no room for a layout. Perhaps a roundy-roundy
needs more space, but if you're creative the world is your oyster. This yard measurers
50" (1300 mm) long, 12.1/2" (320 mm) deep, 6.3/4" (175 mm)
And it will be stored on end.



Fun Ehhh.

Geoff T