Making Track - This being '00' code 75.

[Dad-1]

There is a real problem with reliable running on small layouts where the
only choice of tight turning points is insulated frog set-track geometry.
Some may claim it can be done, but in my experience the lovely Hornby
W4 Peckett, Hatton's Andrew Barclay and the Hornby Ruston DS48 simply
can't run slowly over the Set-track points.

So here is my attempt to make some code 75 live frog versions of the standard
Set-track geometry points. First I need a crossover so here we go.
Photos as at close of work on Monday 10th July !!

My shed desk - I'd prefer to do this work in the kitchen where I have my illuminated
magnifier, but domestic forces are against that !!



My home made common crossing jig. Worked out by triangulation measurements, and
should you get it wrong, just do a better job second time around !!



I make with a minimum of tools, it's amazing what can be done with matchsticks, lolly
sticks and a few files



All the difficult bits to do now, much of it subtle bending by eye.

Geoff T.

[Phred]

Looks very satisfying.

Dad-1 wrote:
domestic forces are against that !!

I'm familiar with meeting resistance from the Home Guard, but at least working on your own bench allows you to leave everything 'as is' until you return, although (on my workbench) things have a habit of moving and hiding themselves while I'm away. I suspect we are haunted.

[Peterm]

Looks very satisfying.

Dad-1 wrote:
domestic forces are against that !!

I'm familiar with meeting resistance from the Home Guard, but at least working on your own bench allows you to leave everything 'as is' until you return, although (on my workbench) things have a habit of moving and hiding themselves while I'm away. I suspect we are haunted.

Here I am on the other side of the world and I've got the same gremlins as you.

[Bigmet]

...My shed desk - I'd prefer to do this work in the kitchen where I have my illuminated magnifier, but domestic forces are against that...

It's tough for the ladies to be continually reminded of the competition, such as that lovely N&W A class I see lurking in the shadows...

[Dad-1]

Hi Bigmet,

I should get the big HO loco out. DCC sound all that sort of thing, but I'm not
into American railroads, being an inherited item it needs some loving care and
a tidy up. Not exactly the thing for 1st radius curves and short shunting layouts !!

No photo, but filing up switch rails and gently bending. That's when clanger 1 was
discovered. I need to file stock rails as I can't press a jiggle and one of my first pieces
to be soldered onto sleepers were the outer stock rails. A get out of jail is that the tie
I'll be using to close points has not been soldered, so as I remove from the drawing I'll
be able to file before attaching that activating tie.

I've pushed insulating breaks too far - just the thickness of a piece of paper. What will
happen when it gets too hot !! Short circuits ??? However a wagon runs along soooo
smoothly.

Geoff T.

[Bigmet]

...I've pushed insulating breaks too far - just the thickness of a piece of paper. What will happen when it gets too hot !! Short circuits ??? However a wagon runs along soooo smoothly...

Feed a little 24hr Araldite into the gap.

[Phred]

Peterm wrote:
Here I am on the other side of the world and I've got the same gremlins as you.

I'm actually just south of you (Petrie) but I never get up to Bribie these days. The traffic and never-ending roadworks have taken all the joy out of driving.

[Dad-1]

I don't have time to add too many steps along this path !!
It's now at first testing stage, here is the video.

https://youtu.be/dOltoJH-khA

I will add more as to problems (few) and things you need to take care with.
Sorry it looks so scruffy with the temporary frog juicers, but it all part of my
testing regime.

Geoff T.

[Phred]

Nice work, Geoff, and thanks for another very interesting video.

[Bufferstop]

Don't beat yourself up about stalling if you are relying on frog juicers, those little fellers hardly pull enough current to be detected. Fit microswitches you know it makes sense Railroom Electronics have some tiny ones that you could almost loose in the ballast.

[Dad-1]

Ahh Bufferstop,

If ever inserted into a layout it will be manual point operation, via a push rod. I use the push
rods to activate micro switches. The other trick will be to make the push rods interact with one,
or two neo magnets to give a secure latching. An over centre spring as I have experimented with
on my EM to '00' point needs to be on the centre-line, exactly where the manual rod will be seated.

It may be worth going through the series of actions & bodger's tools required to make a half decent
point. The use of McD's ? coffee stirrers and flat lolly sticks - Hope that's got you wanting to know more !!

Geoff T.

[Phred]

Always keen to see new ideas for bodger's tools!

[Bufferstop]

Ah coffee stirrers and lolly sticks, Increased my stash by about 80% yesterday bringing EV2 to Scotland, via two charging stops at service areas. Hoping to do similar on the return trip using retail parks rather than service areas.

[Dad-1]

O.K you fancy trying to make a turnout, who would want to start on a straight piece of track ??
First where to get 'stuff' ?
For rail you could use Peco, for bullhead code 75 I'd suggest the SMP/Scaleway at Sheffield, or
C&L, are they still Epsom ? For the other vital component if soldering is copper-clad sleepering.
In my ignorance again I only know of SMP/Scaleway & C&L.

A silly thing, but when I first wanted to solder a rail to a sleeper I didn't know how to hold the rail
upright, my old fingers found it difficult. Now I use a flat wooden lolly stick, cut cleanly in half at
90 degrees. Then using a standard 10/12" hacksaw put a short cut into your square cut lolly stick.
This cut is almost ideal to accept the rail, when pushed in to be flush it can self stand upright on
your sleepers. One each end of a length of rail for most turnouts - a great handling helper !!

However before you get that far you need a plan over which to build your component. I believe these
can be obtained from Scaleway, Peco, and others, I do have a set of EM gauge plans that can easily
be adapted. I stick suitable sleeper lengths over the plan which has a very thin acetate sheet secured
over it to protect for further use, it's the acetate that is destroyed.
Sleeper spacing - I'm not super pedantic but found that McDonalds stirrers I have are exactly 5.0 mm,
which by the usual fluke exactly matches the gap on my EM plans. So carefully line up sleeper 1 and then
gap with the cut length stirrer spacer.

That's all for today, off to a BBQ soon ...... and rain is quite possible !!

Geoff T.

[Bufferstop]

I rubbed a block of wood on the top of my deliberately dirtied Peco code 75, then cut the grooves with an Xacto saw. Last one I built was an 009 breaking out from dual gauge, different flange gap each side of the crossing. There was an interesting bit of dual gauge at Statfold, 2' and 2'3" going into a balloon loop sharing the RH outside stock rail rail and coming out sharing the crossing rail. I vowed to go back and find out how they did it, but when I went back, all the 2'3" had gone apart from a short length coming out of the roundhouse.