"Voiding the Warranty" - Mol's experiments in 21mm gauge

[Mol_PMB]

Switch blades now made and fitted, and some wires for power supply added too:

I've tried a couple of wagons and they seem to run smoothly through it.

The next job is a good clean up, and then I need to try and fill the insulation gaps in the 'timbers' so they're not so obvious.

At the weekend I might put the baseboard together.

[Mol_PMB]

Today I have assembled the baseboards.

I have also made a start transferring the trackplan from the computer to the board. This is a kind of 'human in the loop' plotting exercise... 

[Rob R]

Paul,

Are you using the 3dp track bases and, if so, do you have enough?

Looking good so far.

Rob

 

Edit:- Just noticed the check rails on the prototype photo, so maybe not the 3dp bases then.......

Edited October 25 by Rob R
editing

[Mol_PMB]

Just now, Rob R said:

Paul,

Are you using the 3dp track bases and, if so, do you have enough?

Looking good so far.

Rob

Hi Rob,

I used quite a lot of the 3dp track bases in my display cabinet, but I still have some left over and I'm hoping they will be enough for this layout. 

I've just got them out of the box to have a look, and it's going to be tight. If I do the sector plates on copperclad then I'll have just enough 3dp bases for the rest of the plain line (both the scenic side and the fiddle yard). It'll be tight though.

However, the copperclad I'm using is 1.5mm and the 3dp bases are 1mm thick, so I'll need to pack it all, which is a bit of a pain.

Are you able to do the 3dp bases 1.5mm thick? If so I'd need 40 sections. 

Cheers,

Paul

 

 

17 minutes ago, Rob R said:

Edit:- Just noticed the check rails on the prototype photo, so maybe not the 3dp bases then.......

I'll use copperclad where there are checkrails, but there are plenty of areas without, where the 3dp bases are easier than soldering and look better too!

[Rob R]

Paul,

I shall dust down the printer and have a play.

Rob

[Mol_PMB]

Plenty more progress today on Quartertown Mill. 

Having marked out the track positions, I then had to juggle the desired positions of point tiebars and uncoupling magnets, with the diagonal bracing underneath the boards. This was made easier because I hadn't fitted the diagonal bracing, and indeed I had to modify it from the intended design to make it clear the leg mounting positions as well as the point tiebars. Anyway, here is the result, seen from underneath:

The two boards will be permanently joined together in due course, and will sandwich another piece of ply that will be part of the structure of the scenic breaks. Here are the main components temporarily bolted together, but there are still a lot more parts to make:

 

Also seen in the photo above are the track bases. These are 4mm MDF, cut to shape on my little laser cutter. Raising the track slightly above the board gives me some height for the sector plates, and also helps to avoid the 'flat earth effect'. There will be another layer of 3mm cork on top of the MDF. 

Another thing visible in the photo above is that the scenic breaks are about 50mm wider than the main boards. I'm not sure why this is - they are all standard parts from Grainge&Hodder and have the same interface geometry. I've decided to use this to my advantage and to widen the board by 50mm at the rear (fiddle yard) side with a cantilevered extension. This will simplify the track geometry in the fiddle yard and the scenic break along the length of the layout between the fiddle yard and the visible section.  

Here's a view showing the main sector plate, a home-made laser-cut assembly:

Finally, here's the crossover positioned on the layout. This is the only complicated bit of track, the rest is plain line although there are some more sections with checkrails:

Also on this image I've tried to sketch in (in blue) the scenic break that will hide the fiddle yard. This will form a backdrop to the low-relief mill buildings.

I feel I've made good progress this weekend, though I can't hope to match Darius's speed!

[Mol_PMB]

Some of the mill buildings are still in existence, as seen in these photos from Fred Dean and Jason McAree on Flickr. 

I think I'll need to make a field trip there next time I'm in Ireland.

 

 

[Rob R]

1 down, 39 to go.

Maybe more if I start playing with the settings....

[Mol_PMB]

10 minutes ago, Rob R said:

1 down, 39 to go.

Maybe more if I start playing with the settings....

Super! Many thanks.

I guess the thicker base uses a bit more plastic and time, so please PM me to let me know the total cost including postage, and I'll send the ££ over.

Cheers,

Mol

[Mol_PMB]

Some more progress on the Quartertown Mill baseboards today. 

I finished cutting out the track base pieces including slots for point tiebars and uncouplers, and then stuck those down, well weighted and pinned in a few strategic places. 

I also made and fitted a reinforcing fillet where the track base overlaps the edge of the board in the fiddle yard area. 

The Grainge & Hodder baseboard kits are supplied with holes to allow boards to be bolted together, or legs attached using their brackets. These are intended for M6 bolts but the fasteners aren't actually supplied. I ordered a selection of M6 bits from Screwfix and today I have also fitted the captive nuts to the timber parts where required. These will make it easier to assemble/disassemble the main components. 

Finally, my next victim has arrived! Destined to become a tar/bitumen tank, which is surprisingly appropriate for Quarterown flour mill because the siding was also used for tar deliveries to Roadbinder Ltd.

So, nothing very exciting but some steps forward. I'm definitely not keeping up with Darius!

[Galteemore]

That looks great Paul. I also have a G and H order inbound so would be interested to see what M6 ‘bits’ precisely you acquired! What height of legs are you going for ?

[Mol_PMB]

5 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

That looks great Paul. I also have a G and H order inbound so would be interested to see what M6 ‘bits’ precisely you acquired! What height of legs are you going for ?

Well I'm kind of making it up as I go along. The parts I ordered from Screwfix were as follows (not all screw lengths shown in the photo):

	Qty Ordered	Qty Despatched
79359 - Easyfix 4 Pronged Tee Nuts M6 x 9mm 10 Pack	3	3
838GX - Suki Levelling Foot M8 x 60mm 2 Pack	2	2
8114J - Easyfix Bright Zinc-Plated Roofing Bolts M6 x 60mm 10 Pack	1	1
3023J - Easyfix Bright Zinc-Plated Roofing Bolts M6 x 30mm 10 Pack	2	2
5213J - Easyfix Bright Zinc-Plated Roofing Bolts M6 x 20mm 10 Pack	1	1
6689T - Easyfix Zinc-Plated Steel Wing Nuts M6 10 Pack	1	1

That lot cost me £24 in total, and was delivered next day.

The pronged tee nuts require the 6mm holes in the boards to be enlarged to 7.5mm diameter. If they're going into a single thickness of ply then they need a thin spacer (effectively a wooden washer) as well. You should get some of those spacers with the baseboard kits and will probably end up with spares. One of the pics in the previous post shows this. It takes quite a bit of force to push the prongs into the wood - hammer, vice or the M6 bolt itself working against a penny washer on the other side will all do the trick. Once they're in, they're very firm, and they won't get lost or need an extra hand or spanner when asseembling the boards.

I haven't yet decided on my leg length (nor have I bought the timber). I did buy some adjustable feet though, as you can see. These are M8 but use the same type of pronged tee nut - in fact it was them that gave me the idea to use the pronged tee nuts in the board joints too.

The M6 roofing bolts come with square plain nuts included, for normal joints. I got the wing nuts as well in case they turned out to be useful for something like the braces on the legs.

Obviously the quantities you need will be different from mine, but with 8 bolts per board joint or leg pair, it's surprising how quickly they add up if you want to use all the holes!

 

One tip - don't rush to fit the diagonal bracing on the underside of the boards. Think first! It can block important things like legs and point operating mechanisms.

I modified a few of the G&H parts to suit my own needs - especially the ones that would fit in my laser cutter.

 

[Mike 84C]

Mol, I like the captive nuts idea, on Bantry I used bolts and wingnuts OK but a bit  tedius having to level the bb tops every time we exhibited.