Increasing My Magnetism

At the Haywards Heath show I picked up some magnets sold for uncoupling Greenwich couplers. These are of the "rare-earth" (neodymium-iron-boron, I believe) super-strong magnets, similar to those I bought a few months ago but bigger, this time about 5mm diameter by 2.5mm. The idea was to improve the uncoupling magnets on Awngate. As the Microtrains couplings need a magnetic field accross the track it was clear that the magnets would need to be used in pairs, so I set up a piece of track on the workbench and armed with lots of blue-tack and a couple of wagons, started experimenting with them in different positions.

Now these are STRONG magnets, if placed just under the track the wagons shot toward the magnets and up-ended on to their couplers, which stuck to the magnets! Yet spaced apart and well under the track they didn't seem strong enough, what is probably needed is a block of steel between a pair of magnets. Then I thought, well rather that replace the magnets I had already placed under the tracks, why not just increase their magnetism? So I put a pair of the new magnets onto each pair of cupboard-catch magnets, as shown in the photo below. Well, actually I only had enough to do 5 of the 8 magnets, but some worked OK anyway.

The result is surprisingly effective, the magnets are certaily strong enough now - even through the ballast, but not so strong to up-end the wagons! (they can roll toward a magnet if left very close). I wouldn't say all uncoupling problems have been solved - I still need to check all couplings are mounted correctly and well lubricated with graphite - but if things don't uncouple, it's not the fault of the magnets.

(Note: the three magnets to the right have the additional Greenwich magnets added to them, seen as small silver discs)

More Photo's from the Exhibition

Mick Thornton, 009 Society and general narrow-gauge model railway roving reporter, has published some excellent pictures from the Sussex Downs Members' Day show last Saturday:
http://mickthornton.fotopic.net/c1665982_1.html

They include some very flattering photo's of Awngate, better than many of my efforts!
http://mickthornton.fotopic.net/p56862524.html

Haywards Heath Show!

Well I got there in the end! After a few frantic days and a couple of late evenings getting everything ready, the layout up to a reasonable standard, the stock in good shape with the right couplings fitted, and the loco's serviced and tested, the day finally arived for Awngate's first public appearance!

The trestles worked well, and were tidied up with a drape as you can see below. The trains performed well, but the uncoupling was a bit hit-and-miss. I got some more magnets to try. Other than that the only problem was a point failure - the blade came loose, but I managed to get it back in place and super-glue it. Lots of people made nice comments, and there was a lot of interest in the fiddle yard! My friend Steve helped out with the operating, getting very engrossed in the shunting (see second picture) - thanks Steve.

The rest of the show was enjoyable too, you can see more photo's here:

http://campbell-modelrailway.fotopic.net/c1663884.html

Scenic details

Just a quick update to show the progress over the last couple of days. The greenery has sprouted, with more ground cover and bushes, and I've added some fences - could do with more though. The people and details I've been painting have been finished and added. The wagons in the yard are those I have been working on too - just could do with some lead weight. Finally, the workbench is still busy - I've got some more wagons and coaches out of storage, for paint touch-ups and new couplings, so have been very busy. Just two evenings to go before the show, and I've not actually test-run anything yet! (well, not for a while!)

Layout Supports

Finally I got around to making the layout support trestles. This is something I have given a lot of thought to, as I wanted a support system that could be used for future layouts as well as this one. It has to be stable, easy to transport and errect, and capable of being built by me, as my carpentry skills are no more than average at best!

So I came up with a plan for two trestles, with two "beams" between them to support the layout. Made from approx 2"x1" (44x21mm) planed timber, with some 3"x1" and MDF, the legs pivot into each other using a bolt, and are held apart by a hinged beam hooked onto a screw. Simple, but it seems effective. Hopefully the photo's make clear how they work and how I made them.

I borrowed a power mitre-saw from a friend at work, which was fantastic as I had to cut some of the wood at an angle of 14 degrees. Yes, I had resorted to trigonometry! So that's why high-school maths is useful ...

Assembling the legs. I always use posidrive screws, drill a pilot hole and countersink. Powertools rule! The MDF was glued with no-more-nails too. MDF was cut outside with a power jigsaw.

As well as the layout supports, I made a bolt-on shelf for the back of the fiddle yard.

The design of the trestles is quite simple, seems pretty stable though. They are about 2' (60cm) wide, open to about 20" (50cm), and are about 43" (110cm) tall. This gives a reasonable viewing height for the track.

The legs assempled with the support beams, and the layout on top, note the shelf on the right-hand trestle. The beams are 4'4" (13ocm) long, so with some overhang they could support a layout up to 6' or 7' (about 2m) long. The layout just sits on the beams, with the fiddle-yard overhanging to the right.

The top of the trestle, with the rear beam (MDF strengthener upward) and front beam (MDF downward) bolted in place. Obviously they can be bolted anywhere to the trestle to suit different widths of layout, here the layout is only half the depth of the trestle. The MDF rib stops the layout sliding off. In theory the layout could be levelled by adding washers or packing between the beams and the top of the trestle.

The shelf is simply a piece of MDF with wooden blocks underneath it, which fit between the bracing on the legs. Useful for tools, spare locos, coffee cups ...

Click on the pictures for larger images. Don't ask me why the formatting has gone a bit wierd on this one, with lots of blank space ... anyway, on with the scenics ...

Painting

Once again I'm posting a blog from an Hotel room, this time in Germany! So not much progress this week, although I guess it does give me chance to update the blog! As I indicated in an earlier post, I have managed to do some painting recently, even just an hour or so of an evening means that some progress is being made. I thought I'd say a few words about my painting techniques, though I am not especially good at it! And all I know is what I have read or been told by those much better at it!

I generally use enamel paints, though I do use artists acrylics for scenic work, weathering etc. Enamels stick to most things with minimal preparation, but whitemetal and brass gets a coat of Halfords primer in the garage first. I always buy matt paints, well - usually! I never stir or shake the paints, instead I extract some of the pigment from the bottom of the tin using a matchstick, and mix in a suitable container, the Ferro Rocher chocolate boxes are ideal (you will need to eat the contents first!). This means that different colours are easily mixed, and the paint can be thinned as required with enamel thinners - I have a big tin and use a pipette (from Squires of Bognor). The big advantage though is that the paint does not go off, as the pigment stays unmixed under the oil, the tins last for years without drying out. I use dry-brushing, though it doesn't always work that well for me, I also do a lot of weathering using washes of well-thinned acrylics - after all, if it goes wrong it can be washed off the enamel base-coat easily!

The picture below shows this technique in use. The lower photo shows what is being painted at the moment - the collection of wagons seen earlier, the lorry and also a trailer and cart, and the people I got for Christmas. There are also some packing cases for the factory and some other details to be painted. Also in the picture are some Microtrains couplers I've been making up for the wagons, and a plasticard jug I use to assemble them.

Chaos at home ...

It's been pretty manic recently. After a plumbing leak a few weeks ago, we've had the decorators in doing the lounge, and the house has been turned upside-down. While it's nice not to be doing the decorating myself, it has still meant limited work on the layout. Having said that some evenings forced to sit in the dining room has provided the oppotunity for some painting! Also we bought a new Computer just before Christmas, which was great apart from a persistant fault. After weeks of wating hours on the phone to technical support, we've sent it back (tip - don't buy a Dell!) which has meant another distraction from the layout.


Before the builders moved in I did get chance to realign some of the uncoupling magnets, which should make them more reliable. If they are off-centre to the track both couplings swing the same way, rather than apart. While I had the board on it's back and the hot-glue-gun out, I tidied up the wiring. I used bits of wire tags, dozens of which seem to be used to attach children's toys to their card packaging, though the sort that come with freezer bags or just offcuts of wire would do. Attach them to the board with a spot of hot-glue, and when solid twist around the cables. This prevents them getting snagged when the board is moved, and keeps things tidy.

Last Saturday I took my little boy to the Brighton Modelworld show. It's the first time I've been to that show, and from a model railway point of view it isn't great. The layouts are scattered through the multiple crowded halls of the venue, however there were some nice layouts (including the Sussex Downs group's Everleight - sorry I didn't have time to help out guys!) and the other models - cars, boats, planes - were interesting too. My 2-year-old loved it, though I got pretty tired from lifting him up! Also taking photos was pretty difficult, so here are just a few shots to give you a taster.

Unfortunately, with a family do this weekend, and another business trip next week, I might not be able to do much on the layout. I do need to pull my finger out though, as the show is on the 7th March! I haven't even made the layout legs yet - but I have bought the wood!!