Though I would post the next instalment on lighting the layout.
This is a pretty extensive area normally so I will try and keep it concise if I can.
After the points were in place I decided that I wanted to light the layout.
A previous post, I think from Arnie, pointed me in the right direction with regards to how to control the lighting.
I wanted to have a lighting control dial that I could turn to different times of the day with each position of the dial turning on a different combination of lights. This is how I set it up.
Positioning the lights:
I fixed the lights in place from under the layout so I could take them out and change them without ripping up any of the buildings to do so.
I came up with this cheap fixing method that has worked pretty well.
I first drilled holes for each light before the buildings were fixed in place.
I then made a wire bracket from fencing wire (coat hanger wire would also be fine) that would hold the light in place but be fixed from under the table.
The below diagram and photo better describes this arrangement.
Cam”
Very smart! A big thank you to Cam.
That’s all for today folks.
Please do keep ’em coming – it’s getting a bit thin on the ground this end.
Cameron has very kindly done a points and motors ‘how to’ after spotting so many questions on the subject in the posts.
Thank you Cam – and can’t wait to see more pics / video of your layout.
“Dear Al,
It’s been a while since my last post.
I have spent a lot of time over the last couple of months lying under the layout with wire cutters in one hand and a soldering iron in the other. There is now a big mess of wires under table that reflect a lack of planning on my part. I bit embarrassing but part of the process.
Following is a couple of tips on electrifying points on a layout that might be of use to a few of your readers.
Points and Motors
Before I laid the track I drilled holes in the right locations for the point switch rods. I would do this again regardless of whether I planed to electrify the points or not. You never know how hooked you are going to get on this hobby.
I used Peco point motors which have been quite good. Rather than using the propriety plastic adapters I simply bent out the fixing prongs to act as a fixing lug. Perhaps a bit rough but a lot of modelers seem to use this method.
They all run off a 4amp 14v power supply which is not at the top end for this type of point but has been reliable.
Lining up the point motors under the track for reliable operation is one of the more difficult parts of the process. I did however find a pretty good process worth sharing.
1. I drilled two small holes through the top of the layout at each end of the plastic switch operating slide. These holes have two purposes. They provide a reliable guide marker under the table and, if drilled at the right spacing can be used to screw the point motor in place from under the table.
2. I set the point in the central position and held it in place with two tooth picks.
3. Working now from under the layout I lined up the motor so that the motor pin was in the middle ( evenly spaced) from each motor magnet.
4. The motors were screwed in place with a couple of screws and washers.
5. Remove the tooth picks and you should have a well aligned motor.
For me this method took a lot of the guess work out of the process of positioning the motor and ensured a lot less adjustment was needed to get them all working.
The other aspect of the point automation I thought was worth mentioning was the Mimic Panel. I made this out of a few electrical project boxes bolted together to form up a nice long panel. For the diagram I took inspiration from the London Underground maps. This type of graphic is really easy to read and looks good in colour.
The diagram was printed on paper and mounted on the face of the mimic panel under a sheet of clear acrylic/lexon.
Thats all for now. I will send through a post on the lighting next.
First off I want to let you know how overwhelmed I was at the response to my layout.
My children and grandchildren think my ‘toy’ trains are pretty but having a group of real model train guys let me know that they think my layout is pretty good really made my day and my week and probably my year as well.
Thanks to all for you comments and suggestions.
Secondly, it’s funny how one always needs more room for a layout.
I decided to expand my layout by using my 12 x 12 storage shed in the back yard. I added insulation, OSB walls, ran electric and added an a/c/ unit through the wall.
I use a little electric heater in the winter.
I decided to use a shelf type layout with a duck under at about 54” so I didn’t have to crawl. My train room also included a small space to work.
I also wanted to use as much as possible from my 1st layout.
On my first layout I used a plywood sheet covered with pink foam insulation.
The track was glued down (with white glue). On this layout I used an OSB base covered with sound board and the track was tacked with track nails. Some new things I tried:
1. I tried my hand at scratch building some items.
2. Built using different levels to add interest.
3. Added a water feature. Didn’t do too good on the waves part.
4. Built my scenery with screen, cardboard strips, balled-up newspaper and foam all covered with plaster cloth or plaster or drywall compound or tinfoil. I wanted to experiment to test what worked best for me.
5. Built some trees with kits(didn’t work out too well) and also weeds painted green.
6. Got some latex and built some molds …. A fun project. Also bought some rubber rock molds as well.
7. Added people into my vignettes. My wife’s idea. She was right, they really make the scene come alive.
8. Used a turntable with an auto reverser and a switch to run the turntable backwards and forwards. Figured out later that I could have used a switch instead of the Auto Reverser and saved a lot of money.
A couple of things I learned on the way:
1. Never put your turnouts at the beginning or end of a curve. Always start them on a straight piece of track. They always caused a derailment.
2. Duckunders are the easiest. I first tried a lift out… kind of a pain with the off and on thing and my alignment always needed a little adjustment. Then I got cute and built an elevator thing using a car antenna hung from the ceiling and the bridge riding between two metal tracks. The next try was a lift-up thing mounted on a furniture hinge. Too bad I didn’t take some pictures of these failures on my part. Most were good for a few laughs.
3. I really don’t like working with a magnifier mounted on my head and besides, my hands shake at the most inopportune times. Can’t imagine how anybody works with N or Z scale. I stand in awe of these folks.
4. Always add the background (if desired) before you build the layout.
I added many more little vignettes to this layout but I don’t have pictures because at this point I decided to get out of HO and go into something bigger. I decided on On30 which is O scale with the train’s running on HO track.
This began another journey …FYI, I was now 68 at this time.
