Titan
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Portable LayoutWell a little progress has been made - the first base board is complete albeit without legs, and I have a full size drawing of the bridge which I will use as a pattern to cut out the girders - that'l keep the jigsaw busy for a while!
Well here is a picture of progress as of last weekend - basically just cut out the baseboards. I hope to have a little more progress by next weekend - we will see how it goes!!
The "missing' baseboard is in fact where the bridge will be.
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Steely
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Lokking good, but where and how will you store it?
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Mamodman123
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Yes, starting to come together slowly  what type of track are you using Titan? 
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Titan
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Probably leaning against the wall inside the garage - pretty much where it is now I guess.
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Titan
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The track will be mostly mamod - the baseboard sizes were chosen specifically so the joins corresponded with joins in the mamod track. This means that provided I use track at the joints that has already lost its tags, I can screw it all down permanantly without having to cut any track up.
I am at present short of a few mamod points (I have 3 of the seven I need) and straight pieces, but I do have some other O gauge track which might get used for the bridge and some of the points if feasable. to give you an idea, the 'straight' boards and bridge are four track lengths long, the corner pieces basically accomodating a quater circle of track.
Sort of like this in fact.
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Mamodman123
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All looks good to me!
If you go in February and its mamod scale is it ok if I bring my loco along?  provided its all finished by then aswel
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Titan
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Of course! If it gets busy there will be a roster with half hour running slots in it, which people will have to book.
Done two more base boards tonight, thats three total, four more to do, and a bridge, and some legs, and then track laying, and then scenery...
A little way to go yet but looking good so far!
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Mamodman123
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| Titan wrote: | Of course! If it gets busy there will be a roster with half hour running slots in it, which people will have to book.
Done two more base boards tonight, thats three total, four more to do, and a bridge, and some legs, and then track laying, and then scenery...
A little way to go yet but looking good so far! |
I have ordered a Meths burner from a supplier, hopwfully this will help 
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SPOKESMAN
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Thing are progresing Titan! Dont get any steam on those shirts!
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Sandman
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| SPOKESMAN wrote: | | Thing are progresing Titan! Dont get any steam on those shirts! |
Why not Mike. It makes them easier to iron.
Dash it. Let the cat out of the bag again.
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Titan
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I have drawn up the bridge. I have printed out two copies full size, the idea being that I can fix them to MDF and get busy with a jigsaw. Should save some considerable time from marking it out by hand!!
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Titan
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Sorry for the huge size! What happened to the handy add an image?
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SPOKESMAN
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Thats a lot of intricate sawing! Should look good
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Titan
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Right! Time for an update!
Six out of the seven baseboards have been completed, although five are without legs.
I have fitted the 'Master' board with legs, so called because it is the only one with four legs and will need to be erected first. It will also be the one with the station platform on it, which will be between the wider spaced tracks.
A view of progress so far:
And a view showing the track arrangement on the master board although it is not yet screwed down:
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Manxman
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Coming together very well. All this train talk is getting me thinking. Titan, could you give me an idea of how much space you need for a small layout? Any chance you could do it in ye oldie style, cause all this mm stuff is difficult to picture in my head.
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Titan
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The overall size of my layout is very approx 6 foot 6 x 13 feet. You could knock off a bit from both dimensions if you shorten the straight sections and do not have a loop.
Basically mamod curves are 2 ft 6 radius, so a simple circle, alowing for width of rolling stock would be about 5 ft 6 x 5ft 6, work upwards from that!!!
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Manxman
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Thanks Titan. Very interesting. I can see me measuring the garage this weekend.
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Griffin
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| Manxman wrote: | | Thanks Titan. Very interesting. I can see me measuring the garage this weekend. |
Don't tell me this Loco bug is getting to you too
Ever since I looked on the PPS website I have started thinking too
Great idea for the layout Titan, It's really well made.
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Manxman
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I can't help it. I know I shouldn't. But, the kids don't need their bikes. The lawn mower could live in the shed. I could move a few things around and, well who knows. Garage layout.
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Mamodman123
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Very very good Titan
Looking good now you've got the base boards all cut out and to size .
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Titan
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Well in theory it should be possible to erect this layout in any garage. I say in theory since if your garage is anything like mine you would have to completely empty it of all the stuff stored in it first!
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Titan
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I was just thinking about the Portable Layout and had one of those sudden attacks of inspiration!
It concernes making loco preperation easier - How about if at the headshunt of the loop on the inside, there was effectively what would look like an inspection pit - basically a large gap between the rails with a hole cut through the baseboard. This would have an angled mirror underneath so you would get a good view of the underside of the loco whilst it is on track.
Should make the lighting of meths/gas burners much easier, as you would be able to see exactly what you are doing as you light it from underneath, and also check that the burner is lit properly and is burning correctly, all without having to lift up the loco and generally bugger about with it. Might save some burnt fingers/scorched paint!!
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MTA
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sounds good Titan, a very practical solution to an annoying problem.
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Mamodman123
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Very good idea! I light the burner leave it on the track then put the loco over it I cna't seem to light it any other way, so maybe your idea will help!
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Titan
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I've just been having a feret around at my parents, where my old workshop used to be in the garage and have unearthed quite a few useful looking loco spare parts, including 3 spare saftey valves.
But the main reason was to dig out some old O gauge track which probably has not seen the light of day for nearly 20 years.
The good news is that there is more track than I remember, and I think that I now have plenty of track to complete the layout.
The bad news is that a lot of it is in worse condition than I remember, so there will be quite a bit of fettling required, particularly of the points, some of which have bits missing.
Still, if I bought enough mamod track that to complete the layout using only mamod track I would probably have to fork out another £50 quid or so, and as always cash is short!
And in the same vein I reckon any track left over will probably be available for sale at a very reasonable price at the STIA meet in feb if anyone wants it!
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Mamodman123
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Good to hear your layout is coming along nicely Titan. Can't wait to see the finished result. The mamod track is quite good quality, but expensive as you said
Got all the track i need, but James wants some for his railway
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MTA
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and me! I'll take any straights and points Titan 
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Titan
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Well I can't promise anything, especially since straights and points is what I most need for the layout, but you will be welcome to pick over the remains!!!
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MTA
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okee pokee smokee
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SPOKESMAN
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No track = no railway.I wish I had the space for this railway lark! Think I'll stick to oo gauge for now!
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Mamodman123
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| SPOKESMAN wrote: | | No track = no railway.I wish I had the space for this railway lark! Think I'll stick to oo gauge for now! |
00 gauge takes a lot of room up to! there is no way I haven enough space in my house for that.
My dad has a load of N gauge stuff much better IMO
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SPOKESMAN
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Aye, N gauge is compact - too fidely though.
My layout is current ly in the donstairs dining room/parlour.
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Mamodman123
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I'd like to put my snooker table in there
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Titan
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And then there were two!!
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Steely
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Coming along nicely, I could do with one of them now.
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Mamodman123
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Cracking on very nicely indeed!!
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Titan
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Unfortunately the old points I am intending to use on the layout look like they will need almost completely rebuilding before use. This is not so much a reflection on their condition, although not brilliant, but more to do with the fact that they must have been designed for very coarse scale, or at least stock with very thick (as opposed to deep) flanges as the check rails are just too wide to allow smooth running, even for mamod!!
As they are all on wooden sleepers it will be a case of pulling the nails out of the cast chairs and moving things about a bit - easier said than done!!
On the plus side, the rail size itself does seem very close - I even managed to connect one piece to mamod track using a fishplate on one side, with the rail sitting in the mamod 'socket' on the other, which I did not expect to be able to do!
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Mamodman123
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That's the problem with third party track. You can never be sure it will be wide or deep enough for the Mamod loco and stock  . As long as you can find a way around it you'll be ok!
I'm looking forward to seeing it complete!
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Titan
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Well another baseboard has legs, making three so far, and the corner board now has track permanently fixed to it. track has been partialy laid on the other two boards, including some of the non-mamod track and pointwork, and so far trial runs by pushing various items of rolling stock at speed along it look promising, with everything running smoothly apart from very slight bumps accross the baseboard joins which was to be expected.
Laying the old - and I mean old - track is a little time consuming - it is wooden sleepered and dates from 1937!!! Unlike the more rigid mamod track where just two screws will happily hold down one length, every sleeper needs to be nailed down individually. Thats a lot of nails and a lot of hammering. But it does seem to be producing acceptable results.
It also seems that by the careful use of a jig to ensure that the bolts that join the baseboards together are all in the same place on different boards, all the track still lines up properly when you dismantle and re-assemble the boards. It also gives a degree of interchangability.
So, so far, so good!
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Mamodman123
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Sounds very good Titan!
I can't wait to see the finished result! I think it's going to be mighty impressive!
I can't believe your using that really old track, wooden sleepers? 
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Titan
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Thats right, wooden sleepers - in fact the track and pointwork is quite well made, it has proper bull head section rails, which sit in cast alloy chairs which even include a representation of the wooden wedge, which are then nailed on to the wooden sleepers. Even the fishplates have representations of the four bolts on them. In 1937 this was probably the equivalent of finescale modeling, certainly compared to hornby tinplate, and someone all those years ago put a lot of time and effort in to building this track.
Incidentally, to accomodate the extra height of the sleepers, the baseboard with this track on actually sits 5mm lower than the others so that the track still lines up correctly!
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Mamodman123
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| Titan wrote: | Thats right, wooden sleepers - in fact the track and pointwork is quite well made, it has proper bull head section rails, which sit in cast alloy chairs which even include a representation of the wooden wedge, which are then nailed on to the wooden sleepers. Even the fishplates have representations of the four bolts on them. In 1937 this was probably the equivalent of finescale modeling, certainly compared to hornby tinplate, and someone all those years ago put a lot of time and effort in to building this track.
Incidentally, to accomodate the extra height of the sleepers, the baseboard with this track on actually sits 5mm lower than the others so that the track still lines up correctly! |
I see, it's best to have good quality track on the board. What happens if a loco flys off on a corner? will there be some sort of safety bars in place or anything like that Titan?
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Titan
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That is something that will need looking at. I am thinking that I would like to make something that might look a bit like lineside fencing so it is not too obtrusive, but as yet I have not a particular design in mind.
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Mamodman123
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| Titan wrote: | | That is something that will need looking at. I am thinking that I would like to make something that might look a bit like lineside fencing so it is not too obtrusive, but as yet I have not a particular design in mind. |
Yes, something that doesn't get in the way too much! but will protect the Loco from serious damage.
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MTA
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How about "post and wire" fencing, cheap, prototypical and strong1 Just get some wooden poles, drill two holes in it, and thread wire through the whole lot!
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Mamodman123
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| MTA wrote: | | How about "post and wire" fencing, cheap, prototypical and strong1 Just get some wooden poles, drill two holes in it, and thread wire through the whole lot! |
A good idea MTA, that is certainly a possibilty i'm sure . Would be fairly cheap too!
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Titan
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That actually sounds like rather a good idea, the wire will also be comparitavely thin so as not to get in the way of viewing too much.
There are of course other issues to consider - I think the bumps and knocks it will recieve during transport, storage or assembly etc will be far greater than a loco is likely to impose, so it will either have to be quite chunky or removable.
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Mamodman123
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| Titan wrote: | That actually sounds like rather a good idea, the wire will also be comparitavely thin so as not to get in the way of viewing too much.
There are of course other issues to consider - I think the bumps and knocks it will recieve during transport, storage or assembly etc will be far greater than a loco is likely to impose, so it will either have to be quite chunky or removable. |
Having it removeable would be a good idea, you could have the posts slot into holes, and possibly bolted in when in use, then unscrewed and dismantled when in storage or transit
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Titan
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On the other hand with the speeds that some mamods achieve perhaps armco would be more appropriate
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MTA
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Mamodman123
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| Titan wrote: | | On the other hand with the speeds that some mamods achieve perhaps armco would be more appropriate |
That's true!
Mine usually does the 100 metres hurdles off the track
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Titan
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One other thing that has to be remembered is ease/speed of assembly. Having to bolt down what could well be over a hundred posts I think would be a no no, but if they just slot in to holes that might be OK.
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Mamodman123
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| Titan wrote: | | One other thing that has to be remembered is ease/speed of assembly. Having to bolt down what could well be over a hundred posts I think would be a no no, but if they just slot in to holes that might be OK. |
Yes, I guess you could just slot them into drilled holes, like goal posts
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Titan
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I now have track permanantly nailed/screwed down on to three baseboards. They are now erected in the garage and as usual with everything else in the garage have become a repository for various tools and other items!
The old 1937 track has been finished, must have taken about a hundred times longer to do than click together mamod track.
Shown here is the stepped joint in the baseboard to accomodate the different track heights, due to the height of the wooden sleepers.
The rest of the layout is probably going to come together quite quickly, basically due to the simplicity of the remaining track, being mainly a single line.
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Mamodman123
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Looking good Titan! not much more to do now!
Look forward to seeing the end result
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James
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i like that big long red carriage!! thats ace! how did you make it? or what make is it?
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Titan
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| admin wrote: | | i like that big long red carriage!! thats ace! how did you make it? or what make is it? |
It was quite simple to make. It was constructed from thin plywood glued together, not unlike making a small wooden box really. Just work out how big you want the sides, cut the windows out and glue it all together. The roof was just a sheet of thin plasticard since that bent to a curve easy. Oh and there are some plywood seats inside. Detail was added by glueing on thin wood strips to represent panelling and door framework. The running gear is a chassis from a lima O gauge bogie tank wagon just screwed to the base of the coach. One day I will get around to adding door handles and handrails to it but probably not for a while yet!
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Griffin
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Coming along nicely there, I see your garage is as cluttered as mine
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James
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our garage you cant even get through the door
would you make me a carriage like that at cost titan? or sell that one?
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Titan
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'Fraid the answer would have to be no and no. 1, because I have precious little time to do anything else anyway, and 2, because it is part of a matching passenger train which is just the right length and I do not want to split it.
It really is not that hard to do yourself, and pretty cheap too, compared to buying ready made or kit.
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Wallace
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Coming along nicely
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Mamodman123
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If he takes that to the meet in Feb i'm going to book a go on it
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Titan
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That is what it will be there for! In fact I would be very happy for someone else to run their trains on it for a while, gives me a chance to look round!
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Mamodman123
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| Titan wrote: | | That is what it will be there for! In fact I would be very happy for someone else to run their trains on it for a while, gives me a chance to look round! |
Count me in Titan you will have people fighting to get on there
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Steely
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Yes I would like a go if you don't mind Titan please?
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Titan
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If it looks like it will be busy I will make up a roster. Basically you put yourself down for a half hour slot. If it is feasable to have two trains running at once, the slots would be staggered so that one starts 15 mins after the other.
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MTA
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Count me in as well, should have a meths burner by then 
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James
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and count me in
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Steely
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| MTA wrote: | | Count me in as well, should have a meths burner by then |
Makes sure you get a meths burner, they are well worth it and improve the performance of a loco a lot.
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MTA
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Sick and tired of solid fuel 
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Mamodman123
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| MTA wrote: | | Sick and tired of solid fuel |
I'm not suprised
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MTA
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its alright in any othe rengine except the locos, as the tray is too small 
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Mamodman123
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| MTA wrote: | | its alright in any othe rengine except the locos, as the tray is too small |
Nah, Solid fuel is pants end of!
Especially bad in Loco's
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Steely
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Meths all the way. 
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Mamodman123
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| steely wrote: | | Meths all the way. |
Yup!
Wouldn't see one tiny piece of Solid fuel near a nice old Mamod stationary~
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Steely
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If you pour water over a lit solid fuel it explodes everywhere.
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Mamodman123
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| steely wrote: | | If you pour water over a lit solid fuel it explodes everywhere. |
It does!
They are awful! they stink to high heaven too!
There is no way through choice I would ever use solid fuel
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MTA
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you need to wth your SP's though
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Lewis
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you can fire sps on meths
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Mamodman123
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| MTA wrote: | | you need to wth your SP's though |
I don't fire them too much, you can fit meths burners into an SP1.
You would have to make a smaller one for the rest of the range, possibly not the SP3.
They are crap though! poor run time, struggle like hell to heat cold water, smell like a dogs dinner and explode!
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Lewis
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i put etra tablets in when the water is just kettling
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Mamodman123
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Plus they are quite expensive and depending on what model you are running, potentially you can't get as many runs as you could out of a bottle of meths.
That's why Willesco are poor!
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Lewis
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wilesco are made from recyled metal
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Mamodman123
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| lewisop1991 wrote: | | wilesco are made from recyled metal |
Is that true?
That's well errrm.... energy saving or something..... well it's cheap! and quite poor
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Lewis
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yep tis true it says on there website
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Mamodman123
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| lewisop1991 wrote: | | yep tis true it says on there website |
Typical efficent Germans I guess
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Steely
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I've made a meths burner for my Wilesco, which slots right into the original burner.
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MTA
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| steely wrote: | | I've made a meths burner for my Wilesco, which slots right into the original burner. |
send me some plans quic, I cant live much longer!
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Steely
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| MTA wrote: | | steely wrote: | | I've made a meths burner for my Wilesco, which slots right into the original burner. |
send me some plans quic, I cant live much longer! |
Well all I did was unroll some copper pipe and then make some sides for it and make sure it slotted in the original tray, put plenty of solder on the sides then pack it with cotton wool and put some wire mesh over the top. Easy.
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Titan
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Just a quick update, I now have five baseboards complete with legs and track, leaving just two more to go and the bridge, which already has one of the sides cut out. Progress is a little slow due to having 101 other commitments, but it is getting there none the less.
However once it is up and running there will still be many hours to spend on the scenery.
Features that it is intended to include:
1. Station
2. Steam Powered workshop.
3. Tunnel
4. Rock cutting
5. Level Crossing
6. Properly ballasted track.
7. Vegitation - (got to be careful here to keep things as flameproof as poss!)
8. Lineside features, eg fencing, signage, water tower, etc.
This will keep me busy for a looooooong time, if indeed I ever get to finish it completely!
Just as long as I have a circuit of track and something to run on it by Feb 4th I'll be happy.
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MTA
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can't wait till feb! Once finished it'll be great to look at and run on
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Mamodman123
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| MTA wrote: | | can't wait till feb! Once finished it'll be great to look at and run on |
Definatly MTA!
I can't wait to leave a dribble of water along it too I hope you expect that Titan
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Titan
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Yup, it should be waterproof, oil proof, flameproof and hopefully fool proof! But we shall see!!!
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James
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fool proof? ok for me then
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Titan
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Trouble is every time you think you've made something foolproof, you discover a more ingenious fool...
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Mamodman123
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| Titan wrote: | | Yup, it should be waterproof, oil proof, flameproof and hopefully fool proof! But we shall see!!! |
Excellent
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Titan
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Well today is a bit of a milestone, the circuit is now complete!
Here it is set up in the garage:
Now I just need to accesorise!
Oh and fix Titan, so I actually have a working steam loco to run on it!
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MTA
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I think its in there somewhere At least I know what the layout will be like in Feb. Are we going to have to duck under to get to the operating area Titan?
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Mamodman123
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Loving the bridge Titan!
Can't wait to have mine running round there . Have you not tried titan on the track then?
I wish I had the space for a layout like that!
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Titan
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| MTA wrote: | | I think its in there somewhere At least I know what the layout will be like in Feb. Are we going to have to duck under to get to the operating area Titan? |
No, I will bring a trampoline for those who cannot bend down.
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