A few things have arrived since the last update, namely the Aucision CDY wagons and the CTS coal hoppers, as well as a Casula Hobbies ABV, and CW (there were still some on the books in 1979!) and a BCH to throw into the CH rake to mix things up.
I'm not going to do an update on every wagon as it arrives, but the CTS coal hoppers were one of the key factors in designing the Mount Wilson layout. The length of the coal loader siding for example was determined by whether I could fit four CTS hoppers and a guards' van without fouling the main. Happily, the calculations have worked!
They also fit on the traverser with the guards' van, however not with a loco. Each road on the traverser is 1 metre long. I should really get around to laying some loco tracks on the traverser wings as I intended to about 6 years ago...
The top bar of the stanchions currently sit 95mm off the head of the rails. I'm going to lower that another 5mm, but I don't plan on the pantographs touching the wire, just to limit the damage it might do if snagged. The Peco catenary is the thinnest I've been able to find and to my eyes does a much better job of representing catenary wire than some of the other stuff available, especially for the 95% of time where no trains are running beneath it.
That's all for now - cheers!
Ben
Hi Ben, your catenary is very impressive - love it. I too am constrained by space and have planned a 2m transverser using a very similar design to yours. Just wondering do you feel yours has any shortcomings? Gary
ReplyDeleteHi Gary, thanks for the kind words. Hopefully it will look even better when painted!
DeleteAs for the traverser, I find that having two handles on the front (stainless steel in the photo, a bit hard to see against the background) really helps with sliding both ends of the traverser equally. It's worth spending some time finding really smooth operating drawer runners. Otherwise it has a tendency to crab, where one side will move faster than the other and wedge the whole board. The other thing to note is to check the gap between the rails on each road of the traverser and the departure road to the rest of the layout. In warmer weather I've found the traverser rails can expand and snag the departure road rails, causing a short. Luckily with DCC sound I get a pretty quick indication that this has happened as the power cuts out thanks to the circuit protection in the NCE power cab system I'm using.
Hope that helps!
Ben
Having installed all the overhead wiring on the Yendys exhibition layout, I always take an interest in how other people have, or are installing catenary. Yendys layout used "H" pattern Sommerfeldt masts (except in the bridge where K&S brass was used), each modified for NSW pattern. And I used a fine phosphor/bronze wire for the catenary, and contact wires, pulloffs, and strainers - although this wire came as a large coil, and that gave other problems that your Peco catenary will not have. Like you, the wire was set to be slightly higher than scale, and the locomotive pantographs had to be modified with fine cotton to not extend too high. It is hard to tell when a loco is running that there is a gap. I built a soldering jig that fitted on the rail for this height to be consistant across all the tracks. Will watch for updates on your continued progress.
ReplyDeleteHi Rob, I benefitted from reading the tutorial that Peter Gleadall and co. put together for the overhead wiring on Mungo Scott. While they used another method to both mine and yours, I agree, you can always learn more! Yendys is a work of art and an absolute credit to you and the ACT MRS. Really captures the feel of the Bardwell Park area on the East Hills line.
DeleteCheers,
Ben