With no exhibitions this year due to Covid-19, progress has been slow. But now, at last, the scenery is taking shape.
Taking a short break from the scenery and doing a bit more on the rolling stock. Since the new layout will need a wide variety of GWR passenger vehicles, I wrote a little program to easily generate coach sides. These are the first attempts, based on the old Farish N gauge models. I will try them out as both paper sides and decals, and see which works best.
The heavy scenic work has begun, with the corrugated cardboard foundation layer now in place. Next: the plaster bandages.
The video shows the layout with all four sub-layouts operating at the same time. The control software is temporary, performing some simple scripted movements with two trains per track instead of the dozen or so the final layout will support.
All the major buildings are done, though with final cleanups and the last few details yet to be added. Made as 3D printed shells, then acrylic paint and paper overlays for windows, doors and the footbridge sides.
All the track, electronics and wiring are now complete and tested. The trains, trucks and narrowboats on the four sub-layouts all do what they are supposed to, although still one part at a time with limited test software.
All the track has been assembled and installed. All the electronics modules have been built and tested. There are currently 75 3-wire cables dangling beneath the layout, all of which plug in to those modules.
The canal loop is finished and ready to install on the layout. It is a simple meandering oval running alongside the railway, but it features a working canal lock in the little hamlet of Dauntsey Lock. Steady progress - the Down main line is built, wired, and tested with its final electronics. The Up main line and the dummy branch to Malmesbury are built and fit-tested, with wiring and electronics under way. The electronics are my new all-purpose plug-together modules, slightly customized for this location to reduce the number of cabes from the layout, with a one-size-fits-all test panel. The picture shows all of the track for the rail side of things, with canal and road still to go.
This little test track shows how things will work on Dauntsey, my next linear motor layout. This model will have several points, and feature some simple automatic shunting. This is basically how the Up line through the station will work, although stretched from the 2 feet track shown here to 6 feet in length, allowing for 3 or 4 full-length trains.
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April 2024
AuthorMartin Kaselis |
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