Asobu Model Railways

[Anvalo]

Welcome to the build of my new layout.
A few months ago i dismantled the old Rhaetian Railway layout and tidied up the place a fresh start.
The available space measures 308x60cm.
Could go bigger but then i will get in trouble with the boss😇.
This layout is mainly for running trains on different trackplans without any scenery.
And i also like to play around with DCC-EX and EX-RAIL for automation.

I've been scratching my head for a while on how to store the rolling stock safely while working on the layout.
Came up with this solution, a sliding fiddle yard on the left side.
This yard will be 74cm long with 9 tracks, should be enough for now.
And there is 234cm left for the baseboard.

 

Here i hope to spend many hours in the near future.

My new Kato diesel locos and Kato/Tomix wagons and coaches.

 

First job on the list is building the sliding fiddle yard.

 

André
 

[bc6]

Nice layout thanks for posting it, I think a good way to store rolling stock would to store it in a frame and hang it on the wall with multiple tracks like this one would be cool. 

Edited December 5 by bc6

[lighthouse]

Nice! I had the same plan of the size like you, but my son moved into the planned hobby room. 😂

[Anvalo]

@bc6I like to use the yard for storage and also for a place to park the trains safely when i do some tracklaying.

Don't want to pick up the trains to often with my big hands.

I am also planning to fabricate a kind of acrylic cover to go on the yard.

 

@lighthousePatience, one day he will move out and the place is yours.

 

Small update on the fiddle yard.

Used some 10x10mm alu angle profile to make a simple sliding mechanism.

 

The first track is in place, 8 more to go.

 

Before placing the remaining 8 tracks i need to make something to keep the yard in the right position.

Some Lego pieces are on the way, hope to show more this weekend.

 

 

[cteno4]

Nice big transfer table! You could just drill a hole thru the transfer table and into the base and stick a small dowel in it to lock it into each position. One of the forum members did this on a similar transfer table he made for 2 car trains on a Ttrak module. I think he drilled the hole like 1cm to the side of each track and by drilling up thru the common hole on the base when tracks were aligned at each stop. Aligning it all is tricky. But you are right some surface thing you could just glue down while tracks are aligned to lock the table may be simpler, but more visible.

 

jeff

[bc6]

@Anvalo i understand, I like the acrylic idea I like to see it when youre done with it.

 

@cteno4 That does remind me of a transfer table but I say make it computerized lol.

[cteno4]

Sure not hard with a stepper motor, a long threaded rod, and an arduino with a stepper motor board.

 

jeff

[lighthouse]

8 hours ago, Anvalo said:

Small update on the fiddle yard.

Used some 10x10mm alu angle profile to make a simple sliding mechanism.

 

 

 

Thats a great and ceap way you go. Nice! I want to use a CNC linear rail kit for the fiddle yard, but your version could be a good version for the beginning.

I assume you used countersunk screws for fastening?

 

Quote

Patience, one day he will move out and the place is yours.

 

I didn't want to wait 18 years until he started his own working life... But we've been looking for a house for some time. It should be possible sooner...

Edited December 6 by lighthouse

[Anvalo]

 

On 12/5/2024 at 11:47 PM, cteno4 said:

Nice big transfer table! You could just drill a hole thru the transfer table and into the base and stick a small dowel in it to lock it into each position. 

That was one of the options i had but thought it was fun to use some Lego pieces this time.

The Lego studs have a 8mm pitch so now the tracks center to center can be exactly 32mm.

Ordered some pieces online and was hoping to receive them today but no luck.

Have to wait now before i can finish the yard.

 

@lighthouseI used some tiny screw to fasten the alu angle.

No need to countersink them, the top profile slides just past the screws.

Tomorrow maybe a close up photo.

 

Made some small pieces of track and soldered some the dropper wires on it.

These are the missing pieces one the left side.

 

Today this lovely Tomix HC85 DMU arrived.

 

This is my first Tomix engine and i'm very pleased with it.

It's very silent and runs perfectly but very fast.

When i turn up the voltage it starts to run on 2v and on 5v it reaches kind of the scale speed.

At this voltage the lights are barely on. 

I didn't even try to give it 12v. Don't want to see it flying of the tracks.

Turning back the voltage and it crawls at 1,5v through a 24,3cm curve and keeps running, i am impressed.

Now i have to come up with a cunning plan to put in a dcc decoder.

All my other locos already have a decoder built in.

 

 

 

 

 

[Anvalo]

Today the ordered Lego pieces finally arrived and the build can continue.

The sliding mechanism is finished and after adding a tiny amount of grease it works well.

 

These are the parts used to keep the tracks alligned.

A bracket, a 1x6 brick and a few 2x16 plates.

 

Have to do some tests to see if this is sturdy enough, maybe i have to make the same construction on the other side.

I have some parts left so that is not a problem.

Never thought that i would use Lego again at my age (60)👴

 

 

Next job is finishing this storage yard so my trains can park on a save place while working on the layout.

[cteno4]

very cool! fun use of legos. one of our oldest club members (in his late 70s) is still knee deep in creating giant lego creations, something for older kids as well.

 

so are you going to have pickups along the junction of the transfer table edge and the pit edge to just power the track lined up with the input track?

 

its been on my list to make one of these maybe in a single or maybe double ttrak module to store 1 or 2 car trains or maybe slightly longer trains. using points for a yard makes for a much longer set of modules

 

jefff

[Anvalo]

Hi Jeff,

 

Still remember the first Lego set i got more than 50 years ago.

It was a little ambulance and i was very chuffed with it.

Sometimes i see some of the very tempting Technic sets and think should i do it or not.

 

All 9 tracks will be powered all the time, only dcc locos on this layout.

On one of my earlier dc layouts i used a rotary switch to select which track gets connected.

[cteno4]

I think8 close to 60 years for me and it was before any set sets out there, just blocks mainly with a booklet of ideas that could be made with them. I think there sort of themed kits of blocks for vehicles and house and such but not perfect each brick to a single outcome. Trains were the first sort of built it this exact way I sort of remember but even then I think it was loose. But soon after the kits started up in the 70s and it was a huge sink to time and spare money until plastic models and model trains slowly shoved the legos aside…

 

ah dcc so no issue. I was just thinking of two spring loaded nibs on the input edge of the pit and then pickups it could contact with at each track section so dc only to track lined up. I had thought of trying to make the alignment and power be in one unit but it got a bit too fiddly in my head. rotary switch is simple and just route power thru the sliders then. Trick will be finding rotary switches they are sort of a dying breed.
 

I need to sit down and construct one for Ttrak soon here as it could get us running more different trains, and kids always love it when you let them choose the next train out.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Anvalo]

All remaining track pieces are in place now with the dropper wires push through the other side of the board.

 

Here the wires are soldered on some copper tape.

The red and black cable goes to the command station.

Because i am using only dcc on this layout all tracks can be live all the time.

 

The storage yard is finished now, just have to make some kind of cover to keep it dust free.

Whose idea was it to use a black board where you can see every speck of dust on 🤨.

 

 

Now it's time for some track laying on the baseboard, let the fun begin.

Edited December 12 by Anvalo

[Anvalo]

This weekend i hope to finish the trackwork on the temporary layout.

The curve and crossing in this picture are going to be fixed in place.

From here i can build different layouts to fool around with the DCC-EX command station

and to try out some automation with EX-RAIL to play hands free with the trains.

This is the first layout i like to build.

Some trains in the yard are facing to the left and some are facing to the right (if this makes sense).

Plan is to drive train A from the yard clockwise through the loop and to stop at the station.

Next train B drives backwards from the yard to the siding, stops there and continues forward to go counter clockwise 
and also stops at the station.

Train A can leave the station and drive to the siding and backwards to the yard and so on.

 

To be continued soon.

 

[cteno4]

Great use of the 90 degree crossing to get the transfer table into a very thin layout!

 

jeff

[Anvalo]

Hi Jeff,

I was a bit in doubt on how to drive from the yard to the layout but finally came up with that solution.

It's quite a space saver this way.

 

Managed to do all the trackwork this weekend and all trains have made several test  runs, all went well.

 

This is the layout.

The HC85 DMU is not allowed on the dcc layout for now.

Hope to put in the decoder this Christmas holiday.

 

 

Here some insulated rail joiners are added.

Now the piece of track from the crossing to the first turnout can also be used as a programming track.

 

Really love the Tomix Fine Track, it's ideal for this kind of temporary layouts.

Easy to connect where you like and the rail joiners are reliable.

I only use one set of feeder wires for the whole layout. More feeders will be added soon.

 

Only thing i don't like about the turnouts is the power routing, this is totally unnecessary with dcc. 

So all turnouts are a bit modified by putting some blobs of solder on the copper tracks and used a small file to make the solder as flat as possible.

Used this hack for a few years and it works fine over here.

 

Next update coming soon