Toni's Model Train Adventures

[kvp]

A cosmic power unit? You could get some matching metal single pole double throw switches (3 connector on-on) and a few capacitors and wire up a few capacitor charge-discharge circuits.

[ToniBabelony]

The right part of the layout will have a tunnel, whereas the left will have buildings obscuring the sharp turn. I'm still undecided if I'd like to have a background splitter or a mountain dividing the scenery. My thought is that a removable plain light blue background is the easiest and most satisfying option, so I can recreate two very different settings.

 

As for the Cosmic controller, I'm not sure if I I'll be using that now, as the number of points has sharply increased. With extensions in mind, having the points operated in different manners as well a certain flexibility is also needed. The two curved points will be grouped, as well as the two outbound points. The siding will be operated as a standalone, as this is a stump track anyway.

 

Next to that, I have a bunch of unused Tomix point switches laying around...

[ToniBabelony]

Restarted my layout with a new base, the same size, but much sturdier and no heavy MDF. Because I have a bunch of beautiful canted C391 curves, I thought it'd be a shame to let them to waste in a box. So, I decided to go beyond the base with a rounded extended section:

 

 

This extension will make the layout look a bit bulky and makes the total dimensions almost like a square! Don't worry about the gaps, two more curved points are on their way and will probably arrive tomorrow.

 

The lower part will be a semi-underground two-track station with an island platform. All tracks will be able to stage four car trains. The front part of the layout will feature two stations (both different entrances) with two stable tracks. The rear will have two swooping curves, with one going down to the underground station and one making a loop. I do would like to make a mountainous landscape, but because the height is very limited (19cm in total), I will have to seek for a solution for this. Probably a modular landscape, which will be a little bit complicated to plan, but can be used to an advantage for detailing and wiring solutions.

 

Anyway, I think I'll need to buy many more foam sheets, as only the essentially structural parts will be made out of wood... Might need to get this moving bus idea going as well...

[ToniBabelony]

The last track pieces for the layout I'm building have arrived! At least, I think so... The Wide Track pieces have me intrigued and I'm thinking about getting a set of R541-15 curves to add to the ramp. Just to create some harmony in the design.

 

Anyway, the layout as of now looks like this:

 

 

 

It's a bit bare, but you get the idea of how things are looking basically. The big outside curve has the layout base curve with it together, creating an interesting looking design you don't get too often on domestic layouts.

 

The lower station looks okay, but I also need to get a few platforms for there, as well as make a retaining wall, supporting pillars on the platforms. prepare for platform ceiling lights, stairs... Lots of things to do before I can actually start working on the station on top of that!

 

 

 

Yes, I'm leaving the ends of the tracks open for a potential extension. :3

[HantuBlauLOL]

One of the reasons I like Sōtetsu as a railway company is that they aren't afraid to experiment and do it on a relatively large scale. This expression of experimentation can be seen in the designs of the rolling stock, stations and other entourage that make up Sōtetsu. Maybe one of the most remarkable details on the older rolling stock (until the 9000 Series) is the large-scale use of outboard mounted disc brakes. These very noticeable parts of the bogies stand out because they are always shining. As an artist, I also visit art shops to get materials from time to time and recently I found out that Mitsubishi has a nice lineup of oil-based pens with ink that adheres quite nicely to plastic. This ink is relatively thick and I haven't experimented yet with it for body details. However, it seems to work well for minor details like the bogies:

 

 

This little detail makes the rather dull looking underbody stand out much more and adds that typical Sōtetsu vibe to the N7000. I'm very pleased with the result here! 

 

 

it's really thick, and has a really glossy finish. i'm using it to paint my printed locos because it's thickness.. it removes the layer lines.. and some fine details of course.

Edited November 29, 2016 by HantuBlauLOL

[ToniBabelony]

Made a little pedestal for the controls and immediately did some test runs to see if all the points work in order, as well as provide a smooth run.

 

 

Just by taking out almost all my Sōtetsu rolling stock (only 11000 and old livery N7000 motorised), I realised just how colourful this railway company can be when disregarding livery eras. I really need to get more Sōtetsu stuff...

Edited December 2, 2016 by Kabutoni

[ToniBabelony]

I couldn't resist adding/planning another branch line. This will lead to a truly hidden depot underneath/next to the underground station. Because the tracks will be somewhat inaccessible from the centre of the layout, I'm planning a removable piece of road on top of the hidden tracks.

 

 

Because this is still in a relatively early building stage, I'm considering an extra point in the hidden station for some more flexibility in operations, like having a non-stop Express service overtaking local trains on the upper station and so on. I'll probably refrain from that, as the space underneath is already cramped enough as it is though...

[ToniBabelony]

Step by step...

 

 

It seems I've bought out all the black and white 10mm thick foam boards at the 100 yen shop... Red is my last resort! After that, another shop in Machida awaits plundering!

 

 

This slope is quite intense and I haven't done any test running yet, but it seems the couplings are holding on fine. Nobody needs to see this, so it'll be hidden from view 100%. The solution is to place buildings and a part of a hill over this track. The buildings will be removable and completely custom made. It'll probably be just one complete building; a combined mall and station.

 

The roofs of the tunnels will also be removable for maintenance and the possibility for more raised scenery. As you can see in the picture, the bed is low... :( Soon I'll have to start making the first rough details, like tunnel portals, but first to buy a new left handed point, new R243-45 curves... And then ballasting... xD

 

P.s. from this point I'm taking a break from layout building a bit to concentrate on work. Maybe I'll come back with new ideas and decide to start all over again, or just continue with this one.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Kabutoni

[ToniBabelony]

Frustrated with the layout, not planning, and the premise of the regular trash being picked up this morning, I tore it apart. Crazy? Maybe... After that I ran off to TamTam, got an extra left-handed curved point, catenary masts, more foam plates, cork beds and this happened:

 

 

 

I love those catenary masts.

 

With a week of non-active layout building I think I can let this rest with the reassurance that I can continue with it. No inclines, no dodgy construction, no head braking thoughts on how to solve hidden tracks. Just a simple, plain layout. It's my first, so let's not push it. It's already as complicated as it is...

[serotta1972]

I'm like woh, hold on - this looks very different from what I've been following, but I really like it! Looking forward to seeing the layout develop.

[ToniBabelony]

I'm like woh, hold on - this looks very different from what I've been following, but I really like it! Looking forward to seeing the layout develop.

 

The track plan has been improved, simplified and made more compact in this design, so it's not very different. I'll still divide the layout into two different scenes with a cityscape in the front and a mountain layout in the back though, so the idea stays the same. :)

[Densha]

To be honest, I found the latest underground track to be a bit over the top. I actually liked this one the most: http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/7687-tonis-model-train-adventures/page-18?do=findComment&comment=146321

 

Today's version sort of feels like going back to the original plan, but it's not bad! Sometimes simplicity is better.

 

How are you going to implement the station on the top? The space between the tracks looks rather narrow.

[ToniBabelony]

Today's version sort of feels like going back to the original plan, but it's not bad! Sometimes simplicity is better.

 

How are you going to implement the station on the top? The space between the tracks looks rather narrow.

 

The station on the top will just have one side platform and a passing loop for through trains. It'll represent a very rural station (maybe only useful for hikers and local old folk in the mountains). All trains, other than local services, will pass. The landscape will not feature any buildings (just maybe one or two simple shacks) to make the simple setup justified. The extra loop will be used for empty stock movement and storage from a nearby station.

[ToniBabelony]

Even though there is virtually no scenery, these new catenary masts really bring the layout to life already! Of course they will be put together with more care later, as well as receive a nice coat of paint to bring out the detail in them. Although these masts can be a nuisance when photographing trains, as an overall asset in railway infrastructure, they are quite interesting to look at and add atmosphere.

 

 

 

P.s. for those thinking 'too many masts, too close', please take a look at private railway networks like Tōbu and Seibu where masts are placed at this kind of distance (only 20~30 meters apart).

 

P.p.s. the frame of the previous layout has been recycled to be used as the bottom frame for this layout board. Just to keep it all off the ground nicely.

Edited December 7, 2016 by Kabutoni

[Rod.H]

To me, those masts look right for that track arrangement.

[katoftw]

You have more curves than straights.  So makes sense they are closer together.

[ToniBabelony]

As a general thumb of rule, I'm placing the masts about one S140 (140mm) away from each other. I'll have one or two masts off the grid for tensioning purposes, as I have a few turnouts and end-tracks that need tensioning bars.

 

Today I don't really have time to do something significant, but I did however wanted to add power to the tracks. So, I fired up the soldering iron and got cracking. The quick test run proved all tracks to be in good order, so I'm happy. :)

 

[JR 500系]

Wow I never knew you can supply power to the tracks like this! Great idea!

[ToniBabelony]

Wow I never knew you can supply power to the tracks like this! Great idea!

 

It's more of a forced solution, as there is no general point (open) to attach the regular power supply plug to the tracks. From this point on it's just putting in all point motors and getting the wires through the board. Maybe at some later stage I'm making my own controls after all and integrate all electronics in the layout.

[ToniBabelony]

My first time making a control panel. I decided to integrate it with my Cosmic panel controller in a semi-transparent 100 yen shop box, which is like it's made for the job! There is even some space left for extra controls, which is good, as the recent post on the moving bus system could use

 

 

 

 

Later this week I'm going to connect the points to the cables and make some kind of mount for the controller box. I'm thinking of buying some connectors to bundle all the cables together to make the box a bit more portable around the layout. Don't mind the dinky drawing on the box. It works and that's all that matters. Maybe I should put a little resistor on the track output as well, as it seems to go to 15V_max... A bit too much.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Kabutoni

[ToniBabelony]

I think I've found a solution. A LAN cable connection! I have seven powered points, which means seven positive cables to send the signal and one negative cable (ground/return power).

 

 

It's just a matter of connecting the correct cables to the correct numbers and test them before installing. Unfortunately, The LAN female connector plastic is of weak quality, so I already made one unusable. Not a problem as these are simply extension plugs from the 100 yen shop split in half. Try again tomorrow! Half of the connections seem to work, so I count it as a success! The power cable for the tracks will receive a Tomix again, which will have an extension cable (no. 5813) wrapped around/merged with the LAN cable.

 

Let's see if I can make this work before Friday!

[kvp]

Looks great! So, you are putting the capacitors next the turnouts to make the control box smaller?

[ToniBabelony]

Looks great! So, you are putting the capacitors next the turnouts to make the control box smaller?

 

Thank you. The capacitors are sandwiched between the print plate and the box. I could have made it more compact by putting them next/below to the points, but I think this is easier to work with. With this, I'll have all the electronics concentrated in one place, so I don't have to go below or flip the layout every time I want to work on it. It's just cables and some connections below the layout.

 

P.s. I might just install the other three leftover capacitors and switches as well to save me the work on that later... They could come in handy for three other points in an integrated track plan or bus route.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Kabutoni

[ToniBabelony]

Today I decided to finalise the railway electronics. The control box is finished and has two LAN cable outputs (one for points, one for rail power and the option for expansion on 6 more lines). The underboard electronics are all ultra chaotically connected and will be tucked away by a magnetically removable board. 

 

 

Thomas is watching your shenanigans!

 

 

The connections will be hidden under a mountain. Not really a big deal to me. All for compactness!

Edited December 21, 2016 by Kabutoni

[katoftw]

That is a good bit of ghetto electrical engineering.