The end is in sight (WR)

Well scenically Westlea Road is getting there. I've redone the backscenes as painted using a colour called Surf from Wickes. I still need to finish off the industrial building but the vents should hopefully be here sometime next week. Just the roof to do then. I also need to weather the hard standing down a bit and then just do some small tweaks.

Electrically however there is still lots to do. The panel front still needs painting (the main body has been completed) and it then all needs wiring up. Also the fiddle yard still needs wiring up although i have now sorted out the joins (i decided on using conventional joins using coach bolts in the end) and i also now have the extra 1ft extension. All i need to do is put the copper clad in, solder it down and then cut it. After that its case of wiring it all up.

I hope this to take around 2-3 weeks so by the beginning of July i hope to have it operational. This would be useful as i think I'll need around 6 months as it may have a potential show appearance.

Anyway enough yakking and more working.

I've done some more work but the list hasnt got any shorter... (WR)

Well the wiring on the main scenic boards has been completed. The panel however has been stripped, sanded down and is being resprayed a lovely black shade. With this lovely weather its drying quicker than is normal so it should be ok to use within another 24 hrs (it needs one or two more coats as the paint is quite thin (gloss black from the pound shop)). Once this is dried i can then begin refitting the panel out. So far all of the switches have been sorted and are ready along with the tag strips and the main power din plug. All i need now is for it to dry.

There still plenty to do in the mean time though, mainly this time concerning the fiddle yard. Originally i was going to make it folding however on the first time of trying this i realised i didn't leave enough depth for the track so it meant they were being forced in unnatural directions. So 've had to remove them and instead mount some standard 2x1 strip wood on top and while using a flat surface (not many of those around) reattach these folding arms. Then it should all clear. Also i need to wire it up as currently all of the wires are just loose. To do this i need to add the tag strips which i still need to do. Once this is done it is literally the panel left to do. Hopefully then the panel should be ready and then i can begin on that. As i said it never seems to end....

Some new piccies (WR)

http://37412smodelphotos.fotopic.net/c1849907.html

Some of the latest photos showing work so far. Because I'm not far off being scenically happy i have decided to get the mass of wires working. The first job was to remove them all. Now its time to put them all back on hopefully this time in the right order.

Hot Solder (WR)

Well the re-wiring has begun. I managed to get hold of some red wire, all 100metres of it, I've now made the cables for the 9 way and 15 way D plugs (the 25 ways use standard computer cables). I made a list earlier of the jobs to do and i came up with 23 bullet points so theres plenty to do. Hopefully a quiet weekend this weekend should mean chance to get on with alot of it.

I've had to replace two dodgy seeps which don't actually fire, however while they are fine off the point when attached they can hardly fire it, i think I'm going to have to alot of work to the point spring which i suspect has become gummed up, anyone good some good ideas for freeing up peco points?

Anyway back to work, more wires to solder!

Miles O Wire (WR)

Well its been a while since my last blog post and alot has changed. First and foremost is the dumping of a cassette style fiddle yard. Its now a conventional five road fiddle yard wired up as cab control.

Also the panel has been rebuilt and actually looks alot smarter with a nice new satin black paint job and new front. It looks a little rough close up (it is 20 years old) but it will serve its new purpose. Between this panel and the layout there are 140 connections along with 9 between each scenic board 9 between each fiddle yard board. It just all needs now to be wired up, and yes i have run out of red wire which is probably the most important colour.

I'm going to try and fettle the points themselves a bit as i think a poor CDU and stiff points might be the answer as off the layout they work fine.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel ( WR)

Again no updates for a while. This is mainly because I've been working hard on the layout.

Anyway its finally coming to completion (more or less and i know a layout is never finished). I've just put the sky on so its now looking the part. Just one more industrial unit to finish and the two lighting towers to fit then scenically the layout is finished.

Just the fiddle yard cassettes of which have done none along with the fiddle yard fascia.

Theres also the little matter of the wiring. I've decided to completely rewire the layout along with the panel. This will more than likely take a few weeks to complete as its more or less from scratch. Also I'm beginning to think that changing the point motors from Seeps to Pecos would be a good idea. Hopefully by selling the Seep motors i can reduce the cost of the Pecos.

Once this is all done then its shakedown testing to ensure that everything performs as it should do. This should then mean that it should be completed by the middle of Autumn.

Latest photos will come when i get a chance.