[Allegheny1600]

Hello Babs,
Oh my! That is quite a project, I'm very pleased for you.
I bet you'll be glad when everything settles down and you can enjoy the layout.
All the best,
John.

 

[reddo]

Hope you covered your layout with plastic sheet from dust while all this was happening

 

[Babz]

Reddo Yes They are all Covered Up Thank You. Babs

 

[Babz]

Just to give you an Update,I have now 180 pieces of Track soldered with dropper wires. Another 200 to go track laying starts in earnest at the end of September. New Section of Loft is working out well. Been putting blinds up In the Windows and they are rather Good Keep Heat down and Blackout any light at night, Still sorting Bits and Bobs it is always the small things that take the Longest.
Have a good weekend
Babs

 

[reddo]

Its like building a house, nothing seems to move then it all starts to take shape. I am in the same situation. Will be back on the 'chain-gang' next week

 

[6991]

Not only that, but yesterday I passed through Wetter on some kind of white train, and this part of the Ruhrtal is really beautiful. I was astonished. I was so glad to be on this train that went from Dortmund via Hagen and yes Wuppertal, rather than the boring Essen Düsseldorf route.
Thanks Babz (and David) for making me do this !!
Now I head down South, wine festival in Schaffhausen tomorrow...
6991

 

[Babz]

HI 6991 I am glad you are enjoying your Holiday, Schaffhausen is very nice indeed Enjoy. If you can get a chance stop of in Wuppertal and just down from the Mainline station is the overhead railway here is just a snippet worth the ride from one end to the other. Babs

 

[Babz]

Good Afternoon All, Just a Small Update, Decided today to use Celotex Sheets to do the Upper Section of the Layout as it comes in 25mm and 50mm Depths i have been measuring Lots of Different Loks & Dampfs as well as the Double Deckers SBB & BlS to get the Correct Height for Passable Bridges So Track laying starts in Ernest Looking Forward to having my First couple of Loops and getting the Baseboards made for the new Extension. In view of what was said about fires and foam I have found some Mini Trunking for my dropper wires that go through the foam and any other Wires that carry current. Babs

 

[6991]

Hi Babz,
Sorry didn't get a chance to stop in Wetter as we ran through. I must say though that part of the Ruhrtal is really beautiful, especially looking upstream as we crossed the dam. Awesome.
I've been out of touch due to compatibility problems, but all good now.
Next time I will stop in Wuppertal for sure...
Cheers,
6991

 

[Babz]

HI Everyone, Small Update on the Layout, All Dropper wires have now been Soldered 800 in Total for the DCC Part of the Layout Track Laying for the DC side started in earnest, I hear what you all might say about Mixing, But they will be totally Separate.The trouble is that about 30% of my collection would not be cost effective in converting to Dcc as they are Quite old now. a few pics for you. Nothing is Secure yet till i get the complete loops and it all Works Electrically. Babs

 

[reddo]

Good that you can now start laying tracks. Same here on DC + DDC - I have 2x analogue loops driven by Hornby HM2000 controller from the Orient Express Premier Set I bought back in 2003. I bet you get your trains running now before me Babz

 

[Babz]

Hi Reddo, Probably the only reason i will start running trains before you is i am retired and can devote more time. Can i ask a stupid Question ? I am doing the BUS for the DCC and that is fine. Can you do a Similar thing for DC for 2 Loops effectively I have no idea Help. Babs

 

[reddo]

Hi Babz.

Half your luck - I wish I had more time, though I am on a mission again this Xmas with 2 weeks off.

TBH re DC Bus, I have little idea. I have gone back to basics and simply fed the loops from a single Hornby track power feed and it is running OK but there is a slight speed reduction at the far end of the 4m loop when I ran the Hornby GNER Eurostar. I will be revisiting all the trackwork this Xmas

I would suggest you just try it first before running the bus as the FL track with their connectors may work well enough. Nothing to lose really...

 

[Allegheny1600]

QUOTE (Babz @ 28 Oct 2016, 11:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Reddo, Probably the only reason i will start running trains before you is i am retired and can devote more time. Can i ask a stupid Question ? I am doing the BUS for the DCC and that is fine. Can you do a Similar thing for DC for 2 Loops effectively I have no idea Help. Babs

Hi Babs,
Of course you can!!
Exactly the same principle as with the digital system - a lot of folk do this kind of thing with outdoor layouts as it helps with voltage drop.
It does mean that anything fed from the analogue bus is effectively 'live' (whenever the controller is 'on') but you can always install 'local' section switches if you need to isolate anything from the bus.
This is how I built my layout that was a tester for a digital system waay back some 12 years ago and what convinced me to go all out digital!

All I would say is: make 100% sure you cannot mix the two systems as that would be dangerous and expensive.
Hope This Helps,
John.

 

[Babz]

Afternoon Everyone, Well I finally Got the rest of the Baseboards Made an Installed and they are a Fine Piece of Wood work. They were made buy a Gentleman called Chris Moody of Locoboxes in Cambridge who came to my Rescue. A big thank you to him. I now have an Extra 25 feet of Track running space Quite Complicated as We Had to But the Gable end above the New Coffin Water tank and Have the Boards still so i could get to the Water Valves behind the Tank In case of Emergency. He made one Panel that Slides out Great Stuff on the Hatch into the Loft side we Have a Narrow Baseboard of about 8ft Long and on the Window side of the Loft it is 8 feet x 3feet The Gable end Is 9ft 6inches and 32 inches wide. Here are some Pics. It took 2 12 Hour Sessions to get them All installed and we were both Pretty Knackered at the End of it. Still to do a big tidy of stock as we had to move stock around while installing. Babs

 

[Mark Campbell]

Looks like a lovely retirement home. Look forward to seeing it progress. Can't believe that there's room for all your stock up there. Assumed you'd have to have a huge house on top of the hill, looking down at the "peasants" to fit your your fleet of locos alone.
I also note that you have the modellers most essential tool in your pictures. The humble biscuit tin. I already have several full of all sorts of odds and ends that may, or may not prove useful.
Have fun up there
Mark

 

[kristopher1805]

Nice space but as always you never have enough! so look forward to seeing it expand.

 

[reddo]

Nice. While these things have a cost associated to them - the difference in getting a professional to do it can be worthwhile as they are doing it all the time and unless one is really good at DIY, the difference is noticeable.

 

[Allegheny1600]

Hi Babs,
Wow, that does look complicated but well worthwhile, I'm "chuffed" for you.
Looking forward to seeing you get some trains running.
Cheers,
John.

 

[Babz]

Good Morning Everyone, thanks for the replies, Yes now the Hard work really begins and I have done a lot of planning to get it this far.still got a bit of tidying to do but it wont be long before the track goes down and the Creation of the DCC BUS. Looking forward to it I will try and put a Pic of the Plan The only thing i cannot get to work is Different Levels so i have done them in Different Colours of the Proposed Layout which i have done on Scarm. Babs