[redlorry]

Hi ,

I've put my baseboard together and started laying track, intending to expand as and when money permits. Inevitably I will at some point be wanting to motorise the switching of the points with point motors. I wondered is my choice of 19mm thickness chip board going to prevent installation of point motors on the underside (because the armature on the point motor is too short)?

I'm using Peco Stemline Points in N Guage and would have thought the logical choice of point motors when I get them, would be the PECO ones.

Stewart

 

[madon37s]

Hi Mate

I think you will find you can buy the peco point motors with the extended pins in them which should go through that baseboard. If you have problems getting them try ringing Peco themselves and I'm sur they would sell you just the extended pins.

Hope this helps

Kind regards

Paul

 

[RFS]

The extended actuator pin on the Peco PL10E will be long enough. I had some motors from a previous layout where the pins were too short as they had been cut to the thickness of that layout's board. I emailed the Peco Technical Bureau and they sent me a packet of 5 extended pins with a small copper collar which can be glued/soldered to make a longer actuator.

19mm chipboard is going to be very heavy for a baseboard....

 

[mikeg]

I think that chipboard of any thickness is a mistake as it is not stable if it gets wet, ie from ballasting, ply is a much better material to use. 19mm thick is a bit excessive for N you only need 10mm ply, some even use 6mm if you have a good framework underneath.

You could try cutting holes for the motors to sit in fixed to the point then have thin card over the hole with a small slot for the pin work through. That is the way many modellers use to hide the motor under/within the baseboard thickness.

hope this helps

mike g

PS I've used 10mm MDF for my O gauge layout under the track only with an open frame 15mm ply frame, it's not moved yet and with stands the wide variation of temperature in the loft.

 

[BobB]

I used 19 mm chipboard (ex-Kitchen worktop) for an N gauge layout once and as far as the layout was concerned, it was great. It was also very good for my strength - no need for dumbells ! No bracing was needed for keeping it rigid. I used minitrix track and points in all but one place (with surface mounted motors). There I used peco and peco motor which did not protude through underneath. The only problem I had was hiding the wires on the top surface !

 

[bike2steam]

Not just too thick, but too heavy - and wrong material, just a personal opinion

.

 

[redlorry]

Thats great. Thanks for the advice; I've seen the extended armature version and just wanted to check that they would reach.

Yup, I acknowledge that 19mm is thick + bracing is a bit of a beast - but this is my layout to 'learn on' as it were and I'm quite a big lad. I'm not going prototypical, that's something I'd aspire to when we hopefully move house next year and I can have a little more of a permanent space. Until then we're stuck in a 2 bed maisonette (I have a 5 yr old and a 1 year old) so the baseboard has got to be quite robust and take a bashing. That said, I think you can always find space & time for a model railway and it's something that I've been wanting to do for years as my Dad and I had done a long time ago.

Many thanks for your considered replies,

Stewart

 

[M8 INTERNET]

I am usng 12mm MDF on an N gauge construction
I then have the Peco PL-10E point motors fitted into PL-9 mounting plates
Before screwing the mounting plates I then offer the extended pin up to the point, marking with a pencil where the extended pin has to be trimmed to
The pin should be able to cope with 19mm as I usually have to cut off between about 8 to 12mm

 

[Bernardas]

Hm,.19 mm I think is good enough for construction.Enough just fitt the legs,and that is it.For 9-12 mm you will need make frame,this is extra charges,waste of time,.
I can not understand,where is problem if this to heavy ? Usaly we put models on table,not table under models,.Lenght of the pin should enough,.

 

[windsor lad]

Hi Stewart, I used some 19mm chipboard on my last layout and would echo all of the previous comments in that chipboard is heavy to manage and takes work to cut slots or holes through for your points motors, and it warps and swells if you get it wet. I'm thinking that maybe you're not intending to show the layout as the finished article will be very heavy to port about. Having said all that... There is nothing wrong with a solid heavy construction and ballasting the track and damping it down afterwards needn't be a problem if you've a cork or other waterproof underlay put down.

My current layout relies on strength provided by well braced 6mm ply. It is much lighter and far easier to cut and shape, it is waterproof and works for me.

Best wishes...jules

 

[Bernardas]

Yes,cut holes for point motors will harder in 19 mm,but this is actualy depend what tools you will use.Other side of the problem with 9-12 mm,is screws for point motors,or transformers,or etc,they will not strong enough keep equipment in small thikness.
I started from 12 mm,and first problem what I got was screws 3.5x16 got out on top of the baseboard.Smaller screws has smaller heads,and they just go trough the holes of point motors.Other problem I will have when will fitt jard lights,becouse they will stand better in bigger thikness.

 

[redlorry]

Hi again all

I'll be doing the holes with a large drill bit and file. So am not overly worried about getting those in place.

Regarding the actual baseboard, I think as Barnardas has rightly considered: fixings etc. It was considering track pin length that initially swayed me (in retrospect, I could have just snipped off the protrusions on the underside!! doh). But, as I said this is very much a layout to learn on - I'm not even ballasting the track. Hopefully that's not taken too heretically. I just want to get the stuff up and running and enjoy it, learning from lots of mistakes along the way.

I already made the biggest mistake by buying a OO set which, I foolishly thought wouldn't be two big. How wrong I was!! (I initially joined the forum for advice on building a folding baseboard for the OO set!). Just wasn't viable though in the end, so I sold it on ebay, got the GF Sprinter set, a mixture of streamline points (insulfrog - I can hear the
boos now!!), some code 80 flexitrack (yet more boos), and some wide radius set track (and another boo for final measure?).

So long as I can get my point motors operating trouble free. I'll be happy

Stewart

 

[patrick draper]

You should have no problem with that thickness, I always take out enough wood to fit the whole motor in and the use card to surround it. I t removes a lot of the hastle from adding point motors. I also have about 10 peco surface mounted motors which I use where it is too difficult to remove the points etc. I have one gaugemaster point motor which works really well but was a sod to fit and one or two old points have cracked and broken their sleeper mounts where they are load bearing so these have had to be replaced.

 

[gexema]

Hi ,

I've put my baseboard together and started laying track, intending to expand as and when money permits. Inevitably I will at some point be wanting to motorise the switching of the points with point motors. I wondered is my choice of 19mm thickness chip board going to prevent installation of point motors on the underside (because the armature on the point motor is too short)?

I'm using Peco Stemline Points in N Guage and would have thought the logical choice of point motors when I get them, would be the PECO ones.
The best cleaners for each type of baseboard
Stewart

Hello all. Ok in the middle of a commercial job. Everything going great except for the tile baseboards. We are spending way too much time on them. And still not 100% I have an attachment on my floor machine that scrubs and has been blasting with a turbo tool. 90 % is perfect 10 % is kind of blotchy. Grout looks great its the tile. Using acid. Alk doesn't touch it either. any ideas? I think the customer will be ok with it but I'm not.

 

[PAPPA.B]

Sounds like your on the wrong forum

 

[Graham Plowman]

I think you will find you can buy the peco point motors with the extended pins in them which should go through that baseboard.

I would recommend using Seep motors instead because the Peco extensions are more in-effective the longer they get: WebDev

 

[Wolseley]

Hello all. Ok in the middle of a commercial job. Everything going great except for the tile baseboards. We are spending way too much time on them. And still not 100% I have an attachment on my floor machine that scrubs and has been blasting with a turbo tool. 90 % is perfect 10 % is kind of blotchy. Grout looks great its the tile. Using acid. Alk doesn't touch it either. any ideas? I think the customer will be ok with it but I'm not.

Maybe that explains the post.

 

[Wolseley]

19mm chipboard sounds a bit like overkill as regards baseboard strength, and heavy too but, if you're not going to move the layout once it's erected, I don't see why it shouldn't be used.

My preference would be for plywood rather than chipboard though. For my layout (00 rather than N) I used 9mm plywood braced with whatever the metric equivalent of 2"x1" softwood is.

 

[kristopher1805]

My father used originally 12mm chipboard but on his second layout after moving house he went wider and switched to 18mm to keep it stable. In my case having lived in the US I went 12mm MDF which is nicer to use, it is very consistent and this is important for track pins etc. Plywood depends on grade marine ply is good but the cheap stuff is very variable, With an N layout you will have smaller boards so I would opt for 9mm MDF but that depends upon how wide your widest board is, my layout is 12mm MDF a couple of pics show what that means. Much over 1 metre wide is difficult to reach and the layout is OO of course.

The hidden fiddle yard

http://imgur.com/8KCVOKl

The main station

http://imgur.com/VL3QEyj