[Chinahand]

Well I'm going into hospital tomorrow for a hip replacement so thought I would bring you up to date on what I've been doing over the past couple of months while I still can.

The 'Model of the Model' is, at last, complete or as least as far as is reasonably viable bearing in mind it is built to 1/5th of N Scale or approximately 1:730. Not even T Scale will run on anything this small. Anyway here are a few sample pictures. There are more in 'My Album' for those that are interested.

I have also embarked on a complete re-build of my points control panels. These were originally going to be simple stud & probe affairs but, following comments received, I decided to make them all singing, all dancing with switches and bi-colour LEDs to show the setting of each point/route. I have completed the smaller of the two panels which will control the Much Binding side of the layout and thought you might like to see some photos of the finished article.

I set up a small test rig with a point motor and one of Richard's wonderful Masterswitches to test everything as I went along.

While all this has been going on my apartment in Guilin, China has been competed and I now have a railway room just waiting for construction work to start.

Well I think that's about all for this update. I hope to be back on line in a week or two and look forward to catching up on everyone's progress then.

Cheers for now.

Trevor.

 

[Chinahand]

QUOTE (Brian Considine @ 21 Oct 2008, 21:45) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks for the update & all best for the op'.

Thanks Brian.

Trevor

 

[Chinahand]

Thanks for all your good wishes guys.

I am glad to report that the operation was 100% successful and I am now home for a couple of weeks of recuperation leave. It's been a pretty painful experience and I only actually came off the morphine yesterday though that didn't stop the b****y physiotherapists from having their evil way with me !!!. Now on a cocktail of pain kiling drugs. Hope to get back to my workbench in a few days.

Thanks also for the compliments on my Control Panel. That was just the small one controlling 9 sets of points and 3 electro-magnet uncouplers. The Main Panel has 26 sets of points and 8 electro-magnets so could take a while to complete and test.

Cheers for now,

Trevor.

 

[Chinahand]

Thanks upnick.

Progress on 'The Room' is going to be slow I'm afraid as I don't plan to go back to China until next September and track laying is not due to start until May 2011.

I have, however, sublet the baseboard construction to a friend of my wife's who is in the joinery business and built the base cupboards for me that you can see in the picture. I prepared very detailed drawings of each board and gave him scale models of a couple of the more complicated ones as he's never seen a model railway. However, this is all new to him and we could yet have problems. He is also going to build a mobile work bench for me which I have designed to fit out of sight under the layout when not in use and which can be moved around adjacent to whichever area I happen to be working on. That's the plan anyway.

I hope to get the soldering iron warmed up again in a couple of days but am first going to experiment with installing some different resistors on the Control Panel LEDs as the Red is quite a bit brighter than the Green at the moment and I would like to balance them better.

Changing the subject I am attaching a copy of my latest x-ray showing the new hip joint for those that might be interested. Can't think of how something like this could be applied to railway modelling but it's a neat bit of work anyway.

Cheers for now.

Trevor.

 

[Chinahand]

Hi Guys.

Well I have finally completed my main control panel so thought I would post some pictures of it.

It's taken a little longer than I expected as the terminal arrangement on the PB Switches for the scissor crossings had me foxed for a while. It was only when I found out that, unlike the other switches, the 'common' terminal was the end one, not the middle one that suddenly it all fell into place.

This is the top of the panel with just 2 of the switching units powered up to show the route settings for a train from Canal Junction approaching Chipping Station and passing through the scissor crossing. In the background you can just about make out the 1 Masterswitch V2, 2 Masterswitch Pluses and 5 Seep PM1 motors connected up as a testing rig. When the whole panel is connected up and all LEDs are working it will be lit up like a Christmas tree.

This is inside of the panel showing all of the wiring between the switches & LEDs exiting the panel via 6 pin connectors. The sheer amount of wiring in a constricted space makes it look far more complicated than it is but I didn't want to have to make another, larger, box just a new acrylic top for my previous one.

And finally this is the rear of the panel. The 2 pin connectors (Red ID Labels) are for powering the auto-uncoupling electo-magnets to work with the DG couplers I am using. These are operated by the red, sub-miniature push buttons you can see at strategic locations on the top of the panel.

Next task is to make dozens of DG Couplers and fit them to the 80 or so freight wagons I seem to have acquired over the last 10 months.

 

[Chinahand]

Thanks for your comments guys and thank you Richard for inventing Masterswitches. I don't know how, or even if, I would have achieved this without them.

Positive feedback from such experienced modellers as yourselves is high praise indeed and very much appreciated.

Makes the whole thing worthwhile and is encouragement to strive to maintain the standard I have set myself.

 

[Chinahand]

Yeah. Been there, done that and have tinitus to prove it !!!.

Part of my mis-spent youth was as a bass player/vocalist in a rock band. The highlight of that particular career was actually playing at 'The Cavern' though much of the time the booking were at village halls and 'social' clubs around the NW of England. Did play warm-up band for The Who one night though at Shrewsbury Town Hall and Pete Townsend broke my tambourine. Skewered it on the mike and never did pay for it. Should I send him a bill now do you think ?

Happy days though, and no shortage of female company when the gig was over. Say no more !!!

 

[Chinahand]

Hi CFT and thank you for your kind words.

By way of an update to other members who know me I have to report that I had something of a medical crisis a week last Tuesday. My re-surfaced hip has been giving me trouble for some time now and I was still having to take pain killers. Anyway, late on Tuesday night (20th Jan.) I bent down to get a fresh roll of solder from the bottom drawer in a cupboard and there was an almighty crack followed by a scream of agony from your truly. Couldn't get any medical assistance until 8 am the following morning when an X-ray showed that the whole ball of the femur had broken away. Was admitted straight into hospital at that point but it was not until Saturday (24 Jan) that they were able to operate. To cut a long, and painful, story short, I had to have a full hip replacement and have only today been discharged from hospital.

Hey ho. Another 5 weeks convalescence so chance to get some modelling done without the unwelcome interruptions of work. Possibly time to make a start on that viaduct at last.

 

[Chinahand]

Many thanks for your kind words Richard.

All initial signs are encouraging as the post-op pain levels have already subsided to the point where a couple of Pandol Extra has them under control. Went for my first 'long' walk today (235 steps, which is twice the length of the corridor outside my apartment) albeit with 2 crutches bearing 75% of the weight from my right leg. Gentle exercise is the order of the day until I have my first physio session next Wednesday.

Hope to get back to my workbench in a few days to make a start on that viaduct. First thing will be to draw and make an accurate cardboard template from which the plywood substructure can cut.