My Hobby History

OK, as stated on the home page, I've had 3 layouts since I moved into 'N' gauge.

The first N gauge layout I built in all it's glory!

The first was using Peco Setrack and built onto the leftovers of a kitchen worktop! It was a swine to pin 'N' gauge track onto a 40mm thick wooden board I can tell you but it sure as hell didn't warp. There was no way to install points motors through such a thick board so the proverbial 'hand of god' was required to change the many points I managed to fit onto a 2' x 2.5' board. It showed what was capable in such a small space as the layout had 2 tracks, 2 through platforms, 2 bay platforms and around half a dozen sidings. Not the best layout in the world but it did give me something on which I could run my models every once in a while and to make sure any new models worked and were sufficiently run in. But I wasn't happy with this and so..........

Layout number 2 was born. This time it was a little more professional. I built a timber frame with offset cross braces for extra rigidity and used MDF board for the top. It was a pity that I decided to use a hand saw to cut the timber frame. Not a straight edge in sight. So I sanded the ends - and did nothing more than round the crooked edges. Oh, and make the pieces too small to fit together into the bargain. Oh dear. Still, it did kind of fit together after a bit of 'persuasion'. And the MDF board did fit on top and it was rigid.

Next came the track. After a moment of inspiration I decided to solder all the track together. After all, I was a qualified electronics technician who spent all day soldering. How hard could soldering track together be? Oh dear number 2. Many hours of filing the joints followed so that the trains would run over the joints without being derailed because of the amount of solder that had gone into the joints. Never again.

Next came the points. I'd drilled out all the holes for the points motors I was going to install and then installed them. Careful checks showed that the bar through the board would switch the points. Next I wired them up and decided to check them to make sure they worked. Not one did. I didn't have any meters to hand and just assumed that there must be a fault with the 16v AC output of my controller. So much for being a qualified electronics technician. You should never make assumptions like that and should check the entire circuit for a fault. I was going to find out the hard - and expensive - way on layout number 3 not to make such assumptions.

The phenomally bad 2nd layout. This one was an absolute disaster and never worked properly. I was truly glad to get rid of it.

Anyway, annoyance at not being able to get the layout working the way I wanted saw it put into storage in a shed for a decade and more until the bug bit again. I got the layout out again a few months ago and found all the track had been damaged and ripped off of the board and so, rather than attempt to repair a layout that already had some issues with it, it meant.............

Layout number 3 was to join it's siblings. This time I was determined to make a better fist of it than layout number 2 at the very least. I made sure I had a power saw available to cut the frame. It was a jig saw rather than a circular one, which would have been my preference but I took my time and the result was much better. The edges were pretty much straight, plus I'd made the pieces slightly bigger than I needed to allow myself some leeway should I need to do work to the edges. I did but, again, took care with what I was doing and, by the time I was finished, all the edges were nice and straight and the frame was a perfect fit. Rather pleased with myself I was. Would have been nice if I'd had a better saw to work with but beggars can't be choosers. Then I decided that my shed could do with a clean. So clean it I did. And promptly found a circular saw that I would rather have used to do the job and didn't know I had. Oh well.

Next came the track. Lessons were learned from layout number 2 and fishplates were used to make the joins throughout. 2 days later and the track was completely laid. A few of the tracks were a little crooked - the first ones I laid while I was still brushing the cobwebs on how to lay track from the old grey stuff - but, on the whole, it was looking not too bad.

After the track came the point motors. Preparation's the key so all 16 points motors were lined up and, one after another, had the 3 wires needed soldered on. I made sure that I'd put a reasonable amount more wire than I thought I'd need on in case there needed to be any alterations to how I was going to thread the wiring and secure it. The holes for the points motors had already been drilled and checked when I was laying the track so I prepared to install the motors. Hold up, better check them first. Better to find out before they're secured that there's any problems rather than after.

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Layout number 3 as finished. This layout is currently used as my test track and for running in new locos

I connected the first one up to the 16v AC output of my controller, connected up the switch and flicked the switch. Nothing. Hmmmm, that's not right. So I connected up the next one. Same result. And the next one. And the next. Then I remembered about the conclusion I'd come to about the 16v AC output of my controller.

Off I trotted to the nearest model railway shop and bought a dedicated 16v AC transformer block with built-in CDU. I took it home, connected it up to a points motor and switch and then flicked the switch. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. What? That can't be happening. Realisation slowly dawned. I hadn't checked to see if the switches actually worked. So I connected another switch. Nothing. And another. Nothing. Now I was flummoxed. Finally, in desperation, I decided to bypass the switches and just touch the wires together to see if that worked. It did. The switches were the problem. They were all defective. All sixteen of them!

So off I trotted to the model railway shop again. This time I bought a Gaugemaster switch unit as it was cheaper than buying 16 new switches. I connected it up to the points motor and 16v AC transformer unit and flicked the switch. It worked! Thank god for that. Out of curiosity, I decided to try and use the 16v AC output of my controller. It worked. It was OK all along. That'll teach me for making assumptions.

After all that, I installed all the points motors, wired them in and tidied up and secured the wires. Then tested the layout. It worked. Every points motor works. My trains run round the layout with no problem. Hurrah!

Now it's on to the project in hand. I've waffled on a bit here but there was a reason for it. It's to show you that this project has a weak point. A fly in the ointment. An enemy within.

Me.

But I'm determined to have a proper layout and I won't let me stop me from having one.

Anyway, if you want to know a bit more about what I want from my proposed new layout in terms of operational requirements, theme and all the other requirements I'd like for this layout then have a look at the Concept page where I intend to set the theme for this project.