Making Peco Points DCC Happy

Thanks to the internet I have been researching how to make Peco code 55 N scale points DCC friendly, there are plenty of wiring diagrams but not many photos so I have put some together to show how dummies like me have done it.

The photo above shows where I have cut the rails to isolate the frog from the switch rails you need to do this because the switch rails pass power to the frog depending on which way the rails are set.

To make the cut as small as possible I made it with a fine saw.

To make sure electrical contact to the switch rails is not reliant on them touching the outside main rails I cut some of the plastic away from the bottom and soldered some jumper wires between the two.

The jumpers are in place and I have soldered a green wire to the frog so the polarity to it can be changed.

Track Plan Top Deck V1.0

I have gone a different route with the track plan for the top level to make it easier to plan for operations and traffic flow. I decided to measure the available space and draw a line diagram first, it helps me with the placement of turnouts and length of yard tracks and position of buildings. I will then place some track on the layout to make sure that it fits and most importantly the points are clear of the supports under the deck, I found a image posted on a forum that has all the peco points on it so all you have to do is print it an hey presto you have all the points you need for track planning. I had a look on the peco website and it also has printable diagrams for all its track pieces.
Below V1 is V2 the modified plan after doing a test run with some flex track and peco points and the main difference is the main line and shunt line have been swapped around to ease the curve of the mainline at the west end of the yard and the reduction of the number of through tracks in the engine terminal.

Lower the Drawbridge

After a summer break I am back into the layout room and starting to figure out what will go where on the top deck of the layout. Although the bench work is not finished I need to pull the lead out and get a plan together because I can't complete it until I put a set of points in place that will be more difficult to reach if the bench work is finished. I have also been doing the drawbridges to link the levels together.

 I put some edges on the top of the helix leading to the drawbridge to prevent derailments hitting the floor.

 The outside track on the helix will cross on the bottom level and I have added a section to carry it.

 The drawbridges are made with 12mm plywood and braced with 20 x 40 mm timber to stop them bending,            they also act as guides then lowered.

As a bonus here are some videos I shot while on a rail fanning trip to the north of the state.

More Lights

I have been busy doing other things in recent weeks including a week end trip to Bundaberg and while there I checked out the local model rail group. The groups shed is located in the south east corner of the show grounds with access via Kensington St, and meets on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons. The club has two Ho scale layouts and two medium sized N scale layouts, sadly no N scale people were there during my visit.
I didn't manage to get any photos because I had Alisha with me and she was being difficult to say the least. If you do a web search you may find out some more but I don't think they have a web site. I also went to the Sydney model train show and was glad it wasn't the only reason for the trip because I would have been very upset if it was. It is a reflection of the Brisbane show and it's gradual decline. There were some positives but not many and it makes me question the future of shows but not the hobby.

Test fitting the valance made of 6mm MDF, I screwed it in place and filled the holes.

Before fitting the valance I painted the blind side with a coat of gloss white.

To make a better joint I trimmed back 3mm of each valance panel end so they will overlap
leaving only a small gap to fill and when painted you will not even see them.
I gave the MDF two coats of acrylic paint to seal it from moisture but I am not sure what
color the final coat will be.

With no cross supports to get in the way the lower deck lights were easy to mount.

The bottom level lights are almost finished and the top valance is up and painted.

After a Kato loco took a dive off the helix I decided to fix a barrier to prevent  it happening again.

This corner is the hold up at the moment I have to finish the helix before I can complete the bench work in front of it.

Let there be light

I have been placing the lights on the top deck of the layout and I am very happy with the result, for the price of two normal fluro lights I have been able to light about six meters of deck space.

With the light mounts put together I added the CF bulbs and used clamps to hold them in place to work out     the final positions.

For the price of two normal batten fluros I have managed to light about six meters of layout.

Front.

Back.

Just need to tidy up a bit.

More Benchwork

I have cut out some mounts for the lights from excess 12mm plywood and put them in a clamp to paint  all the edges  in one go.

With a bit of effort I managed to bend the 6mm MDF and screwed a block of wood to the deck to maintain the shape while the glue dried.

Test fitting the panels for the bottom level before painting them.

All the panels are glued and joints sanded, I am now painting the 3mm MDF panels (on the table)  for the roof of the top level, I will fir the lights before I fix down the ceiling.

Top Deck

To save some time I painted the back wall with a undercoat to seal it.

First back drop in place.

Turd helping in her P.J's

Top deck is in place just needs painting.