On the fiddle!

Yes! it's wood butchering time again!

I've made a start on the first of two fiddle yards for my new Cambrian modular layout, currently one module is built and finished (?) Morfa Bach.
The second module (Penmaenpool MPD) is under way and the track is down. Next job there is the turnout operating motor installation. How ever this has been put on the back burner for a day or two whilst I took advantage of dry weather to work outside and butcher some more wood!

The fiddle yard shown here is for the Morfa Bach end of the layout.  I looked at several designs for fiddle yards and finally settled on a turntable type.
The main reason for choosing this design is the fact that I can turn round complete trains without fear of damaging any stock. The turn table will have three tracks, and each road will hold a loco and a couple of coaches which is enough for what I need to operate the layout.

The fiddle yard progress up to date is shown  in pictures below.

Left, The turntable in the centre road running position.                Right. The turntable swung out.

Construction is from 44x18 softwood, 6mm and 9mm plywood. The turntable just turns on a simple 6mm bolt through a horizontal cross member. The table being shimmed up tp level with the fixed section with steel washers

A "Nyloc" nut is used tightened up so as to make turning the table by hand easy but at the same time take up any sloppiness in the fixing.

The final job for today was to drill holes in the side members at the layout end to accommodate the 5 pin DIN socket for one of the "cabs" and a 9 way D plug for the interconnections to the main layout board.








There is still work to do but that will have to wait for more dry weather!


Cheers for now
Frank

Hitching a lift!

I'm always on the lookout for the unusual to include on my model railways. Either as scenic cameos or wagon loads.
Like 100's of others I have a Bachmann "Weltrol" wagon, usually these come with either a boiler  or transformer type of load and like all mass produced rolling stock looks the same as everyone else's.

So when the opportunity of purchasing a non working 009 model of this Alco locomotive came my way I jumped at he chance of getting it before it's owner put it on Ebay.

The Alco may be more well known to narrow gauge modellers as "Mountaineer" of Ffestiniog railway fame.
I wasn't bothered that the chassis didn't run or that the rear pony truck and wheels were missing as all I wanted it for was a suitable load for my Welltrol.

An afternoons' work on the bench and a spot of paint produced this.(Click picture for larger image)

After removing the boiler load I stuck the Alco down to the bed of the wagon with some 5 min epoxy, I don't want it to drop off!

I used some fine chain to secure the load to the wagon and that's it, Job done.

Look out for it in use on either Pen Y Bont or Morfa Bach/Penmaenpool at an exhibition soon!

Cheers!

Frank