Postby 4307 » Fri Feb 20, 2015 12:21 pm
I have now completed wiring the layout itself, and am currently making up the control panel. Having power to the track and trying to run my partially converted Bachmann Pannier threw up a number of issues, especially gauge narrowing in many places. The first turnout worked fine but there were derailments on the straight track which I realised were down to an uneven trackbed which the rigid chassis had difficulty negotiating.
Was the cork to baseboard glue too thick, the cork itself uneven, sleeper to cork glue too thick in places, or was there residue leftover from when I removed the paper backing from the sleepers? Maybe the MDF baseboard or the way I have supported it is not even. I don't know, but packing sleepers with thin strips, cut from plastic sheet has helped ease the problem.
The gauge narrowing was mostly less than 0.1mm, but was extensive and it has been a slog to identify and reposition the rails. Interestingly the triangular gauges did fit onto the rails (the correct way round for gauge widening on a curve!) but the rectangular gauge did not. It does now. At least the loco now moves at slow speeds without stopping. It is still a jerky movement sometimes and I am putting that down to the brake rodding interfering with the driving wheels. After the control panel, sorting out the loco will be next. Apart from brake rodding, the splashers need scraping to give more clearance for the body to fit.
There is still a problem with the second turnout, where one of the wing rail/knuckle rail has too sharp an angle and the flangeway clearance is not in line. This is very marginal and the loco does not derail, but now and again there is a visible sideways movement when the loco crosses over.
All in all, I will live with how it now is, unless I find further problems running rolling stock (which I have yet to build). Pushing a couple of bogie carriages across the two turnouts will be interesting. There is a lot to reflect on to work out how I will lay further track.