Laying points

Not had much chance to do much until recently, with a combination of illness, being away and bad weather (the layout is in the garage). However, I have finally started to lay some track.

As the 009 track is going to be raised relative to the standard gauge, it is on short sections of wood, and I could take two of these into the house to fix the points on. I have never used electrofrogs before, or under-the-baseboard motors, and cannot claim to be that competent with a soldering iron, but it seemed to go okay.

I am using SEEP motors, with a big hole for the rod to connect to the point, securing them with drawing pins, then checking the point moves as I flick the motor by hand.  I just need to test them with power to check they work, then screw these boards to the main board.

Exhibition in Preston

Saturday I took my daughter to Preston Model Railway Exhibition, which was very good. Some great layouts, though only one in 009 (and I got no decent pictures of that one). Had a quick chat with one of the operators about couplings, and on the basis of that have ordered some Greenwich ones from Parkside Dundas.

A few images (dictated mostly by what I got a decent photo of with my phone):

Colyer Street was a small 00 gauge that had a great atmosphere too it (though a bit high for my daughter to see properly).

Herculaneum Dock was perhaps my favourite of the show because the subject matter is so interesting; the Liverpool Overhead Railway over the goods yard and dock.

Hospital Gates was an O gauge layout, apparently based on the short line serving Wittingham Asylum.

Maidwell, an LMS layout in 00; I really liked how it let the landscape dominate the scene. A large layout, but not much track, lets the rural nature of the line emerge.

Gresley Beat was the complete opposite - track everywhere.