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[dkightley]

No pressure, then!

Unfortunately, as you may have picked up following my build threads, I do tend to jump from one thread of a build to another.....so results on my point may not be that quick. But seeing as there is a bit of an interest, I'll try to put a little more effort in on the point build in the next few weeks....

[dkightley]

Pushing on with yet another different aspect...the flexi-traverser....which I've partly made whilst the idea is still reasonably fresh....

The flexi-traverser is basically an oversized point that consists of three parallel tracks attached to rotational slides at each end that move a single track width in a similar way to a point....here's a couple of photos: First...the full traverser

IMG_3294_red.JPG (95.33 KiB) Viewed 7806 times

You can see inside the basic box are two strips of wood that pivot half way across at the extreme end of the box. At the other end, there is an arc shaped slot in the top of the box....into which fits a sliding panel that is mounted on the wood strip. Here's a close-up of one end:

IMG_3295_red.JPG (97.41 KiB) Viewed 7806 times

The lowere strip inside the box is pivoted at the other end and the panel will be screwed onto it's edge. A servo will then move the panel side to side to move the three parallel tracks so that two of the tracks line up with two tracks at the end. The servos are driven from the CBus control system......at least that's the plan!

[dkightley]

I've not posted anything directly on this thread as I've been concentrating on the DCC side of things which I've been documenting in another thread
( http://www.talkingtgauge.net/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=525 )....so I thought it was time to bring things up to date here as a sort of pre-Christmas progress report.

DCC & automation.....as per the above thread, I've got the electronics of the layout as far as I can go for the time being. The next step is to finish the installation of the LDR sensors and general connection wiring, which can't be done until I get the layout itself moved on considerably.

Tamar Bridge......I've started moving on with the design and printing of the bridge components and bits for the vehicle drive system. The motor drives and controllers/power supply have been obtained and just need fitting when appropriate.

Royal Albert Bridge....nothing started yet, although I may start looking at some of the basic structural pieces after Christmas.

Layout board....I've purchased timber to make the layout board sections, and have started making up the three main sections. This will be followed up by the side and rear extensions. Once all are done, I can start looking at the track bed for the public and behind-the-scenes sections. PVC sheeting similar to that I used to simulate water on The Bridge is on order and hopefully may be fitted over Christmas. Bit of a contrast in the cost of things....15 lengths of 2x1 £13.50.....3 sheets of PVC sheeting £60.00.

Scenery.....obviously, nothing started as there's a small issue of there being no layout boards.

Trackwork.....I have the basic form of the flexi-traverser assembled and working. I still need to add the short track ends and finish off the guides for the moving sections. I also have the starting work done for the single shallow wye-point that sits at the west end of the rail bridge...I think I've documented this in a separate thread.

Buildings.....I've started by creating a design and print log for the houses and other buildings on the layout....but as of yet, I've not started any CAD work on any.

As with The Bridge, you can see I have several thing in progress at the same time......something I call "Organised Chaos!". I love it!

I'll try to print some progress photos over the next few days.....

[dkightley]

A few photos as promised...

Layout board partly made...here's the three main sections with the rear behind-the-scenes section in place, with the flexitraverser in its approx. position:

IMG_3320_red.JPG (128.46 KiB) Viewed 7636 times

A closer view of the flexitraverser:

IMG_3322_red.JPG (121.47 KiB) Viewed 7636 times

And a selection of parts of the Tamar Bridge:

IMG_3324_red.JPG (125.08 KiB) Viewed 7636 times

[Nutter]

looks horribly clean and tidy to me
At least you now know how much room you have and can do the test stretch across the boards to make sure you can reach everything safely.

[dkightley]

Decided to get to a significant point for another of the manufacturing threads before the New Year....the production of 3D printed buildings.

Here's the first of many:

IMG_3328_red.JPG (42.7 KiB) Viewed 7548 times

And its the most notable of the buildings...the Union Inn:

Union_Inn.JPG (55 KiB) Viewed 7548 times

I'll need to finish this building with a transfer to get the required image resolution.....

One down......many more to go!

[dkightley]

Now I've got the basic baseboards in their 99% finished form....all surfaced and break down-able for transport/storage, I thought I'd start the new year with a dry assembly of the parts I've so far produced:

IMG_3330_red.JPG (113.05 KiB) Viewed 7520 times

Not bad for less than six months work.

The greatest progress is on the DCC and control system. The six boxes are in approx. their final positions....there's just a wiring harness and individual wires to each track section and sensor, etc to do. The next chunk of work has been on the Tamar Bridge and the vehicle drive system. This is totally untested and unproven.....so I've got a lot to do. The other parts are the flexi-traverser and a half-built wye point.

I'm going to have to take all this to bits and pack everything away soon........I have The Bridge to sort out for it's next show in less than two weeks!!

[dkightley]

At last.....a bit of Brunel's bridge:

IMG_3333_red.JPG (30.12 KiB) Viewed 7498 times

Its not in its final form yet, but this is one of 17 sections of the approach viaducts. It seems Brunel hadn't heard of standard sized assemblies; two of the sections are 93 ft long, two are 88ft 6in, two are 78ft, two are 72ft 6in, and the remaining 9 are 63ft 6in long...and one of those is wider at one end to allow for the pointwork! And the differing sizes aren't even steps of equal amounts!!!

[dkightley]

Back in April 2014, I posted a shot of a couple of viaduct sections for the Forth Bridge sitting on top of a stone pillar (post here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=123&start=12 )

Here we are, almost four years later and I'm posting an equivalent shot for Brunel's bridge at Saltash.........

IMG_3336_red.JPG (86 KiB) Viewed 7450 times

[dkightley]

I've been able to make some good progress over the past few days......

I now have all of the deck sections and under deck sections for the Tamar bridge all printed ready for the next stage....clean up and assembly of the full deck. The whole bridge will need to be one giant sub-assembly, so this will be the first time I get to see how "giant" it will be!!!!

I've moved on the CAD design of the approach viaducts for the RAB (Royal Albert Bridge). I've put together the individual deck sections....which vary in length...to form two deck sections for each end. The Plymouth side decks are ready to print, as is one of the Cornwall side sections. The other section....the one that joins up to Saltash station....is complicated by the fact that there's a point that sits on the last two sections. More on that below....but here's a picture of an early print of the section, held up with three of the stone supports:

IMG_3339_red.JPG (53.4 KiB) Viewed 7394 times

So I can assemble the bridge onto the layout, I've had to make all bar one of the stone pillars in two slot-together pieces, and I've got all the CAD work done for these. Included in this set is a support for the very end of the Plymouth viaduct....which also will have the plywood track bed fitted onto it. So....a bucket full of pieces to print here!

I mentioned the point. Back in November, I posted an early state of the point on a printed jig. Now I know what the constraints of the volume into which I can build the point and its control linkage & power supply wires, I've re-done the jig so I make sure it'll fit once I get the point working. Here's the revised jig:

IMG_3343_red.JPG (46.23 KiB) Viewed 7394 times

The two sections of viaduct shown represent the two sections that the channel shape replace. Fortunately, there's a deeper girder section for these two sections...and they taper. This makes it possible to actually get the point working!!