Gerald Road: I hate wiring…
I hate wiring. There I've admitted it. It is the life draining dullest most stressful part of any model railway project, the least artistic and creative element fraught with high drama whilst wielding a 400degC implement near combustible artwork...
Wiring isn't very exciting to look at, but as means of illustration you can see I've tried to be organised! The feeds are fed out the back of the baseboard (buried in channels in the surface) under the back scene and along the back, tacked with hot glue. The Cobalt SS control board is screwed to the end with the opening where a fiddlestick can be attached. This is also the end that will include a power socket and DIN socket for the Gaugemaster handheld controller - I have realised that this will need temporarily unscrewing to allow the end of the board to be painted though!
I am happy to say it's almost complete - just a few sockets and switches to add to allow the layout to function, the majority of the jeopardy safely passed and a sense of mild enthusiasm slowly wafting back into the room as thoughts turn to the scenic work to follow.
Seeing the layout on the shelf, I can now allow myself to begin to see the pub, the warehouse, the cement silo and how the scene will evolve - I can picture myself stood at the gates, watching the 03 rumble across the tarmac and into the small yard. This is shaping up to be an exciting project! Until next time, more soon...
Donate
I love writing and creating material for the blog. If you enjoy what you read and engage with I would be appreciative of any donation, large or small, to help me keep it advert and restriction free.
I've always thought tthere is a market for something, I don't know what, to make this task less irksome. I've been staring at a three way point for over a year getting up the courage to wire it up. Pre configured wiring looms? Do I bite the bullet and join MERG? but surely this is something that the "average" modeller shouldn't have to struggle with the way we do.
ReplyDeleteTake the simple turnout. How silly is it that in 2023 we still end up drilling our own holes in DPDT switches to attach wire in tube to them , rather than buying them pre drilled with a 90 degree articulated connector already attached. Or point tie bars, including PECO replacments. RTR track often comes with power feed sections, couldn't Peco code 75 OO rail include a short power section with soldered on droppers?
Then, now you have got me started, there are "isolating fishplates" that are hideously out of scale and over sized for the job
I think it’s silly that electro frog turnouts don’t come with a polarity switch built in, and we still use solenoids to shake a layout to bits… these linear drive stepper motors are a great idea, and in terms saved, are not that expensive. The result is the 03 will crawl around my hand made track without stalling thanks to no dead spots…
Delete