Mosslanda: Night Shift - sliding magnet sliding sector…
Using an IKEA Mosslanda as a display shell gives each HiFi micro cameo layout a neat, white edge. The visual benefit is consistency, the limitation is fitting uncoupling magnets ‘on stage’…
From an operational perspective, Night Shift is similar to Paxton Road (and Gerald Road 2). However, the white fixed front edge of the Mosslanda would not permit fitting of sliding uncoupling magnets. On Penpont I fitted fixed magnets, but whilst these work, they’re a little less flexible as everything that crosses them uncouples! So the idea of fitting a sliding uncoupling magnet to the sliding sector plate seemed the only possible, albeit difficult, option.
In the end it wasn’t white as difficult as I feared. I used a razor saw to cut the slot and rather than fit the magnet in a box, I built it into the board directly. It isn’t quite as smooth, but at least proves the concept. It works, but has a small limitation. The motion isn’t as smooth as I’d like, which could be improved on a mk2, but either way, sliding the magnet requires two hands. One to hold the fiddle stick, and one to slide the actuator rod. This means you have to put the controller down - and you have to break your concentration on the scene itself… so whilst it ‘works’ it isn’t quite as fully immersive as Paxton Road.
Having finished this, and felt quite pleased with myself, my good friend Chris suggested:
Couldn’t you just hold a big magnet under the fiddle stick?
The simplicity of his idea sounds great, and requires further experimentation - I’m imagining an almost child like big red U shaped magnet but I need to see what works well with the DG, is focused and powerful enough. In the meantime though, this concept works, and can help inform and unlock future layout schemes and designs. Until next time, more soon…
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Or pivot the magnet on a lever so it moves vertically if there's enough room under the stick, push and hold down to engage.
ReplyDeleteThis is the limitation with Mosslanda layouts, and my shelf layouts in general. There is no space really, below the trackbed. Hence why the magnet is part of the sector itself in this instance. I appreciate these problems are of my own making, but I value the aesthetic as well as the operation…
DeleteCould the channel and the uncoupler have one tapered side so that there's a bit of wiggle room to ease the push movement; then, just as you feel the taper meeting resistance, you know the magnet is closing in on the uncoupling position.
ReplyDeleteThe magnet is the same as used on other layouts. Two positions. Under the track, pushed fully home, not under the track, pulled fully out, this needs to be on the sector, not the support, as it is required for either track.
DeleteThe magnet is a rectangle cut from a Kadee magnet, and is about 1cm by 1.5cm so runs quite smoothly. The problem is, on a layout this isn’t a problem as the layout is heavy and fixed, but here the sector is light and movable.
I’ve created my own problem here by wanting a pointless layout with uncoupling in a small and restrictive space.
DG really do transform the operation in N, and it is that desire to incorporate them which has led to this experiment.
Hi James, long time listener, first time caller. Have you thought about a see-saw mechanism with the magnet on the far end and a "tapper" pad on the near end. Raising the magnet into range by lowering the near end. Perhaps easier with one hand?
ReplyDeleteanother idea - considering the sector plate already moves well enough, could you create a third position for the sector plate over a fixed magnet just for uncoupling. It doesn't need to be full track spacing apart, just the same travel as your existing sliding magnets.
Thanks Steve, and glad you’ve commented.
DeleteThose ideas don’t work with very thin baseboards, the sliding mechanism is the lowest profile I can think of, and is reliable.
The sector plate idea doesn’t work, because you maybe uncoupling the locomotive from the wagons, in which case, these have already moved into the layout when the loco moves over the magnet.
I hope that makes sense. I try and keep my ideas simple, but am always open to new ones.