Cwmbach: the permanent way…

Possibly my most glacial of cameo layouts in recent years has been the development of this, big for me, 110cm long N gauge coal based scene…

A mix of ‘firsts’ and complexities have slowed progress - it is in a few ways an expensive experiment! One of the problems to overcome was turnout operation and polarity control, resulting in some small styrene boxes glued under the 3D printed sleeper bases. These work beautifully but are fragile. I made the mistake of pressing down on one slightly and it popped the rails out of the chairs! I in hindsight it was a mistake to not pack these boxes out to the full depth of the slot in the baseboard.

Instead, after a repair, I’ve ‘ballasted’ the hole around the edges of these (as well as roadbed). This has introduced another problem as the scenic cement has penetrated my mechanism and made them a little ‘sticky’! Oh dear… this whole project has been a few steps slowly forwards and then a kick in the nether regions. No wonder we’re still messing about with track whilst other schemes are already taking shape in the workshop. I will persevere, purely for the sake of the cut down models I’ve so lovingly crafted.

Sometimes, when you’re pushing what is possible you learn from experience. I have tried to work with and solve problems here, of my own creation. Each adjustment introduces comprimise. The hope is the end result is still operable… but at the very least, it will be pretty.

Next is to finish off the ballasting and then I can build up the cameo box structure and finish the wiring! Until next time, more soon…

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