Cassette fiddle yards
Bob Williams
and intend to use plug-in cassettes rather than the conventional multi-
track fiddle yard. Building it is not a problem - we will be using
aluminium angle for stability on both the cassettes and the exit from
the layout, and the layout is to P4 standards.
The difficulty lies in finding the most reliable way to make the
cassette line up with the exit from the layout. We have looked at
various possibilities including slots, sliding bars, clips and springs.
We need a design which will provide an exact fit every time over a long
period of use. Bearing in mind this is a P4 layout, there is very little
room for error, so we are trying to avoid anything which works well for
5 minutes and then gets sloppy.
Does anyone have hands-on experience of this type of fiddle yard?
--
Bob Williams
Norwood MRC
Beltaine
I have worked with two cassette systems, one good one not so good:)
I'll try to describe the good one.
The one which worked best used metal rods for alignment with the cassetts
sitting on a formica surface for sliding purposes.
The aluminium angle for the sides was also in fact the rail, so that the
sides were close to the stock for protective purposes.
the bases were of quarter inch mdf board (in one case quarter inch marine
ply varnished, no real difference but the varnished ply looked smarter)
with a formica cover glued and screwed to the underside with the tapered
metal rods protruding half an inch set into both ends into jig drilled
holes. The tapered metal rods lined up with the holes in a metal baseplate
set into the track base on entry to the yard and also transmitted track
power.
One thing we added subsequently to each cassette was an on-off switch which
went into one of the track feeds, so the yard operator could kill power for
an overrun, or set up a cassette then release the train at his timing,
since he could see it much better than the operator 15 feet away:)
Each casette also had a fold down u section each end which flopped down onto
stops at buffer height so that when being moved, there was no chance of a
runnaway dropping off, or on entry stopped one flying off the end if the
yard operator missed the off switch :)
To positively hold the casette in place when aligned, we used cabinet
catches at the ends, so the process was line up the tapered rods, push it
home to ensure alignment and power, close the cabinet catches and flick the
switch to power. then it could be used.
I have used this method in 7mm (O gauge), 4mm (p4) and 2mm finescale and it
seems to stand up to the rigours of exhibition use ( in one case 9 years
now) pretty well:)
The trick was the tapered metal rods, those are the key to getting the
alignment.
Hope some of this helps.
Graham Evans.
Bob Williams wrote in message ...
TonyComber
<B...@hhwcomputing.demon.co.uk> writes:
>Does anyone have hands-on experience of this type of fiddle yard?
>--
Bob,
Yes I have used the original Pendlenton type for many years on two P4 layouts.
The original cassettes were made exactly as per Chris' article in MRJ, but the
softwood proved unstable when in the raw state. On one ocassion they shrank so
much that to correct the gauge narrowing they had to be dunked in a bucket of
water to make them swell again!. The next batch used varnished ply, much
better but one angle is still fixed with pan head screws to allow for
re-adjustment from time to time. The phosphor bronze tongues which were
described for electrical conductivity have proved vulnerable at shows, but not
at home. The man himself no longer uses them and I would not bother on any new
cassettes. The other problem comes with inexperienced users who tend to pull
both away and up from connections and thus bend the steel tongue. Third area
of concern is the adaptor piece from ordinary track to cassette, i.e. the piece
on the layout - don't hide it in a tunnel. Serious mistake when it needs
adjusting or cleaning! One last thing, in certain climatic conditions the long
cassettes bow as the aluminium and wood expand and contract at different rates.
Being blessed with what my great aunt called 'a corporation' I find placing
them across my stomach and yanking both ends cures that; very unscientific but
proven in practice.
Graham,
I like the idea of tapered bars as an alternative. Can we have some more info
please? What are cabinet catches, are you talking magnetic, roller ball or
what? How long are the bars and what degree of taper, how are they fixed to
the cassette, or are they on the baseboard? What size aluminium is used?
In general I think cassettes have many advantages, but I'm not sure the
ultimate design has been yet reached, at least by me.
Tony Comber
Beltaine
TonyComber wrote in message
<20000106161144...@nso-fj.aol.com>...
okay.. the tapered metal bits are 1 inch long, tapered over the last half
inch and embedded into the cassette by hamering home on top of 5 min epoxy
(there was a theory we were going to turn them with threads and screw them
home but we found an accurately drilled hole, hammered glued and pinned was
fine), for just under half an inch so that basically just the taper is
showing with a tad of parallel sided rod. When the epoxy has set, the
cassette is then drilled top to bottom through the tapered rods and a pin
inserted to stop them coming loose or twisting. At the narrowest point of
the taper they are quarter inch diameter so they are very sturdy and can
take being bounced on the ends.
The cabinet catches are those like are used on my photo case, there that
means nothing does it (grin) lets see, they line up then they have a snap
fastening to lock them in place, kinda like some watch straps, or as I say,
my aluminium photo equipment case. damn hope that helps, will see if I can
find them in a catalogue, though I have a feeling they were ermmm donated
to the club:))
The ally angle used for rails depends on the scale, we used ally angle that
was in each case the same height as the rail, so could be used as such, and
was wide enough that it was about 5mm wider than the loading guage for the
scale/gauge used. (in 2mm we used brass angle for strength.)
The cassettes we have made this way include some 8 feet long in O gauge
which is way to big, but kinda needed, just be very careful moving it:))
I forgot to mention, the brass plate on the main boards they connect into is
split so its two plates because thats the other part of the electrical
contact, and that is screwed into the baseboard first and used as an
alignment check when each cassette is made.
Graham
>In general I think cassettes have many advantages, but I'm not sure the
>ultimate design has been yet reached, at least by me.
I would agree, but they sure do save space. :)
Graham Evans
Dave Smith
Funny, but I was about to post on this very subject. I have decided to give
the cassette system a go on a new layout.
Can anyone with the MRJ article, scan it for me and send, say, as a JPEG
please?
I too, would be very interested to hear about the details of fixings and
tapered rods etc etc.
I will be at St Albans next weekend for the duration of the show. If I see
any cassettes in use I intend to take some digital photos. I'll let the NG
know if I have any and could attach to private mails.
TIA
--
David Smith d...@copthorne.freeserve.co.uk
Copthorne. W Sussex. UK
Bob Williams <B...@hhwcomputing.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:alw4fDAe...@hhwcomputing.demon.co.uk...
> We are currently rebuilding the fiddle yard on our Ulpha Light Railway,
> and intend to use plug-in cassettes rather than the conventional multi-
> track fiddle yard. Building it is not a problem - we will be using
> aluminium angle for stability on both the cassettes and the exit from
> the layout, and the layout is to P4 standards.
>
> The difficulty lies in finding the most reliable way to make the
> cassette line up with the exit from the layout. We have looked at
> various possibilities including slots, sliding bars, clips and springs.
> We need a design which will provide an exact fit every time over a long
> period of use. Bearing in mind this is a P4 layout, there is very little
> room for error, so we are trying to avoid anything which works well for
> 5 minutes and then gets sloppy.
>
> Does anyone have hands-on experience of this type of fiddle yard?
> --
> Bob Williams
> Norwood MRC
Graham Bean
Bob Williams wrote in message ...
< SNIP >
> Bearing in mind this is a P4 layout, there is very little
>room for error, so we are trying to avoid anything which works well for
>5 minutes and then gets sloppy.
Oh God - please don't get Anthony going again!!!!!!!!!
:-)
Best wishes
Graham
Come and see us at:
http://www.bigfoot.com/~graham.bean
but don't believe everything you read - it hasn't been properly updated for
a while!
Mick Bryan
Bob Williams wrote in message ...
> Bearing in mind this is a P4 layout, there is very little
>room for error,
>
Careful, you'll get Anthony New going again!
:-))
Mick
Anthony New
>
> Bob Williams wrote in message ...
>
> < SNIP >
>
> >5 minutes and then gets sloppy.
>
> Oh God - please don't get Anthony going again!!!!!!!!!
>
> :-)
>
Eeuuuchh! Fiddle yards - Horrid things! Places where all the really
interesting rolling stock is hidden from view and seriously
unprototypical things are done to them! <g>
--
Anthony
The biggest problem today is that people don't recognise
a reductio ad absurdam when they see one.
--------------------------------------------
Swap "no junk" with "co uk" for e-mail reply
Philip Baggley
very successfully at exhibitions for over 2 years.
I just use code 100 flextrack glued down to a 4mm ply base and stiffened by
two pieces of 12mm square stripwood.
I tried using aluminium angle on a couple of the cassettes and abandoned
them - they were not as reliable as nickel silver rail.
The way that I operate, there is very little need to rerail any rolling
stock during an operating session so aluminium angle has little to offer
over flextrack. You can always fill in the spaces between and outside the
running rails that the cassettes plug in to, if you want a permanent
rerailing section.
Alignment couldn't be simpler. I cut a 45 degree angle in the ends of the
12mm stripwood and these mate with corresponding pieces on the connecting
track. Just make the connecting track first and then make all your cassettes
thus guaranteeing compatibility. You can make minor adjustments dead easily
just by sanding the mating surfaces until you get a snug fit.
Make sure to leave a gap between the rails on the cassette and the rails on
the connecting track - they will expand under exhibition conditions and if
they touch it may disrupt your operation.
Electrical connection is via phosphor bronze strips from an old heavy duty
relay. They mate with some small pieces of copper clad laminate sunk into
the top edges of the 12mm stripwood and wired to the rails. Power is routed
by an adjacent single pole toggle switch. I have some simple ply brackets
that allow me to stack loaded cassettes. We always could use more storage
space.
I don't have separate small cassettes for motive power - too much like hard
work and too much time spent fiddling and not operating. I run fixed
formations up to a point, but if I want to swap motive power between trains
I do it on the layout - it adds to the interest. I don't run to a timetable
or sequence but there are usually two trains in operation most of the time
so the service is intense.
I do regularly turn cassettes 180 degrees so both ends match the connecting
track. I don't bother with those fancy drop-down handles that double as end
stops and I have never needed them. Usually, loaded cassettes have a loco
coupled to the train.
There IS an optimum length. I have settled on 30" but you might stretch it
no more than a couple of inches. Any more and they become a real handful to
manipulate.
The cassettes were described in the April 1999 issue of British Railway
Modelling magasine and you can see them in use at the forthcoming Festival
of Model Railways at Doncaster and at York over Easter.
One final tip - keep your cassettes all the same length, it avoids all sorts
of operational foul ups. :-)
I can send you a scan showing these cassettes - just ask.
Baggers (in agreement with Arthur Budd's previous post).
Workington
Cumbria