Thomas themed layout for my 2yr old

[Mountain Goat]

Rather then use a double power feed at position number 3 you can use single power feeds to the outer rails on positions number 1 and 2 for the same effect (Note the side of the power feed to the rail on positions 1&2 where only one rail is fed power at each position. This saves you soldering expensive points therefore avoiding potential damage to the points).

I hope I have not over complicated things. I thought I would offer a good plan to wire the layout.

[gazzarose]

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This is how I've got it built at the moment as far as track and power connection go but I'll add some insulated joiners between the crossovers and another pair on the entry into the sidings.

I've just come across brians website and been reading about DC wiring and theres loads of good tips and ideas in there, some of which I may try to incorporate like auto stops for the locos berths, but I have to remember that this is indended to be nothing more than a train set for my son for a bit of bonding as he grows up and a bit of scenic practise.

No I'm writing this I can see why I may need another power connection at the roof of the wagon sidings, but the point that I've currently got there came with DCC point clips fitted already for some reason so that should do the trick.

I'm not averse to a bit of over complicated wiring, I'm a marine sparky and my house has got more switches and wires that strictly nessassary, but I need to make the layout usable by my boy as he grows up. If he really falls for model railways then this most certainly won't be the last of his layouts and I've already got tentative plans for the next couple of years to get the loft sorted and a layout started up there. Hopefully by then I'll be investing in DCC stuff so the DC stuff can be left behind.

[gazzarose]

The layout was envisioned to be a train set version of Sodor in that the locos all live together in a shed and the wagons and coaches are kept in sidings so I'd like to keep the 2 seperate sets of sidings.

Thank you very much for your input though. If this was a layout for myself (and if he gets bored of trains in 6 months then it still may be) I would be going to town on complicated wiring, but I just want something that will run Thomas round and round and generally play with.

[Mountain Goat]

The only small snag with the plan you drew above is that if you drove off the inner loop towards the first set of sidings the train would be without power at the first set of points. The isolated joiners are intended to create distinct zones to prevent the independent controllers from coming into contact with each other.
You mention that they run ok when one controller takes over from the other. With two seperate controllers each having their own transformer you can get away with it but there are circumstances where two controllers could be wired up to one transformer and if this should be the case, then one could have a direct short to the transformer which can bypasses the overload cut out. I am delving a little now into the common return principles of DC wiring.
It is good practice to add the isolated railjoiners and then provide seperate power feeds (Though things can work without them).

I love DC layout wiring as it is something that gets my brain going without overstraining it. Brian, the site owner is an expert at all things wiring and electrical regarding our hobby and has a seperate site to explain principles of layout wiring for DC. He has also written a good book about the hobby which covers wiring. Any difficulties he is the one to ask (If he is availble). I tend to write 100 words when there only needs to be about twenty. He has the art of explaining things in a simpler way.

I love your plan. It is an excellent plan.

[Brian]

Hi

As shown in the last drawing you will never be able to run a train into or out of the 'Coach and Wagon' fan of sidings. It will need a rail feed installed where I've shown it in Blue Also the outer rail feed is really best positioned to the right of the cross-over point rather than rely on power trying to get all round the loop when entering the lower left siding Move feed to where shown in Blue.
If you want total siding isolation rather than one of each siding always being powered, then add a simple On/Off switch or a Hornby R047 green lever in the feed wire to that rail.
Note; the Hornby Electro point clips (two per point) on a DC layout should be removed as no self isolation is possible with them fitted.

Modified wiring.jpg

[gazzarose]

Well today I finished temporarily laying the track, and measured and marked the length of the 8x4 board down to just over 6 ft.

I then labeled and number every piece of track so I know everything will go back to where it fitted on the trial run.

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I then took the board out the garden, dodging showers, and cut it to length.

I've now glued and screwed a length of mdf skirting to each long length to add some stiffness to the board and will do the short edges tomorrow evening once the glue on the sides has dried.

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Now I've got to decided whether to lay cork underlay or not. I've got a fairly large sheet of it that I think will no it all but its a pain to cut with what I've got at home so I'll have another go tomorrow evening with my good knife and meter rule from work. Does it make a noticeable difference to noise? It has got the advantage that I can paint all the cork grey to simulate ballast and it'll be good enough for a few years as out play layout.

Thanks to everyone for the replies about the plan and the wiring. I'll get a bag of insulated joiners and I'll go through it all when I ready to lay the track for good.

[Walkingthedog]

The cork will make a slight difference unless you ballast, which you say you don't intend to do. Personally I lay the track straight on the board and then ballast, but it is up to you.

[gazzarose]

Evening gents,

Been a week or so since an update, but I've been busy, honest!

I finished the skirting border around the board and then made a start on the cork underlay. I had a load from a job a few years ago so thought I might as well use it. I went for 40mm wide strips which just so happened to be the width of a meter rule I had in work so that made quick work of the straights. For the curves I laid down the relevant piece the measured and marked a line 5mm out from the end of the sleeps, actually I was a bit crafty and used a 5mm allen key to give me the gap. I did the same with the points then cut everything out. I cut all the pieces slightly long so I could trim it to fit later.

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[gazzarose]

I then dipped my toe into the work of copydex. Its great stuff isn't it. Strong enough to hold you want keeping still, but easy enough to pull it back up after the inevitable cock up. I found that putting a coat of Copdex on just the cork worked well and then an offcut of skirting and a tin of paint to weigh it down while it dried. As it goes off so quickly I stuck down alternate pieces and then once dry I layed the next piece over the top, then marked around it onto the stuck down piece then cut out and peeled up the excess bit.

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After a couple of evenings work, only doing an hour or so at a time while while my better half but the boy to bed, I got all the cork down to give me this.

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Then it was time to start the painting........ I hate painting!!

[gazzarose]

Our boys bedroom is painted light blue with a grey chimney breast, so it would be rude not to use some of the left overs so paint his layout. Reduce, reuse and recycle.

I painted all the 'ballast first' and then painted the skirting boards in the blue, they were originally going to be white, but I thought it would mimic the sky a bit as a bit of a mini backscene.

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I've just got to pick up a small pot of 'green grassish' paint to do the rest of the bare ply, then I can get on with relaying the track. Should be done just in the nick of time!