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Making a start in O gauge
- Thread starter Cowley
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RailUK Forums
Things are happening
(slowly)
Well things have been moving on bit by bit…
I suppose it’s best to do this in order so the first thing to say is that I’ve had the 37 fitted with sound by Lee’s Locos.
Lees Locoshttps://www.leeslocos.co.ukLees Locos
He did a great job and has also fitted a bass speaker so it’s got a bit of oomph!
I’m going to send the 26 away next, as I’ve wired the layout up for DCC, so even though I can swap the controllers over and run on DC there’s no isolating sections anywhere, so I can only have one loco on the layout at a time.
While the 37 was away I built the two main boards (no point having a loco and nowhere to run it ) and also a wraparound board for the shed scene so that I could incorporate it into the plan. As shown below.
I’ve acquired various points by various means over the last few months and some of them have been robbed to make good the others. But at £80 odd quid for a set of O gauge points, mine cost me a grand total of around £60 for all seven, plus a few extra bits and bobs like the polarity switches for the frogs.
I also managed to get hold of a load of free Peco point motors and switches. So not bad going really. The points fried my brain, as with the motor and frog wiring there’s something like seven wires coming off each point!
I’d more or less worked out what I wanted to do with the track I had and because my friend Paul is also doing an O gauge project at the moment we’ve been able to swap the odd thing that each other has needed.
Also though, it’s useful to have someone to bounce ideas off.
This is the track layout I’ve settled on.
The track behind the old shed wall will eventually go into the garden.
Looking the other way here towards the station. The main platform will be on the left with another wall behind it.
The idea being that it’s a small Thurso/Ballachulish type terminus, with the remains of a steam shed which has been repurposed as a loading area and stabling point.
I’ve built in bridges over a stream which will eventually run under the platform. One of the bridges will be disused but originally ran to a water tower. There’s the remains of a set of points just before the bridge which would once have led to a turntable. All of that area will be abandoned and overgrown though.
I’ve laid all of the track on cork and it’s now pinned down, with everything tested and running properly.
Here’s some of the spaghetti wiring for the control board with the point switches.
Underneath the board there’s three separate buss routes for the wiring, all colour coded - orange, blue and Green for the point motors, black and red for the track and yellow and pink for the lights.
Everything seems to working but I’m not going to do anything like ballasting until I’ve used it for a few weeks!
The whole layout is in three sections, if I ever did want to take it to a show it comes apart reasonably easily as I’ve designed it to be moved.
Thanks for reading.
(slowly)
Well things have been moving on bit by bit…
I suppose it’s best to do this in order so the first thing to say is that I’ve had the 37 fitted with sound by Lee’s Locos.
Lees Locoshttps://www.leeslocos.co.ukLees Locos
He did a great job and has also fitted a bass speaker so it’s got a bit of oomph!
I’m going to send the 26 away next, as I’ve wired the layout up for DCC, so even though I can swap the controllers over and run on DC there’s no isolating sections anywhere, so I can only have one loco on the layout at a time.
While the 37 was away I built the two main boards (no point having a loco and nowhere to run it ) and also a wraparound board for the shed scene so that I could incorporate it into the plan. As shown below.
I’ve acquired various points by various means over the last few months and some of them have been robbed to make good the others. But at £80 odd quid for a set of O gauge points, mine cost me a grand total of around £60 for all seven, plus a few extra bits and bobs like the polarity switches for the frogs.
I also managed to get hold of a load of free Peco point motors and switches. So not bad going really. The points fried my brain, as with the motor and frog wiring there’s something like seven wires coming off each point!
I’d more or less worked out what I wanted to do with the track I had and because my friend Paul is also doing an O gauge project at the moment we’ve been able to swap the odd thing that each other has needed.
Also though, it’s useful to have someone to bounce ideas off.
This is the track layout I’ve settled on.
The track behind the old shed wall will eventually go into the garden.
Looking the other way here towards the station. The main platform will be on the left with another wall behind it.
The idea being that it’s a small Thurso/Ballachulish type terminus, with the remains of a steam shed which has been repurposed as a loading area and stabling point.
I’ve built in bridges over a stream which will eventually run under the platform. One of the bridges will be disused but originally ran to a water tower. There’s the remains of a set of points just before the bridge which would once have led to a turntable. All of that area will be abandoned and overgrown though.
I’ve laid all of the track on cork and it’s now pinned down, with everything tested and running properly.
Here’s some of the spaghetti wiring for the control board with the point switches.
Underneath the board there’s three separate buss routes for the wiring, all colour coded - orange, blue and Green for the point motors, black and red for the track and yellow and pink for the lights.
Everything seems to working but I’m not going to do anything like ballasting until I’ve used it for a few weeks!
The whole layout is in three sections, if I ever did want to take it to a show it comes apart reasonably easily as I’ve designed it to be moved.
Thanks for reading.
hexagon789
Veteran Member
Thanks for sharing the update with us, that wiring would just scare me I have to say - I admire anyone that can wire a layout with complexity, it's rather beyond me I have to say!Things are happening
(slowly)
Well things have been moving on bit by bit…
I suppose it’s best to do this in order so the first thing to say is that I’ve had the 37 fitted with sound by Lee’s Locos.
Lees Locoshttps://www.leeslocos.co.ukLees Locos
He did a great job and has also fitted a bass speaker so it’s got a bit of oomph!
I’m going to send the 26 away next, as I’ve wired the layout up for DCC, so even though I can swap the controllers over and run on DC there’s no isolating sections anywhere, so I can only have one loco on the layout at a time.
While the 37 was away I built the two main boards (no point having a loco and nowhere to run it ) and also a wraparound board for the shed scene so that I could incorporate it into the plan. As shown below.
View attachment 210126
View attachment 210127
I’ve acquired various points by various means over the last few months and some of them have been robbed to make good the others. But at £80 odd quid for a set of O gauge points, mine cost me a grand total of around £60 for all seven, plus a few extra bits and bobs like the polarity switches for the frogs.
I also managed to get hold of a load of free Peco point motors and switches. So not bad going really. The points fried my brain, as with the motor and frog wiring there’s something like seven wires coming off each point!
View attachment 210133
I’d more or less worked out what I wanted to do with the track I had and because my friend Paul is also doing an O gauge project at the moment we’ve been able to swap the odd thing that each other has needed.
Also though, it’s useful to have someone to bounce ideas off.
This is the track layout I’ve settled on.
View attachment 210128
View attachment 210125
The track behind the old shed wall will eventually go into the garden.
Looking the other way here towards the station. The main platform will be on the left with another wall behind it.
The idea being that it’s a small Thurso/Ballachulish type terminus, with the remains of a steam shed which has been repurposed as a loading area and stabling point.
I’ve built in bridges over a stream which will eventually run under the platform. One of the bridges will be disused but originally ran to a water tower. There’s the remains of a set of points just before the bridge which would once have led to a turntable. All of that area will be abandoned and overgrown though.
I’ve laid all of the track on cork and it’s now pinned down, with everything tested and running properly.
Here’s some of the spaghetti wiring for the control board with the point switches.
View attachment 210130
View attachment 210131
Underneath the board there’s three separate buss routes for the wiring, all colour coded - orange, blue and Green for the point motors, black and red for the track and yellow and pink for the lights.
View attachment 210132
Everything seems to working but I’m not going to do anything like ballasting until I’ve used it for a few weeks!
The whole layout is in three sections, if I ever did want to take it to a show it comes apart reasonably easily as I’ve designed it to be moved.
Thanks for reading.
Iskra
Established Member
At least it was your brain which was fried and not any loco’s 
Great work, and I’m glad you’ve gone for DCC sound I think it works really well in O!
Great work, and I’m glad you’ve gone for DCC sound I think it works really well in O!
4COR
Member
Looking great - presumably the run out to the garden will be some kind of out and back arrangement?
The point motors I guess are feeds for the solenoids, and then switched output for indicators or for switching frog polarity?
The point motors I guess are feeds for the solenoids, and then switched output for indicators or for switching frog polarity?
Ah you’d be alright. As long as you colour code it you can work out what does what fairly easily.
Also, it only ends up looking like that once you’ve added each circuit. So I only had the black and red for the track at first. Once you’ve done that you move onto the next thing and forget about what you’ve already done.
Or at least try. You might find yourself going to bed and dreaming about different colour wires for a few nights…
Well. I did fry a couple of lights the other day. “Brighter Brighter Brighter. Pop!”At least it was your brain which was fried and not any loco’s
I’ve had to learn how to wire resisters in. Of which more later.
You’ve actually seen a video of it. I want to record something a bit better before I post it publicly though.
Yes I’ve not completely settled on that yet, but probably a big loop to a pond and back into the shed.
It really depends on what I get away with at the time @4COR.
Mrs C is sympathetic, and has been known to enjoy a bit of 37 action. However, I’m going to have to stay within the realms of the garden not looking utterly ridiculous…
Yes. Without looking at one, there’s two live plus one negative feed for the solenoids, plus one to the switch, then feeds to the polarity switch that supplies the frog with positive and negative depending on which way they’re thrown.
Also feeds to the track - which aren’t essential, but definitely improve the running.
I think the newer unifrog ones are much easier to wire up.
Iskra
Established Member
Ah yes, that was mega already in my book!
Do you want to sell me that station or not?
I don’t really like card kits.
But let’s go back a little…
I originally wanted to buy a Thurso kit from a company (who I won’t name) that do laser cut O gauge versions of Scottish stations, except that a; they never answer their stupid phone or reply to texts or emails, and b; I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Thurso (I guess that some of you probably have)?
It’s massive! Much bigger than you’d realise if you haven’t been there. Like really really big!
It looks like some kind of garden shed arrangement when you just glance at photos, but it’s really quite an impressive structure and even Wick is fairly hefty when you scale it down to O gauge.
Also, how do you uncouple things if the loco is inside a train shed?
Answer - you can’t.
So I settled on a Ballachulish type arrangement with the building at the end of the platforms, but could I get hold of the (same) company that did a kit of it?
Nope!
In the absence of a better plan I ended up buying a card kit from someone called Purplebob on eBay. It cost me £27, compared to the £100 plus Ballachulish would have cost me and it’s going to have to do as a temporary fix until I make something from scratch.
I needed something to put in place to fathom out where everything would go. So I set about it with scissors, sharp knives, card glue and swearing.
After a while though it slowly started to make sense once I’d got my eye in.
The lack of pictures in the instructions caused me a few head scratching moments, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the kit and although it’s based on a steam era station, once I’d added a few 1980s posters it didn’t look too bad.
I’ve also turned one of the rooms into a Red Star parcels office (complete with red desk and mailbags) and strengthened the ceilings before lighting the interiors of some (but not all) of the rooms.
It was a complicated build, but I’m reasonably happy with it for the time being. I’ve since bought a few lights for the outside and wired them in with some resistors (after blowing one of them).
I quite like these couple of views with the lights on.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do in the long run. Part of me wants to be devilish and build a really grotty 1980s pre Sprinterisation station building with a depressing atmosphere!
The building I’ve got is half relief, but if I built my own I could do it to exactly the size I want. Plus 1980s buildings were much simpler.
I don’t really like card kits.
But let’s go back a little…
I originally wanted to buy a Thurso kit from a company (who I won’t name) that do laser cut O gauge versions of Scottish stations, except that a; they never answer their stupid phone or reply to texts or emails, and b; I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Thurso (I guess that some of you probably have)?
It’s massive! Much bigger than you’d realise if you haven’t been there. Like really really big!
It looks like some kind of garden shed arrangement when you just glance at photos, but it’s really quite an impressive structure and even Wick is fairly hefty when you scale it down to O gauge.
Also, how do you uncouple things if the loco is inside a train shed?
Answer - you can’t.
So I settled on a Ballachulish type arrangement with the building at the end of the platforms, but could I get hold of the (same) company that did a kit of it?
Nope!
In the absence of a better plan I ended up buying a card kit from someone called Purplebob on eBay. It cost me £27, compared to the £100 plus Ballachulish would have cost me and it’s going to have to do as a temporary fix until I make something from scratch.
I needed something to put in place to fathom out where everything would go. So I set about it with scissors, sharp knives, card glue and swearing.
After a while though it slowly started to make sense once I’d got my eye in.
The lack of pictures in the instructions caused me a few head scratching moments, but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the kit and although it’s based on a steam era station, once I’d added a few 1980s posters it didn’t look too bad.
I’ve also turned one of the rooms into a Red Star parcels office (complete with red desk and mailbags) and strengthened the ceilings before lighting the interiors of some (but not all) of the rooms.
It was a complicated build, but I’m reasonably happy with it for the time being. I’ve since bought a few lights for the outside and wired them in with some resistors (after blowing one of them).
I quite like these couple of views with the lights on.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do in the long run. Part of me wants to be devilish and build a really grotty 1980s pre Sprinterisation station building with a depressing atmosphere!
The building I’ve got is half relief, but if I built my own I could do it to exactly the size I want. Plus 1980s buildings were much simpler.
Iskra
Established Member
That does look great all lit up! Excellent work!
Sun Chariot
Established Member
You didn't fancy doing Stirling's buildings and awnings, N? 
That is a stunning result @Cowley and I really like how tnat conveys the "bulk" of Scottish stone-built stations. I know what you meant re: Thurso; I was there in 1990 and I had a double-take after walking along the platform train-shed to a rather imposing station structure.
Kingsway Models (whom I used for years for OO scale pubs, shops, cinemas, bank, motor garages, postal sorting-office and houses) do a few O scale card buildings. Not Scottish theme per se but there may be items which help to fill scenic spaces.
BTW, did that white Sierra's driver ever go back for it, parked by the old station?
That is a stunning result @Cowley and I really like how tnat conveys the "bulk" of Scottish stone-built stations. I know what you meant re: Thurso; I was there in 1990 and I had a double-take after walking along the platform train-shed to a rather imposing station structure.
Kingsway Models (whom I used for years for OO scale pubs, shops, cinemas, bank, motor garages, postal sorting-office and houses) do a few O scale card buildings. Not Scottish theme per se but there may be items which help to fill scenic spaces.
BTW, did that white Sierra's driver ever go back for it, parked by the old station?
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Thanks @Iskra. It keeps the old grey matter working.
I’d need a much bigger shed!You didn't fancy doing Stirling's buildings and awnings, N?
I’ll have a look at those later.
Was that at Thurso?BTW, did that white Sierra's driver ever go back for it, parked by the old station?
I must admit that I’ve never actually been there. Too busy chasing 37s on the other lines.
Platforms
As I said a few posts back, my friend Paul is doing an O gauge project at the same time and both of us have curved platforms to build. He came up with a clever way of tackling this particular problem though.
This was to cut multiple strips of thick ply to the correct (minus the top) platform height and build them up as a ladder frame that slots down over locators on the board, like this:
It takes a while to build it up, but with a mitre saw and mitre bond it’s fairly easy once you get going. Obviously in this scale the main platform is pretty big!
Putting the surface on, I think I used 4mm MDF for that. I managed to get a load of it for free.
You can just draw around it, cut it with a jigsaw and sand the edges smooth.
Because they’re removable, you can take them off the layout to detail and paint them plus weather the track.
Now that they’re done it’s starting to feel like it’s an actual place I reckon.
This afternoon’s project was making a barrow crossing out of drinking stirrers.
Ps - the little platform on the right will eventually have a BG parked up with a post office van unloading next to it.
Sun Chariot
Established Member
That's coming alive wonderfully @Cowley 
; the positioning of station building simply oozes Highlands territory.
By the time I reached Thurso (1990), it was 156s north from Inverness. I only achieved Kyle with a 37 for haulage (417).
Oh, the Sierra? I meant your snow-covered one back on this linked post.
www.railforums.co.uk
; the positioning of station building simply oozes Highlands territory.By the time I reached Thurso (1990), it was 156s north from Inverness. I only achieved Kyle with a 37 for haulage (417).
Oh, the Sierra? I meant your snow-covered one back on this linked post.
Making a start in O gauge
I think the brambles (or it is some climber like old man's beard or ivy?) look very convincing! The subtle rust variations on the rails/buffer stops/etc and the track weathering is very nice as well. Rapidly coming together!
www.railforums.co.uk
xotGD
Established Member
- Joined
- 4 Feb 2017
- Messages
- 7,819
You want Thurso? I can give you Thurso.
37261 in September 1986...
37261 in September 1986...
Iskra
Established Member
That's coming along very nicely indeed, great work!Thanks @Iskra. It keeps the old grey matter working.
I’d need a much bigger shed!
I’ll have a look at those later.
Was that at Thurso?
I must admit that I’ve never actually been there. Too busy chasing 37s on the other lines.
Platforms
As I said a few posts back, my friend Paul is doing an O gauge project at the same time and both of us have curved platforms to build. He came up with a clever way of tackling this particular problem though.
This was to cut multiple strips of thick ply to the correct (minus the top) platform height and build them up as a ladder frame that slots down over locators on the board, like this:
View attachment 210682
View attachment 210681
View attachment 210685
It takes a while to build it up, but with a mitre saw and mitre bond it’s fairly easy once you get going. Obviously in this scale the main platform is pretty big!
Putting the surface on, I think I used 4mm MDF for that. I managed to get a load of it for free.
You can just draw around it, cut it with a jigsaw and sand the edges smooth.
View attachment 210686
Because they’re removable, you can take them off the layout to detail and paint them plus weather the track.
Now that they’re done it’s starting to feel like it’s an actual place I reckon.
View attachment 210683
View attachment 210684
This afternoon’s project was making a barrow crossing out of drinking stirrers.
Ps - the little platform on the right will eventually have a BG parked up with a post office van unloading next to it.
Yes I do regret not doing the line and it’s an awfully long way from here!That's coming alive wonderfully @Cowley
By the time I reached Thurso (1990), it was 156s north from Inverness. I only achieved Kyle with a 37 for haulage (417).
Oh yeah. I think the head gaskets gone.Oh, the Sierra? I meant your snow-covered one back on this linked post.
Oh look at that. Fantastic.
What did they keep in the wee shed on the right I wonder?
Thanks @Iskra.That's coming along very nicely indeed, great work!
This week I have been mostly making a barrow crossing out of doubled up drinks stirrers.
Fiddly but quite satisfying as it hasn’t cost anything.
I’ve just acquired a load more from our local Spoons as I ran out earlier.
4COR
Member
Fantastic looking station building, and a very neat solution for the platforms as well! The barrow crossing looks spot on - my choice of drink stirrer comes from Greggs though (I have a stash for wagon loads ).
Excellent stuff!
).Excellent stuff!