Minffordd Update: What's New in 2024

An update to this blog is severely overdue, it appears.   I hadn't realised it had been so long since I had last posted.

There's been no big leap forward since the autumn but there have been developments in a number of directions.

Rolling stock acquisition continues steadily.

The most recent arrivals are a suitably ragbag selection of carriages to represent the final few years of steam haulage on the Cambrian, made up of various ex-GWR designs from Collett and Hawksworth.

A Standard 3MT, with an authentic Machynlleth identity, has joined the fleet, along with one of the new Hornby 2-6-0 2MTs.

Both still require investment in sound chips and speakers, as does our 'Old Gent' Prince which is running-in on the home test track following surgery to straighten its frames to 1960s condition.

On the layout there's been a major rethink on the fiddle yard with a decision to ease the entry curve at the Harlech end, because it was slightly too tight for the steam engines and their pony trucks - it was fine when we had originally envisaged only running DMUs and Bo-Bo diesels.

This has necessitated the construction of a 4"-wide shelf extension - it's not ideal but needs must.

Underneath Himself has been getting on with the electrics, connecting up the point motors and the tracks for DCC operation.

I've been called into action to scratch the louvres into the glazing sheets on the 'Barns' to represent the iconic, but impractical, ventilation arrangements on these carriages.

Currently on my workbench is a shrunken representation of the Minffordd goods shed which is making good progress.

Finally, a plug for what its looking like our only exhibition appearance of 2024 as we prepare to take Dduallt to the SEC in Glasgow for the Model Rail Scotland show at the end of the month.

Do come and see us and say hello if you are able to visit the show.

The Matrix

I'm not the only one who has been given a headache by this layout in recent weeks.

This time it's been Himself's turn.

He's been trying to remember how he made the point routing system for the fiddle yards on Dduallt more than 20 years ago.

Eventually he managed to find two Railway Modeller articles on a 'Push Button Routing System' which were in the October and November 1974 editions and the spidery circuit diagrams that he used.

Nothing but cutting edge technology on this layout!

If you're looking to make these for yourself the main components are some copper clad strip board and diodes.

He tells me there's 1 board for the 6 routes and the other for the output to the 5 point motors (2 coils each)

The diodes are wired between them to form a matrix logic system which fires the points for a set route.

Here is one of the units made up.

The red wires are from the rotary switch for the 6 roads, the yellow and white go to the point coils.

What they will control is this:

A couple of the points will have have to be switch operated - the furthest kick-back siding point and the loco release points at the ends of the sidings.

Now he's got to finish wiring it all up and see if it works!

Connecting It Up

The point motors have been fitted to the upper end fiddle yard and are in the process of being wired up

The five points controlling access to the 6 main storage roads will be operated by rotary switch and button via a CDU unit and diode matrix board.

Himself built some of these over 20 or so years ago for Dduallt.

They're still working perfectly and on the basis of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' he's intending to use the same circuitry again.