I haven’t had much time for the Cornhill & Atherton recently, so nothing to report or ask you guys about – funny how life has a habit of getting in the way of your hobby

Nothing innovative here – just a point of view and approach that may be of interest to some.

When I built my chainsaw I initially used DC and then converted to DCC to make objective comparisons. No surprise that DCC won the contest, but I was introduced to the dubious pleasure of obscure short circuit sleuthing.

One of the strangest was an intermittent short related to poor manufacturing tolerances on the built in switch of a solenoid turnout motor.

I have found another good reason not to lay track and run trains

The inside of the helix is a place that I don't want to visit on any regular basis. Ducking in and out is OK now, but in 10 years time?  - I don't think so!

So I've decided to be ultra cautious on the Helix wiring.

Just had our Easter weekend break so I had 2 extra days available for construction and progress has been astonishing – way beyond what I expected to achieve, which makes a change from the usual 70% achievement of plan at best.

A few photos........

When you only have 8x11 available for your railroad, its interesting how ones mind starts to work. There is a temptation to squeeze in as much as possible but I think that’s a mistake. I want an illusion of some open spaces and places “over the horizon”.

For example:

As part of top deck installation I needed a lift out section for the door. Here is a picture of the just constructed, bracket/support “thingy”. It basically links the Helix exit with the lift out section.

Atherton engine terminal will sit on top of the helix to offset the loss of space a helix can cause. This creates 2 issues:
 

The Helix Is In; which after my induction to the “top down” club at Christmas, was supposed to be the last job!

Following advice from Alan (wizard of LK&O)  I had a rethink and redesign of the helix.

The Cornhill and Atherton is born……..

Christmas seems to be the time that I make most progress, so the chainsaw layout has been chain sawed and I finally make a start on the main event. Although I now have a dedicated railroad room it’s only 11 x 8   (space is at a premium in the UK). So after months of investigation and thought I settled on a 2 deck arrangement linked with a helix.

For those of you who saw the birth of this "economy" switcher a few weeks ago  - here it is at work.

The next thing to work on is my photography skills - new camera - no clue !

Isn't this hobby great - endless horizons, always something new to learn

The Prototype:

The Model (before) :

I  bought this on eBay because: