insulated rail connection

[korm kormsen]

as i got just a handfull of LGB's yellow connectors, but need dozens, i had to come up with something homemade.

after some less exciting ideas i tried this:
cableconnectors of the right size, without the metalparts.
first i split the plastic on the roundish underside. but if one splits on the side, where the screws were, the connector stays free of the wheels.

i think, the pic should be more or less self expicatory.

 

[Tony]

Top Tip !!!!!!!!!!!

Tony

 

[beavercreek]

Nice one Korm
we call the electic connector block 'chocky-block' beacuase of its similarity to a chocolate block of old but the coulour of LGB sleeprs is like chocolate and it is being used as an insulator so.....'chocky block' seems very apt!

 

[Dtsteam]

Excellent tip Korm. Especially as they're not bright yellow ! People seem to comment on the yellow insulators as they are so obvious, and they don't take paint for long. Any suggestions for the 'insides' ?
PS Korm - is your website up ? [I've lost the link] and has it got a trackplan yet ?

 

[dudley]

a man after my own heart, always looking to use bits and pieces that lay around, great stuff.

 

[korm kormsen]

thanks, gentlemen.

Beaver, i knew them in germany as "Schoko-Riegel" meaning about the same.
(here they refer to "those thingies, to screw cables together")

David, have you tried to "paint" the yellow blocks with a permanent marker?
i got two indoors that are still black after more than ten years.
the website is at: http://kormsen.info
but there is no plan.
on my pc i got many plans. (they actually grow in numbers - quicker, than the layout itself evolves)

 

[korm kormsen]

well, here a quick overview of the actual valid plan:
it is a two storey layout.
somewhere between 300 and 400 foot of track.
eight stations with (at least) two sidings(mainline plus one siding)
eight trains (four in each direction)
basicly all trains will leave four of the stations simutainously to their next station (occupying each another block of track during drive. then occupying four of the stations with two trains each. repeating)
by position of the reeds and by use of "timers" traffic will be seem to be staggered.

 

[Dtsteam]

Thanks Korm - thats going to be very impressive when its finished. At least I can follow the pictures now. Did you ever sort out your automation ? We did think about it on holiday but didn't get very far.

 

[korm kormsen]

the automation for six of the eight stations is simple - and something i had already working on the last layout.
the only complicated thing are the two headstations.
but with a lot of international ideas and help i got two alternative plans, how to make it run.

if you look on my site under "Benchwork" the first pic is taken on the extreme right of the plan, facing left.

the second from the lower right, facing the upper middle.
under "Track" you see the lower right corner in the three first pics.
below that from the lower middle facing right and from the right facing left.
under "Landscape" -> "backgrounds" are pics from the lower wall on the plan.

 

[largescale]

Excellent idea Korm.Was track laying today and used all my yellow connectors, need at least two more so now I know what to do.
Regards
David

 

[korm kormsen]

Was track laying today and used all my yellow connectors, need at least two more so now I know what to do.

if you later should decide to replace the yellow ones by the tighter fitting homemade ones, please tell.


btw: in a german forum i just got the tip to try something else.
shoving the railends into one of these heatshrinking hoses, then after crimping a fishplate around it, just cutting the shrinking stuff to free the railheads.
the guy wrote, that he got good tight connections that way.