A complete shunting puzzle on Derry's Yard

I could have done Take after Take to achieve a perfect running session.
Well I think that life's not perfect, so why hide all the little glitches. If you make something like this it will take a lot of refinement, even then forgetting to switch a point in time happens !!
I'm still refining the operation of Kadees on Derry's Yard. The occasional 'hang-up' still happens although I get many puzzles finished without a missed function. When there are hang-ups, or other fails, I try to understand why and try to work out a 'Fix'. One day it might be perfect, but by then I'll be looking for another challenge.
If my school-boy racer driving offends you, sorry, but I was fighting the clock. Normally I set a slow crawl and just use the backwards & forwards buttons.
Geoff T.

[@SouthDown]

Except for the track at the back, this is a replica of my first shelf layout. This brought back many pleasant memories, thank you! And that is another smooth running engine, absolutely critical for enjoying this aspect of the hobby. The way you drive it as well makes it that more realistic and enjoyable to me.

[@dad1ipms]

Hi SDS ,This has a problem, I enjoy driving it so much I'm not getting on to try and finish the scenic bits. One of which is to try and include an old loco smoke unit in a building to have a smoking chimney. Then add an IR Dot towards the end of the back right siding so when something blocks the light a works siren goes off. I'm full of silly ideas to distract the driver !!.

[@SouthDown]

Guilty as charged,@@dad1ipms! I'll be honest, once I got my track done and wired, what little time I have I dedicated to playing with my trains. Nothing like a good shunting session to fulfill a hard day's work.

[@1977ajax]

Nice. But I don't think I've seen one of these videos where the uncouplers work reliably. Is the equipment really that unreliable? Would have thought manufacturers would have smashed this one decades ago.

[@dad1ipms]

I have them working perfectly on a couple of layouts. The biggest problem on this one was using insulated frog points where small locomotives can't run reliably at very low speeds. They were used to keep this whole layout as short as possible. In addition the magnets were cut to 1/2 of the manufacturers supplied length. Even then the locomotive was still in the curve of the points on the two back magnets and this takes the couplers off the track centreline. My HSII & the clubs Green Frog Brewery will work 100%. To work by gentle magnetic forces any stock needs to be harmonised for a specific layout. Then you can add additional set-up problems by using under the track invisible magnets. Because of low magnetic forces changing track depth, and sleeper depth will need specific tuning.

[@davidbell2613]

Can you tell me the dimensions of the track length please I would love to build this

[@dad1ipms]

Hi David, It was planned to be 48" long, the standard ply/MDF/chipboard sheet width. It's a little under 16" wide although there is a lot of spare space for scenic elements and could easily be reduced in width by several inches. I started with "it was planned" when stating the length, but this was found to be too short to incorporate all the running options needed. First I had the loco I was going to use, a Hornby J94. A very powerful locomotive, but over and above that it has a 'compensated' chassis. The compensated chassis offered sprung centre wheels that allow quality electric pickup over the "Set Track" points that I had to use. So just in case this is getting "gobbledygook" I'll explain that Set Track points are the standard train set geometry with insulated plastic block common crossings. These are notorious for causing slow speed stalling on the point - However that is the very last thing you need on a slow speed shunting layout. So I was making things difficult for myself, but A) I had them for free (Inherited ). B) Because they have a tighter turn angle a cross-over pair of points is as short as you can achieve in '00'. To operate an efficient Hands-Free coupling and un-coupling system there was only one option that I would use - Kadees. These need magnets either in, or just under the track and can be notorious for setting up to work well. Space is required for magnets again stretching the length requirement. When testing I found that the original 48" was just too short. The headshunt (rear left track) was extended through a hole to get another approx. 2 inches. THIS IS the absolute minimum for it to work well and is dependent on final measurements from coupler magnets to buffers taking the required stock movement. It is a puzzle, with minimal measurands making either success, or failure at several locations. If you really do 'go for it' I can provide further quirky driving requirements to operate 100% of all possible puzzles. Geoff T.