Cowra - Construction, February 2026
Track being set out near one end of a front module.
After our Group's customary break over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, work continued on the four new modules. On the two modules for the rear storage yard, the trackwork was temporarily set out to allow for pre-drilling of 8mm diameter holes for the future installation of Tortoise point motors. These will be mounted later underneath the layout. Smaller diameter holes were drilled for the wire to the frog power connection. The plywood modules were then painted with an undercoat and a topcoat.
On the two modules for the front sceniced part of the layout, the trackwork was also temporarily set out. Holes were pre-drilled where points and track power feeds were to go in the same manner as for the storage yard modules. Square holes were cut out of the baseboard for the future installation of under track uncoupling magnets. These cut outs were marked with black marking pen alongside the cork roadbed to mark the locations for future reference. Trackwork was set out and laid using AMRI cork strips under the track. All track is Peco code 75 and all points are Electrofrog.
All Electrofrog points were modified before installation by:
- Removing the over-centering spring from the under the keeper plate as it is not required with Tortoise motors moving the points
- Soldering in tinned copper wire under the rails to electrically bridge the outer stock rails to their adjacent closure rails, removing the reliance on the point blades to transfer track power
- Removing the wire links from between the frog and the closure rails, isolating the frog completely
Modifications done to all the Peco code 75 Electrofrog points.
Modifications done to all the Peco code 75 Electrofrog points.
As our new layout will be operated by Digital Command Control (DCC), allowance was made for each individual piece of track to have its own track power feeds. Metal joiners between sections of track were also soldered in place.
Custom Printed Circuit Board (PCB Sleepers) and Track Power Sleepers to match Peco's code 75 sleeper dimensions were obtained through ControlIt. The PCB sleepers are used to retain the rails at module ends. The Track power sleepers join track power wire droppers to the rails in an easy and invisible manner and are designed to be used as individual or dual sleepers.
Module end showing a modified set of points with ControlIt custom Printed Cicruit Boards sleepers below to the left and Track Power Sleepers to the right.
The sides of the rails were painted to represent rusty steel and the sleepers were painted a pale grey. The track was then ballasted with Matts Ballast products - Cootamundra HO for all tracks and the sidings were overlaid with finer N scale ballast to represent the lesser maintained areas.
Track laid across the module joins. A ControlIt track power sleeper can be seen on the lower part of the middle track. Two wires are soldered to the two holes in the middle of the sleeper and dropped through pre-drilled holes in the baseboard. The track on the right is yet to be painted. The rails will be cut between the Printed Circuit Sleeper board pairs above after ballasting.
Straight tracks laid on cork, painted and ballasting commenced. ControlIt track power sleepers soldered to rails on each track are amongst the trackwork.
Track and cork near one module end. Track has been painted and partially ballasted. The locations of cut outs for future under track uncoupling magnets can be seen on the lower left and upper right marked with black marking pen beside the cork.