Hornby Dublo


This page hosts matters related to the Hornby Dublo model railway system - to keep things separate from the radio-related materials on the main "Shack Nasties" blog.

Scroll down or follow these links...
[ CAD Software ] [ Track Plans ] [ Track Hacks ] [ Rolling Repairs ] [ Meet the Fleet ]







































CAD Software

Whilst other fine Model Railway CAD packages are available, SCARM has the advantages of being free and handling our beloved Hornby Dublo 3-rail trackwork straight out of the box.

Here's the layout depicted as Figure 4 in the HD "Rail Layouts" booklet, implemented in SCARM...


SCARM even offers 3-D visualisation for those with restricted imagination!

This particular layout was chosen as it includes the fabulously expensive 1/8th straights ("EDBS"), required to implement the return loops. There's a note on hacking these components here...

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Track Plans

I like playing with big, loose-laid layouts, spilling over from the dining table onto extra baseboards built for the purpose.

Here's a SCARM plan of the most recent game...


The dining table hosts the right-hand end, sufficient for station and goods yard, some of which are seen here...


The central section includes a long, double-line straight (I like trains to have a chance to straighten themselves out and RUN), a passing loop and carriage sidings.

The left hand end forms a return loop around the MPD...



There is actually another bit of "track hacking" - not yet described in these notes - at the entry to the bridge in the layout above. There's also a new member of the HD track family, the EDA2-1/2, in the junction at the right-hand end.

Life and domestic space being what it is, I rarely have chance to sprawl all over the dining room with my "Perfect Table-Top Railway". At times like those, I make do with smaller layouts...

The HD Inglenook

Recent exploits with repairing an old, freebie Hammant and Morgan Powermaster gave my locos slow-speed performance which previously I had not experienced. Accordingly, my thoughts turned to an idea that had long been simmering away at the back of my mind...

Instead of any old test track to try out the new controller and the HD locos, I ended up making a little Dublo "Inglenook" shunting puzzle.

Here's the layout in SCARM...

As you see, I have a section of single-track "mainline", with a network of roads off "below" it (in the orientation of the picture). This network follows the "Inglenook" formula, first demonstrated (in Manchester!) by Alan Wright. The sidings are of fixed length in terms of the stock to be shunted on them - two roads can accommodate 3 items of stock, another 5 items and the "headshunt" formed by the road which leads off the mainline section, can host 3 items plus the loco ("MP").

Practically speaking, in HD language, these siding lengths are determined by the position of the uncouplers - it might be possible to squeeze 4 or 6 wagons onto one of the spurs, but not to uncouple them there automatically! The lowest of the spurs (in the SCARMS drawing above) has a little EBDS straight between the points (/ switch) and the uncoupler. Although this extends the 3-unit spur, it also helps operation of the uncoupler, by straightening the units of stock passing over it.

Here's a picture of the business end of the Inglenook layout, as thrown together on the "return loop table" for controller testing...


Of course, what starts as a simple test track soon becomes a distracting shunting puzzle game - where did all that time go?

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Track Hacks

No doubt some HD purists will find these notes offensive - but needs must...

There are times when the "modular" HD 3-rail track limits and frustrates the ambitions of the (model) railway developer. Here are two instances when I've found modifications worthwhile.

First, an "additive" hack, making a track longer to save money.
Second, a "subtractive" hack, making a track shorter to recover alignment.

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An Additive Hack

We've already noted (when considering the "return loop" track formation) how toe-curlingly expensive the short 1/8th straight "EDBS" can be - the price per metre of HD track is by no means constant! Faced with the choice of opening up the m0xpd wallet or doing something smarter, the second option won out...

Here's a half-straight, EDB1-1/2, with a pukka EDBS on the end next to another half straight about to receive an additional grafted section from the end of a grotty donor rail...


I've cut off 33 mm from the end of the donor and add it to the half straight using a couple of fishplates. The joint in the centre rail is soldered (remembering to ensure that the now unused termination is insulated. I've also soldered over the fishplates, for security...


Here's the finished lengthened section in use in a "Return Loop" application, after cleaning up and painting...


A few minutes work saves the crazy expense of a real EDBS short rail section! HD Home




































A Subtractive Hack

Here's a different type of hack, in which we make a custom track section by shortening an EDB1-1/2 straight, with the aim of recovering alignment - making possible a track formation otherwise impossible in HD 3 rail...

The "motivating problem" arises from throwing a pair of parallel lines off from another parallel pair at "standard" spacing (i.e. that generated by a pair of back-to-back points). The lines leading away are almost at the "standard" spacing - but their ends are NOT aligned. This means it is impossible to connect the lines with e.g. points for a run-around loop. Here's the problem in SCARM...


A little geometry soon identifies that the misalignment is 10.69mm in length (73 mm is half the EDB1-1/2 length), so we carefully chop that length out of a half straight...


Then we snip out the centre rail...


and solder a little single-core wire into one of the centre rail ends for alignment...


Finally, we slide the short "sleeper" section along the rails, guiding the centre rail by inserting the wire into its middle (the centre rail is made of folded sheet - not solid), solder the centre rail back together and trim the main rails to length...


Here's our new custom rail doing its intended job on a loose-laid table top layout - notice the points allowing a loco to run around stock it has drawn onto the double "siding"...


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Rolling Repairs

One of the joys of HD is the fact that it can be repaired! Here are some repair stories that show what can be done - with an emphasis on DIY and home-brewing (rather than resorting to that vulgar practice of spending money). Collectors and purists might like to cover their eyes...

A Riveting Story

Here's a sad little meat van, who arrived at this preserved railway with a stuck coupling. I tried to loosen it, but wasn't happy with the results - so I removed the offending rivet...


It was clear why the coupling was sticking - there was next-to-nothing of the original rivet left and some previous owner had tried to struggle through with the last fragments of what remained. Not good enough.

You can BUY rivets (shock horror) but those with access to tools and with the wit to use them easily can make up new ones as required...


Here are the new components ready to fit...


After which, a careful tap with a hammer is all that's required...


Ron Dodd explains how and where to tap and how to arrange a nice little riveting dolly in one of his excellent videos.

Putting back your Bogies

Once you can make rivets, the world is your oyster. Consider this sad little suburban - she had a missing buffer and had fallen off one of her bogies...

She looks good-for-nothing - but there's all sorts of transfer kits to pretty up the sides with and a roof respray is easy. Those sort of superficial renovations are well-described elsewhere.

What about the structural stuff?

Soldering back the buffer, bending tinplate into the right shape and applying a quick spray of black paint (with everything else carefully masked off) is child's play...


If you can make a coupling rivet (above) a bogie rivet is easy - not least because it is bigger and easier to see! Here's one I made earlier, sitting on the waiting bogie...

A gentle peen will see the bogie back in place...



The shine below isn't a pool of oil (which would be WRONG) - rather it is the film where I wiped off excess...



Before you know it, a good-for-nothing pile of tin is good for something...



All aboard!


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Meet the Fleet

Here's the present loco fleet as it was a few months ago, resting on shed, after a long day hauling tinplate...


There's the ol' faithful A4 Silver King from my first childhood. Then the Duchess of Montrose. Then the N2 tank from Pickering which re-ignited all this craziness. Then a lovely Castle. Then a play-scarred 4MT.

Sulking on her own on the single road in the background, too humble to join the others on the turntable, is a little N2 in LNER colours.

But she's got nothing to sulk about - for under her pole-pieces lurks a fancy new NdFeB magnet (actually a bog-standard, anything-but-fancy, ten-a-penny magnet from ebay) and now she pulls like a three-year old. The other block-magneted locos are all jealous.

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