 Joined: 22/05/2020(UTC) Posts: 32 Location: West Hartford, CT
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Hi all, I have a sheet of plywood as a base for my layout. The plan is to add scenery etc after the infrastructure is completed. My layout is analog with signals controlled from the old school switch buttons. How should I mount the signal to the base board so as to conceal the solenoid housing and its connections? One idea is to invert the mast and mount the housing underneath the table. Another is to use a remote mast base. I'd like to keep in mind the option of servicing the solenoid sometime in the future if needed, but this is my first time doing this and I'd like to know what others have done! This is my first permanent layout and I'd like to make sure I plan correctly. Here is the signal placement. There will be a tunnel portal just behind the signal and the area in front is a grassy field.   Thanks!
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 Joined: 15/12/2005(UTC) Posts: 3,589 Location: Spain
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For the type of signal shown, you should use Märklin 7230. Its a bracket that allows you to mount the signal on the baseboard, and install the solenoid in another place.
It is no longer in the current catalogue... |
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 Joined: 09/05/2012(UTC) Posts: 187 Location: Canberra
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Hi Brian, Probably the easiest way is to build scenery around the signal base - either have the level of the land coming over the solenoid or building some kind of a scenic structure (e.g. brick) for the solenoid. I'm not sure of how to invert that kind of signal but if you can and mount the solenoid under the base then that would be good for access. One last option is to cut a rebate into the base so that the solenoid sits in that and then landscape over. I chose to leave the signal sitting on the base board. That gives me easy access but it requires more work to get the scenery right.  Good luck with whichever way you chose. It looks as though your cat is taking a keen interest in your hobby. Cheers, John
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 3 users liked this useful post by sidblack
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 Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC) Posts: 3,555 Location: Paris, France
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Hi Brian I had the exact same problem, trying to use old Märklin semaphore signals with a rather large mechanism. My Solution was to cut a rectangular hole so that the whole signal and its mechanism could be lowered so that the top of the signal comes flush with the plywood top. Height adjustemnt by using thick cardboard rectangles Here is a simple sketch  Rectangular cut of plywood comes very easy with a vibrating tool / saw such as a Bosch one Cheers Jean |
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4 users liked this useful post by JohnjeanB
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Joined: 26/07/2021(UTC) Posts: 635 Location: Sydney
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You can score up to about 4mm 3ply with scalpel, you can cut it easily. Scoring across the grain and the centre layer will snap easily. Scoring along the grain and you will have to work a bit harder for the centre grain. Attack from both sides.
Personally I would just do two parallel strips and glue to a larger piece for underneath, and then screw that up.
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1 user liked this useful post by Toosmall
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Joined: 10/02/2021(UTC) Posts: 3,881 Location: Michigan, Troy
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Those, or you could hot glue them down, or use a weak glue like Gorilla glue. Maybe paint the wooden substrate first, so scraping off to remove may be easier if need be. Then you can cover the solenoid with an enclosure box, or a bush, or lichen.
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 Joined: 04/04/2013(UTC) Posts: 1,291 Location: Port Moody, BC
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Originally Posted by: hxmiesa  For the type of signal shown, you should use Märklin 7230. Its a bracket that allows you to mount the signal on the baseboard, and install the solenoid in another place.
It is no longer in the current catalogue... That is exactly what I did before I switched over to Viessmann signals. I used the 7230 to mount the signal on the base and then located the solenoid below the table. Depending on where I mounted the solenoid I had to solder on extensions to the signal wires. In case you are interested in following that approach I now have several 7230 mounting brackets that I am willing to sell. PM me if interested. Peter
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1 user liked this useful post by PMPeter
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Joined: 26/07/2021(UTC) Posts: 635 Location: Sydney
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If you haven't screwed down the track you could make a template with an internal hole for a router to follow to cut the holes. The corners of the hole will be the radius to the cutter, which could be further filed out. Screw the template down to the base board to each of the locations to cut out the hole.
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Joined: 22/05/2020(UTC) Posts: 32 Location: West Hartford, CT
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Originally Posted by: PMPeter Originally Posted by: hxmiesa For the type of signal shown, you should use Märklin 7230. Its a bracket that allows you to mount the signal on the baseboard, and install the solenoid in another place.
It is no longer in the current catalogue... That is exactly what I did before I switched over to Viessmann signals. I used the 7230 to mount the signal on the base and then located the solenoid below the table. Depending on where I mounted the solenoid I had to solder on extensions to the signal wires. In case you are interested in following that approach I now have several 7230 mounting brackets that I am willing to sell. PM me if interested. Peter Hi Peter, I'll take you up on that. I had a thought and realized mounting the solenoids under the table won't work for the upper levels of my layout because I won't have sufficient area to access the solenoids between levels. What I'll do is make a board and remotely mount the solenoids of each signal on the board and connect them with a wiring loom. I'll send you a private message about the 7230 pieces.
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1 user liked this useful post by Brian_BR96
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Joined: 22/05/2020(UTC) Posts: 32 Location: West Hartford, CT
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Originally Posted by: sidblack Hi Brian, Probably the easiest way is to build scenery around the signal base - either have the level of the land coming over the solenoid or building some kind of a scenic structure (e.g. brick) for the solenoid. I'm not sure of how to invert that kind of signal but if you can and mount the solenoid under the base then that would be good for access. One last option is to cut a rebate into the base so that the solenoid sits in that and then landscape over. I chose to leave the signal sitting on the base board. That gives me easy access but it requires more work to get the scenery right. Good luck with whichever way you chose. It looks as though your cat is taking a keen interest in your hobby. Cheers, John The cat loves the trains. She likes to play damsel in distress, although she's still afraid once the loco rounds the bend and comes at her!
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3 users liked this useful post by Brian_BR96
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Joined: 26/10/2015(UTC) Posts: 32 Location: USA
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Originally Posted by: Brian_BR96;652003 The cat loves the trains. She likes to play damsel in distress, although she' Our youngest 'child', Kristl'Yannah, is a blue merle as is her mother Sophia. We have a large aerodrome not far from our house and while Krista doesn't think to much of the Migs, the Dries (Sukhoi) she tries to 'catch' them. I did not know she could jump so high but she does give a try although she does not bark. Barking is not allowed in our digs and that includes the two girls and Aleksandr, the biggest mahogany boy collie you will ever see. He's 2.5 m. long tip of nose to tip of tail. We also have 5 'cat things' and one is the spitting image of your cat thing. His name is Shurik and he had a chat with the vet to get rid of the wanderlust   he was affected with. Worked, too.
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