86 replies to this topic

[beast66606]

I intend to show how Railroad and Co Traincontroller can be used to control British colour lights and to implement some of the rules which surround their use.

RR is free to download and try, there are limitations but for this purpose the free download can be used to follow along should anyone so wish.

This will not cover automation so please, ask TTG if you need assistance with that.

For the purpose of this clinic, I have adopted the following track/signaling plan - after being asked to progress an old thread.
It's based on Audley Road

Yes Fay - it's got the trap ! - and the upside down signal will be corrected.



please feel free to ask any questions, as I plod along, I will try my best to answer.
I can also make the RailRoad files available if anyone wants them - please PM me at any point and I will send the latest versions.

And so to business ...

[beast66606]

Step 1 - Draw the track plan

[Supaned]

Dave , looking at the Freiwald website , I can't see which software is needed to follow this lesson - any chance you can point us in the right direction?

Cheers

[Fay Singpoint]

beast66606, on 13 January 2011 - 17:01 , said:

Yes Fay - it's got the trap ! - and the upside down signal will be corrected.

Stuff the trap points. This is good stuff

I printed off the user manual (all 341 pages) and it looks some piece of software. What's even better is, as you said, you can try before you buy.

F

[Hiddle]

The manual is impressive, but the problem is that it tells you what the software does, and assumes a level of knowledge numpties like me don't have to make it actually work.

Which is why threads like this are an absolute boon - so thanks to those who take the trouble to share their knowledge.

Couldn't someone publish RR&Co for Dummies?

[beast66606]

Supaned, on 13 January 2011 - 19:37 , said:

Dave , looking at the Freiwald website , I can't see which software is needed to follow this lesson - any chance you can point us in the right direction?

Cheers

Sure - no problem - I'm using Gold from this page

[beast66606]

Hiddle, on 13 January 2011 - 20:27 , said:

Couldn't someone publish RR&Co for Dummies?

You're reading it ! - at least for British colour light signalling, I can do semaphores as well of course.

[andyrush]

Well done Dave. Just in time to help me do Twenty Feet River, although that will be semaphores.

I'm still very much on a learning curve with RR&Co, but I've managed to get the 'move up' sections in the loft working reasonably well. A lot of hurtling from one part of the house to check the latest tweak is keeping me fit at least!

Andy

[Mr.S.corn78]

Hi,

Track plan done.

Looking forward to this.

Hopefully i can get my head around it

cheers
Simon

[beast66606]

All ready ? - here we go then

Time to add some signals.

Add some 3-aspect signals, make sure you change the images to the more conventional view.


For ground signals/shunts I've used a 2-aspect signal, we will return to this later and make it more British. The feather is a 2-aspect signal, don't forget to add that.

Ensure all signals have a unique address, click the button "Search next free" (if this was a real layout then they would be defined by the DCC connection, but for this purpose we need to ensure they are unique)


I've numbered each signal, for ease of reference, I will also change it's name in RR when I do some work, I will remind you later, I use the convention sNNN, eh s101, s201 ( s = signal, other prefixes will be used as we wander along)

This should now reflect the physical setup we are using.

I've also numbered the points, note they are not paired, the software can do that, I'm keeping it easy for reference, the prototype would number things differently.


Remembering all signals are 3-aspect can anyone now spot a problem ?

[The Stationmaster]

beast66606, on 15 January 2011 - 08:07 , said:

Remembering all signals are 3-aspect can anyone now spot a problem ?

I'm just an interested observer on all this but how do you provide a Y/G aspect control for the most advanced signals (e.g 105) in each direction?

[beast66606]

The Stationmaster, on 15 January 2011 - 10:16 , said:

I'm just an interested observer on all this but how do you provide a Y/G aspect control for the most advanced signals (e.g 105) in each direction?

Exactly

[Audley Road]

That was where I got completely stuck when I tried myself....

Do we assign the points an address as well as the signals?

[beast66606]

Audley Road, on 15 January 2011 - 13:59 , said:

That was where I got completely stuck when I tried myself....

Do we assign the points an address as well as the signals?

Yes, each signal should have a unique address (but note that 101, for example, is 3 "signals"), as should each point.

You should be able to click on each signal and it will change without any others changing - if more than one changes then the addresses are the same.

[two tone green]

Dont forget, a three or four aspect signal uses two addresses. So a three aspect signal whose address is 100 will actually use 100 and 101 so the next signal is 102.

[Mr.S.corn78]

Right day two done with out to much trouble

Beast, i take it that the little lines below some of the signals is just to show its normal one on a post rather than a ground one??

cheers
simon

[beast66606]

Mr.S.corn78, on 15 January 2011 - 20:30 , said:

Right day two done with out to much trouble

Beast, i take it that the little lines below some of the signals is just to show its normal one on a post rather than a ground one??

cheers
simon

The lines represent the post, so yes.

[beast66606]

As TTG says care needs to be taken with the DCC addresses, ensure these are unique, as I'm demonstrating how to use RR to emulate a signal box panel this doesn't matter to me - but it will when you come to connect any software panel to the layout.

StatonMaster spotted an issue, which is typical of model railways, we have provided 3-aspect signals as "starters"* - i.e the last signal in our scene, it includes a distant signal which is controlled by the next signal (if a 3-aspect was a semaphore it would be a home and distant and the distant would be controlled by the next signal box (I know that's not always true, but let's not deviate))

To provide a means of ensuring the starters will show Y(ellow) on occasion or G(reen) I have added two "virtual" signals, these are not part of the model (hence virtual) but they are provided to allow correct aspect sequencing, we will eventually make them work automatically - but more of that in the future, for now, we add a two-aspect signal at each end of the layout.

* starters in this plan are 102, 103, 104, 105 and 107

[Mr.S.corn78]

beast66606, on 16 January 2011 - 19:10 , said:

As TTG says care needs to be taken with the DCC addresses, ensure these are unique, as I'm demonstrating how to use RR to emulate a signal box panel this doesn't matter to me - but it will when you come to connect any software panel to the layout.

Hi Beast,

Many thanks for doing this thread as it is explaining the way to set railroad and co up for a UK track plan. I know other people may do it diffrent ways but its nice to know the way you guys do it
I know this will be jumping ahead and possibly nothing to do with this thread and post in time but

How would you set up the signals with the DCC address to enable it to connect to the layout. Am i right in thinking you would use the same numbering system for the dcc adressing, i.e. 101 etc? (taking in to account the signals will have extra address needed to work as TTG has mentioned) or is it better to sitick to 1,2,3

cheers
Simon

[beast66606]

Mr.S.corn78, on 16 January 2011 - 21:14 , said:

Hi Beast,

Many thanks for doing this thread as it is explaining the way to set railroad and co up for a UK track plan. I know other people may do it diffrent ways but its nice to know the way you guys do it
I know this will be jumping ahead and possibly nothing to do with this thread and post in time but

How would you set up the signals with the DCC address to enable it to connect to the layout. Am i right in thinking you would use the same numbering system for the dcc adressing, i.e. 101 etc? (taking in to account the signals will have extra address needed to work as TTG has mentioned) or is it better to sitick to 1,2,3

cheers
Simon

Hi Simon,

The DCC device numbering for the layout is dependant on how you do it, for example the Digitrax SE8C allows 8 points to be driven, these have DCC numbers 1 - 8, fixed, but Switchits allow programming, so these can have the "true" point number, 201, 202 etc. The signals also have fixed addresses, so an SE8C gives little option ! The answer is therefore Yes, or No ! depending on the hardware.

[Hiddle]

Please Sir, which signal is the 2 aspect feather, to which you refer in passing, and is it just set up as a standard two aspect for now?

Keen to find out in due course how you make a feather work, as it has me stumped!

[beast66606]

Hiddle, on 16 January 2011 - 21:28 , said:

Please Sir, which signal is the 2 aspect feather, to which you refer in passing, and is it just set up as a standard two aspect for now?

Keen to find out in due course how you make a feather work, as it has me stumped!

Hi Hiddle,

yes its just a plain 2-aspect for now, it's the signal at the top of 101.

hth

[beast66606]

If anyone is not comfortable with a RailRoad route, please say now ... tomorrow I will be adding these to the plan, and starting to get the signals clearing.

[Mr.S.corn78]

beast66606, on 16 January 2011 - 21:33 , said:

If anyone is not comfortable with a RailRoad route, please say now ... tomorrow I will be adding these to the plan, and starting to get the signals clearing.

I havent got a clue, something to do with a path?????

i'm sure i will pick it up

cheers
Simon

[beast66606]

Some screen shots covering how to add a route

Selecting from menu


Drop the route onto the panel and set it's name (I use r and the signal, so r106 for the example shown), select the route tab and then click record, I always set the route to start after the "base" of the signal and end at the base - see pic below. Notice the dialog in the top left, I am defining the route here, so click at the start position (at signal 106) and the end position (at signal 105) and then click the tick to accept.



Selecting "operate" (Tools -> operate) and then clicking on the route button should make the route light up, and clicking it again should turn it off.