ITG

If you do opt for DCC, take a look at DCC Concepts Alpha Panel or Alpha Mimic. The latter is what I used on a physical panel, complete with LED indicators. Both are pretty much a case of following instructions to plug and play, so may help dilute the learning curve. No connection other than a satisfied user. ian

I am using kitchen units for storage under my under-construction layout, but being concerned about ease of under-board access, I mounted each cupboard unit on casters, and the layout board itself is ply-framed on a mixture of legs and battens. Legs are spaced to allow a cupboard unit to be rolled out if needed. Ian

Thanks all, we bought advance tickets back in December last year, and even then there wasn’t a full range of time options for our dates. So we are booked at 3pm, no other earlier choice. Ian

Not strictly a modelling help topic, but I’m off to Hamburg next week for a few days, primarily to visit Miniature Wunderland, plus time for a Beatles memory lane trip, few beers, sightseeing etc. Just wondered if anyone knew of decent model shops in Hamburg. Not that I want any non-UK models, but as I use Roco and Yamorc DCC kit, maybe I could pick up items which are out of stock here at present. thanks ian

A suggestion out of the blue….. I’ve had cause to fit a few roller blinds in the last few months, and the blackout type tend to have almost a smooth rubbery feel. May fit your criteria of smoothness but no idea about taking paint. Might be worth meandering in B&Q, Homebase etc. although you’d end up with surplus cords and rollers, unless you can somehow work those into your situation horizontally. If you think it’s suitable, might be worth contacting one of the on line retailers, as (a) cheaper, (b) they do offer spares, which suggests they may be able to do ‘blind only’ without all the fittings (c) they tailor make to any size Good luck Ian

Is that saying you’ve already laid the track, and thus presumably (all) the points? If so, have you drilled holes underneath each point for the vertical pin to throw the tie bar of the points? And are your boards able to be turned upside down for the fitting and wiring of the points motors? if the answer to these questions is ‘no’, then you face a different problem. If you haven’t drilled these holes, you’ve either got to take each point up to do so, or limit your self to above-board motors. And wiring 45 points upside down under the board is a challenge if you cannot flip the boards. Ian

I think the bottom line is - no matter if DC or DCC - you need to learn the basics (maybe one or two options) on a couple of points, throughly and before you embark on 45! Tbh, few modellers would start with a position where, to use your words, “they don’t know where to start” when the task is 45 strong. Its ok and perfectly understandable to be learning, but not all at once on so large a number. The chances of you doing 45 points without an error or hiccup are slim, and you’re almost certain to need to troubleshoot. But if you don’t understand how things work (as opposed to following instructions how to install them), that troubleshooting is going to be tough. And I don’t think I saw clarification on whether live or dead frogs? You need to be clear about that, because the chosen option will affect how you wire and install points. Spend time at exhibitions if possible, or at least researching on YouTube. Not trying to be difficult but just trying to explain things in tiny steps. Good luck. Ian

You don’t have to type in addresses. My now-dismantled layout used a push-button LED display on a mimic track diagram. Easy to assemble kit to do this from DCC Concepts Alpha system (no connection etc, and other brands are available, such as Megapoints. ) All I did was push a button, but it could have been a switch. I too used a Prodigy Advanced with that system. As I say, it’s good to make sure you understand the full range of options before spending money and time.

Interesting that you say DCC bus, yet seem to be focusing on turnout motor control of a DC variety? At least, that’s what a lot of the responses seem to align to. whilst it’s true you’d have the additional cost of decoders, the wiring surely would be simpler. In fact, there are many makes of decoders which come in banks of 4, 6 or 8. With so many turnouts, you could locate these multiple decoders near a span of points, and then link using (normally) 3 wires (short if you get the location right). Then it’s just a question of an accessory bus, rather like your DCC bus. There’s not been much mention of frog switching either; if using live frogs, that maybe something to consider. Your choice of course about these fundamentals, but it might be worth considering all the options before embarking. Ian

Well, a further update. When I left the system yesterday, all was well although I hadn’t at that point ran a train. So today, initially the blue light on the booster was solid, and for the first time I ran a loco on both power districts connected to the booster, with accessories running off the Z21. Left it for a while, and came back to find the blue flashing light. And so the situation is exactly as previously. Nothing I try can stop it. Again, I disconnected the 2 districts, and linked them back to the Z21 (as well as accessory bus) and loco runs correctly across the two power districts with turnouts in action as required. Surely that proves I have no track or wiring issues? In any case, with no track at all connected to the booster, I still get the dreaded flashing light. So I don’t think it was the CAN cable, changing that was just a coincidence. It surely must be the booster itself, with an intermittent fault. Maybe when it gets warm? I’ve emailed DCC Train Automation and Roco to see what they think, but unless any of you guys can come up with anything different, that’s where I’m at. But I’ll sleep on it and try anew in the morning. Ian

Ahah! I have such a spare (new) cable, and bingo! Connected it, and on switch on…… no blue flashing lights! Then viewed Z21 Maintenance tool, and Booster presenting on CAN screen with no red ‘stop’ signs. Not yet ran anything on the layout with this configuration but this all looks very promising. Thanks to both Iain and John for respectively suggesting the CAN cable was potentially faulty and suggesting using a Cat5E cable. Ian

I did wonder if it was the cable, or the booster itself. Both are brand new out of the box. I bought them a few months back but it takes time to get to the point of using. I have no way of testing the cable that I can think of. As only half the layout is connected currently purely for testing, I think I’m going to try temporarily connecting the accessory bus and both track buses together through the Z21 only (there’ll only be an odd loco or two running) purely to (a) give me piece of mind that things will run and (b) be able to continue testing before connecting up another baseboard of track. I guess a call to James at DCC Train Automation (where the booster came from) is next unless you or anyone else has a brainwave. It’s all most frustrating. But thanks for your efforts and support. Ian

Clicking the blue bar at bottom right of screen does cause it to flash, and the Z21 light itself, which returns to normal with a second click, but it has no effect on the flashing of the booster or the ‘stop’ signs on the booster screen. What do you think? Ian

I downloaded 1.18.1 and then booster FW update which are now same values as in your screenshot. But it made no difference to the booster window. I still have the ‘red stop sign’ below both booster channels. If I physically disconnect the track connection, and power off/on, still same issues. Thanks for your help - any further ideas? Ian

Z21 firmware updated to 1.43. Is there a method of updating booster firmware? I note now, whilst I’ve been gardening, the booster screen has lost its symbols below the twin displays ( see photo) and there’s a small ‘timeout’ on the right side of screen. Hasn’t made any difference to the blue flashing light. CAN definitely in the sockets labelled such and firmly in. Edit - seems to make no difference with no track connections in booster, even when powered off/on.

Mmm, if it is a simple as described, that didn’t work. I pressed the Z21 button (which always was solid blue), which caused that itself to flash blue. A second press returned to solid blue, then I pressed the booster button, no change. I repeated, this time disconnecting the Z21 and reconnecting, then again tried the booster. No luck. Even with no track connections physically plugged into booster, I cannot remove the blue flashing light. ( I recall you’d said previously about the voltage, I just havent got round to that yet, with focus on the blue light!) thanks Ian

Hi all, I'm hoping someone can help. I have for the first time connected my Z21 and Z21 dual booster to the under construction layout. The two units are linked by canbus. The Z21 drives the accessory bus, and the booster is for track power split into two districts. I first tested only the accessory bus, using a combination of Yamorc 8116 with MTB MP1s and Gaugemaster decoders/solenoids. All working ok. When I first connected the track buses, I realised I had a short which after much investigative work, turned out to be a wrongly used metal rail joiner on a turnout V, rather than an insulated joiner. Now sorted. But I cannot get rid of the blue flashing light on the booster. I’ve tried pressing the button, resetting to factory default, switching off/on. I know the track buses are ok now, as I have separately connected each to the Z21 (temporarily disconnecting the accessory bus), and I can get a loco running in both track districts. The accessory bus is also ok via the Z21. But still the blue flashing light. Attached are photos (whoops upside down for some reason) of the Z21 Maintenance App showing the booster screens. Hoping for some help soon, as may have to go out and do some gardening to relieve the stress! thanks Ian

Hi At only 28” wide, there is insufficient width to accommodate a 180 degree turn, so you are limited to a shunting or depot type plan. Unless you can add a removable plank to house a fiddle yard. As it’s your first attempt, whatever you do, I’d recommend treating it as a short term experiment that allows you to make mistakes and learn as you go. Very few people get it right first time, so just accept it maybe short term , and that versions 2, 3, 4 etc are only around the corner. Ian

Thanks Mike, our posts crossed, I think. So it makes no difference to the suggested connections in the manual, of linking the two inputs, even if using separate buses. That’s what I thought, and have done. Ian

Thanks for the response. Based on the image, the top three should link to the track power, with the third one down being the frog wire. That’s what I thought, and have done. The bottom 3 are connected to the Yamorc switch decoder, again as I’ve done. so now just need to clarify how best to connect the two inputs on the Yamorc unit, signal and power. The provided diagrams indicate the two can be linked together, so one and the same. But there’s no mention of a scenario of using separate track and accessory buses. Ian

I’ve finally got round to the point of connecting the electrics, using the connections as defined by @WIMorrison above. I’ve now realised I have another query, relating to the use of Yamorc 8116 switching decoder and MTB MP1 turnout motors. 1. There are two inputs on the Yamorc unit, Power and Signal. Which of the buses (track and accessory) do I use for which input? Logically I think the accessory bus for the signal (as that’s providing the ‘switch’ command, and the track bus for the power (as that’s the power being switched for the frog). Or is it the accessory bus for both connections? 2. what is the source of the power connection on the MP1? Track or accessory? I think track but a confirmation or clarification would be most welcome. thanks Ian

Another vote for MTB point motors, but I also agree with the idea of focusing on the shed build before buying any more track.

Much depends on what you’re trying to achieve. To my eye, that looks rather train-setty in appearance. Three issues for me: 1. Platform arrangement is unusual, with one track between two platforms. 2. Have you already purchased the double slips? Their usage in the plan is again unusual. 3. I still think you’ll find the sidings too short for any kind of meaningful use. Not withstanding point 2 above, have you looked at the book 60 Plans for Small Railways? It’s old, and you’ll find them on eBay for a few quid, but it will give you inspiration. There are many 6’x4’ plans which you could expand slightly. Of course, the 4’ width is always going to limit your radii, and I personally would use set track for the curves, which means probably opting for code 100 throughout. Ian

Those top right sidings and headshunt seem very short. By the time you allow clearance adjacent to the turnout, there’s not going to be much space for stock. The type of coupling planned may also affect space if it requires any kind of ramp, as these generally need to be on a straight, reducing useable space still further. Will you have access around all 4 sides of the board, as 4’ is a long way to reach for track laying, maintenance, scenery building and re-railing? Ian

That’s a little harsh. As has been said, what you are asking is a not insignificant task. Modellers have families and other interests, as well as their own modelling. As mentioned above, this is several days full time workload. Add in travel to and fro (unless they happen to live round the corner), and it’s probably even longer. Better that people are cautious and understand the scale of the task before over-committing, as it’s clear your previous helper did. ( An offer of 108 locos converted to DCC for £50 total - that is the stuff of fantasy!) I’d urge patience- modellers are not all on this forum every waking hour, it may take a few weeks to catch someone’s eye. Even if you sourced professional help, and were prepared to pay for it, that doesn’t mean those people don’t have an existing workload and order book. Good luck anyway. Ian