devondynosoar118

Love the Travellers Fare buffet. The prices were far from Fare if memory serves, maybe my parents were just tight! Look at the proliferation of bins, indicative of a time when they were mostly for throwing rubbish in as opposed to a "security risk." The modern approach seems to simply be to employ more people to pick up the litter and just toss it on the floor.

I have some spare bits left over from my other projects, plus an interesting array of odd wagons like a peaked "Saxa Salt" one that don't really fit on Kingsbridge. Some of you may be familiar with my micro layout "Squeezebelly Lane" that has appeared at a few shows with its armchair and standard lamp. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/39822-squeezebelly-lane-depot-n-inglenook-in-a-table-still-going/page-1 This was a lot of fun to build and operate, I want to make another. I have been looking for a second table that I could link to Squeezebelly and run them together, with a "floating" fiddle yard in between. So far none of my local junk shops have turned up another suitable table! Then an idea hit me, why not use the table I have? Squeezebelly will fit in an alcove in my house, with its lights etc, so I can use it to show off my stock when it's not being used. It occurred to me this has the added benefit of not angering the domestic authorities with ANOTHER junk piece of furniture! The idea is simple- an urban pickle works, with as much operating potential as possible in a very tiny space. Key limitations- 1- Maximum track space is the same as SBL, 450mm long by 320mm wide 2- No need for any fiddle sidings etc but stock must enter from one side, as there's a hole there! It could be moved to the centre of the board. Look at the SBL thread to see what's there. 3- An exit is possible as well as an entrance- see above! 3- Can't be the same layout as SBL 4- DCC control I am not averse to single/double slips (like a challenge!) or a 3 way point. These have only become available since I made SBL so using one would cut space. So before I start messing about, anyone got any good ideas for a design I could re use or modify?

You could run some great goods services in that space, supported by some secondary passenger trains featuring shorter trains of older cascaded mainline coaches. Freights varied greatly in length from huge mineral trains and block freights to shorter trip workings and offer a much higher operational potential as well as looking less compromised on tighter radii. The other bonus with freight is that kits of wagons are cheaper and offer a great way to learn the skills needed for more complex construction. More and more great/interesting goods and secondary passenger locos are becoming available RTR in all common scales. Bigger locos also ended up on secondary and freight duties when past their passenger carrying prime or nearer withdrawal. The above would be true for any scale. Both 4mm/OO and 7mm/O offer the chance for scale 3 link couplings so you can be the shunter and driver of your freight yard, N offers the chance to model later time periods with long block trains and you can now get automatic couplings off the shelf in the scale. Freight facilities, excluding large marshalling yards, were also often more space efficient than passenger facilities as they needed to be near the industry they served and near industrial centres in towns, where space was more important. If you want some idea of the variety of freight traffic then Bob Essery's books have superb and realistic detail on all aspects and greater detail on passenger services for smaller spaces. I also like this amazing site for lineside industry/goods- http://www.igg.org.uk/gansg/12-linind/012-index.htm Freight also offers much more opportunity for grimy realism and a bit of real world dilapidation as freight was a business of volume and efficiency not shiny aspiration.

I am also a fan of the SDR, so Staverton has to be included, especially with some of the night time runs in the winter, this shot by Steve Ash is wonderful.

Thank you Nigel. I had a skim through some US sources before coming on here to ask. I obviously need to improve my search discipline! I have email Team Digital and will post their reply for posterity. Edit- Received a very prompt reply from Team Digital- They say the SMD84 is NOT compatible with the NCE bus, they also recommended a booster module that they sell to keep the signal to the accessories going in the event of a short. This is the board they sell for that- http://www.teamdigital1.com/prod_catalogue/dccboost_product/dccboost.html

I have worked/visited preserved stations where demand and aged facilities have meant the toilets were much more "authentic" than we would like, not sure if that counts?

Glad to see this is still running! I too had a few years "off" with other things happening. Any plans to run more of your amazing scratchbuilt BR diesels?

Thanks Mikkel. All I did with the backscenes was follow the contour suggested by the real scenery. I ran some trains yesterday but there's still a few dead sections, probably a result of leaving the whole layout in a shed for 4 years!

They survived the last attempt and I have a spare eprom. Going to try running it off DCC for now. The SMD 84 instructions seemsped to me to say it is NCE compatible via the bus otherwise why turn the bus on through CV29? Surely it would just say to use gateway mode and ignore the bus? It's certainly as clear as mud, which is what I have come to expect from the majority of DCC manufacturers literature.

Thanks again both of you- I have below a page from the manual showing the 4 wire cab bus with the pins numbered. My cable on the left, which has the "wrong" colours. I will sit down later and try and work out what goes where to make up the lead suggested to test again. Worst case scenario I have it all working on the track feed. Cables would be much tidier the other way, but we will deal with that later.

Right, that I can fix. What connector should I use on the SMD84 end? I get one end with RJ 12 6p6c for the PCP, then find ground and RS485 pair, which I will need to find by mapping my 6 cable colours vs the 6 shown in the NCE manual. If I can get it to work it will be an achievement by the sound of it. It should work in theory. Here's the set up working on DCC, if there's any improvements you can see then suggestions welcome.

That is a good idea about the choc block. I may just leave it on DCC for now then, if it's low current draw. I can still use the PCP port bus for cab extensions to the fiddle yard if required. How about the wire I have, any use or do I need to work with something else? If so where to buy it in 10m or so roll?

Noted- I am adding to my post so you can see what I have colour wise. I will definitely try using less wires in the second plug. Bearing in mind I am working in N gauge and don't need more than 2 locos running at any time on this layout would the Powercab be able to run this lot provided I don't add any more load? There are 5 more points connected to a second SMD84 on the other station board.

Right- SMD 84 does support NCE bus, I have set CV 29 on the SMD to a value 24 as suggested in the Team Digital manual and as I stated in my OP, which should allow track signal OR NCE bus. Incompatibility of busses between manufacturers is really stupid, why are we stuck with this when there was reportedly a standard? I chose NCE because it was economical and had the second most common bus communication protocol. Loconet compatible was too much extra ££. I also already stated that the SMD 84 is working correctly on DCC only, from the Powercab, with no serial bus connection at all, meaning that CV 29 must be correctly set for that option. SMD 84 is fine, it works the minute you go back to track power/DCC feed. I did try a 4 pin connection, but as I have flat cable changing the wires around is awkward. I will get some pictures. Thanks for responses so far, I will see if I can get more detail for you to work on. Edit- Pictures incoming, first the wire and connectors I have on hand. If the wire is no good a working link to some correct cable would be fine, or a colour/pin suggestion with what I have, as only I will be messing with it.

I have got all the parts to complete my DCC serial bus, namely RJ12 6p6c plugs, 6 wire flat cable, then crimps. I have NCE powercab running one NCE mini panel in the control panel and two SMD84 decoders to run the Seep solenoids. This all works when connected via TRACK POWER/DCC only. CV 29 in the SMD84 should be set to a value of 24 according to the manual to enable the serial bus to operate the decoder. What I am aiming for is this- 1- Powercab connected to the track and running locos. 2- SMD 84's and solenoids powered entirely separately from the track- the decoder is set up to do this, I haven't connected its power input to the same one as the Powercab. 3- Using the output from the NCE power panel from the power cab, send the serial bus signal into the layout, chained through the SMD 84's. With CV29 set to the correct value this should enable me to send control signals for solenoids only over the bus. What is happening- 1- When the powercab, control panel and SMD 84 is all plugged in to the track supply, everything works. 2- When I plug the connector to the serial bus in, the system shuts down like there's a short. It's wired one thumb up, one down, as shown on the NCE instructions. I didn't have the same wire colours as the ones in the manual but assumed this was ok as it's flat cable, so the wires will carry the same signals etc as long as the plugs are wired correctly. 3- I am at a loss as to why I am getting power in the serial bus, it was my understanding that it didn't receive power. If it is getting voltage then how can I stop that because it will basically put me back to having the Powercab run the solenoids, which I wish to avoid. Any ideas?

The original one didn't work in the end, I have remembered to leave the end third and the bay facing in brick not stone this time too! The 3 main boards may all be getting together this month for the first time in 5 years.

Managed to steal an hour or two today to get this done, ready to install a station building and the engine shed. The back scene is next but budget is lacking, I could afford the sheet of 9mm MDF for this job. This allows me to keep the whole platform as a separate piece that I can complete at home then drop into the baseboard ready for final tinkering. I chose 9mm because it allows for a close to scale height after taking into account my clunky non fine scale track and won't look too low from typical viewing height. Theres textures on top which will add to the height. I thought I would do a quick how to on this one as well. Materials- Suitable size 9mm MDF sheet Layout paper- Newspaper would do but I have a pad of dads old sketching paper that gets used for modelling projects! Masking tape Matte black rattle can Here's the start, I drew my platform template using flexible rulers, a sharp pencil and some stock to check clearance, just like most methods. Then I stuck my template to the MDF, I split it into two parts as it made the sheet usage better. Now the easy way to get a clear cut line, spray lightly around the template edges with the matte black spray. As you can see this gives a great crisp, clear line. I cut this using my cheap and nasty jigsaw, with a fresh, good quality blade. The two parts got joined with mitre fast accelerator and thick cyano then a dab of squadron filler. In place, checking the clearances. I allowed a relatively generous gap for stock as the viewing angle is from the front. End of platform view, showing the gentle curve. I think it's comparing well with the prototype, at some point I will re stage some published shots and see! At this stage it looks a little "tall" from rail level, but that height will drop when ballasting is done and the addition of bricks and stonework to the platform face will make it less stark.

Stan who ran the modellers den also ran and raced in an RC car club. I spent lots of my pocket money savings and holiday money in his shop in the 80's. I still have stuff my dad bought there and never opened, complete with the price tags still. I bought tons of different things in there, mostly not railway related! He sold everything from JetX model aircraft kits to RC.High business rates and astronomical lease increases make any shop a risky business these days, I think we will probably see the end of most small dedicated model shops that don't sell online too within the next 20 years. Town centres are not a good retail environment for tight margins.

Well done. You can use hard wire cutters to snip point operating rods. That way you can do so in situ. I have a pair of CK electricians snips for that. Don't ever be tempted to use model clippers or rail cutters. Those rods are hard. Drexel works but makes swarf.

It was living in the big shed, I just put it in the back of the bus and bought it home. That was on the kitchen table! I need to sort a few things before completing this board, firstly legs and backscenes. I have a plan for the legs, I just need to try making it. Station building is all on Autocad thanks to my dad and little brother, just waiting to hear back on prices for laser cutting the main shell which I will try and use scribed DAS on. Two questions- Anyone got a good recommendation for a company to do the photographic back scene? I have all the images done. What platform height do people recommend and what material should I use? I have done the template and the platform will have to be bonded to the baseboard top, then textured with a few tricks and the plastic sheet of stone sets I used last time.

Whilst "tidying" I found my stock box and the buildings to try on the layout. The goods shed needs a bit of fettling and a canopy, but the rest don't look too bad, considering they have been in a box for 4 years! General view, not looking horribly far from the 1928 view here- http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw023737 Looking across from the back wall of the motor goods shed. Carriage shed in place, with B set in residence, with a view of what will be the crane siding. Pannier on shed. View from roughly where the signal box will sit. These were just potato cam shots, I have realised it's possible to put up all 3 boards in an empty space down the road, so I will get that done over the next month and use a proper camera. I also need to try again with the platforms, as you can see I gave up with the last set. Hopefully the workshop mice have left the other two boards alone...

<p>Hello again! This layout is nearing its seventh birthday, which came as quite a shock to me when I realised. With that in mind I am now determined to get it to a point where I can run trains. I made a crash list of jobs that needed doing, top of the list was to finally sort out the control system and point wiring.I had despaired of ever getting any of this working in a coherent way and it was one of the many reasons the layout ended up in transport boxes in my workshop. Having toyed with numerous methods I bit the bullet this year and decided to use an NCE Mini Panel and decoders to control the Seep solenoids. Having trawled around for decoders that were both "affordable" and powerful enough to switch solenoids, I saw a seller on Ebay with several Team Digital SMD84's at very reasonable price. These looked ideal, especially since they do 8 points per board, meaning I would only need two. They had an onboard CDU and were serial bus compatible to boot.Having finally built the control box- see my layout topic, I got my head around the wiring and installed the decoders. Amazingly they worked when I called up the default address through the track bus from the handset! This led to needing to program all the macros in for route setting, which meant changing the output address' on the SMD84, the instructions of which appeared to be in "Greek."Finally to the point of this entry- how to change the address' using NCE Powercab and the "Smart Program" feature of the SMD84. Make sure you have the updated manual- early ones have a misprint. The corrected one can be found here- I opted to set ONLY the one decoder up at a time, so track power/DCC was carrying the signals, not the serial bus. I did this by hooking the decoder up direct to the power cab. Smart Program on the SMD 84 uses ACCESSORY COMMANDS instead of the program track or other direct method of CV setting. For NCE systems read any "c" in the SMD instructions table as 2 on the handset and "t" as 1. The LEDS on the board are set up so they flash at different stages of the smart program. To change the output address from default (1-8) you push the "Smart Button" until the red led pictured starts to flash, then let go. The smart button is the small push button in the centre of the frame at the edge of the board. You are now set up in "smart mode" ready to set the output numbers. I wanted the points on my first board to be numbered 101-108, so I pushed "select accessory" on the power cab and set the first number. The screen should look like this. When you have the right number, push enter, the screen will then give you the option of sending the command. If you want STALL MOTORS to be addressed then push "1" if you want SOLENOIDS, push "2." Once the command 1 or 2 is sent the SMD84 automatically remembers the eight outputs from the starting number, this worked fine for me. ​What to do if it goes wrong? Pushing and holding the Smart button on the SMD 84 for about 18 seconds or until both the LEDS in my first picture flash ALTERNATELY will reset the board to factory defaults when you let go the Smart button. Setting CV 29 Value I did this through Ops mode programming for an accessory decoder, off the NCE screen. See their manual, I only had the one decoder connected, a good idea IMO. You can change the accessory decoder address to enable ops mode programming via the DCC bus, but my brain was hurting enough for one day. Recommended value of CV 29 for an NCE system is 24 which will allow you to control the SMD84 via the DCC/track power ysing NCE macros. See note about the serial bus below. The SMD84 WILL NOT change CV 29's value until reset, I switched it off then on again but you can set CV 7 to a value of 0 to do that. You can tell if CV29 is wrong or any other mistake has been made because it starts doing its own thing. See note above! So thats how to do that. I realise this is a fairly dry blog entry but I couldn't find a step by step for it, so I made one.I must thank Nigel Cliffe for his invaluable help and superior knowledge. EDIT- I have contacted Team Digital to find out if their command bus is NCE compatible, they have confirmed it is NOT NCE COMPATIBLE, so you must use the SMD84 off the track power/DCC. This is less of a problem in smaller scales and on little layouts as due to the individual firing of the solenoids and the onboard CDU the current used is fairly minimal. Team Digital advise the use of their "DCC Booster" if you have sound locos etc and want more power- http://www.teamdigital1.com/prod_catalogue/dccboost_product/dccboost.html

Thank you! I have now got it all working, I set macros for the routes, then set the mini panel buttons to work the macros. The SMD 84 is changing the solenoids fine, just waiting on my crimps to do the serial bus. Edit- If anyone else needs to see how to do this, I made a blog post here, with pictures and screen shots of the powercab. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/574/entry-19393-taking-control-team-digital-smd84-decoders-nce-powercab/

A quick update- The layout is far from dead, although it has hibernated a year or two for various reasons. I have been working on the controls, I now have working points in the yard, off my NCE Powercab, ready to get the mini panel working. Here is the box I made with the routes and points all set. Still to add is the uncouplers and signal control. Uncouplers will be electromagnets fired by MOSFETS with only signal voltage in the switches and signals are undecided. Boy racer carbon wrap was a result of having some left over from wrapping a lap top, I haven't seen anyone else use it so it should at least be unique!