RMWeb Modular Meet 2 - Hampshire - NOW CANCELLED

[3737]

With great admiration I have been following your efforts to realise the 2nd modular meet next year and I have been discussing with Henk, my cousin (00Gauge on this forum) about the possibility to join in.

We are quite a bit outside your area but nevertheless intend to come over for the weekend next year to participate to the meet.

 

We are both members of the BMB-layout:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/132233-the-bmb-a-british-modular-layout-in-holland/

 

We think of it as an adventure. It will be a new experience and we are looking forward to it.

 

We're sorry we won't be able to bring our scenic modules, because they are simply too large to fit in a single car.

However we do have straight boards, bends and even reverse loops that we can bring with us.

 

Our bends and reverse loops are 24 inch in radius. Yes, I know your standard is 36", but for RTR stuff, even the pacific and 2-8-0 locos, 24" has proven sufficient and takes up a lot less room.

We are also working on bends with a larger diameter which may even be ready by next year. We can discuss these matters later.

All our boards are double track with the Peco SL-36 track separation of approx. 50mm.

As far as I can see there is some, but not much work involved to make things fit, but we do have to make some shorter legs. The BMB height is 130 cm (approx. 56 in).

 

Although we would very much like a date in sunny May or June, we can adapt to any date you come up with, as long as our missuses don't raise objections.

 

Leen.

Edited May 30, 2018 by 3737

[cromptonnut]

Hi Leen and Henk

Our area is very flexible, and if we have to extend our area across the Noordzee then I have no objections, you are very welcome to join us.  It sounds like you may need to make new legs to fit our standards but everything can be worked on in private message if necessary.

 

We have a number of hotels around our area due to the proximity to Stonehenge (about 10 miles away) so although it'll be quite the journey for you, it is certainly very practical.

 

It's looking like there are two dates the most popular … so hopefully in the next few days we will be able to decide on a date, and once I have confirmed that the hall is still available for us for our preferred date, we can start planning and building.

 

'Nut

[cromptonnut]

Right, well we're now a week after I should have closed the poll so now we're the end of May, it appears that 18th and 19th May are our most popular.

 

On the survey above currently we have for

 

both days cromptonnut, Zomboid, PaulRhB, Coxswain, BlueLightning,  Temeraire, 3737, markw,

 

plus 

 

SAT only sem34090,

SUN only Joseph_Pestell,

 

My personal preference is the Saturday, which then gives people an opportunity to prepare and/or travel Friday, then on the Sunday relax and get ready for work again - however does anyone of the "both days" list have any strong leanings towards one or the other?  Also, @sem34090 and @Joseph_Pestell, is there any chance of making "the other day" if required, given all this notice?

Those who have voted on other dates, again if you are able to rearrange yourselves to make yourself available on the 18th or 19th May, that may help us further.  I'll let this run for one more week for people on other dates to be able to enquire about making themselves available, and we can then confirm things.  I've asked the hall to confirm price and availability so we can book, and then I'll be asking for email addresses from you all so I can send out the "sign up pack".  I think with 8 it's just about viable, and it looks like we may well pick up a few others on the way who have expressed interest but not voted yet.

On current numbers I am looking at around £15 non refundable deposit per head to cover costs, however this will reduce if numbers increase and any excess will be returned to participants on the day with a copy of the accounts as naturally no profit will be made by myself.

'Nut

 

[PaulRhB]

I'm happy with either even though there's a clash with the US meet I think this is worth exploring and I can still try a day trip to Devon too

[Joseph_Pestell]

For me, Saturdays are completely out, even with notice. We run our own business and have tours to lead on Saturdays. Basically when we make the most money. By next year we should also have some camping pods and two lodges which will keep us busy.

 

Won't stop me building some modules and lending them to you for the Saturday.

[cromptonnut]

For me, Saturdays are completely out, even with notice. We run our own business and have tours to lead on Saturdays. Basically when we make the most money. By next year we should also have some camping pods and two lodges which will keep us busy.

 

Won't stop me building some modules and lending them to you for the Saturday.

 

Hi Joseph, that's a very kind offer, thankyou.  We'll just see what happens, maybe the sunday will be the preferred date amongst everyone else, I'm easy either way, just the organiser not the dictator  

[Temeraire]

Either day works for me as only down the road. I may be able to get some others to come along to 'play' to help convert them, to help with costs.

Edited May 31, 2018 by Temeraire

[PaulRhB]

We better persuade them to build modules too Ian

[PaulRhB]

Ok is it worth just seeing what existing modules there are? I'm only thinking whether the majority are single or double track.

I've got three existing single track US modules, two 45° curves and a 45° junction off a straight, and a 15ft yard we can use which is singe track at the entrance. My adapter for Lulworth got repurposed so isn't suitable and I'm considering a simple passing station or exchange sidings so just wondering what format would make most sense.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2018 by PaulRhB

[cromptonnut]

All of those look like they'd be very useful Once I get back the "application packs" back from people then I will list what we have and come up with a vague floor plan like last time and see what additional bits we need.  I only have one 45 degree board and a fiddle yard option at present but am building a new layout once the shed is built and that will be designed to modular spec.

 

Most people did single track last time but we'll see what turns up on meeting 2.

[BlueLightning]

Well if we are looking at what's available for the meeting then the best way to see Hailsham is on my now out of date YouTube video, since this was filmed I have got the electrics finished and have planned out the scenics by drawing everything on the board with a Sharpie!!

 

 

Gary

[Zomboid]

Here's what I'm building, in terms of track at least. So far it's only (ballasted and painted) track, but I'm certainly hoping to get it a bit further along within the next year - though I'm not someone who's particularly fast at this kind of thing. It's 2m long (I bought it in metric). Of course, it's American HO, but as I said before the buildings won't be stuck down, so it could be used as a small passing loop or just a wayside freight thing, or it could be used as the end of a branch line with a suitable extender to give a headshunt.

 

 

It has been tested with another Freemo module so that's all good.

 

If this results in more meets I might well build something British themed once this is finished in all its American glory, but I can barely make any progress on one module, so having 2 on the go would probably not result in anything much happening on either... I'll probably buy a train of some sort for the meet. I did a driver experience day on an Ivatt 2-6-0 recently, so probably one of those and a few wagons...

 

You can stay up to date with progress that I deem worth sharing from the link in my signature. I've been playing with washes on my freight cars recently, so nothing has happened on the module.

[cromptonnut]

If this results in more meets I might well build something British themed once this is finished in all its American glory, 

 

Even plain track boards, with grass either side of the track - whether straight or curved - are perfectly useable in certain areas of the US as well as in the UK.  We may not have the big canyons and river bridges or open desert areas but there are some areas of the US that look very much like areas of the UK, so they could fit for both?   Road signs and buildings can identify it as one or the other, although as already pointed out removable bits can make it intercontinental.  Could use them on both layouts then?

[Zomboid]

There are certainly bits of the USA which scenically could pass off as the UK (particularly farming areas of the North Eastern USA, sadly not served that much by the roads that I've invested in), and if I do end up building any such boards then I'd aim to make them as generic as possible so that I could take them to either type of meet without it looking too ridiculous. I think it's a bit harder with the switching location I'm working on now as I will ultimately want to add the "railroad crossing" signs etc, and any road markings will be for cars driving on the right.

[cromptonnut]

I wouldn't worry too much Zomboid, if we can have pre-grouping steam passing a Class 70 hauled freightliner, the road markings being on the wrong side of the road will be the least of our worries

[Zomboid]

It's not really module or spring 2019 meet related, but I've been thinking about interoperability, particularly as it pertains to freight stock.

 

In US freemo, I'm not sure it's actually written down anywhere, but the standard is for kadee couplers, or other similar knuckle couplers which work with them. This is important because operation is all about running local freight services, switching at various locations along the way, and the trains at the start and end of each run comprise vehicles belonging to anyone and everyone. It's all fine because they couple happily...

 

The question is what are we going to do here given the proliferation of different types of coupling in the british scene? I think for a fixed formation train (i.e. passenger), coupling choice is irrelevant within the train, and only important at the ends if (for example) I used a loco which I own to pull someone else's carriages - should be an entirely manageable situation. For freight and specifically shunting ops, if we want to be able to run such things, we need an interoperable coupling standard. 

 

The questions then are

1. Do we want to be able to run trains with (whatever the correct british term is for) a switch list?

2. If we do, what coupling do we standardise on?

 

The obvious answer (to me) is to use tension locks on any interoperable stock, since that's what most of it comes out of the box with and is therefore the most accessible option I can think of, but I also don't own a single british wagon at the moment (I would gladly sign up to kadees as well knowing how well they work, but they're not cheap and seem a bit aesthetically divisive).

 

If using something like JMRI to manage the freight operations, it ought to be possible to have pools of differently fitted stock and have modules 1 and 2 served only by tension lock wagons, and modules 3 and 4 served only by 3-link fitted wagons, but ideally we'll have a common system so as not to restrict layout plans and operating options.

[3737]

I quite like the idea and could bring a number of trucks fitted with kadees.

 

Leen.

[PaulRhB]

I'd stick with tension lock for simplicity. While you can go for jmri I'd start with car cards as far simpler unless there's someone wanting to learn jmri first. Car cards allow wagons to work A to B and return and people pick it up in a couple of minutes. All it requires is one person to allocate A and B to each wagon and if A or B is the main yard it can be common to a lot of them representing the rest of the railway.

Edited June 2, 2018 by PaulRhB

[BlueLightning]

I would agree that for a standard coupling tension lock would seem the obvious choice.

 

This ignores the fact that I have basically nothing with tension locks on as I use screw / 3 links!!!

 

Gary

[PaulRhB]

There's also no reason why wagon card operation can't be run alongside passenger and through trains as long as they don't pick up carded wagons or fill up all the sidings.

[cromptonnut]

We tend to standardise on tension locks by default.  However the principle we used last time that works is that you are responsible for bringing complete trains to run.

 

Therefore, if you bring a train with kadees, then your loco and stock (unless others have bought them) are the only things you can play with, rather than user A dropping wagons and user B taking them forward.

 

We only have a small number of people, and unknown modules, at the moment - last time most of it was single track with passing places too, meaning there wasn't a lot of "playing trains", more "run from A to B then back again".

 

I have no problem with a few of you bringing compatible non-tension locked stock, and working out your own system of cards, computers or whatever to give wagons a purpose - I have no knowledge of such operations so it'd be up to you to organise and within the general melee of how things run.

 

I'll be booking the hall, administering bookings, taking money, and (with discussion) putting together the layout of how things go together on the day.  Everything else is flexible, as long as we are clear in advance and everyone knows what they're doing.  If a couple of you want to discuss in PM kadee-based freight operations to run on the day that's fine, the rest of us can just run our passenger services along and you can slot inbetween - just like the real thing tends to.

 

Oh I guess we ought to talk controllers as well.  Last time I bought along my Lenz based system with a couple of controllers and laptop through JMRI with some WiThrottle connections.  Do we stick with this, or do the majority of you have other controllers you can provide with someone else responsible?  A WiThrottle link would be most handy.

[PaulRhB]

I've got the Z21 as backup with five throttles.

I'm happy to give organising simple ops a go once we know what boards we have. What's important is it doesn't stop the A to B running so we can happily do both at the same time. Nut and I can liase easily with a meet up prior to the event so it doesn't interfere as we are only 10 miles apart.

I'll knock up a simple guide based on my 009 version and post it soon.

[cromptonnut]

Part of the invitation pack paperwork, as well as getting details of the modules on offer, asks if you have any controllers you can bring along and what type, as well as the WiThrottle via JMRI to my Lenz setup.  It worked fine last time however we did have a problem when someone plugged a Locomaus in as I didn't have a powered controller bus, and I can't find the instructions for how to wire something up to add power to extend it.  Somewhere in my storage I have a box of long DCC and power cables that will be very useful, when the shed comes in a couple of weeks and I move all the boxes out there it'll surface.

 

Having a second controller system available anyway is good as a backup set - and if it's not necessary it can work as a programming track for the inevitable address clash.

Edited June 3, 2018 by cromptonnut

[PaulRhB]

I can bring two spare iphones with withrottle and two wifi ROCO Maus if your unit supports them.

[ba14eagle]

I'm pretty late to the party on this, but I would be interested in partaking in this meet. I'm not in a position to commit to a date, as I don't have next years rosters as yet.

Not being a skilled carpenter, I couldn't help by building a module, but would be interested in doing the scenery on 1 or 2, if someone else produced what was required? 

Other than that, If I can make it, I would be happy to pay to come and play and meet some fellow modellers - especially as it is only just across the plain from me.