Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[Ashley Bridge]

28 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Sounds good, Paul. If I were a lone wolf, I'd think seriously about having a system that would run the trains while I just sat in the signal box pulling the levers - rather like some of the simulations that are available but with trains you can actually touch and feel.

Don’t you worry that there is a danger of becoming too remote and insulated from running the models? 
 

I was talking to a guy today who’s daughter has just got her driving license but cannot drive his car because it doesn’t have anti stall or an automatic handbrake!

 

Rich

[Regularity]

33 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

If I were a lone wolf

You'll fin d him over on the Clun thread...

[St Enodoc]

9 minutes ago, Denbridge said:

Have you seen McKinley railway on you tube?

They use computer control for trains on the mainline as well as entering/leaving the stations, with operators handling train make up, breakdown etc manually. Impressive stuff.

Yes, I have. That's almost what I'm talking about. If all the manual stuff were automated too, that would be great. As you know, given a choice I'd rather be the signalman and let everything else happen around me.

[St Enodoc]

17 minutes ago, Ashley Bridge said:

Don’t you worry that there is a danger of becoming too remote and insulated from running the models?

No, I don't think so, Rich. In fact, it's the opposite. If I do everything myself - driving, signalling, shunting, marshalling, etc. - as well as the strange feeling of sending trains to and from myself, I soon get bored!

Edited October 12, 2021 by St Enodoc

[Keith Addenbrooke]

6 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

No, I don't think so, Rich. In fact, it's the opposite. If I do everything myself - driving, signalling, shunting, marshalling, etc. - as well as the strange feeling of sending trains to and from myself, I soon get bored!

 

Something I’ve seen on photos / videos of contemporary Austrian Narrow Gauge railways are remote control locomotives, where the driver walks around the yard operating the remote control while the cab is empty (rather like my model locomotives  ).  I’m sure it happens elsewhere, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it - these are the ‘main line’ NG railways, not heritage lines.

[Oldddudders]

14 minutes ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

 

Something I’ve seen on photos / videos of contemporary Austrian Narrow Gauge railways are remote control locomotives, where the driver walks around the yard operating the remote control while the cab is empty (rather like my model locomotives  ).  I’m sure it happens elsewhere, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it - these are the ‘main line’ NG railways, not heritage lines.

The Harz metre-gauge network has diesel locos with that facility. The 'driver' can be on one of the coaches and still move the rake under full control via his/her handset. 

[Clive Mortimore]

2 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Oh Yes!  I have Traincontroller Gold as he does.  He has automated sequences triggered from a manual input which I have done successfully.  It’s the next stage that I’m overthinking - push a ‘big button’ at the start and sit back while the sequence happens.  It may well be that I what I think is the holy grail would actually be boring when I get there!

Perhaps I should scale my ambitions back to something that keeps me involved.
I got Traincontroller initially as something I could use to do the interlocking and panel diagram for me.  I have since moved on to wanting a lever frame (well switches actually) and GWR 20s and 30s signals (the latter being Clive Mortimer's fault!).  But having got the programme I found that its inbuilt interlocking properties manage most of what I need and that its ATO abilities are attracting me more and more.
All of which is (will be) an excuse to avoid scenery . . .

Good job there’s room for all types in this hobby!
Paul.

Moi?

[FarrMan]

13 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Paul, the train numbers run in strict sequence (obviously) with no distinction between Up and Down, Main and Branch, etc. Friday runs from 1 to 145 and Saturday from 501 to 666 so that we know which day it is (increasingly difficult at our age...).

 

The number corresponds to the point in the sequence at which the train starts its journey, no matter where from. The idea is that when a train does start, we advance the display so that everyone knows what comes next. The actual despatching and regulation is down to the yardmasters and signalmen (and, to a lesser extent the drivers). If it all gets out of hand the Fat Controller steps in.

 

Here's a copy of our current sequence. The missing numbers are for Branch trains that don't appear yet.

 

wtt mid cornwall 1952-1957-1958 draft 10a stage 4 main line, railbus, clay master.xlsx 268 kB · 11 downloads

That's a bit of a relief. I thought you must have at least 549 trains in your program!

 

Lloyd

[TrevorP1]

2 hours ago, Ashley Bridge said:

Don’t you worry that there is a danger of becoming too remote and insulated from running the models? 
 

I was talking to a guy today who’s daughter has just got her driving license but cannot drive his car because it doesn’t have anti stall or an automatic handbrake!

 

Rich

 

I've just marked that funny but actually it isn't funny at all. It's the way things are going and I find it alarming and dangerous. (Sorry John, O.T. I'm just off to rant to myself in a dark corner...).

[31A]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Sounds good, Paul. If I were a lone wolf, I'd think seriously about having a system that would run the trains while I just sat in the signal box pulling the levers - rather like some of the simulations that are available but with trains you can actually touch and feel.

 

That might end up a bit like this one, then:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TLcaJdsRr0

 

With thanks to @AMJ for flagging this up in the German Railways section!

[The Stationmaster]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

It only took ten minutes to restore 7905 to health. I tested it on the test track and then on the layout, including a challenging combination of points and slips at fairly high speed. It's running better now than it has for many moons. I only changed the one muff - I'll adopt a "fix on failure" philosophy for these I think.

 

A tip for anyone using these spares - gently run a knife blade round the end of the square hole to create a bit of a lead for pushing the stub axle in.

Now I'd have thought that an engineer would be into balanced exams for his traction and rolling stock and leave the failures in traffic way of life to us operating sorts 

[The Stationmaster]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

It only took ten minutes to restore 7905 to health. I tested it on the test track and then on the layout, including a challenging combination of points and slips at fairly high speed. It's running better now than it has for many moons. I only changed the one muff - I'll adopt a "fix on failure" philosophy for these I think.

 

A tip for anyone using these spares - gently run a knife blade round the end of the square hole to create a bit of a lead for pushing the stub axle in.

Now I'd have thought that an engineer would be into balanced exams for his traction and rolling stock and leave the failures in traffic way of life to us operating sorts 

[St Enodoc]

10 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Now I'd have thought that an engineer would be into balanced exams for his traction and rolling stock and leave the failures in traffic way of life to us operating sorts 

Balanced exams for steam locos? That'll be the day.

[The Stationmaster]

2 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Balanced exams for steam locos? That'll be the day.

Ah but you have NBL diesels and 18000 on the horizon ....   But on second thoughts 

[Nick C]

3 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

 

Something I’ve seen on photos / videos of contemporary Austrian Narrow Gauge railways are remote control locomotives, where the driver walks around the yard operating the remote control while the cab is empty (rather like my model locomotives  ).  I’m sure it happens elsewhere, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it - these are the ‘main line’ NG railways, not heritage lines.

There are, or were, some 08s here fitted with such equipment.

[Regularity]

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Ah but you have NBL diesels and 18000 on the horizon ....  

Might be sometime before they get here, so no hurries..

[john dew]

9 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Oh Yes!  I have Traincontroller Gold as he does.  He has automated sequences triggered from a manual input which I have done successfully.  It’s the next stage that I’m overthinking - push a ‘big button’ at the start and sit back while the sequence happens.  It may well be that I what I think is the holy grail would actually be boring when I get there!

Perhaps I should scale my ambitions back to something that keeps me involved.
I got Traincontroller initially as something I could use to do the interlocking and panel diagram for me.  I have since moved on to wanting a lever frame (well switches actually) and GWR 20s and 30s signals (the latter being Clive Mortimer's fault!).  But having got the programme I found that its inbuilt interlocking properties manage most of what I need and that its ATO abilities are attracting me more and more.
All of which is (will be) an excuse to avoid scenery . . .

Good job there’s room for all types in this hobby!
Paul.

Train Controller has a timetable option. In conjunction with the fast clock option one (big) button will run trains all day.

 

However to avoid the the timetable being too complicated it is best to develop sequences that can be controlled by a single (medium?) button. For example…the parcels train sequence I recently described on Granby involves 3 locos and 24 individual schedules. The whole sequence is started by one dedicated button or a single entry on the timetable.

This post is intended more for Paul @5BarVT . I can amplify it on Heath Town if required.

 

Best wishes

[AMJ]

@Keith Addenbrooke the Big Hunslet Bo-Bo diesels at Scunthorpe steelworks use radio control system.  Once when I went the driver was shunting from the ground.

I joked that if we got one at the Middleton we could run with the driver sitting in the coach going up the hill and in the loco cab going back down.  No need to run around the stock so could run a swift time table.

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, Regularity said:

Might be sometime before they get here, so no hurries..

18000 is on its way from Sheffield already.

[Regularity]

40 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

18000 is on its way from Sheffield already.

I was referring to the reliability problems of the NBL built hydraulics.

[Michael Edge]

13 hours ago, AMJ said:

@Keith Addenbrooke the Big Hunslet Bo-Bo diesels at Scunthorpe steelworks use radio control system.  Once when I went the driver was shunting from the ground.

I joked that if we got one at the Middleton we could run with the driver sitting in the coach going up the hill and in the loco cab going back down.  No need to run around the stock so could run a swift time table.

All Scunthorpe locos are radio controlled and have been for a long time, there are only engine start controls in the cabs now - even when the driver is on the loco it's driven with the radio system. I have seen small groups of drivers together and several locos - not easy to work out which one which driver is working. It was all a bit reminiscent of working Leeds Victoria.....

[t-b-g]

2 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

All Scunthorpe locos are radio controlled and have been for a long time, there are only engine start controls in the cabs now - even when the driver is on the loco it's driven with the radio system. I have seen small groups of drivers together and several locos - not easy to work out which one which driver is working. It was all a bit reminiscent of working Leeds Victoria.....

 

Indeed they are all RC. The clever chap who was behind the system has also been behind various other RC installations including the control of point motors (full size) in yards and depots to give the driver the ability to change points remotely and also in his rather lovely O gauge models, which run on his garden railway. He does look in on RMWeb so perhaps he might tell us more about it.

[St Enodoc]

59 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

It was all a bit reminiscent of working Leeds Victoria.....

I hope they all turned their bl00dy links off...

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Scunthorpe?  Pfft, THIS is a radio control shunter!  

 

 

9000hp of EMD goodness, all driven by the chap with the radio pack on the front porch.

[Northroader]

What if he drops that box, and all that lot runs over it?