Returning to The Hobby With Big Plans

[gusrus]

Hi All. I'm a returning railway modeller after a break of 20 years when myself and my father moved on to radio control aircraft. I went to an exhibition at the Bluebell railway with the other halves father and now I'm here asking questions and trying to gain the knowledge for what I want to achieve.... it's a slippery slope and watching some of the peeps on YouTube have only helped me slide further down it. 

 

20 years ago when I lost interest in the hobby all the things I thought were cool and interesting such as motorised points, motorised signals and digital control were all insanely expensive and complex. 20 years on things are still insanely expensive (if you want them to be) and complex (if you want them to be). The advent of arduino and 3d printing (and the fact I use these technologies for aspects of my day job) have helped me realise that I can DIY my way to the model railway 8 year old me wanted back in 2000. I'm certainly at the start of the Dunning Kruger graph and this is where you lovely lot send me well and truly into the dip.

 

I want to build a modular layout that could maybe be exhibited (maybe even as a work in progress and actually work on it at exhibitions). I want it to be DCC with Arduino based hardware and the use of iPad/iPhone throttles (I have old ones kicking around that will do the job). I want the points and signals to be "smart" with sensors and arduinos controlling these and them talk to a control panel that can monitor when sections are occupied and and when others are free. I also then want to bring automation to the layout as I enjoy the challenge of doing this. 

 

This is what I want to achieve so how do I go about doing this?

 

My initial plan is to build the first two modules which will be a station/engine yard and a very simple fiddle yard. these modules will act as a proof of concept which will have all the functions I want to achieve (points, turntable, signals, lights, DCC control and other functions). Baseboards will be 5 or 6 mm plywood to provide the base and then braced with CLS. 

 

Before I go head first into this is there anyone on here who has experience of controlling an entire layout and programming automation using arduino based hardware who can give advice on how to go about this. I'm based in Wiltshire so if anyone or a club nearby has a layout that is similar to what I want to do then I'm more than happy to come and see it and take notes.

 

Thanks in advance for all your help on this and I hope to share what I'm doing as time goes on.  

[DCB]

There is an excellent YouTube video about Pete Waterman's big 00 railway at Chester Cathederal which opens about now, July to 3rd Sept 2022.

A lot about DCC, Ardinuos, etc.     After experience last year they separated out the points from the loco controls providing 4 Tablets for loco controls with panel mounted points control. Its a very simple layout with very complicated electronics which make it simple to operate.   Well worth watching.