RMweb Gold ian Posted February 6, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 6, 2010 You'll upset Mr Joyce by not buying his 'scators, you do realise that, don't you? You'll be telling me they're in the wrong scale next! Too large you'll say... I promise to use them when I do Paddington in P4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted February 7, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 7, 2010 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZjr Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 The escalators and steps do look very good! Will follow with interest! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted February 12, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 12, 2010 As track-laying at Minories approaches I have had to do some serious thinking about how the trains are actually going to be run on both Minories and the projected layout. My aim is for the system to be partially to fully automated depending on mood (mine, not the layout's) and operator availability. There's the full background to the decisions here: http://wml.midlandre...ical-stuff.html But the executive summary is: DCC with a Lenz command station. xpressBus cab bus with RS232 interface S88 feedback bus with RS232 interface Accessory decoders - MERG steady state unit Point motors - Servos controlled by MERG controller Signals - 3 aspect colour light controlled by MERG unit Block detectors - MERG current sensing detector linked to home-brew S88 board Railroad & Co software Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted March 23, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 23, 2010 Well after much burning of midnight oil and bad language I have managed to automate a virtual Minories and fiddle yard using JMRI. JMRI may be free, but it certainly isn't easy to get it to do this. You need a lot of patience, an ordered logical approach and a tendency towards geekishness. For anyone who wants to automate and CAN afford Railroad & Co then that is the way to go. As I have been sufficiently bloody-minded to get it working, plus the fact that as I will be shuttling unit trains around, JMRI will do enough for me (or nearly enough) so I think I may stick with it. Hardware-wise I shall go with home-built LocoNet units. This gives me the option to change over to Railroad & Co if I reach an impasse with JMRI and with the chosen design each board has 16 lines, each of which can be set as an input (track circuit, push button, etc.) or output (point motor, signal, etc.). This should work out cheaper than the MERG CBUS system where each board has 8 lines which are all either input or output. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 9, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2010 There's nothing like a deadline to make me get on and do something. Unfortunately it is invariably something totally unrelated to the impending deadline. As a result of other jobs needing to be done I have made a little progress with Minories. The two fiddle yard baseboards have been built (the bits for the station boards are cut out, just not assembled), Templot plans stuck down, a start made on the pointwork on one board and the various electrical buses installed on the other. I could have used Peco points in the fiddle yard (which is basically a mirror image of the station) but needed to practice my point building as it is a good few years since I wrestled some copperclad sleepers into submission. They are also acting as a testbed. The first conclusion is that the points will be built to 9mm gauge rather than 9.42 as the wider gauge leads to some overlarge wing and check rail gaps. The second is that flat bottom rail doesn't work well with bullhead jigs and plans. The third is that I need more practice! The Peco track on the second board is the programming and test track. The phono sockets are for the DCC in and DCC programming track in. The two DIN sockets (different patterns so you can't mix the plugs up by mistake) are for the Lenz XpressBus (DCC cab bus) and Merg CBus (everything else bus - point servos, signals, occupation detectors, etc.). The emergency stop button is connected to the XpressNet so that you can stop everything without having to have a throttle plugged in. There are two LEDs to show that the DCC bus and XpressNet have power. Inter-baseboard connections are by a single SCART plug/socket. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted October 21, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 21, 2010 As you can see Minories isn' going to be ready for the deadline. However, it WILL be finished as a testbed for computer automation using JMRI and Loconet courtesy of these natty little kits: (L to R: USB/Loconet interface, 4 channel block detector, LocoNet servo operating board, LocoNet I/O board) The first of the points has been connected up to a servo and works nicely. I just need to add a microswitch for the frog polarity. My plan is for people to be able to see the layout playing with itself at the 2011 Members' Day. Better get a wiggle on... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tref67 Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Keep us updated what-ever... I'm not alone in following this... ok, I have a particular interest in having a 4mm version of Minories I'd like to at least partially automate, may I ask what form the fiddle yard for this is planned on being to work with your automation? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted October 22, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 22, 2010 Given the elegance of the station design the fiddle yard is another Minories. I have decided to add an extra siding to the top of the station to make it more Marylebone-like. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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