Santa Barbara in N scale_ at the NMRABR 2022 convention near Crewe

[roundhouse]

Further on from a few nights ago I finally made a breakthrough in in getting the feedback settings from the stationary the decoders and the microswitch next to the turnout tie bars to work.
The JMRI on screen software now shows the physical setting of the first four turnouts in the fiddleyard. Thanks goes to Andrew C in getting this far.
The task now is the to fit microswitches to the other end of the fiddleyard tracks and wire up all the remaining fiddleyard and turnouts to the Digitrax decoder DS64's.
Hopefully this will be done in time for the Derby show and will improve the reliability of the fiddleyard and route selection immensely, and as layout ng as us operators and remember to check on screen settings.
A second loco, and a Surfliner F59phi has had a transponfing function decoder added to it Tsunami sound decoder. Quite a bit of filing on the underside of the body roof was required to make space for it. More transponfing function only decoders are in the post for installation prior to Derby.

Ian

Edited May 3, 2013 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

A couple of shots of the Athearn F59phi transponder instalkation.

The transponder wires are soldered onto the tabs of thr Tsunami sound decoder board that make contact with the chassis halves.

 

The underside of the roof filed away area can also be seen.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Only a few days to go before we head off to Derby for the show this weekend.

 

So after a few beers down in the West Country the BH weekend just gone, it was back to work on the layout yesterday late afternoon.

 

I am short of two microswitches but the rest of the turnouts have now had the wiring completed for the feedback to the DS64 stationary decoders to be enabled. Some of these will be tested tonight with the ones at the other end tested in the next day or two.

 

Another Hex Frog Juicer has now been fitted under the boards and the wiring part completed. WIll need ot fit a few Dual Frog Juicers to complete the modification of all the turnouts in the fiddleyard.

 

More transponding only decoders still to be fitted to non Digitrax decoder fitted locos for the sound system. Any not done in time for Derby will be used in the middle of a multiple loco hauled train for now.

 

There is still some scenic work I want to do but not a lot of time left before boxing the boards up ready for loading!!

 

Ian

[trisonic]

About how many Exhibitions do you take layouts to every year, Ian?  Do you have any preference about which layout you are performing with?

 

Oops, sorry, don't mean to interrogate, just interested!

 

Best, Pete.

[roundhouse]

Pete

 

By all means fire away with questions.

 

This year we are doing about 22 shows with different layouts (not all mine). This is a bit on the high side to what we prefer but if we turn some down it would mean doing so for a few years as they would clash in future years. We have possible shows into 2016.

 

Its only on odd occassions people say bring which ever one you like as normally they invite specific ones, hence this year Banbury is doing 11 and so far for next year  Santa Barbara 3. Banbury is doing 3. With a friends new layouut (Star Lane) coming on stream we need to keep some weekends free in case he gets invites.

 

The foreign layouts don't get as many invites although 'Roundhouse' has been and continues to be popular - its done well over 30 shows so far since it was built in 2006/7.

 

With most of the layouts designed to fit in one car and quick set up times it also helps as we cant take too many days off either side of shows as we do want holidays.

 

With Banbury and Santa Barbara using the same fiddleyard  and future layouts planned to do the same, its making it worth spending the time and pennies on it. Also saves space when in store (the legs are also used on 'Roundhouse').

 

As to which layout I prefer taking to shows,  I would say Santa Barbara as once set up I find it quite relaxing to send one train at a time round slowly and it also allows for easier chats with the viewers . However, some of our operators find it the least enjoying asthere is no shunting / switching.

 

Banbury is now fast catching up in the enjoyment side now that the stock is performing much better these days but does really need a slightly bigger team to cope with the more moves possible over Santa Barbara.

 

Ian

Edited May 7, 2013 by roundhouse

[trisonic]

Very interesting answer, Ian. Ta very much!

 

Best, Pete.

[roundhouse]

Pete

 

Thanks

 

Ian

[Talltim]

You have got to be one of the busiest people on the exhibition circuit, that's nearly half the weekends in the year!

[roundhouse]

You have got to be one of the busiest people on the exhibition circuit, that's nearly half the weekends in the year!

 

It's quite scary really , although most years its not quite so many shows.

 

However quite a few are one day events and many of them are fairly local.

As mentioned before, most of the layouts go up and down quickly. If they didn't then we wouldn't be able to do so many shows. This along with a very understanding other half and when away any distance we do our best to enjoy the evening in a different town.

 

We also have to find time to work on te layouts. Tonight, despite being out till 9pm, I managed to finish wiring up the Hex Frog Juicer then test some of the turnouts that had the feedback installed yesterday and tweak the JMRI track plan. Hope to get the remaining ones when I get up in the morning before work.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Early this morning I managed to find time to test all the feedback settings on the latest fiddelyard turnouts to have this installed. All working fine and set up on the JMRI track plan.

 

The photo below shows the microswitches fixed next to the Peco tie bars. They were superglued in place then once set a small screw fitted to give them a bit firmer fixing just in case they get knocked.. The exposed terminals will now be covered just incase anything metal gets dropped on them.

 

(note the Atlas code 55 track for consisting locos at the bottom of the photo, for comparison pruposes with the Peco code 55 running lines)

 

The photo below shows one of the Digitrax DS64's now wired up to control the turnouts and the feedback.

 

The green wires are the power to the DS64's provided by a small plug in transformer.

 

The black oare the common feeds ot the solenoids whilst the yellow are to each side of the solenoids.

 

The grey wires are for the feedback and are wired to the microswitches.

 

The next couple of evenings will hopefully be spent testing the transponding / sound set up on the rest of the scenic boards but that does require setting the boards out of the garage and its raiing at the moment!

 

Ian

Edited May 8, 2013 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

Managed to get all the scenic boards up tonight and then tested the transponding zones. before plugging in the speakers and Surroundtraxx box. All working well and after a bit of tweaking of the JMRI track plan, it now shows up the scenic sections that are occupied by a loco.

 

Its been worth the time spent getting all this set up now (only taken a year!).

 

So tomorrow night I will do a few more small tweeks then its time to box up the layout etc. ready for loading.

 

The real test will now be under show conditions.

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

After a successful test of the layout electrics and software last night this morning I dpent a short whike doing some scenic repairs and improvements.

 

The photo below is of the recently detailed UP SD70Ace crossing State Street

[roundhouse]

At lunch time I decided to have a look on google maps of the station area at Santa Barbara - google maps has been updated in this area.

 

The model is now a historical one as much of the car park is now a construction site for what looks like a new road underpass going right next to the big old fig tree and under the platforms. I suspect that will eventaully replace the grade crossing at the North West end of the station at W Montecito Street.

 

Will be shame as the view from the Brew House wont be the same again!.

 

Oh well, thats the price you pay when modelling a real location.

 

 

 

UPDATE

 

Just found this.

 

it isn't  a new road but works to alleviate the creek next to it in times of heavy rain.

 

http://www.noozhawk...._train_station/

 

 

Ian

Edited May 9, 2013 by roundhouse

[roundhouse]

Last night I finally got a sub woofer linked up to the Surroundtraxx box. Changed the setting for the subwoofer and it worked well with a nice low rumble as the loco moved from a stand still.

 

Its not too loud so you are more likely to feel it on a wooden floor if standing near the layout than hear it.(Good VibrationsI!!). Its a temporary speaker as its part of a set of PC speakers with the others hard wired in, so a little bit cumbersome. 

A dedicated subwoofer will be obtained at some point.

 

Anyway, the layout is now loaded ready for the journey part way up to Derby tonight after work then the rest of the journey early tomorrow.

 

Ian

Edited May 10, 2013 by roundhouse

[westerhamstation]

At lunch time I decided to have a look on google maps of the station area at Santa Barbara - google maps has been updated in this area.

 

The model is now a historical one as much of the car park is now a construction site for what looks like a new road underpass going right next to the big old fig tree and under the platforms. I suspect that will eventaully replace the grade crossing at the North West end of the station at W Montecito Street.

 

Will be shame as the view from the Brew House wont be the same again!.

 

Oh well, thats the price you pay when modelling a real location.

 

 

 

UPDATE

 

Just found this.

 

it isn't  a new road but works to alleviate the creek next to it in times of heavy rain.

 

http://www.noozhawk...._train_station/

 

 

Ian

Well at least Ernest Marples isn't involved,otherwise it would all be under a new Freeway.

[roundhouse]

Well at least Ernest Marples isn't involved,otherwise it would all be under a new Freeway.

 

The Freeway (101) runs very close to the station so it does only just miss it as it is.

 

Of early today to post office to pick up some business cards mugs pens mouse matts all branded for the layout!

[roundhouse]

We are now into the last hour and a half of the Derby show.

Apart from a few gremlins on Saturday morning with some baseboard joints, one of hitch was one I damaged whilst setting up the layout has performed well.

The track plan on the two PCs with the turnout feedback working has been a big benefit but we still forget to check the turnout positions onscreen so we still do get a few derailments so its down to human error!

A few behind the scene photos as well as a few scenic ones below.

 

A general shot of the fiddleyard which is pretty full these days. Its the same fiddleyard that we use on Banbury and will also be used on any future N scale layouts.

 

One of the touchscreen PC's with the trackplan set up. The turnouts can be changed by clicling on the circles over the turnouts. The mouse mats are from my own photos and arrived on Friday before the show. Also had some mugs pens and business cards and name badges done with the same photo.

 

A shot of the station from the Goleta end of the layout.

 

And the final shot os from the Carpenteria / LA end of the layout. 

Ian

Edited May 13, 2013 by roundhouse

[westerhamstation]

Brilliant.

            Makes you just want to be in California good old USA.

[roundhouse]

Brilliant.

            Makes you just want to be in California good old USA.

Thanks

 

I wish I could be sitting in either the Brewhouse pub to the West end of the station or the Union Ale House the other end of te station in State Street. Unfortunately Santa Barbara isn't in our itinerary for our Summer hols this year..maybe Christmas though!

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

We had a good journey home yesterday getting in by 8.30pm.

The layouts next show isn't until November so plenty of time to do a bit more scenic work including trimming the centre section of the road crossings. These are BLMA etched brass in fills fixed onto styrene. They have worked OK since the layout was built but we did get a number of locos shorting on these presumably the paint has worn off the edges and it's now shorting on the loco wheels back to back.

Ther are a few decoders in the locos that seem to be failing. These are generally the newer Digitrax ones which is concerning.I did have one loco that required its Digitrax board to be factory reset each time the layout had a short if it was on the track. This was lo a newer board in a Kato SD70Ace UP heritage loco.

There's more work to do on the fiddle yard which will be out as part of Banbury quite a few times in the near future.

One more photo taken yesterday at the Derby show. The folder with 'Santa Barbara' on the binder is full of A4 shots of the real location. I used ot have a photo screen doing this but the folder gets looked at far more so one less bit of kit to plug in these days. At this show for the first itme I printed out the Californai Amtrak schedule and newsletter. This was also looked at quite a lot so, for the next show I will print out any updated ones for viewers.

Edited May 13, 2013 by roundhouse

[JWB]

My wife and I periodically drive up to Santa Barbara for lunch, and yesterday we stopped by the depot. Seems like you've got it down quite well. That's a very nice Surfliner train. I'm not sure if you're aware that Superliners painted in regular Amtrak Phase V are semi-permanently assigned to Surfliner trains, both baggage coaches in the 31000 series

and designated straight coaches of the first order in the 34000 series that have been converted to push-pull:

This is in addition to certain wreck-damaged straight Amtrak coaches that were rebuilt and repainted for Surfliner service in the 34900 series:

Beyond that, P42s can also be found in Surfliner service:

For what it's worth, 183 is running in push mode.

 

It's all stuff to think about in the fiddle yard!

 

 

[roundhouse]

JWB

 

Nice photos

 

Yes we have seen the Amtrak Superliners in the Surfliner sets. However the Kato Superliners don't like being coupled with the Brass Surfliner coaches so I need to get an extra Kato one and change the coupling to Microtrains ones then hopefully we can run a set as per your photos..

 

Regards

 

Ian

[roundhouse]

Yesterday a package from Shapeways arrived.

 

In it was an Amtrak Horizon cafe coach, underframe and glazing (plus some wheely bins which will be used on this layout and Banbury).

 

The Horizon car body is superbly well done with sa central stiffener underneath. The underframe fits snuggly into the recesses in the body. It will require soem trucks which I believe Microtrains do.

 

I have now given the Fud print three good cleans including giving it a scrub with a scrubbing brush in the bath with me this morning.

 

It will have another final clean this evening (not with me this time). I am paranoid about getting the wax off the print as this has given me grief when painting before with other prints.

 

The cafe car will go in a set of Amfleet coaches to represent the single deck Surfliner train that runs to San Luis Obispo. one set is normally formed of these with another being the double deck  coaches.

 

These Surfliner double deck coaches are also available from Shapeways. I might have to get some of these now that the brass ones from Japan are no longer produced.

 

I will post some photos once I get a coat of paint on the body.

 

Ian

[Adrian Wintle]

 

The Horizon car body is superbly well done with sa central stiffener underneath. The underframe fits snuggly into the recesses in the body. It will require soem trucks which I believe Microtrains do.

 

Ian

 

The Horizon trucks are made by Kato for their Viewliner coaches. They are available from Kato USA at $10 a pair. The MT trucks aren't the style that go under Horizon coaches.

 

Adrian

[roundhouse]

Thanks Adrian.

 

I will order some from Kato

 

regards

 

Ian