Ray H

My O gauge layout - which is based around a BR branch and an adjoining Light Railway - has a sequence of 24 moves. On the BR side there are return workings of the railcar spread throughout the sequence and a return freight working. The Light Railway generally runs connecting passenger trains and two Goods trains. The stock for the passenger trains doesn't vary although the Light Railway could vary the loco used. The stock for the Goods trains is determined by a randomly generated list using an Excel workbook. This knows the capacity of each siding and the number of each wagon and randomly allocates a wagon to one of the layout's 10 sidings. This can translate in shunting stock around the various sidings at the same location or using them to make up the goods trains. It can include exchanging them between BR and the Light Railway. Freight stock doesn't need to have completed its journey at the end of each sequence. For example, if it arrived at the Exchange station after the relevant BR freight train has departed, said wagon will remain there and it will commence its next journey from there, which could be back where it just came from. There are twenty different freight stock movement sheets and each sheet is randomly selected so (for example) sheet H doesn't always follow sheet G. Thereby the chances of two consecutive sessions involving the same combination of wagon movements is very low. I treat it like a big shunting puzzle with a few passenger trains thrown in for good measure.

Signal 1 would probably be a lot closer to the trap points and those trap points would probably be a little further back from the Halt. Likewise, signal 2 & 3 would be closer to the point (in practice), more or less on their end of the facing point locking bar. Signals 15 & 19 would probably be co-located where signal 19 is shown. You may find the need for a trap point between signal 14 and point 16 or signal 14 may need to be moved further back from the junction point. The loco off arriving trains at the warehouses would run round its train and shunt as required wherever needed on the warehouse side of signal 1. You can always add a dummy trap point, with a single rail attached to the outer side of one of the (track) rails and pointing away from those track rails.

I've no knowledge of the area concerned but am a little confused about the plan. Is there a passenger service to/from the part of the layout where the two warehouses are shown or do passenger services terminate at the halt? Are the two tracks at the bottom both for passenger services because you wouldn't normally have facing point locks on a purely goods line. I'm not clear about the purpose of signals 1 & 21, especially if there is no passenger service past them.

Based on what you have said, my gut re-action is that the decoder is misbehaving. Can you try starting the loco in reverse and see what happens then? Is it possible that one of the pins on the decoder might be touching something beneath the socket into which it is connected? Logically (to me, anyway) I don't think there is anything hardware wise that should cause the problem you're experiencing (unless it is with a component that is only brought into play when motor power is reversed).

Shhhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell Kevin and ruin his Easter, but one of the blades of grass is upside down. 😒

Take a look at my Puzzel Yard layout. The track plan was copied from one of Andy Peters' layouts and provides endless fun if you like shunting. I had about two dozen wagons and a couple of locos on it and operated it as a shunting puzzle (hence the name). A quick Excel spreadsheet to randomise the wagon placement is all you need for hours of fun.

I ordered something via the well known electronic auction site at the end of last week. The seller advised me that it had been sent and provided a tracking number. So far, the package has failed to arrive but that's not unusual. I think it should go through our letter box but I want some idea of when it might arrive so that I can try to be here, just in case it doesn't. I used the Royal Mail tracking utility. It doesn't indicate it has even got/had the package, shows no transit details and adds: "An update will only be provided when we attempt to deliver your item" I wonder if they realise that a good majority of people actually know when something has been delivered because they have it in their hands? I don't quite follow the "when we attempt to deliver your item" bit. Does that mean when the package leaves our local depot en route to us or when the postman is about to pop the package through the letter box?

You can tell its a model as it hasn't been raining! Hat, coat & umbrella - I'm gone!

We have a similar problem with one of the locos on the club's O gauge layout that's fitted with a Zimo sound decoder. We tried a few ideas out but as the only loco on the layout fitted with lights we eventually gave up. I only asked the make of yours in case it was similar to ours and might have provided us with a solution to our problem.

What decoder brand are they?

Is that the final weathering job Kevin? 😄

I shall probably have to duck for cover after saying this but . . . I think a lot of the trouble with the Circle line and the tracks it uses is with the computer control, although I have no knowledge of it these days, the previous system being just that, a system, couldn't work in the same way as a signaller could. The signaller could often see where the trains were when they were still some way away and could mentally hatch a plan as to the order in which the trains would merge together. Equally, smart platform work by staff and (often) passengers also cut platform dwell times. Modern signalling overlaps are greater than before too. Add all them together and even a minor glitch can have a large ripple effect. Even as late as the 1960s trains on the south and north sides of the Circle were running at or near to 38 trains per hour. As far as I am aware, they're not even scheduled to run at 30 tph these days.

I lost my dad from kidney failure when I was just 12, 64 years ago. I know he was in a Railway Convalescent Home at Dawlish although I don't know if it was this one. We mentioned it at home recently to the surprise of some family members.

Silly (?) thought. Close two adjacent level crossings and replace each of them with a footbridge that isn't too bike unfriendly and build a new road bridge between the two (now ex) crossings. Would that be an option anywhere?