Ray H

I You should be that lucky. 😄

Good to see you enjoying yourself and time in the POD again Andy. At this rate I could get my ballasting done before you. Now that's a first (and reminds me to take a picture of the little bit that I have done).

Sprog The reason DecoderPro couldn't read the decoder turned out to be the vintage version of the Sprog's firmware I was using. A quick email to Andrew Crosland to get the correct .hex file (at no cost) and away we went. Thanks Andrew. Decoder My comment about F1 function key turned out not to be 100%. F1 did turn the sound on and off but only when the loco was stationary. My guess is that because I'd set the decoder to go quiet after a second of no movement or function key operation, the decoder saw my F1 key operation when the loco was stationary as a trigger to go quiet and because I'd disabled the F1 key's sound it appeared that it was turning sound off. Start the loco moving and F1 had no obvious effect because the loco was moving and F1's sound was disabled. I'm still trying to find out why I can't disable F2's sound with continuing help from Soundtraxx. Following a suggestion from Soundtraxx to check whether any other mapping CVs were still set to (key) 2, I found CV316 set 2. I've set that CV's value to 255 and there's no whistle sounds when I use the F2 key. Many thanks to Soundtraxx for their ongoing assistance. Neither DecoderPro's data nor the Soundtraxx/Econami guides reference CV316 which is why its value hadn't been found before. Please note: this is not meant to decry the efforts of those who produce the data for DecoderPro, they can only work with the data they have from the decoder manufacturer's literature. I shall be emailing Soundtraxx to tell them what I found.

7 levers is the correct model. I think you're confusing yourself because of the high lever count on the drawing, 1P and the trap point are worked by one lever both on the model and (they would be in) reality. Likewise with points 2P & 3P 4P and the two points hand worked (in reality) all need separate levers. I don't believe that you need point motors for the signals as I believe the Dapol ones come ready to connect to the lever. The DCC Concepts levers have two built-in On/Off switches. You could use one of those switches to provide a circuit that won't let the home signal clear if either points 1P or 2P aren't set for the platform (and the starting signal is at danger). You could do something similar for the starting signal but that requires more switches or relays.

I've no great knowledge about GWR signals but I'll make the following observations to kick start things. The trap points from the yard onto the running line would be required to protect passenger trains from runaway wagons. You'll need a shunt signal at the toe end of the trap points to allow trains to leave the yard (and for shunting) A second shunt signal is required to leave the loop. On some regions this would be a yellow rather than red disc which would allow movements past the signal when at caution - yellow stripe = horizontal, and the disc cleared to head onto the running line. You'll also need a platform starting signal. The home signal could be assumed to be just off scene so might not be required. That would, I think, have the main arm for the platform and a subsidiary arm on either side thereof, one to go into the yard and one for the loop. Many years ago Sheffield Park on the Bluebell Railway had a lever frame on the platform. It was inside a building when I was there but may have been outside the building in BR/SR days. Token instruments were known to be located in the booking office or station master's office but I'm not sure whether that was so on the GWR. I think there wouldn't need to be more than eight levers plus a spare or two in the frame and that might have been less if one lever could work different signals based on the way the points were set so a small "box" should suffice. Don't take the above for gospel but it might get other more knowledgeable people started.

I thought that's what Signallers do as well!🙂

I'm 99% certain that it does.

Why have one solution opportunity (aka problem) when you can have more? I still can't get my DecoderPro/Sprog combination to even see the Econami fitted Terrier on the track and yet said combination happily sees a Zimo fitted Terrier. I don't believe it is a Sprog issue because I can use the set-up successfully read & write to other decoder type fitted locos. The Soundtraxx suggested method in lieu of using F1 to turn sound on and off, works. There's a brief (1 second) steam sound on power up/placing loco on the track and then all goes quiet until the loco is moved. I can live with that especially as there's the F8 mute function if I don't want sound on. A non-zero value assigned to CV113 does the business - the value is interpreted as the number of seconds after either power on, a movement or other function usage after which sound is turned off. I've set it to 1 and it works. Placing the loco on the track and driving it with sound turned on get a very erratic response. The loco moves a short way, comes to a noticeable but brief stop and then moves off again. This is repeated until the throttle is wound back to zero. Turn the sound off and the loco behaves normally. Likewise, place the loco on the track (or turning power on) and leaving it for a short while sees the loco behaving normally with or without sound on. I've managed to move the brake function to use the F2 key on the PowerCab. I was well pleased until I turned the sound on and discovered that every time I touch the F2 (or Horn/Whistle) key) the loco whistle. It also appears that at least one of the whistle assigned function keys sounds said whistle when the function is turned on and when its turned off. I can live with that by only touching the relevant key when I want the whistle to sound, rather than turning the key off automatically after usage as I do with other decoders. Finally, and despite what Soundtraxx have told me, I've managed to do something that makes the F1 key turn sound on and off. All I thought that I'd done was to set the associated CV to 255 to disable the use of the F1 key - to stop it sounding the whistle and because I hadn't another use for it. I'd like to be able to send the present CV settings to Soundtraxx to see if they can work out why F1 does turn sound on and off and why I can't seem to stop the F2 key blowing the whistle as well as operating the brake.

Andy comes up trumps again even if it is only for a short while, thank you.

Thanks Nigel. I did email the Soundtraxx support yesterday about reversing the mute facility. Their reply last evening, which I have yet to try, was that it can't be done. However, they did suggest a way it could be simulated, so I'll give that a try. Having gotten their attention I might mention the further problem that I've had and see if they can shed a light on that.

Not the bestest of days 😒 I downloaded the latest live version of DecoderPro successfully. It didn't recognise the decoder even when I worked out that it wasn't under Econami or Gaugemaster but was listed under Soundtraxx. It's been some time since I've used DecoderPro but eventually worked out what I had to do. Nonetheless said application couldn't detect the loco on the attached programming track but would happily detect and read my other Terrier that has a Zimo decoder fitted. I swapped back and forth a couple of times and the Zimo decoder was happily read but not the Econami decoder. At least I could rule out anything associated with DecoderPro, the Sprog or the programming track. Just to make sure I put the loco on the layout's programming track and happily read the various CVs, many of them twice to make sure I wasn't getting corrupt results. I even turned the loco round and got the same results. The function key settings have, at some stage, been changed because I deduced from the CV values that F6 had been set up for the brake (rather than the default F11). Several other sounds had also been relocated and a number of the others had had their vales changed to 255 to disable them. I could happily change the various settings* to make my own relocations but none took effect despite me reading them back after my adjustment failed to make any difference. The brake stays on F6 and there are three whistles on F1, F2 & F3 despite the CV values telling me otherwise. * F1's CV is 255 (= disabled) but happily sounds the whistle. I tried resetting the decoder both the page with the function key mapping and the whole decoder. The latter worked and reset the loco's number to 3 (from its previous value of 33). CVs 31 & 32 were frequently checked and consistently showed 16 & 1 respectively. I must admit that the novelty value of being able to assign various different loco class whistles to your model could be fun. Setting up the active/dynamic brake took a little bit of comprehending - CV values above 127 are taken as a negative value which increases the braking effort. However, I didn't notice anything that indicated whether the low end of the 127 - 255 range translated as the greater or lesser brake force but that's sorted now. The one thing that I dislike is that the sound defaults to On and the Mute function has to be used to turn it Off. I couldn't find anything that indicated that the default could be changed. Has anyone any suggestions with regard to things I could try to sort out the CV mapping?

This is getting to be like those very brief mouth watering tv programme clips that make you feel compelled to watch said programme only to find . . . . . 😀

A slightly late delivery of some critical parts for the Arduino related items has enabled me to clear the bench enough to accommodate the laptop, the Sprog and the only piece of track I have left so I'll have a crack it things tomorrow. The loco arrived today, complete with the Econami documentation that came with the decoder. It is strange to find that sound is normally on and uses a mute function (F8) to quieten it. I'll let you know how I get on.

That does sound odd. It almost seems that the stay alive takes a long time to discharge and is, thus, keeping some kind of power flow to the decoder - which is what it is there for in a roundabout way. Similarly, it sounds as though there needs to be a certain (time) amount of current flowing through the decoder (and, possibly, warming the decoder) before it'll work. Could it be a dodgy solder joint on the decoder itself? I'd be tempted to refer the problem to the place of purchase if that is possible.

Thanks Nigel I can either use the PowerCab or DecoderPro but the latter isn't currently set up and the bench is covered in Arduino stuff at present. I presume that I need to shove some of the other key allocations to fit the old F2 function somewhere else. All understood about the F11 key's position, I'd just prefer to have the same key for the brake.

I have just bought a loco fitted with an Econami decoder. It is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I use the Active/Dynamic brake feature on all my locos. I use the NCE throttle F2 key (plus the Horn/Whistle key which will "apply" the brake whilst pressed) for braking . I've had a quick look at the Econami documentation which seems to indicate that CV 117's value affects the brake rate and the F11 key is used to apply the brake. Has anyone modified their Econami decoder settings to use the F2 instead of the F11 key for the brake function?

Andy, I suspect what I'm seeing could be tied up with it as well. There's a white bar across the bottom of the window with the back to page/window top arrow now on the left hand side. The white bar has had what I class as micro advert icons (and, I've just noticed, the word Advertisement greyed out in a micro small font at the top of said white bar. I don't need a reply, just thought I'd pass on what I'm seeing as I type.

That looks correct. In many cases the usual lay for a point that is Normal is the straight route, the curved route being the Reverse state. I wouldn't hold too much store on No. 16 signal, especially if you were planning to take the signals away. In a lot of cases the loco release crossover had a local ground frame which the fireman would work. Some (all?) had a release lever which had to be reversed/pulled to release the point's/crossover's lever to change the point(s). The fireman would then restore all the levers to their original (back in the frame) position before the fireman re-joined the driver on the loco. I could also envisage a situation where having left the lever to work the ground frame, the fireman would not re-join the driver/loco. Instead the fireman would walk to the front of the train whilst the driver was moving the loco and await there for the loco to arrive whereupon the fireman would couple the loco to the coaches before returning to the loco. Some of the (loco) release ground frames would have had a release lever in the signal box which the signalman would have pulled to allow the fireman to operate the ground frame.

I think that an even slightly curved layout looks better, possibly more so at a terminus, but that is a personal opinion. How about the following suggestions if width is an issue? Move the Goods shed to the siding adjacent to the loop and reduce the length of the siding where the goods shed was so that it stops (just before) it gets to where the goods shed has been relocated to. You could have an exterior loading platform on the country end of the goods shed which the (now) truncated siding could serve, probably for no more than a wagon's length. The cattle dock would stay (roughly) where it is, save that that the gap between the two sidings could be slimmed down a bit. I'd also add a coal merchant between the cattle dock and the end wall of the goods shed. The loco release crossover could be moved further away from the buffer stop requiring the loco off the arriving train to set back the detrained coaches, uncouple, move forward again clear of the release crossover and then run round, propelling the coaches back towards the buffer stop prior to departure. That would allow the dock siding to be lengthened to offer a further location to shunt. I'd also move the loco shed to the end of the headshunt.

I don't know how important having signals is to your friend but if there is to be only one loco on the visible part of the layout at a time then all the signals could be omitted with the "railway" being worked under the one engine in steam principle.

Their MODERN BRICK (BM006) sheet is worth checking closely before you order it. I was a tad disappointed when it arrived as the repeating pattern is a little too obvious. However, having applied it to a building it doesn't look so obvious. Hope that helps.

Facing points are largely inevitable in and around a terminus so don't go too mad trying to avoid them for this type of layout. It isn't clear from above whether this terminus has one or more platforms, which is the front & which is the operating side. Is it supposed to be double track? I'm not a GWR man so whilst I might be able to suggest some signalling I doubt I could confirm which side of the track the signals needed to be as I believe at least some GWR locos tended to be right hand drive. It might be helpful to know the era that the layout is designed around, e.g. pre-grouping, pre-nationalisation or later.

Scalology do some as well in N, OO & O. I've been pleased with the ones that I have had in O,

My visit to the garage this afternoon was intended to facilitate a start on some of the Arduino associated hardware for the club layout. Somehow and I can't remember exactly how, my eyes lit on a bag of balsa wood bits from, I think, Hobbycraft a fair while ago. I think I must have stashed said bag under the Westbury station part of the layout recently when clearing the bench and a chance look at that part of the baseboard resulted in a start being made on the foot crossing at the Gawcott end of the Westbury island platform. The track on the left is the BR line with the LR platform track in the middle alongside the LR run round loop. The actual station building, a kit by 422 modelmaking, arrived over a week ago and is still in its box. This will eventually occupy the space where the mock-up is in the above picture. I also bought a set of platform ramps and two platform wall pieces from the same source. They're just right for the halt platform at Tingewick with a further order to be placed in due course for enough to be used for the Westbury platform walls. The foot crossing has been made up of numerous strips of balsa from the bag of bits as I don't have any balsa sheet material. It took a while to glue all the bits together but I think it looks more realistic than pieces cut from a wide sheet.

Ah, that possibly explains the lack of visible emissions of smoke and steam. 🙂