Barnaby

Thanks Gents. Robin thanks for the link I'll go and have a looksee but I may take you up on your kind offer of your files. Kevin I don't think Wagonflow is still available. Many thanks both.

Hello Robin just a quick off topic wander. As a Scouser it is interesting to see you are modelling the local dock area of Liverpool with a deft touch at a high skill level. As a youngster my friends dad worked the dock engines we're talking early 60's so my memory is a bit dim on precise recalls. We also used to ride footplate down the line to Garston Dock area as we had a friend who was learning the signal box on that line and had got to know the railway crews. Health and Safety frrrrrp. You recently mentioned on my forum post about my layout build where I was discussing Way bills & Car cards and added a photo of your system. Reading through I see you mention Ship-it and I think the Spread sheets I am working with are based on that but they do have a lot of detail cells to populate which for my small 7mm gauge plank is a little heavy handed. I'm trying to put together enough details to make up an anglicised version so any info you may be willing to share would be helpful. Ok back onto your topic. Thanks

Hello Robin thanks for that they do look very neat and clear. My layout is nothing more than a small 0 gauge plank so I will not have lots of wagons and not much scope for running so I want to maximise the shunting interest available. All the USA based spread sheets have copious amounts of detail in them so while Chris's spreadsheet is freely available and can be edited I'm a little unsure what effect any editing might have on his many "Lookup" formulae he has added. I've done some simple editing which seem to be ok but we'll see how it goes. Yours do look very nice so I'll go and read through your posts for some more ideas. Regards

Hello Ian. Stand fast, batten down the hatches and be ready with the mop. Hope all is well with the cyclone overhead. Best

What actually is a Sprog as a scouse a sprog is a baby. I see DCC concepts sell them but in modeller speak what exactly are they and what can they do that I can't do on an isolated piece of track via my controller. Thanks

Thanks Dave I do have that noted and yes they do ship across across the pond too. I may fall-back to that but Chris's spreadsheets are freely available and fully editable too. This will allow me to Anglicise them to be more suited to here in the UK and my needs. I think there is a UK distributor for that product but I don't seem to be able to find it right now. Best

I've just been reading and getting re-familared [made up word] with Chris's work and have found this topic with spread sheets again all editable and freely available. Simulating Customer Demand on a Model Railroad I've not yet gone into it in any depth but from his heading it sounds useful. Best

A little more "background" on the spreadsheet WB & CC pockets and insert. A not yet Anglicised photo of the pockets and inserts printed out but I still have to edit it ie Car No. to Wagon #, Color to Colour etc. I may reduce the content detail too as Chris's is very detailed, he has 4 different spreadsheets on differing topics with 3-4 different layout pages, MASSIVE it is. This will not be a regular updating process but only reports back to here when I have completed sections. Regards

George that is my preferred method of lay down and painting my track and ballast too. It's just not how I'd been advised to do it which is track down spray up then ballast over and spray up the ballast some more if required, but if it's good enough for the George to spray all first then it's good enough for me too. My only concern would be if there is enough colour distinction between the sleepers and ballast, do you find that an issue? I'll look forward to seeing your progress. Regards

......... I recall talking with Chris Van Der Heide an USA modeller he of Algoma Central model Railway in H0 fame. Chris had put a huge amount of effort into wagon cards, way bills and the like, unfortunately my pc lost its hard drive and all my ref data too. From what I recall I've managed to recover some of it and will have a wade through it in the mean time here a some additional notes. Chris has made all his Excel work freely available and it is fully editable, what a man. A minimum, basic wagon card/waybill system is as follows: 1. The wagon card minimally has the wagon initials and number. Anything else descriptive is a bonus. 2. The wagon card is folded to make a pocket into which the "waybill" (shipment info) will be inserted 3. The "waybill" minimally includes the "To" destination (receiver) of the car. Shipper, contents, routing or other information is optional but helps add to the feel we're actually moving cargo. 4. With the "waybill" inserted into the "wagon card", the two together will tell you where to move that wagon. Everything else is improvements or variations on this. Best

...............along with the finish building of this layout I have been mulling over how to make my layouts more FUN to RUN. I want to make up some Way bills and Wagon cards and devise a way to add to my spreadsheet so I can print out some headed suitable cards which I can shuffle , roll a dice what ever to bring some variety to my small layouts. This shall be going on in the back ground of my builds with occasional notes here. There does seem to be quite a bit of Waybill info on line mainly USA based but if any of the software is editable that will be great but failing that I will just have to set up my own as I'm reasonably competent with Excel. I've started another post in the Help Forum looking for existing ideas as I see no point in re-inventing a wheel but........ >>>

Thinking of the Template headings here are some thoughts, they'll need to be abbreviated >>>. WORKINGS IN WORKINGS OUT LOAD DROP OFF POINT LOAD COLLECT POINT LOAD TYPE QUANTITY CLOCK TIME WAGON ID # LOCO ID # There may be many more.................................................... Probably need a sketch of where all these drop off/ pick up locations are with a manual clock face in it? Regards

Thanks Gents. That sounds plausible Kris, what I would like to have is a blank but headed template for details to be added so I could just print off as many as I need. I was going to add the details on the pc and therefore I could print them out if I wanted to keep them. I just was trying to avoid doing the leg work on excel if it has already been done. Woody, yes you could use different coloured dice for differing actions say, loads, quantities, pick up/deliver but I was thinking of a randomiser that would produce it all to the card. Then maybe you shuffle the cards and follow them through. Maybe even though I've been retired from spreadsheet, power point and word workings for some 12 years now I may need to dust my notes down and have a go again and produce some TEMPLATE CARDS for filling in the randomised details. Best

Hello I enjoy small/micro inglenook style layouts. I want to Randomise my train movements & wagon loads but also keep a record of them so something like Excel or similar software program would be great. I'm mainly interested in freight so the working end is scrap yard, factory, machine shop etc. I will enter/leave the yard from one end only. Initially a Waybill & Wagon Card manual system allows for most of what I want but it would be good to input into a prog on my pc then print the cards out. Any ideas anybody as I don't want to re-invent the wheel? Best

That loco wagon shot looks super dandy Ade. Best

Hello Rod I don't do much with the DCC settings but the reset back to 3 has caught me out a few times and probably will again. Did/have you found any cause for the malfunction of the chip or was it just the electrickery gremlins getting the better of you.? Best

Very tasty indeed George, it's an art form and beautiful work. When I'm building the layout I have every tool I've collected over the last 55 years out on top of my board. The layout has become a shelf, a table, somewhere to place my food and drinks and all my part builds, somewhere to scribble notes, bit of a nightmare really while your build looks clean and white. Deffo have to have a go with a white base board very smart. Best

Good stuff Mike that looks very neat and tidy modelling and full of inspiring details. Best wishes for whatever is proposed for your medical treatment. Regards

What a very enjoyable time slot video watching the get up and go, then the the task shunting in really great surroundings, fantastic Dave. I'm about to watch it all over again. Best

Yaaaaaaaaaaawwwwn not much happening here. Got the new tie-bars from Greenwood models and very neat they are too along with the re-railer which I have assembled. I'm going to mount the control pcb for the SS point motors on a hinge down sub base board to make any wiring a little easier when working in that area. I've cut out a suitable piece of board and found some suitable hinges in my stock. Still got to finish off the woodwork for a small table/shelf to house the DCC controls on but it is all coming together. Then this morning I got a double mag delivery 1/ my Hornby Mag & 2/ Hornby Wagonload Formations as it has a lengthy article on Scrap workings which I want to include on my layout. I'm just off out into the garden to plant up some flower pots. Best

Good work there Rod but it does seem a great pity that the reason you wanted to change the Peco points was to get a better truer flow to the point work and your "Y" point is flawed? But then a shunter-man leaning on his pole looking the other way at midnight "aint gonna" notice it. Best

Tremendous work George. You say you find all that lovely track building RELAXING as for me with track if I can't build it better I buy RTR as my patience is poor. Probably because my skill level with track is low and I'm not getting any younger so I need to get on with things so I can enjoy the running. Looking forward to following your build as a Diorama / micro model is the way to go for me too. Best

Thanks Steve just ordered it and as a Subscriber to the Hornby Mag I got £2 off whoopy dooo. Best

Interesting topic.

Really enjoying the story-line Dave. The photography is brilliant and very realistic i struggle to tell which are model and which are real time photos. Wonderful! Best