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Helix started, the first level all level cross ways and at the same incline throughout, since the photo was taken have added another level above. I have basically used the notes and experiences of Charlie at Chadwick Model Railway on Youtube and its works very well.

So, after slow progress during the summer, due to the loft being on the warm side, I've managed to get some time up there and complete the helix base, and the ramp that connects the helix to the storage roads, the height difference between the bottom of the helix and the storage roads board is 6 inches, the ramp is 18 feet long, so 1 in 32 in my reckoning, A couple of images added, the helix base and the ramp, with the lower part visible behind.

Whilst working in the loft, I found the London Knightsbridge #1 control panel under a board, its been there about 5 years waiting for me to scavenge the point switches from it. To give some idea of size, the storage roads at the top were 20 feet long, and the station platforms at the bottom right could take 10 coaches (8 coaches and a loco either end). Diagram is not quite to scale. The origins is the layout shown here were actually a German layout started about 2003, and the plan here was actually all right hand running for that layout, to convert to British, required many sets of points turning round - this required the scenic side to have a new control panel, you can see the cut where I inserted a new piece of ply, but kept the original German layout storage roads. Anyway, onwards and upwards.

Mini update - 12 of 22 sets of points in the lower level storage roads wired up and tested, target for completion of the others is the end of the month so had better get my finger out. This bit of work has required a temporary control panel to be built, its just a simple softwood frame round a piece of plywood, its just there to be able to install point switches and LED's. Will be replaced by a new panel once the final track plan is settled (the last layouts temporary panel lasted 10 years!). Once these points are wired up, it on with the helix, target is Easter to have this installed and working. Ultimate target for 2022 is to be able to bring a train up from the storage level, up the helix, round the scenic level and back down to storage by mid-August, as have visitors who will want to have a look!

Thanks all, will give it some thought and check out the Hornby Magazine yearbook. regards Matt

Hello, yes the LEDS are 12v with resistor, will try your method above out too, thank you for replying, Matt

Hello Just asking if anyone has used this kit, which is HO, on a British OO layout, after your opinion if it looks ok or too under scale. When I modelled German railways, quite a few things from various manufacturers was under and equally over-scale.. The appeal for this kit is that its massive at 49cm long, 20 deep etc, would make an imposing station with suitable British bits added..but don't want to invest if it will look silly. many thanks Matt

Thank you for the replies, I figured it out, from the 12v DC transformer connect the positive to each of the LED positives, connect the negative to the middle connector on PL15 and one each of the two negative from the LED’s to the remaining two on the PL15 and hey presto. The included diagram does not show anything like that, annoying as spent ages last night trying to get it to work, its the lost time that counts, but it works now so good enough for me! thanks again Matt

thank you

Hello all, I have bought a couple of these to try out instead of the PL-13, and am trying to wire them up to light the LED's to show which way the points sit. The wiring diagram included is little more than useless really. I have spend a couple of hours fiddling and can get the thing to light one LED but not the other, have tried both in the 'working' position so know both are functioning, is anyone able to draw an easy to follow diagram please? A google search has not yielded anything suitable. Will contact Peco tomorrow but really their instructions should be much clearer at least with + and - on the wires.. many thanks in advance Matt

Hello, silly question time, I need to mount a couple PL-10's at 90 degrees to the track, are the PL-12 / PL-12X the correct item for this, they appear to have a bell crank in the kit, if not, what would you suggest to achieve this? many thanks in advance Matt

Day four in the loft complete, have laid in total about 250 feet of code100 to finish off the storage roads. New pet hate are the Peco insulating fish plates that seem to made of a softer material than years ago, took an age to get some of them on. Have added them every 150cm on all lines to future proof in case I decide to go down the block detection route. All will be bypassed for now. Started wiring it all up this evening.

Thank you all for the replies, I have figured it out in my mind and got a plan sketched on the board in the loft, cracking on with phase 1 which is to complete the storage roads and wire up, phase 2 is build the helix base and tinker from there.. cheers Matt

So, 10 months on, have a few days allocated to finishing the 10 storage roads on the lower level, having removed a million track pins from previously lifted code 100, this is being recycled going down nicely. All the area laid in January is full of stock so no space to run anything, probably a good job and I'd end up shunting all day and not concentrating on the job in hand!

Hello yes double junction at the top, cool I'll run all ten the same way, thanks for reply

Hello After a bit of advice on a 'what would you do' basis.. I have a series of ten storage roads running round the loft on low level boards, these will be connected to the scenic / operating level above by a helix, purchased but yet to be installed. The question is, for ease of operating, would it be easier to have the trains run on all ten roads in the same direction after leaving the bottom of the helix, or, maintain normal principle and have five for 'up' and five for 'down' directions if that makes sense, I'm trying to figure the entry / exit point work at the bottom of the helix. Clearly there would be need for return loop modules. To me it just seems to make more sense that everything exiting the bottom of the helix goes in the same direction, round the storage roads, then back up the helix as required..? Any help appreciated. thanks Matt

As an infrequent visitor, just my twopennies worth, the side adverts are fine, but would be better static, the advert for Beer Hawk (who I ordered £154 worth from this morning) is sliding around and distracting - its pointless showing me that as I've already purchased, and the video box has shown me scantily clad women, giraffes and some feathered birds..this is also irritating as, as soon as you click to close a box, and change a page, another one appears. I subscribe to wnxx.com and this is very similar to RMWEB in style and content, is £10 a year and only a simple small banner ad on the front page, none in the forum itself. Happy to pay a tenner but not £50+ for things I don't want. What is the total cost of running RMWEB per year and expected add revenue? Is warners trying to make a profit or just cover costs? Would a subscription model be better? It must be cheaper to run a web forum than to publish a magazine..

thank you - have scanned back through to 23rd September. So signing up for Gold completely 100% removes all flashing adverts (these drive me insane)?

These video adverts..completely ruining my experience of using RMWEB, sorry. What can I do to stop / remove? Safari user.

excellent thank you, thats the answer to my question..will check out the vids once I have hold of the hardware. many thanks

Hello, have ordered some bits that have not been dispatched yet, so not able to have a play on a test set up, but, want to crack on a lay track, is someone able to advise if two block sections on the layout can be combined into one on itrain? So you can see a train enter the first half and then the second? Appreciate each will need its own port (of the 16) just wondering how iTrain could display it. many thanks in advance Matt

Hello, After a bit of advice If I may. I am reconstructing the layout (large) and want to replace my set 100 with something more modern, its got to be 20 years old or more. The new layout will have storage roads underneath the scenic boards,. The loose plan is to have ten storage roads, maybe up to 50 feet long each, round the loft, but each sub-divided into five ten foot long sections. This reduces the number of sets of points needed. Point control etc will be by traditional means, I like the tactile operation of switches. So I am looking for a DCC system that will tell me which loco/unit is in each section, there being up to 50 sections. And, if such a thing exists that will automatically shuffle a train forward a section when the next one becomes empty, that would be a bonus, all I'd have to do is choose what to bring up to the scenic area next, and send whatever I need down into the next empty road. I have looked at the Z21, and Digitrax etc but to be honest a bit baffled by what would achieve the above. Appreciate your help and adice Matt

Thank you for the thought, I did think about ramps / grades rather than a Helix but got the impression that ramps are just as much trouble. I have ordered a Helix so am now going that route, all the stock is ‘diesel’ loco or EMU so should not have traction issues. Will determine the maximum train length once it is installed. I spent far to long late yesterday evening learning Anyrail and knocked up the plan below to better explain the sketch above. It should work but will draw out a scale plan once I have measured out the loft properly.

Thank you for the replies. Sorry about the poor drawing. The available space is easily big enough and the drawing is just schematic to show what I could do, it’s not to scale. The loop to the right of the helix has to go round a chimney stack that runs through the loft, and is about a four feet square, but the track loop once it passes the chimney has about 15 feet of space in which to turn back. It needs to go round the chimney as there is not room for spiral and that return loop on the area to the left of the chimney breast, but there is plenty if the track comes round it. This is the second big layout and is using the refreshed storage roads from a previous German themed layout, which had similar complex junctions to distribute trains around, the only difference was that the scenic boards were at a similar height to the storage boards, connected via a series of ramps. I changed quite a bit of the point work to change the layout from German right hand running to British left hand running, but things have moved on and it’s time to start again. The new layout is having the scenic boards much higher to future-proof against me getting old and being unable to kneel down for long periods, and thus drives the plan above, to be able to bring trains up (no automation) and go either way round the scenic section. Will knock up a more schematic plan later hopefully, Thanks for the replies Matt