Dungrange

5 minutes ago, Halton Boy said:

Rapido are producing a 00 gauge fireless engine.

Do you think that there will be a O gauge fireless engine one day?

Never say never, but I guess it depends on how well the 00 model sells.  Rapido did suggest that they might upscale their J70 model to O Gauge, but there wasn't enough expression of interest, so it's probably only likely if more people would a fireless engine than a steam tram.

59 minutes ago, Jeremy Cumberland said:

I suspect  @No. 800 Maedbh wishes to use the bottom brown line for shunting while using the top brown line for a departing train, so an additional section will be needed for the bottom brown line, from the points on the left up to the orange double slip.

If that were the case, I think there would need to be a trap point / headshunt to ensure that the shunting train couldn't run onto the departing line (unless the limit of shunt is greater than a certain distance from the point) - I think that distance is either 100m or 440 yards between the limit of shunt and the clearance / fouling point depending on period.

1 hour ago, Jeremy Cumberland said:

If  @No. 800 Maedbh wishes to use the top brown line for shunting while a departing train uses the bottom brown line, then the top brown line will also need a separate section, from the points on the left up to the green double slip.

As above, I think such a movement would only be permitted by the signalling if there were enough length to incorporate the overlap distance between the limit of shunt at the clearance / fouling point.

9 hours ago, Chimer said:

And personally I would use IRJs on both rails at every section break and wire it using DPDT switches, but lots of people would go for common return and SPDTs.

I'd do the same.

Despite nothing happening over the last five years, I'm just giving this topic a 'bump' as we are still looking for new premises and the likelihood of us having to relocate in 2025 has just increased as our landlord has submitted a planning application for the site.

Until we know more, it's business as usual - we're still open to new membership enquiries and we're still holding our first model railway exhibition in many years at George Watson's College on 1/2 June 2024.

https://elmrc.org.uk/elmrc-exhibition/

Cab control is no different for a terminus layout than it is for any other part of a layout.  You divide the track into sections such that all points are fed from the toe end.  The track feed(s) for each section are then connected to the common terminals on a double throw or multi-position switch.  The other terminals are then connected to your two (or more) controllers, such that when the switch is in the left position, the left controller is attached and when in the right position, the right controller is attached.

If you are using common return wiring, then the switches can be single pole, but if you're not using common return, then they will need to be double pole (so that you can switch both feed and return to each section).

https://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical_Page_1.html is a good beginners guide to sectioning, discussing common return and types of switches.

On 15/04/2024 at 22:51, Holby Railway said:

why was it his way or no way?

Probably because that was the only way he knew how to do it.

On 14/03/2024 at 18:23, Holby Railway said:

I thought it would be easier to get help, but it seems I misjudged the MR Community,

I'd change your topic title to something like "Looking for Birmingham based modeller to help me with point motor wiring", since it seems the key thing you are looking for is someone who lives in Birmingham.  Living 300 miles away, I can't help.

As the secretary of a model railway club, I occasionally get e-mail requests along the lines of what you are asking.  The problem is of course that whilst we have about 25 members, they are spread over quite a wide area, not all have access to their own transport, some have health issues, and a lot of the working age members are time poor.  Some members hate wiring (or whatever the request is), so the pool of vaguely potential helpers is actually very small.

Whilst I find we have quite a few members who are willing to assist fellow members with renumbering or servicing a locomotive and may be willing to go and help a fellow member (friend) solve a problem on their home layout, there is rarely a rush of hands to undertake such a request for a stranger who has just e-mailed the club.

I think RMweb is great for getting advice about how best to do something yourself (because it doesn't matter whether the advice comes from Birmingham in England or Birmingham in Alabama), but it's much more challenging if you're looking for someone to ring your doorbell and work on your model railway.

2 hours ago, RikkiGTR said:

Power output to track is 3.5 amps, I'm running maximum 3 locos when this happens - I have 2 mainlines that can circulate (and go through the fiddle yards) whilst another train moves around the branch line and/or sidings. 

As you're modelling in 2mm scale, I'd expect each of your locomotives to be drawing less than 0.5 Amps.  Three locomotives should be well within the capability of the DCC system without needing a booster (which will just provide extra Amps that I don't think you need).

The loss of speed is therefore most likely caused by a drop in voltage.  The drop in voltage is caused by high resistance, which is either wire with an inadequate cross section, or a poorly soldered / connected joint.  I suspect that it's probably the latter.  Whilst a multimeter is useful for identifying voltage drops, you've already highlighted that there is a notable drop in speed when entering the fiddle yard, so it's likely that any poor joint is in this area.  If you can identify which join the locomotive starts to slow at, then you can probably assume that the wiring is okay on the command station side of that join.  You then need to check the wires that connect into the fiddle yard from that point.  If the go slow section is quite short, then I'd hazard a guess that it's a dropper issue, but if it goes slow throughout the fiddle yard, then I'd be tempted to suggest it's the bus wire.  Is the fiddle yard a separate board, in which case it might be your cross baseboard connector?

What is the current output from your command station and how many locomotives / accessories are you running when this power drop is occurring?

My first thought is that it's a problem with voltage drop due to too much resistance in the wiring.

2 minutes ago, Southernman46 said:

Time to archive this thread ?

 Yes.  With a link to the new one.

41 minutes ago, alexl102 said:

Sorry to ask 'the' question but do we have a potential delivery date for the 2024 RCH wagons? Its not on the progress tracker on their website unless I'm very bad at looking!

They don't need to be designed or tooled, but there will presumably need to be painted samples, so since they aren't listed under samples received, I'd guess the others in this category for which details have been given is your best guide.  At best 2024 Q4, but probably more likely to be the first half of 2025.  Some of the in production items have a 2024 Q4 delivery date, so any earlier than that would seem highly unlikely.

1 hour ago, MikuMatt81 said:

If you really feel live frogs are the only way to go, very sadly id have to can the project before it gets started 😢

I'd certainly see it that way, as I don't see how you're going to hand make the nose of the common crossing.  With handmade track, the normal process is to file both rails so that you end up with an all metal 'frog'.  For an Insulfrog style design you either need a way to create a plastic frog (eg injection moulding) or you end up with a very small all metal frog, isolated from the diverging tracks, which would be difficult to support, but might be doable.  The high diverging angle of Set Track would make it easier to get a short frog than with more scale track.

2 hours ago, RichardT said:

The Peco point templates (intended for track planning purposes) are downloadable from their website - find the point you need and the template should also be there.  

Unfortunately, that only seems to be the case for the Streamline range.  There doesn't appear to be any downloadable templates for the Set Track range.

2 hours ago, ianwales said:

 

I've looked at Google, AA and RAC planners and this seems to be the same with all  3, If I want to go from A to B via CDE then that is the way it will route, what I am looking for is something that will say you want to arrive at B by a certain time and the optimum route is ADCE to B and you need to leave A at this time to arrive at B by the specified time. I know its can't take account of traffic but all I want is something to plan my route and give me an idea of how long the best route will take.

 

Ian

I guess the obvious question is what is your budget?  There are lots of software packages out there to derive optimum delivery schedules and routes, which presumably all the large logistics and delivery companies use.  The issue is that most of them cost money - they're more than just an app for your phone.  A quick google search threw up https://www.upperinc.com/blog/best-delivery-route-planner-app/#:~:text=Some prominent delivery route planner,%2C RouteXL%2C and Speedy Route. which seems to give some of the pros and cons of each package, albeit the cost information is given in dollars.

There still is.  If there are multiple intermediate points, then it won't give you the optimum order for these - it just assumes that you want to visit them in the order that you add them.

56 minutes ago, Scottish Modeller said:

Please note the reference to The N Gauge Society isn't quite right!

 

It is the NGS Forth & Clyde Area Group that are attending and providing a range of demonstrations of N Gauge modelling.

Phil, Okay - I'll update the post and get the webmaster to update the website as well.

9 hours ago, Alex TM said:

And we can't have people attending the 'wrong' school in Edinburgh ..... !

Having never attended any school in Edinburgh, I'm not sure which ones are 'right' and 'wrong'.  Hopefully not too many consider GWC to be the 'wrong' school.

Yes, I understand that there were model railway exhibitions at George Herriot's many years ago but I don't think George Watson's College has been used before.  I hope our prospective customers don't go to the wrong venue!!!😭

1 hour ago, nightstar.train said:

I have a theory as to why they do this, but I'd need a full carriage working diagram to confirm. It goes FTW to FTW to change platforms, as others have said. But the reason it does it twice is to swap the front and rear units. Although it's shown as one train on RTT it is actually two, front unit goes out and back to P2, then the rear unit does the same and they swap position. This done to allow units to rotate through the works when they reach Glasgow

That's what I was thinking, although dismissed is as not quite fitting.  That movement would be:

Platform 1 to Junction (unit 1)

Junction to Platform 2

Platform 1 to Junction (unit 2)

Junction to Platform 2

The units would then be in a different order.

However, what's shown is:

Platform 1 to Junction

Junction to Platform 1

Platform 1 to Junction

Junction to Platform 2

However, looking at these two sequences, the only difference is the second line.  Effectively lines 2 and 3 appear as the same entry in Realtime Trains (an arrival and departure), and presumably Realtime Trains can only display one platform where we effectively have two trains using the same head code.  It therefore looks like Realtime Trains is displaying the departing platform.  I'd therefore agree that this is probably the most likely operational reason.

What I don't understand is why it starts from Platform 1 and goes back to Platform 1 before ending up at Platform 2.  I initially wondered if it was a refuelling turn based on the booked times, but clearly the actual times indicate that's not the case.  I also wondered if it was to swap the order or the units (ie so that the same unit as was leading on the way into Fort William from Mallaig, was also leading on the journey south from Fort William despite the reversal at Fort William), but again, that doesn't look likely from the timings and would require the first move to be back to Platform 2.  

However, what I find even more interesting is the actual timings for the 12 April, because in this instance, the unit terminates in Platform 2 at 19:42 - 8 minutes before the Caledonian Sleeper left Platform 2 at 19:50.  This doesn't make sense as the terminating 5Y58 would have blocked the departing 1B01.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:FTW/2024-04-12/1955?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

First press article about the show.

https://www.midlothianview.com/news/midlothian-modeller-exhibiting-in-edinburgh

19 hours ago, Andy Hayter said:

To be clear here.  I was not expecting a full history.  I would have liked some indications such as:

Livery introduced with the first 1907 build specs and continued until at least 19xx

Photographic evidence of this livery in use in 19xx ( and 19xx) - providing some potential limits

Livery in use until the take over in 19xx where progressive change commenced.

New livery introduced from roughly 19xx - either as an indicative start of end point.

Well that's a bit more than I was hoping for.  I suspect that in a lot of cases Rapido won't have that much detail and the livery as modelled may be based on a single photograph taken in 19xx.  When the livery first came into service or was replaced isn't necessarily relevant to painting a model, so I wouldn't expect Rapido to research that, but information that says 'based on a photograph from circa 19xx' would be useful - especially for those of us who don't possess a vast library of PO wagons books.

On 13/04/2024 at 11:16, KAR 120C said:

A yellow square with two ‘CC’s in black superimposed on it signifies that a ‘commuted charge’ payment has been made by the wagon owner.  This was introduced in 1926.

A yellow star also signifies that a ‘commuted charge’ payment has been made by the wagon owner.  This was introduced in 1933.

(This topic was considered back in 2012 in the ‘Private Owner Wagon Marking’ thread under UK Prototype Questions).

That's really useful, as it at least rules out one of the retailer specific models I was looking at as being 'too modern'.  Thankfully none of the ones I've pre-ordered from the main range and still to collect from my local retailer are so marked.  That doesn't mean they're definitely right for my period, but it's a start.

You could always invest in a Peco track gauge SL336 - https://peco-uk.com/products/6-way-gauge?variant=7435677499426

The Amazon website (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peco-SL-336-6ft-Way-Gauge/dp/B002QVNAQC) gives the track centre to centre dimensions as 18+9=27mm for streamline and 26+9=37mm for set track spacing.

The absolute minimum you could probably get away with would therefore be ~135mm (~5.3'').

45 minutes ago, younGGuns7 said:

 Erm late to this party 🤦‍♂️ anybody know where there are any ACC 2669 left ?

There is one on E-bay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166710557351

Looks like most retailers have sold out from a quick Google search.

Yes, the wagons were around from 1907, but that doesn't mean that the liveries that Rapido have applied date from that period.  Some are Edwardian period liveries, but others seem to definitely be post-Grouping.  I just can't tell which are which.

20 hours ago, Dominion said:

The photos of the actual products on their website look really excellent.

https://malcsmodels.co.uk/collections/rapido-wagons

That link should show all 5 they have done. Here is one example.

 

 

Malc's has commissioned some very useful colliery wagons in the mix.

Can anyone advise which of these are in pre-grouping liveries?