Trofimow

With all the train storage on Effingham being on the hidden lower levels, a cctv system is necessary to see what's going on.

Each set of storage loops has a camera on the entrance and another on the exit, panable to view the approach and departure routes.

Here are the cameras at the end of the centre peninsula storage, one for each of the three levels.

The cameras are mounted on servos using 3D printed fittings. With three sets of storage per level, there's a total of 18 of them.

Pan control was done using arduinos (in the green boxes) and pots mounted to the control panel.

This pan control worked, but has never been entirely satisfactory. There are of necessity long wiring runs from the panel to the cameras, and control has always been twitchy, and subject to noise. Attempts to damp out the instability merely introduced latency into the control response, which merely replaced one problem with another.

With the penultimate set of storage loops now nearing completion, a better system was needed.

Effingham uses considerable quantities of servos for various purposes, and I have one of these little testers to use when installing them.

It was temporarily tried in place of the arduino control on the most remote of the camera servos and worked perfectly, so now these little units have replaced all of the previous arduino controls.

Although Effingham has survived thus far using a single Lenz Set 100 for the DCC supply, it was always expected that in due course one or more boosters would be needed to support the number of trains that the layout will be able to accommodate, and the wiring was planned accordingly.

It seems that time has arrived, as it was noticed during the wiring of the most recently laid set of storage loops that the layout now draws over 4 amps of DCC power just in standby and with only a few trains parked on the layout, but not moving.

A second handset would also be useful to reduce the amount of unplugging and moving around of the solitary existing one, but a cost effective way of achieving all this needed to be found.

I obtained a reasonably priced second hand Lenz Set 90 on ebay, which gave me a LZV 100 command station and a handset, and from a dealer, a Lenz transformer to go with it in as new condition, but offered cheaply as it has a continental mains plug.

When the set 90 arrived I was not greatly surprised to find it reported Error 17, internal battery fault – perhaps why it was sold on. No matter, since I am only going to use it as a booster, in which mode the battery is not required. A simple internal mod is all that is necessary, and now the power available to the layout has been doubled.

I still have an old Hamblings Wheel Press Tool somewhere!

Track laying is done for the first of two sets of storage loops on the centre peninsula and wiring is in progress.

Access to the peninsula has the stair well in the way, which needs to be crossed twice on each of the three levels, once on the way in and again on the way out. Two bridges are therefore needed on each level, passing between the bannister spindles.

Here are the bridges put in some time ago when the first level was constructed.

Now there are bridges for all three levels. It's quite a drop to the ground floor below.

Once again,considerable time has slipped by since my last update on the layout...

Very little happened for a while, because life got in the way, as it tends to, and because essential supplies were difficult to obtain thanks to the pandemic, but recently things have been moving on quite quickly.

All of the level 2 storage loops have been completed and thoroughly tested.

The baseboard for the last of the 3 levels of storage loops was completed at the back of the room, for level 1 B loops.

The track and wiring for those loops has also been finished and tested.

Baseboard is in place for the top level C storage loops on the centre peninsula.

Oh wow, where did you park that?

Sorry to find more work for Andy, but maybe my gold halo needs a little attention with the brasso...

All appears good on the PC, but the android tablet is getting the dreaded adverts, which are making it very difficult to use the site.

I've tried:-   Clearing cache & cookies

                     Logging out and back in

                     Using a different browser

 None of which made any difference

I tried relinking my account through WoR, but that gave a Euston we have a problem error.

I had really been looking forward to this show, it's been so long without exhibitions.

Unfortunately SWMBO has just tested positive for the dreaded lurgi, so I won't be attending this time.

Hopefully the Peterborough show will be possible later on.

Hornby can't be unaware of the amount of bad feeling that their actions have generated as is apparent both on here and elsewhere, so presumably they don't care about it.

Which only reinforces the perception that they really don't give a four ecks about their customers or their retailers.

I once worked for a company which was extremely successful until taken over by a large American corporation which gave a similar impression to its customers. The business was destroyed within a year.

10 minutes ago, micklner said:

Result No 1 ? .The vast majority (if not all) of the profit is  Hornby's, at the same time make small runs of goods , to guarantee they all sell out very quickly, and at the same time they seem to be producing zero spares for recent releases.

 

Result No 2? . No spares ?. They then hope then people will go and buy whatever they are then selling in the future, to replace what are then useless Hornby items, when they break or more likely fall to bits after a short time of use.

Result No 3? Previous customers no longer feel valued by the business and vote with their feet.

I do wonder why Hornby bother to continue in business when they make it next to impossible to buy or to sell their products, even if you wanted to....

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44062/armored-caboose-designed-to-protect-navy-nuclear-trains-is-about-to-start-its-final-testing

29 minutes ago, Graham_Muz said:

Is it just me...?

It may be just the perspective, but the whole cab front looks too wide to me wrt the buffer beam. The windows appear stretched in width and likewise the top of the door where it slopes in doesn't look quite right.

Has the body taper towards the ends been rendered correctly?

1 hour ago, Uptosteam said:

Hi Bud,, could you give me the width and height dimensions and ill have a go myself.

I used 16mm x 5mm which fits the hole nicely - mind the gap!

A google search for " 1938 tube stock wedgelock coupler" produced some useful photos and a drawing.

On 21/01/2022 at 16:47, Dublodad said:

What is really needed is a Wedgelock coupler with NEM socket forks plugged in!!!!

Who s up to produce some - 3D printed maybe????

Now there's an idea. I'll have a bash....

There's a previous thread including  a variety of test results on curved and level track that might help

Old threads never die...

Here are a few SR banana vans for my own layout - not the best quality pics I'm afraid.

These were my first attempt at 3D printed wagons, drawn in sketchup.

Amd these were based on the Parkside PC594, with the 3D printed chassis and doors from the previous effort.

PM sent

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

But it is. A considerable % of the membership believe RMweb should be provided free, with BRM sorting an ad package to defray their costs. When the Gold Membership was announced a few years back, some of us felt that the trivial cost was more than rewarded by content, just as, before Warners stepped in to make the site more secure, some of us would periodically drop a few coins in Andy Y's tin, since he was bearing the full cost. 

 

Andy Y has made it abundantly clear in this thread that he is trying to bang heads together so the ads do not compromise your enjoyment. More complaints, and suggestions to try alternative sites, add absolutely nothing to his efforts. 

 

In case anyone hasn't understood, we Gold members are seeing none of the unwanted ads and vids.

Gold members don't see the advertising but it can still affect us...

While I totally agree with all the above points and am more that happy to pay the price of the Gold membership to access the huge amount of information, expertise and inspiration that RMweb provides, I can't help being concerned that the time it is taking to resolve the issue risks dissuading people from posting this valuable content.

The value equation for the Gold subscription might then change somewhat, which would be counterproductive and a great pity.

I've been following this discussion with some interest.

Railmagic looks interesting given the claims made for it. It will likely find a place in the market if it performs as advertised.

Cards on the table, I'm a long time user of Traincontroller, but with a new layout under construction, if a new system comes along offering greater capability, simplicity or economy, now would be the time to consider it.

Yes, it's true that I have a large legacy investment in an existing system in terms of time, money and acquired experience, so an alternative has to offer a step change in capability, simplicity or cost, preferably more than one of these.

I would also need to see a convincing demonstration of reliability. My layout already has a very busy magnetic environment with every item of motive power fitted with multiple traction magnets, with typically around a dozen in motion at the same time over 5 different levels plus helices. There are also moving magnets for uncoupling and in due course there will again be road vehicles moving using both faller and magnorail systems, all with moving magnets.

Add to this the need to modify an existing fleet of locos and multiple units with additional electronics, and I can't see any advantage in my circumstances, which may well be the case for many other existing users of computer control.

One wonders how the magnetic sensing will cope with multi level layouts, helices and the like....

Some 10 years after the last train ran, track lifting is in progress on the old overgrown right of way...

What will happen to the old track bed?

Will it become a cycle way?

Or will preservationists one day clear the vegetation and relay the track?

Flicking through some old railway magazines and seeing articles on well remembered layouts such as David Jenkinson's Little Long Drag and Vivien Thompson's Eastbourne and realising that was half a century ago....

3 minutes ago, Trains4U said:

Respectfully, I disagree, particularly if it is your livelihood, or if you are one of the 60 staff employed by Hattons...

Very true - but then you have a clearer picture than most of us are privy to, and maybe there is more at play than is apparent to a mere past purchaser of Hornby products

20 minutes ago, Trains4U said:

OK, against my better judgement, I'll bite..

Don't expect to see a full and open explanation any time soon.

Thankyou for putting your head above the parapet...

Against my better judgement, I'll respond.

Obviously, as a mere consumer and end user of Hornby's products I don't know what's going on, and don't expect I ever will.

I merely ordered a lot of product in good faith from a retailer who took those orders in good faith and then found their supply denied to them.

Some of that product I have managed to source elsewhere, some I have not.

It IS only toy trains and not the end of the world, but it has caused me hassle, inconvenience and expense that I do not need.

The bottom line is that I don't like the way Hornby have treated their end users or their retailers, it leaves a bad taste and it does not make me think kindly of them. It will mean that I will be likely to purchase fewer of their offerings in future.