GWR57xx

Hi Tim, DCC Concepts seem to have excellent products but rubbish documentation. I am very glad that you explained your setup to me, because without that there is no way I would have been able to make sense of the information on the DCC Concepts website. They seem to suggest that I would need to buy the Alpha Box and an Alpha Power and maybe an Alpha Central as well as the Alpha Encoder in order to achieve what you have done. Oh, and better have a Switch-D too. There is one diagram in the Alpha Product Guide (p8) that shows your setup, but I wouldn't have put two and two together from that alone. Maybe I'm too dumb for DCC. I know where I am with hundreds of multicoloured wires and D-connectors! (NB. For anyone reading that diagram, the words say the Sniffer needs a DC supply of 15-21V, but the etching on the Sniffer PCB in the image reads "12V-18V DC ONLY". The same misinformation is repeated on p30). May I ask you a few more questions about your setup please Tim? Does the Encoder board need its own power supply, or does it get it from the Sniffer via the "6P-6C BUS CABLE"? Does the "6P-6C BUS CABLE" come with either the Encoder or the Sniffer, or did you have to buy it separately? Does the Sniffer come with a connector for the DCC output port or did you have to buy it separately? I notice you have the optional Display Extension. I assume this just displays the number of the last switch that was operated? Do you use this much, and would you recommend having it? Do you have another box of tricks with the Sniffer in (I don't see it in the lever box)? Very nice setup by the way, which I think I will be copying. Hope you don't mind. Thanks, Peter

Thanks very much Tim, very helpful. I'll take a look. Peter

Have had a play with AnyRail and made a few changes: Cassette fiddle yard extended by 6" to 5'. L & R hand points at station throat replaced by a 3-way (Marcway). Gentle curve added to platform road, run-round loop and goods yard road. The fiddle yard is still not long enough to hold a train of 45xx + 8 wagons + Toad, but it should hold 7 wagons. I think that's the maximum I can give it because it takes too much out of the station area which is already squeezed.

Thanks for posting the photos Tim, very helpful. That 3-way looks nice, as do the points (no ugly box or tie-bar pimples!). I would be very interested to see the inside of your lever box. I wasn't intending to use DCC to control the points because I didn't want to do it from the DCC control panel. If the points and signals can be controlled by the Cobalt S levers wired into an independent (of the track) DCC circuit then that would be of interest (I am a complete DCC novice).

Hi Hal Nail, I do like curved platforms, I'll give it a try but I think the straight points for the run-round loop might make it look a bit odd. The curved Peco points take up even more space, so I doubt they'd fit, but I'll play around with it in AnyRail. Thanks.

Thanks for all the replies and constuctive comments. I'll try to provide answers ... Simond: Thanks for the pointers - I've found Bodmin but hadn't come across Pencarrow, will have to catch up on that one. HH: Cwm Bach (being 7mm & GWR) is one of the first threads I came across when lurking on RMWeb before I plucked up the courage to join. I've read the entire thread. Excellent modelling, along with many other examples on this forum. Not sure if I will be able to reach over to undo 3-links. Plan B would be to use Dingham autocouplers if not. Lots of votes for building the trackwork myself - No pressure then! Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't share your confidence in my ability to build trackwork to a better standard than Peco! I have great admiration for all of you who have the skills to build your own track and locos etc, but at the moment that is a step too far for me. Also I would like to have the track laid this decade so that at least the layout is operational before retirement. I am then happy to take my time "finishing" the layout. I know from the many threads on the subject that Peco points aren't perfect but, as I have already purchased some, building trackwork will have to wait for the next layout. Also, TBH I find the prospect far too daunting at this stage. I think I can live quite happily knowing that GWR chairs only have two bolts and the Peco ones have three, but I do intend to make some of the improvements demonstrated on various threads. I don't think I can live with the huge microswitch box, as nothing like that appears in any photo I have ever seen of a GWR branch line in the 1930s, so I will definitely be having a go at removing that along with the tie-bar blobs and adding plasticard shims to prevent wheel drop on the crossings. Reliable and smooth running is crucial for me, so I'll be making all the recommended wiring mods and am planning to control them using DCC Concepts' Cobalt ip Digital motors, using these to switch the frog polarity. The plan is to use analogue control using the Cobalt S levers' passing contacts to switch the motors (no intention of using DCC accessory addressing for this - I think pulling the lever to change the points/signals will provide a much more immersive and realistic experience for 1930's operation). More play value! The straight answer is that it is one of the 3-3-5 sidings needed for an Inglenook. In my mind I thought it could be the siding served by the yard crane for unloading large, heavy items. Would that make sense? Very good point!! Having worked out that 4'6" should be enough for a 45xx+B-set+Milk Tanker I think I'd mentally ticked the cassette length issue off on the list of things to take into account, then forgotten about it. Doh!. For the shunting puzzle the cassettes need to be long enough to hold the loco + 8 wagons/vans + Toad, so I don't think 4'6" is going to be quite enough. Just shows the value of early design reviews Thanks Jintyman - I've also read (and watched) a lot of your Talyllyn thread. Very impressive stuff. I do agree that flowing curved trackwork looks better than straight lines. I tried using Peco curved points but they take up yet more room. I had a look at Marcway points to get more choice of geometry but not sure how much better they are than Peco? There are no photos on their website. Off to join the Gauge O Guild - thanks for the reminder.

Having previously been an occasional N-gauge GWR modeller, I have been enticed into O-gauge by the recent flood of announcements of superb-looking GWR models and the attraction of DCC Sound. I have recently had a house extension built which included a decent sized, insulated garage with the intention of being able to have a permanent layout along one wall. Also I am approaching retirement so am looking forward to being able to spend more time on modelling in the near future and for many enjoyable years to come, hopefully. This will be a long-term project so I want to get the basics right and not go steaming off in the wrong direction. With that in mind I thought a good place to start would be the track plan and the traffic requirements. The garage wall along which the layout will sit is 17'6" (edit: ~4.5m ~5.3m), and I am thinking of keeping to a width of 3' to allow for reaching across for uncoupling etc. I would like to be able to regularly have two locos "on stage" simultaneously, one shunting the goods yard and another on passenger duties, and I want to try to signal the layout in a realistic manner. Having played around with track plans in AnyRail for a while, I realise that I don't have enough space to model any prototype anywhere near faithfully, but I would still like the layout to give a reasonable sense of space while still being operationally interesting and still having a GWR "feel". I am currently thinking of something like this (trackwork is all Peco Streamline bullhead): or this: There is a 4'6" cassette-type fiddle yard on the left and a 13' scenic section to the right. This is intended to be a fixed, stay-at-home layout but it will still be built to be semi-portable in case of any future house move. The Goods Yard is essentially an "Inglenook Shunting Puzzle" which will allow one loco to shunt wagons around without interfering with the platform road, run-round loop or engine shed road. A passenger train can arrive, run round, get water and coal, re-couple and depart while shunting is in progress. As an excuse for the large amount of traffic at a branch line terminus I am thinking of a Bodmin General type location! The longest passenger/mixed train envisaged is a 45xx + B-set + Milk Tanker/Siphon, with regular appearances of 64xx/48xx with 1 or 2 Autocoaches. Goods trains will be as long as the platform run-round loop allows. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks for reading this far. Peter

Thanks - I am really looking forward to it

I came across this superb thread after reading Greengiant's "The Yard" thread and seeing the superb structures being put together using the Emblaser. Just spent an enjoyable, amusing, educational and enthralling several hours (over a few days) reading through the entire thread. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and modelling examples. Until I read this thread I didn't think it would be possible to do stuff like this at home myself (I realise that scribing brickwork is only the beginning, and that the finishing, painting and weathering is another art in itself that I'll need to learn too). Having been completely inspired and enthused by this thread, and even though I haven't even started putting baseboards together for a layout yet, I have just ordered an A3 Emblaser1 thanks to all the incredible buildings etc being produced here. I will now have to learn how to use a CAD tool (have downloaded DraftSight) and all the other software needed to drive the Emblaser. Should keep me out of mischief for a very long time. BTW if anyone else is interested, the A3 Emblaser1 is currently on offer and only AUS$30 more than the A4 version. Since I'm doing 7mm I thought the extra size would come in useful for anything bigger than a tool shed, and at that price seemed rude not to go for the larger size.

Hi Les, Glad you got it sorted. Looking forward to your future updates. Regards, Peter

Hi Les, Are you intending to install each point switch on the same board as the point it controls, or have all the switches mounted together on a mimic panel? Peter

Thanks for the "Welcomes" Hi John, Totally agree about the Minerva 8750 - I have one of the "Great western" lettered ones, plus a couple of Minerva's lovely Iron Minks. Choice of numbers for the loco in this livery were limited - my (admittedly very brief) research showed that only 8750-8798 would have been lettered "Great western", then 8799 and subsequent lots would have carried either the Shirtbutton logo or "G W R" letters. The very last ones were built in BR days. Out of this group (8750-8798) most were allocated to London sheds, except 8758 (Oxford) and 8795 (Bath). So I chose 8758, and am very impressed with the Narrow Planet plates (which have yet to be fitted). The first time I started thinking that I might want an O gauge layout was at Railex 2016 in Aylesbury when I saw Lionheart's 64xx Pannier & Autocoach and 4575 Prairie & B-set for sale, and was stunned by their quality. Unfortunately I missed out and the locos are sold out, but I have managed to obtain a B-set and Autocoach under the Dapol label (the B-set still comes in the Lionheart box). Now waiting for Dapol to release their versions of these locos. Peter

Hi John and Jeff, Thanks very much for the replies and the video clip. John, I had a look at your blog entries - that's some really lovely work on the signal box, station, track and stock for Churchill Halt. My scenic section will be roughly the same size as yours at 13' with a 4'6" cassette fiddle yard at one end, and Great Western, but that's about as far as the comparison goes. I don't have the modelling skills to make anything as good as your layout. For my effort I am aiming at something a lot less ambitious and much lower down the creative scale - it will be Peco track with as much RTR as possible, at least initially. This will be my first foray into 7mm and DCC and sound, so I expect to have a lot to learn but that is all part of the enjoyment. Peter

Hello Everyone, I've been lurking on RMWeb for a while and been amazed at the quality of modelling, craftsmanship, innovation and assistance displayed on here! What a fantastic resource this site is thanks to all of you who give so freely of your knowledge and experience. I am a devotee of all things GWR, especially branch lines, prairies, 48xx's, panniers and smaller tender engines. I have previously built (still not completed!) an N gauge GWR BLT based on Helston but sadly my interest started to wane after (a) I failed to obtain a couple of Dapol 45xx's or a Peco 2251 when they were briefly available, (b) the advent of DCC and sound (not easy in small N gauge tanks) and © my eyesight not being what it once was and N gauge being so small. A recent house extension has given me a bit of space in the garage for a new layout, and with the recent flurry of GWR-related announcements in RTR O gauge I couldn't resist the urge to dive in (got to get them while they're available, 'cos when they're gone they're gone). The layout is still very much in the planning stage (using AnyRail, thanks to RMWeb), and will be a very slow project as work and life get in the way too much, but retirement is looming so I hope it will give me many years of enjoyment to come. All the best, Peter

Hi Les, I was following your thread with interest and was shocked to see your second photo in post #83. It all seemed to be going so well. I have also bought a Peco Smartswitch system for my as-yet-to-be-started project, but haven't even taken it out of its box yet so was unable to help with your queries. I have read a few reviews on the Peco/ANE system, some good some bad, but some folks seem to have great success with it so I'm hoping I can get it going. I have read one review (sorry, can't remember who's thread) saying that the power supply voltage and current rating has to be powerful enough otherwise it just won't work, and simply changing to a slightly beefier supply turned a pile of junk into a perfectly good system. Have you given up on it completely? I'm not a wiring expert, but I'm sure that your first diagram in post #85 has the LEDs wired wrongly. They are on the supply side, so will not change when the switch is thrown. I'd have thought they ought to be wired to the centre connectors of the switch to reflect the polarity of the DC being sent to the point motor? Also not sure why the resistors are wired as shown - LEDs usually have the resistor wired in series. I wish you better luck with this system and look forward to seeing your progress. All the best. (Edited to add sentence regarding placement of the resistors)