Robin C

I'd like to thank you all for your input & time on this topic. Some has gone over my head at this early stage but given me great thought to look into the subject more to hopefully sidestep the many pitfalls. Over the last week I have tried to do more on my layout plan on "Any rail" so I have a good solid base to work from & it is progressing slowly. I have take your sound advice & today contacted James at DCC Train Automation for advice. What a helpful chap he is & echoed what you all say in what do I want my railway to do. In honesty I'm not 100% sure through lack of knowledge, we all want it all but what is the cost in the end & can I afford it. It's like buying your first car then realising it's not powerful to pull the caravan for holidays or not capable of leaving a tarmac surface when going to an outdoor event after it's been raining. It only all comes with age & experience. After your comments I'm a bit more aware of what I want. Talking to James as you all suggested he wants a track plan or as best as I can do at present. We then have a starting point. In our basic chat he recommends I go for YaMoRc as he feels I would not get the full benefit of the Lodi system. As ITG says a YaMoRc YD6016LN-CS & MTB points. I would as said have to change from my Prodigy Advance 2 to a Z21-10820 as its Rail com compatible & use i-Trains. He has given other advice as well. So its getting the layout plan done & to him he can then assess with a plan so hopefully by the end of March I will have some components to get started. He thinks my DCC concepts 50 mts of 2.5 red & black twisted cable is too heavy so guess I will have to sell it along with my as new & bearly used Prodigy Advanced 2. Any takers? Thanks to all, Robin Cook.

Got it. Thanks.

Thanks again ITG, we seem to be singing of a similar song sheet. I don't plan to try doing it all at once but step by step. In the end I would like to use block detection & i Trains if the first parts become achievable also being aware of my age. I would like to plan for it leaving myself the option of doing if possible later on. My first thoughts are main level. 1. Fast lines up & down. 2. Slow lines up & down. 3. Possibly a freight line. Would I best bus wire them on separate buses ? On that level I also have a TMD & Network Rail yard plus a large Station as well as a reversing loop. I then have a 2.2% twin track ramp to lower level where I plan storage yard & shunting yard & another reversing loop. The drop from level 1 down to level 2 is 450mm. My decks on both levels are approx 800-900mm wide. I also have lift up sections on level 1 & 2 for access into the room. As you suggested I was thinking of doing bit by bit. My top boards are on a 1.2 metre long x 800-900mm wide grid. I was thinking that each 1.2m section could be lifted out. Join my bus wired with push fit connectors between each board for ease of working on & maintenance. This way I could test sections as I go? Possible??? It also gives me much more ease of track laying the lower deck. My upper half deck is for a timber yard & intermodel yard. I am confused by your term "Current Sensing". Accessory buses? So confusing. I hear some AC 16 volts others DC bus & again DCC Accessory bus. Others using the rail DCC bus. Point motors ie Tortoise are DC but can run off a DCC bus? Others DCC Concepts do a DC & a digital motor. I originally bought DCC Concepts TW 50 metres of Red & Black bus wire in 2.5mm = 13# gauge but now understand it's to heavy if I wire twin track buses separately I only need 32/0.2. For my droppers I bought DCC Concepts TW 50 metres of Red & Black 1mm = 17# gauge but now only need 16/0.2. My locos range from Lima through to Accurascale & Cavalex so will draw various amounts of power. I'm also aware of positioning the various units I will need to run my layout ie drop down boards etc. I guess the command unit is first followed by others, once I have an idea of what I'll need I can plan their positions on the layout & fixing methods. Measure twice & Cut once is my motto. As you suggested I have asked the Mods to move the question to the DCC section. I cannot thank you all for your time in helping & what a great family it is to join. Many thanks, Robin.

ITG, Thank you very much for your advice, its much appreciated. You just confirmed all I here about James at DCC Train Automation & that I expect will be my main route. I'm glad you have used these products with success & mixed them. I am using Peco code 100 with electrofrog points. I started collecting a lot of my items well over 2 years ago hence code 100 & 30 Peco points in stock in preparation. Ill health has stopped me until now getting on with it. The layout will be on 2.5 levels with a ramp of 2.2% between 1 & 2 which drop .450mm. I also have 2 reversing loops one on level 1 & another on 2. The half level is to a Timber Yard & Intermodel yard. I think I will have to go to see James as you advise as my plan is firstly to get it up & running with points switched both manually & by my Prodigy Advanced 2. I need to plan ahead for adding signals & block detection to be added at a later stage. I find it difficult to know if I need a bus for each track circuit up & down lines & how many more like slow lines. Also circuits for each level. Do the point motors run off a separate circuit along with yard/building & station lights. You are quite right it needs to be planned out with expert advice. My original plan was to use Digikejis units then we had Covid, after the all but folded. Along from the ashes came YaMoRc but you could not get the units because of shortage of materials so it became very hit & miss. Now LoDi have come on the scene & James seems to like them but not been around long where as YaMoRc have been well tested via Digikejis & improved. That is why I put up the posting to find out from hands on users. Much appreciated your help, Thanks Robin.

Thank you Damo666 for your reply. I go by the old adage buy cheap buy twice so need to get it right & hopefully when I'm gone my family have something still in demand & works well. I myself am a London City boy but after many travels now live in Llanelli S Wales. I hope I get a response & perhaps some better ideas like Digitrax although I think their stuff is getting a bit behind the times now as they are not all solid state & others have moved on a bit quicker? I follow Charlie Bishop on "Chadwick" as I find he explains things well & is easy to follow. We also have DCC Train Automation in the west country that seem to give sound advice. The thought of doing it is daunting but guess the first step is the biggest & with common sense things come easier with doing. Look forward to you dropping in. Good luck.

Hi all, at almost 80 fairly now to the hobby & want to make my layout DCC. I plan to have a 14' x 14' layout on 2 & a half levels. Baseboards are almost in & doing the track plans ready for wiring. Big problem now is which manufactures products will be best to use. I like LoDi & YaMoRc who I gather have now taken over from Digikjs? Its a nightmare & minefield for someone with no experience to overcome. I was also thinking of using the MP1 - 10 point motors. It's a big expensive step now & don't want to get it wrong. I've heard LoDi are a bit more expensive than YaMoRc but some LoDi items will do two of the YaMoRc ones so its swings & roundabouts. Do any of you out there have any experience of these products yourselves & their pitfalls that would help. I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here!!! Many thanks if you have advice, Cheers Robin.

Thank you very much for your help (ISW). I cannot believe how helpful you guys are to us novices with your time & help. A BIG thank you. Ian my top deck is removable as it is frame 2 x 1 with 12mm ply screwed on top. I can either unscrew the 12mm ply but my framing sits on my legs but each 1200 section has 4 screws into the legs as an added fit as well as each section being bolted to the next section. The 350mm drop would have helped the slope angle against my 400mm. I left enough room under my lower deck the slide in large storage boxes. I have done more than my photos show adding a 3% slope over 16.5 meters to get down from top level to lower. I've not tried anything yet but having second thoughts that it may be too steep for older Lima & Hornby Locos pulling 6 coaches. I am thinking about 2.5% or 2% as I want to do it once only so prepared at this time to change it. ANY ADVICE ON WHAT WILL BE BEST PLEASE? I have no wiring as yet as it frightens the life out of me but one step at a time. I think I have come to the conclusion to wire each 1200mm section so the can be worked on easily & just add joiners between each board as it look you have. I am most surprised that you only need as little LED strip as you show to light up the lower deck, but I can see you know what you are doing by the neatness of your wiring & that is something I want to achieve. Not a tangled mess. All you LED connected by each board is a great idea. I think you have a driver for it but do you have as another most helpful member has done add a dimmer/turn on/off switch? It a lot for me to take it so quickly. Although I was a builder of good quality houses & very hands on electrics I would never touch, until now. I am so taken with your set up I will next week post some more pictures of the decks as they are now with a large added centre section. I have been hit by the Covid & Flu jab after shock which has had me bedded for 3 days. I was supposed to be in London this week for a family union & will be tomorrow Wednesday on. I will be at the Great Electric Train show on Saturday. It's my first, iv'e been trying to get there for the past 3 years but bad health have stopped me. Would have liked all weekend but a family memorial day on Sunday & that more important. So if you guys see an old man on a disabled scooter with a stunning wife that you think it has daughter come over & say Hi. Many thanks for your help & hope I can do likewise in time, Regards Robin.

Thank you Colin K what a great help as you have achieved just what I'm looking for if I can afford it. What did it cost you in the end? Looked up your UKLED & came up with a couple so a bit confused. Was it UKLed they are at ukled.co.uk & its a very good site. They are based in London at Kemp House, 152 City Road, London EC1V 2 NX only just up the road to where I was brought up. The other one was ukled-ltd.co.uk not so good? If you would be kind enough to let me have the correct site I will contact them. Many thanks. I do have down lights in my room about 12-13 of them, good but not great as you get shadow. If you do put some in make sure they are strong enough & mount the off the wall one third of your deck to avoid shadow. You look to have quite a high ceiling. Guess not a bungalow or it would be easy. If its a house simple to raise a few floor boards to get wires in as the lights are fitted from below anyway through the hole you make to take the lights. A halfway house could be a ceiling bar with spotlights or a strip light. many thanks for your help, Robin.

DBC, quite right with hindsight the 3" setback would have been a help to give me a bit more room when the flaps are up. I've still go about 500mm to get through. The flaps are now in place but nothing is set in stone as yet. I have since added a large centre section about 1.5m square off the window wall for a depot or freight yard. I'm also widening the ramp to a twin track & going from the 3% slope to a 2.5% or a 2% as I'm not sure some of the older Limas will pull a rake of 6 coaches up it & around the bends which are 3rd & 4th radius. Everything is here I just need to get some track down as at 78 it will never get finished. Cheers Rob.

The distance between my decks is 400mm.

Hi Guys, New to model railways at 78 so need some help please. I have a 14' x 14' room decked out at two levels around the perimeter to run trains on. I am building a 2.5% slope from top level to lower level with twin track rather than a helix. What I need is some good lighting fixed to the bottom of the upper level to light up the lower level. I did not want to use big bulky fluorescent tube lights. My boards (decks) are 800mm wide. Any ideas on how to do it simply & cheaply but still get good lighting on the lower deck? Would I daisy chain them all together or switch a couple of sides on one switch? And again the same on the other two sides? My plans is for a DCC layout. Many thanks, Robin.

Thanks a lot you guys. It's very daunting starting out at 78. My 142 Pacer has 4 pickups in each car, two at front & two at rear in each car. I've tried to add a couple of pictures of the split drive cogs on each unit. till battling with Hattons as I bought it as a runner with Warrantee but had a heart attack & time I tested it that was out of time. I have no track laid so I've never used it except on a rolling road for testing. Replacing the cog is the easyist way If you can get them or do they only come with wheel sets? The other option to replace the motors as suggested. You are all so helpful so thanks Robin.

Hi all, I'm new to this at 78 years young. I bought a Hornby R 867 142 Pacer set from Hattons 18 months ago.These were made originally 1987-92. I did a test on it a month or so later & it ran 3/4 wheel turn & seized up. The same with the other unit. I then had a heart attack & other problems so it was only yesterday I was able to check it out. So it's been in this state for over a year. When I checked it the drive cog on the axle which is turned by the worm drive was split from the Axle right out to the teeth. This made it not mesh with the worm drive & seize. Believe it or not the exact same thing has happened to the other unit. I've traced an old Hornby service sheet No 141a from Oct 1989 where it shows the worm drive as part L5662 but not the axle drive cog only the Motor frame assembly X2729 complete with wheels & cog. I also have the later service sheet No 233D March 2008 for the later model where it shows the worm drive & cog (worm wheel) as part X9472. Will this part fit the earlier model??? Is there anyone out there who knows the part number for the earlier model axle drive cog & if it can still be got hold of? I can add some pictures if needed. Many thanks Robin C.