Layout Testing on Two Fronts

Early on during the week I cut up some styrene 'I' beam that I use to simulate lengths of rail.  I use this for fence posts made from rail.  I painted a few lengths and also cut up some fence rails from styrene strip.  This is ready for the next working bee on the Div 1 modules.  I also found a sheet of some laser scribed wood planks.  This was stained and is also ready to be taken to the next working bee.

Wednesday this week I again unrolled paper onto the floor in the kitchen/family room and threw down some track to continue the planning of the future exhibition layout.  I am trying to confirm the size of each layout module and the exact location of various items (particularly track) within the module.  This layout is then transcribed onto some small paper templates for each module.  These templates are 10 times smaller than the real modules.  It is pretty easy when you have a floor with 30cm tiles, as it is very easy to draw where everything is located on these small diagrams with a 3cm square grid drawn on them representing the 30cm x 30cm floor tile. 

Bit by bit some modules are shortened in length and width and the module edges are initially adjusted to allow for the position for a set of points that does not get positioned over a module join.  After next week I might have a completed 'version 1' of the complete front of the layout before I implement selective compression.  The layout is too long at the moment.  I am also using Google Maps to help with the location of road over rail bridges, level crossings and creeks, as well as some buildings.

On my way to the Club on Saturday I stopped off and bought some styrene as I had basically run out of 0.060" 'I' beam.  While at the Club on Saturday I took some measurements of the Club trailers that the Club layouts get carted around in.  I will use these to help design my future trailer for carting my future exhibition layout around in.  I think once I finalise the layout size, i will build a 1:10 scale copy of it in styrene and also look at how they will fit into a scale 1:10 trailer.  If only I had the funds allocated and approved to start building it.  I might win the lotto soon.

I spent a couple of hours down the shed after lunch today preparing for the Operations Session on my layout next weekend.  Next weekend is also the date of the Bundaberg Model Railway Exhibition.  A lot of people are heading up there, but quite a few are not.  So I thought I would give those not attending Bundy something to do back in Bris Vegas.  I’m still awaiting a few RSVPs to the session, but we have about 5 days before the Ops Session is run yet, so it is not really an issue.  I went through all the timetable cards and then gave each loco a simple test.  I found two locos that are not working for some reason.  They have been replaced in the timetable and I will spend some time next week pulling them apart and investigating them.  It has me perplexed what causes them to have issues.  I am also going through my loco fleet and updating a Loco card for each powered vehicle on the layout with a decoder in it with what each function does for that loco.  These cards will be located in a card holder on the fascia next to the timetable cards.  These cards will be in numerical order.  Layout operators can pick up a timetable card, and then find a loco card for their loco so they know what functions are available on that loco.  That is the plan.

Planning the New Layout, and Scenic Work on the FreeMo Modules

On Monday I visited a local Hobby Shop and it helped me plan for what track I will need to procure for my future layout.  On Tuesday I got the vacuum out and gave the shed a once over.  I had daddy long legs spiders everywhere, but now they and their cobwebs are now in the garden via the vacuum cleaner.  I had 12 guys come over and when they left the pergola they thanked me for the light show of the moon changing colour throughout the night.  PK was caught putting signs up on the layout.  I'll have to do something about him.  I ran the XPT from Cassino to Grafton and still some swear that it did not run.  A number of attendees where watching it run.  Others purposely ignored it so they could deny the truth.  It is sometimes hard to get good help.  I also had my signal panel out for the group to peruse and when I was demonstrating it, at least one switch did not acknowledge its throwing.  I knew I had a wire off.  This was the switch for signal D2.  So I could not run any shunt movements because of that wire issue, as I could not turn off the Down automatic signalling. 

On Wednesday I open up the signal panel and the wire providing powering to D2, D2Shunt, D1 and SS2 (for shunting out of the narrow gauge siding) had come adrift, so it could not provide feedback to the Arduino and thus these switches could not be set.  So a quick solder and everything was as good as new.  Maybe I should have tested the panel on Tuesday afternoon as I could have quickly soldered that wire back on and had it working 100% for Tuesday night’s show.

Also on Wednesday when the boss was out I took over the kitchen and family room floors and started layout out paper and then track to work on the future layout's track plan.  I am getting there.  Maybe I need a box or two of track to lay down on the floor as I am quite short of lengths of flex track and dual gauge track.

We had a working bee on the NMRA Division 1 FreeMo modules on Saturday and two corner modules received some treatment.  I think they look a lot better than they did before we did the work on them.  We also came up with a plan of attach on these modules to add some more detail at the next such session.  It is amazing how a small amount of effort can bring a module to life.  We built a bridge with supports, added dirts to the painted baseboard, and then added some fencing and then coloured scatters.  A few telegraph poles were also added.    We also blended dirt around some items that were glued down on the module, and were sitting quite proud of the baseboard.  So we added quite a bit of dirt and they now look quite natural in the scene.  We even added some static grass from a static grass machine to one section on a module and that looks good.

Today with all the rain I started working through the list of items that I need to build for the FreeMo modules.  I have built some roadway - stained balsa that will be cut up and glued on a module.  I have put together a small section of fencing, and made a few gates for one property.  But the gates need to be painted yet, as does the fencing.

One of the modules that was being worked on.

Track Plan Develops

On last Sunday evening I realised that I needed to make some logic enhancements for my Dual Gauge operation of my panel switches.  Most of that was done that evening.  The next morning I made the small changes to signal DG4 and it now seems to allow normal operation of the signals as train on the UP Dual Gauge travel past it, instead of that signal just sitting on a red signal aspect and never changing.  I also found and fixed a number of issues with Signal DG4 and its shunt into the sidings aspect.  It now clears after other switches on the panel are reset, the points are changed or a train passes the IR detector for signal DG4.  So I now think that is working well.

I also implemented a small change, that if I select the self-test switch while the panel is in normal operation, it will clear the LCD screen and its memory of what is where in its message queue.  So I don’t have to restart the panel to reset the display when it gets orphaned lines that won’t scroll off the LCD screen  It will be just a quick flick of a switch and everything resets.  So that is working brilliantly.  I am also looking at another special panel based reset process, (basically my own Ctrl-Alt-Del feature) if my Dual Gauge logic gets out of whack somehow.  My Dual Gauge has 4 UP signals, and 4 DOWN signals.  It also tracks if there is an UP train or a DOWN train, or there is nothing on the track.  If I get into a jam, I was thinking that if I set all the Siding Signals to Depart, I would force a reset of all the logic on the Dual Gauge Track.  This is very easy to do, but I may not have to do it, if everything operates as designed.  This will be in my back pocket as a possible solution if things go haywire.

So after a few hours sleeping on it, on Tuesday afternoon I decided to go ahead and implement a special reset of the Dual Gauge signalling as a 'just in case' scenario.  I tested it and all was good.  So as it currently stands the panel is 99% complete and I do not think there are any issues with my currently tested logic.  So that allowed me to move onto my next task, the actual physical track design.

Tuesday night we car pooled down to Sparkles place.  We had about 10 or so people there.  I was able to pick up a roll of paper from Sparkles, which will assist with layout planning of the baseboards.  On Wednesday arvo I tried to do some more layout planning, and it dawned on me that I probably need more then 2.4m, maybe 2.7m or even 3m between my signals on the future layout.  That might mean that the layout could end up being up to 9 to 10m long before I include my returns to the back of the layout.  I think I will need to do a lot more planning with pieces of track thrown on the paper baseboards.

Thursday I got out into the garage and rolled out some paper and a few pieces of track trying to get a better understanding of the layout on the future layout.  I have a feeling that the northern end of the layout will wrap around the side of the display.  That way the first signals will be on the side of the layout and give me a decent distance between the signals.  I think I have made a good effort of the first two modules.  It dawned on me that I still need a huge amount of track to purchase, particularly for the dual gauge.  I have come to the realisation that the standard gauge track will probably be code 83 track.  I will have to purchase everything from scratch.

The second module where the branch comes off on the left.  The first of the sidings on the right.

Shown from the other end

Saturday we went to Paul’s place to continue the teaching of the students in various NMRA disciplines.  The white plastered 30cm x 20cm modules, were painted, had various dirts and sands added with a covering of glue, and then they were covered in some ground foams and scatters.  The track was then added, and then ballast was applied from a plastic honey jar with the twist lid.  This allows the flow of ballast to be regulated.  This was then set in place with diluted aquadhere with a touch of dishwashing detergent from a pipette.  Some attendees then added some split post fencing that we made a few weeks before and then added a telegraph pole or two, again put together at the last session.  QED!  The module was then put aside and after lunch the attendees were then split between the styrene and trees clinics again.   What a great day.  You should have seen some of the little dioramas – they were pretty good.  A great place to take a photo of a model on.

It seems that the most of the attendees on the day were getting a bit over excited about the upcoming NMRA elections for Div 1.

Today I did a bit of a tidy up for this coming Tuesday.  The disturbance in the force is being rectified with the correct Tuesday nights returning into equilibrium with the guys coming to my place.  Next Wednesday I will continue track planning activities for the next module.