GWR/LMS OO Gauge DCC RR&Co

[user=434]John Dew[/user] wrote:

Hi Bill

Good job I followed up on Bobs comment about the Collets……….Hornby are making two complete 4 car sets .Only 3 of the first set have arrived in the UK……….quite by accident I had ordered the second set…..with an A suffix…….none of which have been made…..I would have had a long wait. Fortunately a swift email exchange and all is well…….the three cars that have been made are being parcelled up in Widnes as I write this

Hi John,

Quite correct and Peter has a copy, so everyone watch out!

Thanks for the heads-up regarding the non-gangwayed Collets, as I didn't realise they were being produced in two runs. I'll be checking the numbers I've ordered for what I assumed was an earlier 4-car set, to see where the available carriage not in my order sits on the timeline.

Best,

Bill

Dave (G'daysydney) asked how the storage yard turntable has been made to work with DCC and RR&Co

The answer lies under this group of buildings





and this pile of junk  :lol:





The turntable came with a simple 3 position controller…… Off at 12 oclock.  Turn to the left at 10 oclock and the table turns anti clockwise……..turn to the right 2 oclock and the table turns clockwise.

With a Fleischmann TT there are 48 possible stopping positions …….operating manually,  to move from position 1 to position 12 ,,,one turns the swicth to the right and when the bridge is at position 11 you turn the switch off……..the bridge automatically stops lined up with the tracks at posn.12………no need to line up by eye.

Fine for manual operation but not much use when the layout is being controlled from a computor 12' away. :roll:

I wired up a surplus peco point motor which I can operate through a DCC point decoder like all the other turnouts . on the layout. Attached to the  point motor is one of the dreaded peco switches previously used for switching  turnout polarity but now replacing the turntable control switch 




Throw the point motor (>)   the switch turns the turntable on……..   (<) the turntable stops

So far so good …….but how to get the bridge to stop at the selected road?




A magnet is attached to each end of the bridge. A reed switch connected to the the DCC occupancy detection system is set up one segment in front of the facing segment of each exit road.

When the bridge approaches a segment with a magnet the reed switch closes and an occupancy indicator on the computor switchboard changes colour……just like a loco entering a detected block.

This is the information that Train Controller needs to stop the bridge at the selected exit road








The virtual switches are blue squares with a yellow line (off) or yellow circle (on).

The switches are turned on or off either with a mouse click or by command……when a loco arrives in a block for instance. Each switch has specific title " Block 836" or " Block 833"  but they all carry out the same identical operation……When a switch is turned on the turntable point is thrown…….. the bridge turns

The indicators attached to the reed switches are shown as small circles Red active. Black inactive 

Next to each indicator circle is a flagman, a very adaptable and powerful tool. A flagman is turned on or triggered by a specific event but a condition can be added……once triggered a flagman can initiate a list of specified actions.

The Exit Road 836 flagman is triggered when the indicator next to it turns red ie when the magnet closes the reed……….but only if the Switch called 836 is on…….immediately the flagman is triggered it turns the switch off ie throws the turntable point which stops the bridge………… at exit 836

You have to make the trigger conditional because both indicators automatically activate every time the magnet passes their reed.

Its not exactly High tech….more Heath Robinson and it does have some limitations….I would not want to have more than two or three roads and although I have set up to move clockwise or anti clockwise I only operate automatically in one direction otherwise the magnets get confused

Hope the explanation was not too tedious…..I feel a bit like the magician explaining how the lady got sawn in half.

Back to train photos next week

Sounds about average for setting up a turntable for complex DCC control when it was only designed for manual.

Very helpful instructions as usual John. As you may remember I was planning on using the Fleischmann on Tinkers End but for the time being a hold has been put on such an expense (couldn't possibly be because I ordered two of the new Accurascale deltics with sound could it?). I have been given a peco turntable and thought I might as well use this for now. Was going to leave it just scenic but your method may have to be attempted.

Thanks again (I think).

Well it may not be high tech John, but there's nothing average when it comes to your logic and ingenuity.

 Over to you Dave. No pressure then  :)

Bill

Huh - if I'd known it was that simple John, I'd have done it years ago ………………… :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

As I suspected, I have a lot to learn.


I must just add that this photo is superb.  As always with Granby, so much detail and all so very realistic.  Fabulous !!!

Thanks guys…….I wasnt expecting that sort of response….. I am glad you found it interesting.

Dave : I am not familiar with Peco Turntables…..if they dont have designated stop points like the Fleischmann the reed and magnet stop may not be as precise. I guess if you already have the Peco TT its not going to be too expensive an experiment…..let us know how you get on.

Regards to all

John

John, the Peco TT is manual

Turntable, Well Type

This easily assembled kit makes a model of a Ransome and Rapier well type turntable. It can be used with either Code 100 or Code 75 track. As supplied it is hand operated, but a motorising kit will be available soon. Full instructions supplied.

View

    so a lot of work to make it not only move by itself but also with RR & Co & the likes.

Excellent work John.  Very clever.  Didn't understand a word!!   But I do appreciate the skill… And the photos 

Michael

[user=1512]Headmaster[/user] wrote:

Excellent work John.  Very clever.  Didn't understand a word!!   But I do appreciate the skill… And the photos 

Michael

Oh dear……and there was me thinking I had found a new vocation:lol:

Glad you liked the photos though!

Cheers

Hey John, that work you did to get the Turntable working with DDC is absolutely fantastic! I hope it works as well as it looks!

Sorry John…. not your fault at all.  I am a total novice when it comes to electrics, and as for computer programming.. well!  I can just about manage to solder…. I am dreading putting my control panel together.  But I read and learn….slowly!

Regards

Michael

I will be seeing Kernow Models trade stand Saturday hopefully Chris T the boss will be in attendance I'll inquire how long before the rest of new non corridor Colletts touch base if I get an update I will pass it on.
Bob

Thanks Bob, that'll be great for all us lovers of chocolate and cream. Enjoy the exhibition.

Best,

Bill

[user=2126]81C[/user] wrote:

I will be seeing Kernow Models trade stand Saturday hopefully Chris T the boss will be in attendance I'll inquire how long before the rest of new non corridor Colletts touch base if I get an update I will pass it on.
Bob

Thanks Bob. Thats very kind of you. Do give Chris my regards, in years gone by he was a member here.

Enjoy the show

Cheers

John

I have been slowly developing a series of schedules where milk from MacPeter's Dairy in Cynwyd is transported to Granby Junction.

Milk is collected daily from local farms by road and rail, in tankers and churns. Once processed it is loaded into rail tankers which are moved to Granby to be attached to the afternoon milk train from Shrewsbury to Birkenhead

 A two car B Set and 57xx 0-6-0T provide a regular passenger service between Cynwyd and Granby Junction. Usually, once the passengers have left the train, the loco uncouples and runs around the train before heading back to Granby.

 The timing for the 1.05 pm is a bit different. After uncoupling, instead of running round, the loco moves through the goods yard to the Dairy

 


 Where it couples with two full tankers

 


Heads back through the goods yard




On to the relief loop, passing the waiting carriages at the platform




Before continuing, let me apologise for the quality of the next two shots. We are the proud, and somewhat confused, owners  of a new smart(?) all singing/dancing tv. In prototypical GWR fashion the old tv has cascaded down to the train room where it now serves as a monster monitor for the computor. Great for RR&Co…..less so for photography. No room for a tripod, hand held and heavy cropping. Time to start using the phone and gorilla stand I think.

Back to the story…..6757 backs into the bay and uncouples the tankers





The loco moves from the bay to the running line and backs on to the carriages. Once coupled it edges forward and then reverses into the bay and couples up with the tankers




The bay platform will not accommodate two carriages and two tankers.Once coupled, the train moves out of the bay and reverses on to the main platform so that passengers can join the train.

This may seem unnecessarily complex …there are actually 11 separate movements (RR& Co schedules) to get to this point.

However, I believe it was general practice for the tankers to be attached to the tail of a passenger train rather than interposed between loco and carriages…..in any event , as you will shortly see, I need the tankers to be at the rear when they arrive at Granby.

I did think about eliminating 2 schedules by letting the passengers board just the rear (non corridor) carriage in the bay but felt the longer sequence was more prototypical  .

I would really welcome any comments regarding the realism of this sequence


40 minutes after leaving Cynwyd the train approaches Granby






Entering , as usual, Bay Platform 3









I see the guard forgot to shift the rear lamp……anyone would think it was glued on!

Next week the Milk train arrives……….locos are relieved and the tankers attached

Meantime the snow is slowly clearing and I am looking forward to the last week end of the Six Nations

An interesting setup that I should quite like to see in motion.

As for realism… When there are space constraints at stations and in yards it did and still does cause a lot of unavoidable awkward faffing about in real life, to my knowledge.

Hi John the 4th non corridor carriage R4877 is being advertised on the Hornby website it should be in he stores by next week.
Enjoy Bob

Absolutely fabulous photos John - as ever !!

I wonder if you'd ever thought of putting a pipeline in from the cattle dock to my namesake's dairy ?  The cows in there look just about ready for milking ………………………….or are they steers ( :???:) ?

Also, I'm delighted to see a couple of LNER box trailers in the last photo - are you leaning towards "the other side" or are they intruders……..?

 Every photo is bursting with detail - a joy to study at length.  I'm aslo with Zelda in that I can't wait to see the Dew Studios production of it all in motion.

Nearly forgot to ask - are the signals working or posed ?
 

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

An interesting setup that I should quite like to see in motion.

As for realism… When there are space constraints at stations and in  yards it did and still does cause a lot of unavoidable awkward faffing  about in real life, to my knowledge.

Thanks Brendan

I hope to do another video shortly.There is more work required on this routine though……I have to integrate it with a parcels run and that is taking time

Regards