Here is the proposed track plan done on AnyRail.



The plank is 5100 x 400 with an extension 1780 x 100 on the left rear.  The extension will be fixed and the main board will lift up.

The Main Line contiguous blocks 20 21 and 22 will be the TC programming track.  The ends have been truncated by about 100 mm each end, to fit on the page.
Critique may now commence. 

That looks pretty well thought out Max.

I was trying to find fault but, other than the fact that it's in Australia, could find none. thumbs

Judging from the blocks, there won't be any Inter-City trains …………..:roll:

That's promising, Max.

One could have a whole bookcase of them!

Thanks, Peter.  The RR&Co tragics will have noticed that I've missed numbering a few Blocks.  :oops:



Murphy's Law 287431 - you don't spot the mistakes until you upload the Plan.   :roll:

Thanks, Pete.  It will run 2 locos and 8 boxcars with decoders to open and close the couplers.   :cool:

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

Murphy's Law 287431 - you don't spot the mistakes until you upload the Plan.   :roll:

 

It just goes to show that you are human like the rest of us and without mistakes, we never learn.

In my case, I'm taking longer to learn.

Now waiting on the photos as this new Shelf Layout in Blackwood takes shape.

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

Murphy's Law 287431 - you don't spot the mistakes until you upload the Plan.   :roll:

…and further to Sol's post, did you know that P.V.A. glue and Mek-Pak  are adversely affected by the I.R. focusing rays of digital cameras? At the first caress of the camera's blinking eye, they fail, and gert big gaps open up in your modelling….. 


MaxSouthOz wrote:

The plank is 5100 x 400 with an extension 1780 x 100 on the left rear.  The extension will be fixed and the main board will lift up.

I'm a little puzzled, a 5 metre board that 'can be taken away from the extension', or a 5 metre board that 'can be folded up to work underneath', or 'a 5 metre board that can be swapped with another different 5 metre board'….?
Puzzled Doofer 
[It is over the yard-arm here and Shelagh has just plied me with a vicious G+T, that probably means there is some ploppy film on this afternoon and she hopes I'll have a long post-prandial snooze…]

:hmm   Let's see now . . .

See the grey bit?  That's the extension, which is fixed.

The light brown bit is the main baseboard which can be lifted up at the front so I can work on the underside.

Does that help any?  

Looks good Max. There's probably a very logical reason for the way it is but I feel the access to the loco shed is a bit cramped and it might look better to turn the shed through 180° and access it from Block 19.

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

:hmm   Let's see now . . .

See the grey bit?  That's the extension, which is fixed.

The light brown bit is the main baseboard which can be lifted up at the front so I can work on the underside.

Does that help any?  

Aspolutely!
Thanks, Max.
Doug

I guess I should post here as well as elsewhere………I have this vision of Petermac and Doug swapping tips about RR&Co in French

Either its my eyes or the laptop screen but the block numbers are not super clear

A couple of suggestions/comments.

It might be worth considering detecting that big Xover complex*…….it  would simplify the time and distance calculation for TC. I am convinced  there is a direct correlation between the accuracy of TC and the  detection distance involved…..although V8 may help here.

*I havent done this myself (well not deliberately) but I did accidentally wire a short block and the adjoining point ………..as far as TC is concerned its all one block.

If you want to save contact indicators elsewhere some of the blocks (7  and 12 for example) could use flagmen……….I have done this quite a  bit recently …….on the 8 TT roads for example I have 16 blocks but  only the front 8 are detected….the back 8 are indicated by flagmen  triggered when the front indicator turns off.

You will recall we were forced to use flagmen in a couple of the  shunting scenarios…..the lessons I learned there have lead me to  rarely if ever use virtual contacts……its that detection distance  again

Have fun

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

I guess I should post here as well as elsewhere………I have this vision of Petermac and Doug swapping tips about RR&Co in French

Either its my eyes or the laptop screen but the block numbers are not super clear

A couple of suggestions/comments.

It might be worth considering detecting that big Xover complex*…….it  would simplify the time and distance calculation for TC. I am convinced  there is a direct correlation between the accuracy of TC and the  detection distance involved…..although V8 may help here.

*I havent done this myself (well not deliberately) but I did accidentally wire a short block and the adjoining point ………..as far as TC is concerned its all one block.

If you want to save contact indicators elsewhere some of the blocks (7  and 12 for example) could use flagmen……….I have done this quite a  bit recently …….on the 8 TT roads for example I have 16 blocks but  only the front 8 are detected….the back 8 are indicated by flagmen  triggered when the front indicator turns off.

You will recall we were forced to use flagmen in a couple of the  shunting scenarios…..the lessons I learned there have lead me to  rarely if ever use virtual contacts……its that detection distance  again

Have fun

I feel I would understand more of a dissertation on Particle Physics in Mandarin than I do of the post above……….:0
Doug

Perhaps another G&T might help

'morning Chaps.

Trevor, I put the Loco Shed down that end to not have all of the buildings at one end and to make it an interesting journey from the workshops area to the shunting part of the layout.  It's a reversal of the first layout, so I won't be cramped for space.  I'm still looking at your suggestion, though.  Thanks.

Now you mention it, John.  The area between and including the double slips does have some possibilities.  Some of the exchanges are quite long.  I was hesitant to include any of the turnouts into Blocks because of the confusion that may be caused to TC.  As the turnouts change, the corresponding Block lengths change.

Your comment has me thinking,  though.

The graphic was done by Exporting it from AnyRail as a .PNG  The uploading process seems to deplete photos.  It's not really a problem until you have already tiny detail.  I could have split it into two shots - as it's a long thin layout.  I'll try making it an attachment, then you can zoom it in and out.

Last time I had too few Blocks and you'll remember we had trouble stopping trains in the last Block if it was already occupied.  I have even considered chopping each of the end Blocks in half again.  It's only the cost of LB 101's involved, which isn't great.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Now, let's see if I can attach the PNG file . . .   Nope, it'll have to be a Zip.

Hi Max,

I have a very useful bit of software that you might be interested in. It's cally ABBY Screenshot Reader and it came free with my printer, though I think it only costs about £9 anyway. Using it you can mouse over any area of your screen and instantly convert it to a jpeg file.

For example, this was taken from the YMR opening screen.



And this is a section of my screen just to show that it will work anywhere on the screen, not just on a picture.

That looks like it will save me a lot of work, Trevor.  Thanks.  :thumbs

Can you post the link, please?

Also, were you able to see the original Track Plan in the Zip file?

[user=946]Chinahand[/user] wrote:

Looks good Max. There's probably a very logical reason for the way it is but I feel the access to the loco shed is a bit cramped and it might look better to turn the shed through 180° and access it from Block 19.

I've been thinking about your suggestion, Trevor.  What about if I access it from Block 19, but make it a through shed and leave egress where it is as well?

I'm trying to avoid gratuitous trackage, but that idea is believeable - and gives me some more track to work with.

What do you think?

I unzipped the file Max but don't have the software to actually open it.

Here's a link to the ABBY Screenshot Reader download site which has a free trial version that you can try out before purchasing.

http://www.abbyy.com/screenshot_reader/

Incidentally, I was not suggesting that you actually move the loco shed, just turn it through 180°

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

'morning Chaps.

Now you mention it, John.  The area between and including the double slips does have some possibilities.  Some of the exchanges are quite long.  I was hesitant to include any of the turnouts into Blocks because of the confusion that may be caused to TC.  As the turnouts change, the corresponding Block lengths change.

Your comment has me thinking,  though.

You wont be having any scheduled stops in the xover block……in fact I would make it a critical section then no train is allowed to enter the block unless it can enter the next block…………..so changing distance wont matter al……l the time and distance calculations will be when the train triggers the next contact indicator.

One thing I have recently learned…….shunting (ie separating or joining) a long train that extends beyond the block is quite (delete quite sub very) tricky.

I couldnt open the zip file by the way

Thanks, Trevor.  I realised that, but it occurred to me once I thought about it, I could have it as a through shed and gain a bit of track.  What do you think of that as an idea?

Sorry.  I should have realised that you need AnyRail to read it.  :oops: