GWR/LMS OO Gauge DCC RR&Co

Hi John

how far are you down the road with RR&co? what occupancy detectors do you use? i am about to embark on a journey with RR&co, i am looking forward to it and i can see many hours of frustration ahead i have a track plan that follows my design, no track down yet, have a look at my layout thread. i have had locos moving around with the simulator and working to schedules. it takes a long time to work out. the simulator seems a bit topsy turby at times with locos jumping from one block to the next and back again. maybe you or i should start a thread in the DCC section dedicated to RR&co as i am sure i will have loads of questions in the future. i am glad to have you on the forum as i think i was the only one dabbling in RR&co, unless they were being quite.

 

matt

Hi Matt

I was hoping to hear from you……I have been following both your layout thread (totally amazing) and the computor thread.

I think it would be great to start an RR&Co topic where we can share our experiences and ask questions etc………..what do you think………….should I start one in the DCC Section and answer your questions in the first post?

Which version of RR&Co are you using in demo mode? 

Perhaps you or Bob could let me know what would be best

Regards from Vancouver where its also very wet

ps (My wife's family comes from Chadderton and I met her in Oldham…..small world with the internet)

 

 

 

 

very small world John

the computer control thread has not seen an update for some time, i put together notes whilst researching PC control and decided to post the information i had. i decided to go Lenz, s88 occupancy detector and LS150 for points. i wanted to be as future proof as i could and the demo version i have is gold, i didn't want to get silver and then be restricted to what i can do. February should see my first track down and i hope to be live from that point. my layout will be in 3 stages with the storage yard first. if i can get these working the rest should be a doddle haha.  please feel free to start a RR&co thread up in the DCC section. i will add my bit and ask a few questions. alan done a questions and answer  thread in the photo section, one thread was a tutorial thread for how tos and the other was for questions etc. you could do one RR&co and another RR&co questions. i would help with my limited knowledge, the first thread could be for tutorials, setting up a block, S88, points etc. i will soon have loads to add when i get started. the BIGGEST problem i found with RR&co is knowledge, i couldn't find much info on the net about the software. the learning curve is like climbing a brick wall. i got very scared when reading through the manual 200 odd pages just covering the basics. i think a couple of tutorials showing what it does on the layout would go a long way.

I think that's a great idea John. Speaking for myself it may help me to an insight of what's happening in the world of computer control.
At the moment the only thing my computer controls is me.  :roll:  :roll:

Hi Bob and Matt

I will try and start something today. I like the idea of two sections Tutorial and Questions. I am still on the learning curve (maybe a 1/3 way up) so I suspect I will be better at dealing with questions but I will try and start a basic intro to RR&Co and then on to blocks, points and the dispatcher window.

Matt :  I will answer your questions above in my first post in the question section

Bob :  [a]  Would it be possible to set up a sub forum titled " RR&Co Computor Control" or if you want it to be more generic "DCC Computo Control "  Either way  I suspect this is a limited audience so I will quite understand if you would prefer me to just post generally in the DCC section……………you are the boss;-)

          Once I have posted could these messages be moved over to explain the context?              
  

 Edited to remove Bold:oops:

 

And you want me to write about Computor Control and I cant even control the Bold icon:shock:

As there is a sticky in the DCC section for Computer Control I will also do the same for your topic and they will sit one below the other, differentiated by their titles. If you are using a different method to the one already there then so much the better as members can't get enough information on what seems to me to be a tricky subject.

Thanks Bob

I'll take the dog for a walk (its pouring again) and then get cracking

I'll be watching out for it John.

I got so wrapped up with the RR&Co Topic that I have kind of neglected this thread. A bit like my modelling

 At least now I can start talking about the branch…….starting at the Brewery end. You can see from the track plan in my last post that this is the sub engine shed and road bridge.

This is an overall shot. In the background you can see a liitle bit of the corner backscene and the 4 road mainline exiting the storage yard…..there is a small Platelayers hut and some sleepers to the right.  

In the foreground you can see the start of the line to the terminus and in front of that the secondary branch.

This is a fairly active shed……it will house the loco for the secondary branch auto train and a 57xx to bank the coal trains up the slope to the terminus. So I have tried to fit in quite a lot of detail and kept everything fairly tight as befits an urban shed. 



This is not as sharp as I would like……I took it before I started reading Alan's brilliant photography topic.

But it conveys, to some extent, the atmosphere I am searching for.



I used the next shot in my New Member Post. Both the shed and water tower are Ratio Models

 



On the next shot you can see a little bit of the ash pit and the pathetic amounts of ash I have inserted……thereby hangs a tale….I am told that BBQ ash is the next best thing to the real Mc Coy……..So I carefully avoided clearing out the BBQ at the end of Summer only to find when I was ready to use it that SWMBO had strayed into alien territory with a misplaced idea of helping me:roll:  It will look better next summer




 

The Metcalfe Shop Fronts continue to jar until I give them the Vancouver Weather treatment (heavy rain) so I temporarily solved the problem this way:


 



 

This is the scratch built coal stage……. I have a double Ratio stage with a rather nice Mikes Models Coal Crane but it looked a bit too large so I will have to try and fit it into the terminus . There is another view of the pit and the short siding for loco coal






I have filled the front corner in front of the shed with another BLT Cliche…….. a platelayers hut



But you know what? After I had installed it (feeling slightly embarrassed) I found almost exactly the same scene in a real life photo in one of Stephen Williams GWR Branchline books:thumbs

Next time I will go to the other end of the branch and show shots of the goods yard

Meantime I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year

 


 

What a wonderfull layout that i have seen so far. So much character, lovely to the eye and things a plenty to see. A great credit to you mate.

Phill

Great! An ideal place for loco potraits! Lots of detail, interesting to watch even without the trains running! I wish I had such a shed scene to photograph my locos!:doublethumb:doublethumb:doublethumb.

Thomas

Excellent work, John.

Thanks for the comments guys…….you right to point out the absence of locos Thomas. Kind of dumb to post about the engine shed and not an engine in sightops: And you know what…….there are no locos in this post either…………but I promise to correct it when I do my station post…..locos galore I promise

 Right now I will start at the other end of the Branch (the Colliery end) and show the goods shed and yard




This shows the yard as the branch, the left hand track, starts to curve round to go over the duck under. The nexrt track heads to the colliery and running alongside the Goods Shed is the cattle siding. The unfinished bit is there till I decide how to handle the signalling. The Bilteezi tenements are temporary while I again make up my mind how to complete the back scene.




The gated siding will lead to a timber mill. Above the cattle dock is the two road main line exit from the storage yard and beyobd that is the site of the colliery (2012?)






This shot gives an overall view of the end of the yard although the current absence of backscene makes it all look a bit too spacious







The shed is scratch built from Wills sheets. I built it originally for my first layout some 15 years ago before Ratio came out with their kit. It was too small for my last layout but got resurrected for the current layout……with my usual luck, in the previous layout ,this was not the viewing side and I had saved time as I thought by :shock:  making this side of plain card :twisted: 

More of this habit of mine later





The crane is from Mikes Models. You can see how narrow the yard is here (about 9") I had a lot of problems trying to get the layout acceptable and finally ripped it up and started again…..I won t bore you with all the detail!

I have tried to create a yard that isnt too crowded but is sufficiently busy to justify a pick up goods visit twice a day



 




This shows the coal yard running off the other side of the branch. I agonised about this for ages but am now satisfied it was quite common……….on the other hand I didnt install a trap point which I now realise I should have done…..eventually I will try and build a cosmetic one.


 


The Brake Van of the pick up goods in the background is a DS Model. Its a nice change from the ubiquitous 20 ton Brake Van but sadly is a bit too old for 1947 so I need to do some heavy weathering to justify its presence here



My Father was called Fred but he was not a Coal Merchant! My brother in law is called Grimes so I kept. the family connection going 

As a link to my computor thread I have now managed to automatically shunt the yard. The pick up goods comes in with 7 vans and goes out with 7 new after exchanging vans for vans in the shed and coal for empties in the coal siding. All in all it takes 18 separate moves…..and while quite satisfying is about as exciting as watching paint dry……but then I guess shunting was like that in real life. 

Next post….the station and then we are almost up to date

Regards from a wet Vancouver (its more like a monsoon than rain right now)

 

 

You're building a lovely layout, John, with its own distinctive look. Very nice indeed.

Mike

A beautiful layout, John. :thumbs

Looks good John. :thumbs

Glad you named those tenements - I built some years ago - now long been "demolished" - but couldn't remember the make.

I like layouts with little "cameo" scenes and yours looks to have plenty.

Agree with the other observations, John.
You've managed to create that elusive 'atmosphere'.

Very 'look-at-able', John, with loads of stuff to make one linger over each picture like the window cleaner! Nice to see a cattle dock with attention paid to detail like the track infill and margins.

Doug

Lovely layout mte, loads to look at each and everytime you click on any pic of it, beautifull.

Phill