new design train model: DCC

Showing posts with label DCC. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 June 2015

Gateway Western Railway a big hit at Doors Open Winnipeg

By Morgan Turney, WMRC Program Director

The weekend of May 30 and 31 saw Doors Open Winnipeg, which included the Winnipeg Railway Museum, along with the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club layout, the Gateway Western Railway.
The trains ran well all day for the two Open House days and at one point on the Sunday, there were seven complete trains running on the layout. Had there been more Digital Command Control (DCC) throttles, we'd have had even more running!

As can be seen from the photos, fun was had by all. Many thanks to Larry Leavens for trouble shooting the DCC system on Saturday and to those running trains and meeting the public during the two days - thanks for your participation!

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Layout in a crawl space - Part 2

This is the second part of Dennis Rietze's article about his model railroad, the Silver Springs Railway and transportation Company, which was written for Canadian Railway Modeller magazine. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher.

Another aspect of DCC is the option available through a stationary decoder which will allow the remote control of turnouts. With limitations in moving around in the layout room, the remote control option is a big bonus. At present I am still in the connection and wiring stage and once they are all installed, throwing switches will be done from the throttle.

The layout scenes are that of basic flat prairie due to the low ceiling, with yards and industries for switching. Most all of the structures are Walthers kits along with others that I have kitbashed to my liking.

As I proceeded with construction and operating trains I discovered that there needed to be more double track sections to allow for better operation and interest; I therefore added extra sidings and plan on adding more as needed. The track is code 100 Atlas with Peco switches.

The most recent work on the layout was the completion of the backdrops. After looking at different methods and ready made products, I chose to use backdrops from SceniKing. The company produces backdrops in a variety of scenes which match up with each other and can form a continuous scene with no duplication. One can choose the scenes that suit an era, too. Each backdrop is 16 x 72 inches and they piece together nicely. It takes two

people to install the backdrops and my wife kindly helped me hang the nine sections I needed to complete the backdrop. I am extremely pleased with the effect of the product � the layout has come alive with the use of this type of backdrop product.

As my father had worked for the CPR, it made the choice of roads to operate on the layout easy. Initially I ran with Union Pacific and CPR but have changed to CPR as my main road with some SSR&T �clones.� I began with just DCC with no sound on my locomotives but as sound has become more common and the quality of the decoders has improved, I have begun to change more of my locomotives to sound equipped. I favour new locos with Soundtraxx Tsunami Systems decoders.

Prior to dealing with other aspects of the layout, it is my intention this year to complete the ballasting of all the track. Then I want to proceed with planning and building a staging yard and additional industries that will require sidings and switching opportunities. Future plans on the SSR&T also include the installation of the remaining stationary decoders to permit remote control of turnouts � maneuvering in a crawl space to change turnouts is not quick and easy, even on a wheeled mechanic�s stool!

Signalling on the layout is not really in the plans at this point but, with my somewhat fascination for the electronics end of operation, I�m sure it will happen once all other aspects of the layout are complete. Yes, the SSR&T is a fun work in progress!

Using his laptop, Dennis programs a locomotive on his isolated program track.

Sunday, 4 May 2014

Layout in a crawl space - The Silver Springs Railway and Transportation Co.

This is the first part of an article written by WMRC member Dennis Rietze for Canadian Railway Modeller. It is reprinted with the permission of the publisher.

My HO scale Silver Springs Railway & Transportation Company has been a work in progress for the past 30 years. Like a lot of us, I�ve gone through several moves to different homes � the layout gets torn down and redone in the next �basement.� But when we moved to our current residence, I neglected to really check out the basement to ensure there was a spot for my layout. Turned out there was a spot alright � the crawl space under the living room and kitchen! The ceiling height at the highest point was 52 inches with areas where the ductwork ran across the room being more like 42 inches. I could work with that!

My crawl space layout began as a 11 x 22 foot duck under entrance layout. The bench work height would be determined by the ceiling height. I discovered I needed a way of moving around in the crawl space and found some nifty mechanic�s stools on wheels at Canadian Tire which proved to be the solution. In addition, the tray on the bottom of the stool was a good place for tools and supplies to transport around while working.

Sitting on the mechanic�s stool dictated the layout height to be 24 inches as that felt like a comfortable level to work from while sitting on the stool. It also allowed my knees to fit under the bench work.

During the early stages of construction, a problem occurred in entering the layout room. I had designed the layout to be a single track main line which would loop back onto itself forming a long oval shape with a swing bridge at the room entrance. But with the low ceiling and bench work height, I needed to come up with an easier way to enter the room. While reviewing layout plans in some of my books, I came across a track plan which I could modify slightly to give me continuous running capability and eliminate the track crossing the doorway entrance.

I expropriated more crawl space which allowed me to modify the existing plan, thus removing the obstruction. The expansion increased the layout size to the 22 x 22 foot size it is today. I decided on which control system I would use to operate the layout before I began construction � this would dictate the way the layout would eventually be wired. At the time, the change from the traditional DC block wiring system was being challenged by the then newer, DCC system.

After some consideration, I decided to go with the DCC Digitrax system as my research indicated they were one of the key players in the field of DCC technology at the time. I purchased a used Empire Builder II system as it would allow me to operate a sufficient number of locomotives, keeping me and any other operators busy during operating sessions. To minimize the problem of short circuits shutting down the whole layout, I installed a circuit board which allowed me to divide the layout into four power districts thus keeping a short circuit in one area from shutting down everything.

To program DCC locomotives, I built a separate program track off to the side in one area of the layout. The track is covered with a piece of scenery when not in use. I use a laptop computer to run the software program, Decoder Pro. I find it a very useful program to perform some of the more difficult functions rather than doing it through a throttle.

Part two of this article will be posted on this blog on Tuesday, May 6

Don't stand up too quickly! Dennis' crawl space is only 42" high!