Finally moved house and got going on a new layout.

[Rico]

I like it too, no funny looks here!

 

[dgrafix]

I like that idea, not one I've seen modelled before anywhere, looks very interesting tho'

Yeah it looks fun, but have an easy backup plan if i start hating it
Here was a "kinda similar" one. I cannot find the original i saw but it was similar to this one, with a concrete bank going up on the one side.
Will need a fence to stop animals and silly humans falling in though

PS: I think a lot of HSTs are put into concrete troughs of some kind in and around towns and cities to help with noise pollution.

 

[Rico]

Will need a fence to stop animals and silly humans falling in though

Yes a fence will definitely help with the critters for sure but I’m afraid nothing's been invented yet to help with the silly humans.

 

[dgrafix]

Decided to lay some track for Xmas and run in my new C37 (after all it was my christmas present and have been dying to get it out and run it)
The sidings are just temporary, as i have not decided what to do in the middle yet, i just needed some so i could switch the trains out etc...

Finally got her running on a "breaking-in" session, "20-30 min in each direction at "a moderate speed" as per instructions :/

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[Smudge617]

Decided to lay some track for Xmas and run in my new C37 (after all it was my christmas present and have been dying to get it out and run it)
The sidings are just temporary, as i have not decided what to do in the middle yet, i just needed some so i could switch the trains out etc...
View attachment 178599

Finally got her running on a "breaking-in" session, "20-30 min in each direction at "a moderate speed" as per instructions :/

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Runs really nice too

 

[Smudge617]

Decided to lay some track for Xmas and run in my new C37 (after all it was my christmas present and have been dying to get it out and run it)
The sidings are just temporary, as i have not decided what to do in the middle yet, i just needed some so i could switch the trains out etc...
View attachment 178599

Finally got her running on a "breaking-in" session, "20-30 min in each direction at "a moderate speed" as per instructions :/

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Meant to ask you, is this the DC version or DCC with sound ?

 

[dgrafix]

Meant to ask you, is this the DC version or DCC with sound ?

Dcc ready it has a socket for something. All my trains except the pocket line ones are DCC ready or friendly.
At the moment i am just having fun with DC, all my "yards" are power routed via the switches, with a push button to activate any motion in those zones (kinda my own take on a deadmans handle so they do not smash the buffers and stop automatically if not pressed)
At the moment my controller is handling both inner lines on 2 separate channels. I have a control panel that allows me to set each of them to "normal" "isolate" or "reverse" (on off on) independently. The only downside is obviously the speed control affects both channels still, but want to add some secondary speed rheostats -after- the switched state.
Both sides of the station are also isolatable to allow trains to not move so i can use the rest of the loop for switching etc.

 

[Smudge617]

Dcc ready it has a socket for something. All my trains except the pocket line ones are DCC ready or friendly.
At the moment i am just having fun with DC, all my "yards" are power routed via the switches, with a push button to activate any motion in those zones (kinda my own take on a deadmans handle so they do not smash the buffers and stop automatically if not pressed)
At the moment my controller is handling both inner lines on 2 separate channels. I have a control panel that allows me to set each of them to "normal" "isolate" or "reverse" (on off on) independently. The only downside is obviously the speed control affects both channels still, but want to add some secondary speed rheostats -after- the switched state.
Both sides of the station are also isolatable to allow trains to not move so i can use the rest of the loop for switching etc.

Oh OK, I like your take on the deadman's handle, I could do something similar, just add an insul joiner and a simple bypass switch for my stub ends, never though of that, thanks.

 

[dgrafix]

Oh OK, I like your take on the deadman's handle, I could do something similar, just add an insul joiner and a simple bypass switch for my stub ends, never though of that, thanks.

Yes because i am usind DC i -double- isolate the whole yard and just put it through a separate polarity switch + pushbutton. I will have a separate controller for the yard power.
I am guessing in DCC world the track always stays the same polarity right, i.e. the decoder switches the motor to run backwards?

 

[Smudge617]

Yes because i am usind DC i -double- isolate the whole yard and just put it through a separate polarity switch + pushbutton. I will have a separate controller for the yard power.
I am guessing in DCC world the track always stays the same polarity right?

You can, as each engine is independently controlled it will just sit there till you call it up on your controller and tell it to move, so you could have say one train at the station, one running on your mainline and then use a third locomotive to work in your yard switching.

 

[dgrafix]

You can, as each engine is independently controlled it will just sit there till you call it up on your controller and tell it to move, so you could have say one train at the station, one running on your mainline and then use a third locomotive to work in your yard switching.

I have often wondered how a digital layout handles something like a reversing loop. I can do it in DC but would have no clue in digital. Does it just inteligently recognise the rails are now reversed and carry on? Also how does it know which way is backwards or forwards if you put it one way or another? Probably stupid questions but they are genuine. I have only ever known analogue

 

[PMW]

I have often wondered how a digital layout handles something like a reversing loop. I can do it in DC but would have no clue in digital. Does it just inteligently recognise the rails are now reversed and carry on? Also how does it know which way is backwards or forwards if you put it one way or another? Probably stupid questions but they are genuine. I have only ever known analogue

Funny, I now understand how it works in DCC but without that understanding I wouldn't know how it worked in DC . Like in DC the reverse section is electrically isolated from the rest of the layout. Rather than reversing the polarity manually while the train is in the reversing section DCC has equipment to automatically reverse the "polarity" (another topic ) as trains traverse the reversing section and the rest of the layout, thus causing a short circuit, as necessary.

 

[Smudge617]

I have often wondered how a digital layout handles something like a reversing loop. I can do it in DC but would have no clue in digital. Does it just inteligently recognise the rails are now reversed and carry on? Also how does it know which way is backwards or forwards if you put it one way or another? Probably stupid questions but they are genuine. I have only ever known analogue

Reversing loops I also don't understand either really, I do know it has something to do with how the crossover or switch itself is isolated and wired, Ken would probably be the one to ask about that.

The way the loco or decoder recognises which way is forward or reverse is how it's wired up initially exactly the same as a DC motor if you wire new leads onto a DC motor, how does it know which way is forwards, you're telling it by which lead goes to which side of the motor, which is pretty much how the motor leads from a decoder work.

You run DC so when you tell the loco to reverse or go forward all you do is change the polarity to the track, positive becomes negative etc. etc. and the motor changes direction The signal a DCC controller sends is in AC it has to be for the electronics to understand the commands you give it, like sound bell or horn, all the decoder does as far as power to the motor is concerned is to convert AC back to DC and when you want it to reverse, you're telling the decoder in AC to reverse the DC polarity to the motor, and it does.

The decoder itself doesn't know which way is forward, it just knows that it has to send power this way until it's told to change, a good example is my OO scale Eurostar, both ends have motors but one has to be in reverse while the other motor is going forwards this can be done by either wiring the motor leads opposite to the other motor (which is what I did as those two motors will only ever be used together) or can be done using the decoder, which is how guys do a consist when one loco is facing cab first, second one engine first, but both will act as one locomotive until you tell the locomotives or decoders they are no longer in a consist and then they revert to being two individual locomotives and will only answer commands given to their respective decoder.

EDIT.
Sorry just noticed Paul seems to have covered reversing loops