Going big...

[McCoy]

Hi,

New to G gauge (though I've been doing OO and N for decades), but liking the idea of a garden railway especially during the lockdown.

Completely unplanned, but digging out my old Playmobil for my toddler, and seeing how much he loved it, I started looking into Playmobil trains (uh-ohhh). Having found they're G gauge and seeing how nice they are, I've been picking some up to have a play with! Putting aside any toy vs model debates (I've bled enough for models, details and scratch building on my OO and N gauge layouts), I love the idea of something that works for both my needs and my son's.

With a friend, I'm developing some wireless DCC tech, so I'm keen to replace the electronics (and maybe the loco's power trains) with something compatible with my existing DCC control.

I'll have a poke around the forum, but my first major question, is regarding the plastic Playmobil track. I'm incredibly impressed by the track - it's substantial and very well made. I've picked up quite a bit of it (and it's in stunning condition), but worried about putting it outside for any extended duration. I also don't want to drop £400-500 on metal track and points, so there's an added incentive to use plastic. I've seen some very cheap plastic track on eBay (with mixed opinions on this and other forums), so I'm unsure whether to get sacrificial track like that, or use the Playmobil track.

Any pointers or suggestions welcome!

Regards
Jon

 

[Gizzy]

Welcome to the forum Jon.

There are a few members who use Playmo plastic track, so I will let them comment.

However, if you are looking at DCC then brass track is the way to go I would think? Second hand straights and R1 curves can be picked up for £3 a foot (300 mm) and it lasts an age. I have track I brought 2nd hand which must be 30 years + in use. The curves can be re-radiused or even straightened, so it might be worth thinking about....

 

[playmofire]

Playmobil plastic rack has a good record for outdoor use. On the General forum there is Playmobil sub-forum here:

Playmobil

This area is for anything Playmobil

www.gscalecentral.net

which may be of interest to you.

 

[McCoy]

Welcome to the forum Jon.

There are a few members who use Playmo plastic track, so I will let them comment.

However, if you are looking at DCC then brass track is the way to go I would think? Second hand straights and R1 curves can be picked up for £3 a foot (300 mm) and it lasts an age. I have track I brought 2nd hand which must be 30 years + in use. The curves can be re-radiused or even straightened, so it might be worth thinking about....

Thanks
It’ll be DCC over wireless, so the locos will have LiPo battery packs. I’m considering “home” track which will be metal, for charging from, but otherwise no current over the rails.
Where are you finding cheap rail like that? On eBay it seems to go for crazy prices used.

 

[McCoy]

Playmobil plastic rack has a good record for outdoor use. On the General forum there is Playmobil sub-forum here:

Playmobil

This area is for anything Playmobil

www.gscalecentral.net

which may be of interest to you.

Brilliant, will have a look thanks!

 

[PhilP]

Welcome!

Don't charge from the track! - You are not able to guarantee the connection's resistance, which will throw any 'intelligence' in the charger..

You could put the 'intelligence' in the loco, but this will add to the cost 'per-loco'.

You should find the loco's will runs for ages with Lithium battery technology, so removing a loco for a proper balanced-charge should not be onerous.
Consider the 'basic' LGB diesel starter-set loco, as well. - Easy to get into, and easily enough space inside..

 

[dunnyrail]

I think that PM and Plastic Track with Battery RC could be a winner. Have a look at these threads by myself that you may also find of interest.

So You Think Playmobil Is Toylike And Not Worthy Of A Place On Your Line?

So I am being a bit contraversial with that heading and totally disagree with it. But I wanted to get some attention for Trains and other things that have a place on your line. Plus for beginners hopefully a bit of inspiration. But first some good points about Playmobil:- - Couplings are LGB...

www.gscalecentral.net

Harz Type Battery Railcar with some Playmobil abuse to create a New Battery Operated almost like.

The Harz Lines have had a few Railcars in their time. The first being the little 4 Wheeler T1 built by Dassau as long ago as 1933 and the subject of a Trainline 45 Model that some day I may get hold of. Sundry Bogie Railcars have also been dabbled with over the years and these 1950’s built...

www.gscalecentral.net

New Battery DCC Kit from Fosworks a review. UPDATED NOW HS 12 FUNCTIONS

Fosworks OMNI Tx-4.1 and OMNI Rx-4H DCC System for Battery Control After the disappointment of Massoth DRC 300 non appearance you wait for ages to get a UK Battery System that will work with DCC Chips then 2 come along at the same time! I have elsewhere on the Forum reviewed another system and...

www.gscalecentral.net

 

[McCoy]

Welcome!

Don't charge from the track! - You are not able to guarantee the connection's resistance, which will throw any 'intelligence' in the charger..

You could put the 'intelligence' in the loco, but this will add to the cost 'per-loco'.

You should find the loco's will runs for ages with Lithium battery technology, so removing a loco for a proper balanced-charge should not be onerous.
Consider the 'basic' LGB diesel starter-set loco, as well. - Easy to get into, and easily enough space inside..

View attachment 265621

The rail charging option is purely laziness - it’d probably just be a siding long enough for the loco etc. More an idea than anything.
I’ve not opened any of the PM locos, but there’s plenty of voids that’ll hide the electronics and the battery packs. Could probably have a charge connector easily accessible to save removing them as well.
Intelligence-wise, I’m planning on using Arduino (well ATMega) with nRF24L01+ meshing wireless. Super cheap - like £20 per loco. There’s some LiPo boards that’ll regulate and protect the LiPo, whilst also providing charging (steady or intermittent). For the G gauge that’ll be fine - my friend wants it for OO, so will maybe even build a small enough PCB to achieve it - that’ll be even cheaper then per unit.

 

[McCoy]

I think that PM and Plastic Track with Battery RC could be a winner. Have a look at these threads by myself that you may also find of interest.

So You Think Playmobil Is Toylike And Not Worthy Of A Place On Your Line?

So I am being a bit contraversial with that heading and totally disagree with it. But I wanted to get some attention for Trains and other things that have a place on your line. Plus for beginners hopefully a bit of inspiration. But first some good points about Playmobil:- - Couplings are LGB...

www.gscalecentral.net

Harz Type Battery Railcar with some Playmobil abuse to create a New Battery Operated almost like.

The Harz Lines have had a few Railcars in their time. The first being the little 4 Wheeler T1 built by Dassau as long ago as 1933 and the subject of a Trainline 45 Model that some day I may get hold of. Sundry Bogie Railcars have also been dabbled with over the years and these 1950’s built...

www.gscalecentral.net

New Battery DCC Kit from Fosworks a review. UPDATED NOW HS 12 FUNCTIONS

Fosworks OMNI Tx-4.1 and OMNI Rx-4H DCC System for Battery Control After the disappointment of Massoth DRC 300 non appearance you wait for ages to get a UK Battery System that will work with DCC Chips then 2 come along at the same time! I have elsewhere on the Forum reviewed another system and...

www.gscalecentral.net

Brilliant will have a look!

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Let me caution you about charging from the track: in the whole it is not worth trying. Realize that a few volts "lost" in contact to the rails (wheels and rail heads and dirt and oxidation) can cause charging to not work properly, and many chargers will reset and start over with a brief interruption.

Many people have tried this and most have failed. If you want to do this, put some stainless rail or nickel plated brass on your charging track, an intelligent charger for each "stall", use exactly the same pack (number of cells) in each loco, and put a little roof over the area to keep most twigs and debris off. Have seen people try this for the last 20 years. You can do it, but overengineer it.

Note that plastic track often is slippery, so keep grades to a minimum on your layout.

Also, there are plenty of R/C systems available, so many people try to make their own, and with simple speed control and lights, easy, and you can save money. But if you want sound and more realism I would look to using commercial DCC decoders and an R/C system that directly interfaces to the decoder, like the Revolution DCC system.

Listen to some good sound systems on a DCC layout and see what your requirements are. When I added sound, it was another whole new dimension to my fun.

Greg

 

[McCoy]

Let me caution you about charging from the track: in the whole it is not worth trying. Realize that a few volts "lost" in contact to the rails (wheels and rail heads and dirt and oxidation) can cause charging to not work properly, and many chargers will reset and start over with a brief interruption.

Many people have tried this and most have failed. If you want to do this, put some stainless rail or nickel plated brass on your charging track, an intelligent charger for each "stall", use exactly the same pack (number of cells) in each loco, and put a little roof over the area to keep most twigs and debris off. Have seen people try this for the last 20 years. You can do it, but overengineer it.

Note that plastic track often is slippery, so keep grades to a minimum on your layout.

Also, there are plenty of R/C systems available, so many people try to make their own, and with simple speed control and lights, easy, and you can save money. But if you want sound and more realism I would look to using commercial DCC decoders and an R/C system that directly interfaces to the decoder, like the Revolution DCC system.

Listen to some good sound systems on a DCC layout and see what your requirements are. When I added sound, it was another whole new dimension to my fun.

Greg

I’m tempted to use an Arduino and an audio board, and playback audio that way... but, my plan is to use the Arduino/wireless to transmit the DCC signal to the loco. The loco will still use a regular DCC decoder including sound enabled. But the benefit of the Arduino is the bidirectional data, including battery voltage, input Voltages and even control over charging and extras like auto decoupling.
I’m a MERG member, and for me this kind of stuff is a big part of the hobby, and I love the challenge!
Our garden is small. I’d be lucky to get an end loop in, so gradients not an issue at this stage... my first garden railway so I’m not looking to go all-out on track laying!

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Yep, well there is a lot out there, MERG is inexpensive and well worked out.

A suggestion, if you want to keep costs down, if you get small locos that have low current motors and keep your trains short, you can use HO decoders with 2 amp capacity and basically cut your decoder costs in half.

Be sure to pick decoders that can handle the battery voltages you will use, since G scale tends to be a higher voltage.

Greg

 

[Gizzy]

Thanks
It’ll be DCC over wireless, so the locos will have LiPo battery packs. I’m considering “home” track which will be metal, for charging from, but otherwise no current over the rails.
Where are you finding cheap rail like that? On eBay it seems to go for crazy prices used.

Evilbuy is crazy, but if you ask here I reckon you can find it cheaper than new or from auction sites....

 

[Paul M]

Welcome to the forum. As you've found out its a fund of information. Just look out for bad jokes and even worse puns