Schwarzwaldbahn

[David1226]

Very neat and thought out. I assume the platforms built in to the parapets are for the placement of signalling?

David

 

[stockers]

very neat bit of woodwork. With rain and frost movement the ballast will get under the sleepers and lift the track up on top but its not really a problem for running.

 

[Gizzy]

Nicely done Dave....

 

[idlemarvel]

Very neat and thought out. I assume the platforms built in to the parapets are for the placement of signalling?

David

Thanks David. Yes the "outcrops" are there for point motors and signal bases.

 

[duncan1_9_8_4]

Looking good! Very neat from wireing to track work. I like the curious flat crossing near the hatch door.....

 

[idlemarvel]

Looking good! Very neat from wireing to track work. I like the curious flat crossing near the hatch door.....

Thanks Duncan. The crossing is there for "future expansion". In the back of my mind is a rack and pinion with overhead line extension but a small windfall is required before that could become reality. It's good to dream though...

 

[duncan1_9_8_4]

Thinking of extending already, like it. I managed to keep mine as planned for 7 months before starting to extend......

 

[3Valve]

Tidy

 

[idlemarvel]

Another project milestone - first running of a loco outdoors!



I have wired up one section of track with three current detection sections including a goods siding and point motor with direction detection, and it all worked first time! Somewhat surprised because I was "wiring blind" in that I was wiring to junction boxes at the end of a pre-laid buried conduit with 11 colour coded wires inside. With my previous indoor OO layouts I could normally wire direct from the track to the DCC command station or from point motor to accessory decoder, but with outdoor layouts (even one of this modest size) that's not really an option. Hence the surprise. Planning is everything.

 

[duncan1_9_8_4]

Looking good!

 

[idlemarvel]

Have finally completed the wiring of track, points and signals. I have attached a short video of my sound fitted BR80 chugging along with a short carriage, past some of the signals and signal box. Apologies for the quality of the video from a hand held camera phone.

Next step is to connect up to computer using Rocrail

 

[idlemarvel]

I have set up full computerised control using Rocrail. Here's a short video of a running session in the brief glimpse of what summer could be last weekend.

This is Rocrail running in "gold fish bowl" mode where it organises random movements of the locos you select, but following all the directions, signals and permissions defined in the layout.

 

[Sarah Winfield]

Very interesting. It shows what can be achieved in a small area but with plenty of skill and ability.

Sarah Winfield

 

[PhilP]

So, seeing as this thread has surfaced, and Dave is still active on here..
How about an up to date photo, or two, to show how the railway has mellowed?

 

[idlemarvel]

Thanks for the comments S Sarah Winfield .
PhilP It has aged gracefully. I will add a picture when it stops raining. The option to extend beyond the 90 degree crossing has not been taken up yet. I have simplified it by removing all the point motors and replacing with sprung points for the passing loop, and manual switch for the siding, and I would say to anyone starting keep it simple.

As I have said before on here and to all my visitors, I use my indoor layout 20-30 times more than the outdoor, mainly because of the weather and convenience. The outdoor layout is used mostly for visitors and particularly children, when Thomas, Toby and Clarabel make their appearances.

If the UK was 10 degrees warmer and 50 % dryer I'd be outside all the time, but no amount of global warming is going to make that happen in my lifetime!