The 2015 wrap up

Time to wrap up 2015's posts, what there was of them. I haven't been as active on the blog basically due to not much happening on the hobby front. A very busy year with family and work commitments.

Some modelling has occurred in the first part of the year, but the only thing in the second part was my entry into the Club's Annual modelling competition. This year was a Kadee kit of a logging caboose. Photos below show my interpretation. I airbrushed most of it and was trying to get the feel of dirt and mud stains on the bottom half of the timber, along with a dull rusting on the roof. I think it was a fairly good first try at one of these cabooses (cabeese?). 

Other interests this year was learning more about electronics and starting in the land of Arduino control of layouts. 

Today I was over at Mr Mackie's for the final running day of 2015. Very enjoyable. Go on over to his blog to read about it.

What is in store for 2016? Well maybe I will get the trains I have ordered would be a start! Progressing with the Club HO layout's station backscene/low relief work. Possible modelling a kit for the layout. Delving more into Arduino and how I can interface with JMRI. Maybe even doing some more work on my layout. However all of this is predicated on the simply notion that I will have time to do these things ;-) 

Goodbye 2015 (yes I know a week early but can't see the point in waiting that long to do the update) and welcome 2016.

Ciao for now.

September 2015 update

Since the last post a month ago (where did that month go!) still not much modelling happening. Fathers' Day my boys gave me a couple more Oxford Diecast models for the layout.

Red Ford Transit MkI Recovery

(picture sourced from Oxford Diecast's website http://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/)

London Brick AEC Matador Wrecker

(picture sourced from Oxford Diecast's website http://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/)

I also put together a concept low relief model of a number of buildings for the Club layout 'town' scene behind the railway station. I used Model Builder software, cardboard and foamboard. It looks like a good possibility to fill in this area. I may even experiment with different scaling to provide deeper perspectives.

As for the Raspberry Pi, nothing more with this apart from using it as a wifi base station that runs JMRI. However, I have been researching the Arduino board for possible use as a input &/or output localised device that can control a number of sensors, switches, lights/LEDs, servos, etc in a local area but be connected back to a PC or Pi to allow JMRI to be the interfacing program between the different systems. There is a lot of bog standard electronic projects that it can control, but more importantly, the model railway electronics community has been seriously delving into its potential and there are already DCC and CMRI libraries for the Arduino. It is just a matter of getting one or two and playing with them, learning how to program them (very basic C++), an researching how to do railway automation with them.
You can get the original boards or clones as these are an open-source board.
I'll probably start with a Uno model as these are for beginners to learn on. These provide 14 digital I/Os and 6 analog inputs, plus other capabilities that the reader can look into if you so wish.

Arduino Uno
(picture sourced from https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno)

I have started on the model I am going to enter into the Club Christmas modelling competition. It is a Kadee logging caboose.

(picture sourced from http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page104.htm)

I will probably change the colour scheme a little as I am keen to experiment with the airbrush compressor kit I got for my birthday back in July. I went to Hobbyrama today and purchased some acrylic paints already diluted for airbrush use. They are a Vallejo product called Model Air.

So until next time, happy modelling.

Shapeways as a source of model rail designs and parts

Shapeways allows designers to design and sell 3D printable items. I have from time to time perused the Shapeways site for model rail parts and designs that may not be readily available in 'ready to place' or kit form. However to date I haven't actually ordered anything from them.

The search filters is a bit simple and could do with an Advanced Search feature to allow improved search results, however with a bit of persistence you can muddle through the results.

From a NSWGR modeling point of view, I can recommend a visit to Ray Pilgrim's Shapeway store as he has invested some considerable time in designing prototypical signals and relevant support brackets for the servos, etc. I would be interested in seeing how lighting up the Clearance Posts with LEDs would look on a layout.

From a generic railway modeling view, I came across Madasu Designs which offer some interesting accessory parts for a layout. I would particularly like to see how the 500 gallon water tanks and the 44 gallon drums turn out.

Another shop, Focus offers a number of designs that might suit modelers. I particularly like the whiskey barrels. It would also be interesting to see how open the designer would be to doing these in OO (1:76) as beer barrels that could be used as freight cargo or static features near an old UK style pub.

Well that is about it from me on this topic. Have a look at Shapeways as a possible source of model rail parts, etc or even give it a go yourself with their online tools for designers.

RMCQ Show and Qld Rail 12mm collection started

Now that I am back again from my recent sabbatical from blogging, what has been happening. Well the Tour De France is over again for another year and as usual some surprise upsets but Froome won the contest.

On the modeling front, not much has happened as highlighted in the last post, however I have been pottering around with some ideas for the Club HO station area backscene and very low relief buildings that are needed. I have purchased the Evans Designs Model Builder software (http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/model-builder.html) which seems to be the way forward. I am thinking of making it three dimensional by using thin card (1-1.5 mm) against the backboard with a building on it, then in front of it using foam board (about 5mm) with the foreground buildings on it. I will come up with a design concept and place on the layout to see if it works as I am hoping it will.

On the subject of the Club HO layout, we have decided to incorporate a 12mm (HOn3.5) design that will coexist with the 16.5mm system. This has got me interested in Queensland Rail rollingstock as this is the prototype I grew up with, more so than NSW, but to date not much mass produced RTR 12mm available (PGC Models do small runs I believe and I will look into these to pad out my mixed traffic trains with some interesting rollingstock). However Southern Rail Models and Wuiske have been producing some nice RTR rollingstock. I also have 12mm and 16.5mm QR 2300 class  locos on order from Southern (care of Mr Mackie). Why the 16.5 you might ask? Something to run on the main layout (modeller's licence - the bogies were swapped out to standard gauge will be my story!).

So at the club's (RMCQ) show on the weekend just gone, I have started the 12mm collection with the purchase of a 4 pack of Southern Rail 4-wheelers from a vendor at the show, Railco.

(picture sourced from Southern Rail Models website http://www.southernrailmodels.com.au/)

I have also been on the hunt for a OO bus for my layout, but to date I have only been able to find buses specific to a region or city. However also at the Railco stall I came across an Oxford Diecast model of a generic British Rail bus which suited perfectly.

 

(picture sourced from Oxford Diecast's website http://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/)

On the subject of the RMCQ Show, I took my sons down to have a look and there were some very good layouts in attendance. Some we had seen before, some added to, and some new. Some photos from the show can be found at Mr Mackie's blog (http://ca55ino.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/a-good-weekend-turned-into-great-weekend.html).

Also this week I received an email from a bloke at Shapeways, the 3D printing company, wanting me to do a blog post about their products and website. Not sure what is in it for me, but hopefully they will surprise me?

Better do an update....

Sorry to my readers for not updating the blog as regularly as I have done in the past. Seems like this year has just flown by without much modelling happening. Life is getting in the way, along with family commitments! When I have had a spare few hours during the week, competing interests have had to be prioritised. Railway modelling, Raspberry Pi, electronics and programming all want a piece of me.
I had a month off over May with one week up at Noosaville, and the three remaining weeks trying to reduce the 'things to do list' of tasks around the house. Modelling didn't really get a look in.
So since the last post I have:

• assisted with solving a problem with a MERG CBUS utility running on a Linux OS (Mint in this case)
• starting to look at Java and Python programming for future use on Raspi projects
• installed a Real Time Clock into my new Raspi 2B (along with sorting out some problems)
• investigating some alternative electronics projects to use as sensor and output use on the layout rather than have to use specific kits (MERG)
• went to the club each Wednesday when I was on holidays and helped out there on a couple of things
• ran my Climax, with a string of NSWGR wagons as I am yet to build the wagon kits I will be using, around the club layout when everyone else was having lunch. It took about 25 minutes to do a lap. A greyhound it isn't!
• looking at 12mm HO options to use on the club layout. I'm thinking of a mixed goods of QR stock from PGC Scale Models. Hopefully they are an OK manufacturer? Might even look at a PB15 steam loco. I've ordered a 23class QR diesel in 12mm (and 16.5mm) that I could also use to pull the mixed goods.
• finished off the terrace shops for my layout (weekend just gone)
• designing options for the backscene behind the main station on the club layout
• probably other things that I can't remember ;-)

So July is rapidly approaching and with it will be the 2015 Tour De France coverage, so expect not much to happen during that month either! I'll probably start on the next Metcalfe kit, a set of terrace houses.

So here are some pics and a vid for your visual edification.

Terrace Shops from Metcalfe

Weighbridge (or yard) office from Hornby.
This was brought back from London by my sister-in-law as my overseas gift.

Climax at RMCQ

The Metcalfe low-relief bank-shop-pub completed

Sorry it has been awhile since the last update. I've been busy with family life and when I've had a spare hour or so, I've been either making the Metcalfe kit pictured, or pottering around with configuring an old XP machine to run Linux Mint, install JMRI, and now trying to work out if I can run MERG's FCU application via Wine. This all sounds to technical for a model railway blog, but if I can get this up and running I can configure, manage and integrate the MERG CBUS system into JMRI all on the one PC without having to resort to using Windows.

Over Easter I spent a couple of hours progressing the Bray MPD side of the layout in anticipation of placing the buildings in position.

The next building project will be another Metcalfe kit, this one low relief set of shops, followed by terrace houses, the engine shed and a factory. I might get this all done by the end of the year!

Metcalfe Warehouse finished

I've been sporadically completing over the last few weeks the Metcalfe warehouse kit in low relief. This will be placed on the Bray MPD side of the layout to service a siding.

Next will be a set of three low relief shops one of which will be a corner pub.

Apart from the card kits for my layout I have been researching backdrop scenes and low relief kits for the Club HO layout for the area near the main station. I put up my hand to scenic this area along with a fellow club member. I am thinking a large town/city scene with a bit of variety amongst architectural styles to indicate the age of the town/city. This is not as easy as it sounds!

New Howto - Fitting a Zimo MX645 decoder into an Auscision 73 Class

I have finally finished the Howto that I was writing at the same time as doing the decoder install in the Auscision NSWGR 73 Class loco. The PDF of the Howto and the Zimo Decoder Manual can be linked to from the "Articles that I have written" page.

Signal box and outbuildings done

This week had me doing something different and get into building a Metcalfe kit of a UK signal box (LMS proto I think but could be anywhere in the UK). The kit also included a line side hut and a lamp shed.
These will be positioned close to the tunnel portal on the Bray MPD side of the layout. As such the 'box' will be seen from the rear side, so I haven't bothered to put a light in it. 

From L-R: lamp shed, signal box, line side hut

Slightly different view

Next week I think I will continue with another Metcalfe kit, probably the Factory/Warehouse. This way I can start the scenicing with the buildings closest to the tunnel portal first.

You bl@@dy bewdy!

On this National Day of ours, I am happy to report that the 73 class IS FINALLY FINISHED! Woohoo, hip hip hurray, and all that cheer!
I had to rethink a few things and make some sacrifices, but it now works to my satisfaction. I decided to remove the control boards from the cabin, but I retained the crew. My thinking on this was that you only see the crew anyway, so now the sugar cube speaker is blu-tacked to the roof near the cabin light. It unfortunately blocks the cabin light on one side of the cabin but no matter. I tidied up the wiring a bit better with the removal of the zip tie and replacement with Tamiya masking tape. This stuff is pretty good for more than masking up!
Some further 'collateral damage' occurred with some of the finer details around the buffers breaking off, but these are so small they will not be missed. The other thing is that in all of the recent handling of the shell some of the locking lugs broke off so the shell doesn't fit to the deck neatly and rise up a tad at each end. The only thing this cause is the marker lights might misalign to their lenses. Just a gentle push usually realigns them.
I also removed the stay alive capacitor as there just wasn't any space.
The sound may not be prototypical for the 73 but it is a German diesel fairly close to the general specs of the 73. Sounds OK to me, I've never heard a 73 anyway! 
So I might take it for a spin down at the Club at the next meeting day. 
The other thing I got around to today was to start on some of the other various kits I have to put together. The first was a simple MERG track tester. Done. The next project will be one of the Metcalfe kits of a signal box so that I can start progressing with Illavearf again.
Here are some photos of the newly finished 73 class.

Only thing different that went ahead was the zip tie was replaced with masking tape and the shelf on the front gear box was trimmed back a bit as it was bending down and hitting the universal.

Closer view of first photo

The temporary shelf at the rear is now permanent

 

7309 on the DCC Concepts rolling road with the cabin light on

 

Rear view showing numberboards and marker lights on. Shell slightly askew hence why the red and white markers are not lining up exactly to their lenses

Front view showing numberboards, headlight and marker lights.

One of the drivers in the cabin

The 'collateral damage' - cabin control board, stay alive cap and buffer end details

Good progress with the 73 but with a not so good outcome

This week saw good progress with the wiring up of the 73. Using the SMD resistors certainly has improved the available real estate under the shell. I was able to get the decoder on its shelf, along with the stay alive cap and sugar cube speaker on the original circuit board shelf. The wires were all bundled up and secured. The shell was shoe-horned on (VERY tight fit). Then a roadblock was discovered. The shell was short 5-7mm of clearance to allow it to fit to the chassis. It would appear as though the amount of wiring impacted the internal clearance. You can see all of this in the photos below.
Upon having a chat with Mr Mackie and PK, several options were bandied about. I came up with my mine to see if this helps and will certainly investigate the other options proffered if mine doesn't pan out.
What I really want is to have the cabin light operating, as well as the marker, number board, and headlights. Retaining the sound would be great.
So I had a closer look at the available space. I redeveloped the shelving to be one shelf rather than a staggered shelf arrangement. I can live without the stay alive cap (for what they good they do) and might have a look at locating the speaker in the cab, with minimal damage to the cabin detail if possible. By the end of the week, I had got to a point where the speaker isn't installed but the rest has occurred. I am still about 2-3 mm short of the shell to reach the chassis, but I may just need to rethink the wiring arrangement. That will be this week's project if I get the time.

Top view of the placement of the decoder,etc

Side view showing the decoder, cap and speaker to the rear at the right. You can see the second shelf towards the middle that the decoder is on.

 

Front lightboard

Rear lightboard

View showing the 5-7mm gap between the shell and the chassis

Top view showing the spaghetti of wiring through the original circuit board access hatch.

On the workbench

Over the last week I went back to the 73 Class and started on the lightboards wiring again. This time I was trying SMD 0603 profile 1K resistors to connect the lightboard wires to the decoder wires to reduce 'real estate' under the shell. These seem to be doing the trick. I have also sorted out a problem I had with the 'Swiss mapping' of the additional Function Output CVs associated with the LEDs. So a couple of wins on this front. Hopefully this week I will continue wiring up the lightboard wires.
On Saturday just gone my Christmas present to myself arrived from the States (it was a late decision and thus a belated gift). A Bachmann Spectrum HO (16.5mm) Climax loco, some Tichy Trains Ore wagons and a Kadee logging caboose to make up a train. I know this isn't my usual prototype, but I have been attracted to the logging/mining articulated locos for a long time, so now I have one.
On the photo below you can see the loco on another Xmas present, the DCC Concepts rolling road, getting a run in.