zeroOneman

I'm using sg90s & a points decoder I built myself using an Arduino nano. It's not the easiest thing to do, but the results are very pleasing. https://shedendrly.wordpress.com/points-decoder/

Although the mallard doesn't always trip the elink in the same place, does it always do it when passing through sets of points?

Up until a couple of years ago, one of the best airshows in the south of England was the wings & wheels show at Dunsfold. Unfortunately some bright spark thought it would be a good idea to turn the airfield into an housing estate, so the show is no more. during one of my trips to the airshow I took some photos of the airfield with the intention of using them as a backdrop for any models I may make in the future. So was mighty pleased when the 2022 club model was announced. I finished the 'Dunsfold' version last weekend. The weather was quite nice today, so I set the backdrop up in the garden this afternoon and took a few pictures. Thanks for looking Andy

No success here either. I managed to get RM to think it was connected to an ld module, but totally stumped from that point onwards.

If you think having another set of hands also trying would help, I have plenty of kit here to have a go. I can be contacted through my website.

i've just been catching up on this thread - just when i completely give up on LD there is a flicker of hope from Hornby. The LD module emulator is a cracking idea - if this could work & just send messages back to RM indicating when a digital input is active/inactive i could ditch all the logic in my current arduino based decoder & just use my block detection modules. Any joy since you established the initial handshake?

As I mentioned, there is information on my website, but if you want further information on making your own BM1 modules, or would like some made for you, please don't hesitate to contact me via the website. Also, if there is anyone out there that would like to implement the same style of "signal detection" that I have done, I'd love to hear from you & to help you achieve what you're after.

I made my own and modules, you can find details on my website

i used EZ-line (fine) for the rigging, which is 0.25 mm in diameter, the control wires were done using ultra fine black rigging thread from Black Mike , this stuff is 0.048mm in diameter & is almost invisible in the photos. If you haven't used ez-line (or the alternatives that Black Mike sells), it's basically very fine elastic - it can stretch to around 12 times its' original length before getting close to breaking, because of this it can be pulled taught with very little actual tension.

Another great kit from Airfix - all the newly tooled kits that I have built so far have been an absolute joy to build.

Yes, the only thing to look out for is that the braking only starts when the loco enters the braking zone, if you need help you can contact me through the web site. My branch line has an EMU running from one end to the other, I have a braking module at each end , which stops the train in the station, I then just reverse the direction of the train in Railmaster and it moves off back to the other end.

If you're still running into the buffers I would highly recommend putting braking modules at the ends of your lines & if your decoders don't support ABC, swapping them for zimo ones. The most impressive bit about ABC braking is, that once you've got it set up, it doesn't matter what speed your loco enters the braking zone at - it will always slow down and stop in the same place.

I gave up waiting for loco detection long ago. But I do like using RailMaster, so I have developed my own Arduino based signal decoder to automate my railway. The decoder currently controls 15 signals. Each signal has an ABC braking module associated with it. All the loco decoders that I use support ABC braking. By doing this, whenever a loco approaches a signal set to danger it stops at the signal. Once the signal is cleared, the loco moves off. I have also developed my own block detection modules that feed into the decoder. If a section in front of a signal is occupied it will be set to danger regardless of what it has been set to by RailMaster, once the block is cleared the signal is returned to the 'railmaster state'. I like to think of this as signal detection rather than loco detection. I have started documenting all of this at: Mega signal decoder | Shedend Railway

try the 1/48 version - it's fabulous

you cut the panels out & there are replacement panels to fit in - I was a bit worried about this, as my cutting skills aren't great, but it turned out to be very easy.

Yes - nothing added

After some very kind words about this model, I have decided to post a handful of pictures. This is all from the 'Ready for Battle' set - if you can get a set, don't even hesitate, just buy it, it's absolutely brilliant & great value for money. All the vehicles are very nice to put together & the Hurricane is an absolute beauty.

Thankyou for the kind comments & thanks John for the advice on filesizes - that's a mistake I won't make again. The backdrop is made up of a sequence of photos i took at dunsfold while waiting for an airshow to start - I try to do this at any airshows i go to now. The pictures were printed out on an a3 printer & then stuck to the backboard. there is another backdrop on the other side. When i photograph models using this I use a long lens (200mm) this gives a really nice affect & looks a lot nicer than the wide angle photos you get from a phone camera. Here are a few more pictures of the Hawk:

Just finished this little kit. Excellent fit for all parts, and over 50 decals , which is quite something on a kit this small.

I have found programming and reading on the programming track to be very hit and miss. I have now set up an Arduino as a DCC++ unit, and use rocrail solely for managing my decoders, it's easy to setup, very reliable and much easier to use than Railmaster for looking after your decoders. I still prefer Elink and Railmaster for operating the railway.

I'm guessing there a large number of oldkits that airfix will never produce again - how difficult would it be to make digital versions of these to download for the 3d modelling world? They could be downloaded for a modest sum & generate income from a new market. I realise some people will share these etc, but it would still be additional income from an ,as yet, untapped source

on the subject of scale speeds - without the elusive loco detection module I've never understood how to calibrate my locos to get accurate scale speeds, so I just guess & then set the cruise speed to something that represents a sensible speed. To help me get confidence in my guesswork I knocked up a speed detector - this works in n gauge & OO gauge... https://shedendrly.wordpress.com/2020/08/07/arduino-based-speed-detector/

i found you can join the couplings whilst on the track, but I'm guessing it's the same, with basically three pins int the centre that push into the coupling on the next carriage...

I was lucky enought to receive a brand new Arnold Brighton Belle in the post yesterday. I must say I am extremely impressed - the detail is awesome, the weight of the driving car is immense & the pulling power is excellent. I did have a bit of a battle to get the driving car apart to get my dcc decoder in, but managed the process with no mishaps. I've fitted a Zimo MX 616N. I'd be interested to hear from others that have this loco & hear what decoders you are using & any particular cv values that have worked well for you - I have no issues with how I've configured mine, but am always looking to learn & improve things. I'm now waiting for the additional three carriages, at which time I might make a short video.

jacov - there is a fairly simple solution to what you want to do. Any loco that you want to run on the branchline needs to be fitted with a decoder that supports ABC braking - Zimo decoders are the ones I use. you then fit a BM1 braking module at each end of the branchline (there is a little more to it - but there is plenty of info on the web). Now when you run your train from one end, it will slow down and stop when it gets to the other end. Uding your DCC controller you reverse the direction of the train & it will run back to the other end - slowing & stopping before running off the end. Now, if you fit a signal at the end that joins onto your mainline & use the 'clear' or green line to operate a relay that shorts out the bm1 module when the signal is clear, yo have basically disabled the braking at that ens when the signal is clear, so you can now run onto the mainline. BM1 braking modules can be made for less than a pound each - you just need five diodes per module. be warned - once you get this working you will start looking where else you can fit these & soon your trains will be stopping ans starting at all your stations.