96RAF

Here's something I would like to see in RM, which could suit many layouts better than full automatic control. Push buttons that can be placed at suitable locations on track and used as the Start, Via-Here and End of a desired route. As many buttons could be placed on the track plan as required. With loco detection on its way, the method would work by selecting a route using these buttons (Start/End/Via-Here). The requested route would set (i.e points would switch and the track would change colour on screen). The loco/train already known by the detection system to be at the start location would leave and traverse the route at shunt/cruise/shunt until stopped safely by the detector at the end location. In the event of any traffic conflict intermediate detectors would manage the train safely by slowing/stopping/resuming as necessary. Using buttons like this would simplify operations by removing the need for many programs. The button-route setting system is already in general use by Rorail and probably by JMRI.

Tracker jack said: Is there a place I can download hornby track dimensions? I am looking at a new project and cant find references for sizes, radius etc: thanks, TJ. Here https://www.hornby.com/_assets/files/Track-Geometry-PDF.pdf

Phul007 said: Nearly finished the Layout with some buildings to complete, a lot of minor projects with more people , some tidying up of ballast and one minor issue with a s bend (as commented on the forum) http://www.flickr.com/photos/110505779@N08/ If the link doesn't work copy the entire URL and paste in your browser. Nice detailing 007. Puts mine to shame. I'm at the functional with draft scenery ideas in place stage but way too far to go yet before I'll be finished, if ever.

Was a 12ft x 6ft x 8ft folded figure of 8 continuous run in a U-Shape, but it took up too much floor space so I had to redesign to this 12 ft x 6 ft L-Shape in 4 x 4ft x 2ft modules: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/57032-limassol-end/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/57031-pyrgos-straight/ http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/57029-moni-end/ Not as much fun to watch as a continuous run but OK for now operating under RM.

More or less WTD - until that fake WWII bomb was found in 1962. As shown it was based on how much track I could pack into a given area. There just wasn't enough platform length or logical train arrival/departure possible - each train had to stop and reverse into the station, so it had to go. It also took over 90% of the floor space and I needed the room for other stuff as well as trains.

I would be happy just to know which loco is where and doing what - i.e. a dynamic following of traffic.

Back to the OP. Here's a pic of part of my old roundy-round layout prior to being redone as an L-shaped end to end (nowhere near as good but it takes up a lot less room). http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/25369-moni/ I'll take some pix of it now and post later.

walkingthedog said: It's not easy showing layouts on this forum. You have to download the pictures onto something like photobucket and then post a link, hardly worth the trouble in my view. There are other forums where you can post pictures. Modelrailwayforum is one. Hear-hear WTD - time Hornby Forums gave us the facility to post pictures/diagrams. I'm sure it would add value to the experience and better help contributors. At present I have load my pix/diags onto another railway modelling website and link to them from here as required.

Fishmanoz said: When you get to buy a detection controller and install it, it will have to be on a different com port to eLink. Two devices can't use the same port. But that is al irrelevant now. Go into layout design and install a detector, somewhere, anywhere. Now we know you don't have one but RM doesn't and you can now right click on it and look at all the programming options you have, 22 of them if I can count correctly. Now take those 22, multiply by a number of detectors detecting a number of locos and your options get large exponentially. We know from previous intel that the detection 'controller' will be connected by USB to the pc/laptop. Do we know how many remote detectors each controller can handle, i.e. if I need lots of detector elements and each controller can only handle say 4 or 8 elements where am I going to get that many spare USB ports on a desktop, much less a laptop, given that previously we have been instructed only to connect Elite/eLink to a direct port and not a hub... PS - Not sure how long it has been available but have you noticed typos are now highlighted and right clicking on a duff word gives spelling options - well done Forum Support.

Postman Prat said: Believe it or not, with my railway preferences, I hadn't got round to getting a B1. The was one in the clearance sale so I got it. I would have preferred the late crest but as it's only going into a case I can live with the early one. I got the last R3000 in the pre-Xmas rush from Hornby, which is a late crest B1. Sorry PP.

Fishmanoz said: This thread is supposed to just be a listing of desirable features for future upgrades, discussion of problems should be elsewhere. However, as discussion has started here, let me summarise: As I said, the logic on the point arrows, which complement the point button coloured dots, is simple. No matter which direction your point icon is oriented, if you turn your head to look from the single end toward the double end (this is actually looking from toe end to heel end, something that was discussed st length in General forum recently), you will find the red button is on the left track side of the point and the green button is on the right. Also, the red button arrow points towards the left of the screen, and the green button arrow towards the right. This logic is simple and consistent for every point. Now if we look at which direction the point is set, there are 3 indicators for this, again all consistent. First, the blue track indicator runs in the set direction. Second, the colour of the dot is bright in the set direction, and dull the other way. Third, the arrow in the dot is black in the set direction, and white in the other direction. If you throw a point by clicking on it, you get a beep, a circular flash around the point and all 3 of the blue track arrow, dot brightness and black dot arrow change to match the new direction. If you click on the dot in the set direction, they all remain the same as does the point. Does anyone have something different showing on theirs? If so and you want to discuss further, please start a new thread. Back to original plot then: @HRMS Although there is a variety of steam loco sounds there is nothing much for diesels. Could us poor non sound loco people have some horns (single and double) please.

RDS said: @RAFHAAA96th... I do not really know what purpose the arrows are supposed to serve. I think they work quite well when the point is positioned in a vertical piece of track and therefore the point is clicked Left or Right but they seem all wrong when positioned on a horizontal piece of track when the point can be clicked up or down and the arrows still point left and right. Agreed on the arrows

RDS said: @RAFHAAA96th Hi, Is this a desirable feature? I hope someone at Hornby understands your meaning, because I am struggling. If I remember correctly we only started by raising the Red / Green button issue. (This is genuinely intended to be constructive criticism) @RDS Constructive criticism appreciated. I was just concurring with Stingray that the problem of amending code to facilitate clicking a point on plan to change the point direction is not so difficult to do inside programing. I didn't expect anyone to start reverse engineering RM using Notepad on the basis of my ravings. I appreciate the OP was about red/green buttons but one led to the other. That said I don't feel that the current fettled red/green' buttons with their arrows are of any great help to users colour blind or not.

Lets try it in simplified plain text Turnouts T1 pointright45 rotation is 0 gridx is 3 gridy is 5 state state-id is 1 accessory system-id is dcc address is 1 value is 1 end of that state state state-id is 0 accessory system-id is dcc address is 1 value is 2 end of that state end of that pointright45

Obviously forum admin has set it up so code is prohibited - sorry admin.

Oops it didn't paste the extract properly. It should show this: etc, etc

St1ngr4y said: OK you asked for it... What is being suggested is to use the point icona themselves in the Layout Designer to configure the points i.e set their addresses, decoder types, default settings, routes etc., and to make the red/green buttons optional extras for actually switching the points when they appear on the main screen. The program code to do the configuration is already there - it is called when you right click a red/green button. All they need to do is call this code when you right-click the point icon. The .pln file which is used to hold your designed layout may need changing if there are two records, one for the buttons and one for the point, to store the configuration information in the other one. All of the points except the Y points, are already capable of being switched by clicking on the point itself rather than the red/green buttons. This feature simply need to be extended to include the Y points too. I agree with S'R4y it is all fairly simple. Here is an example extracted from something I worked on a while ago: Essentially you define a point (T1 et seq), its type (L or R), angle (0, +/-45 or 90) and position on the plan (grid x,y), then its addressing states (0 or 1). If state-0 then send dcc signal to that acc decoder address, value or if state-1 then send it to the other port. After that it is as easy to link what the the lights/signals do to match those states.

I also have problems, but with the logic of the RM points 'traffic lights'. Rather than have them just light or dark red and green, why not have them switchable red/green - green/red depending on which track way is selected. What I mean is - if I select a point to branch then the branch side light goes green and the main route light goes red and vice versa. This is the way I have my trackside bi-colour leds set up via switches on the point motors and when I set a route I can trace a green track way from A to B.

Would the (RM) mod please consider making this thread a stickie with, if possible, the pages reverse indexed to bring the latest posts to the front of the Q. Thanks...

RDS said: ... I suggest that users continue to add to this thread as and when new ideas crop up. Thanks again, Another item for the RM wish list. I would like to see route definition made easier than the multi-point click table fiddling and floating button definition method used at present, which I find very tedious and prone to input error (due mainly to finger trouble as the lists jump about). I would like to be able to plant a push-button at each point on the plan where a route could possibly start/end, then by simply pressing any 2 buttons in sequence (start - end) a route would be defined and all necessary points in between switched to the correct direction. In the event of more than one possible route between buttons then an intermediate button selection would confirm the preferred route. In the event a route is not possible the screen would flag this and request a reselection. I'm not reinventing the wheel here, as this is a proven method used by a popular open source railway software package.

DEAN104 said: This may surprise you but toymaster in Halifax sells Hornby.Rolling road for just sixty and take ten per cent off with hornby discount card.I have checked all new prices;they sell a big percentage of various hornby stock cheaper than anywhere.Egypt 1908 Olympics just eighty five sterling. You appear to have developed a bit of a stutter Dean

@Graskie I just fired up RM demo (still waiting for my eLink+RM to turn up)and it said v1.5 was available, installed it no problem in Win 8 64 bit. At restart it went through the can't find the Elite port scenario, gave me an alternative port in the high Com numbers, when the actual port in use was the one it rejected as couldn't be found - odd. Still it works fine after I told it to use that port. Desirable features - I've trawled the previous comments but can't see a recommendation for being able to re-orient text (to either vertical or 45 deg each way).

To run a Co-Co diesel on the Hornby RR I had to add a couple more live rollers to support the bogies (2 sets of rollers each) and move the steam front bogie support block out of the way. This allowed the diesel to avoid sitting on the static track length normally used to support a steam loco tender. Rob

Essentially the rolling road is two wires from the controller to the tender support rails and live rollers, so it is suitable for any type of electrical signal along that path. Having seen the post about the thick wires and the holes in the roller brackets I can confirm my basic R4811 rolling road and the additional rollers I bought all have the holes described. For anyone who wonders why you need extra rollers over and above the 3 pairs provided, it is to support dual bogie trains such as diesels or railbus type locos off the fixed rail section. Rob

BigNoj said: Any ideas why the drop down in the train detection box in settings gives the part number LDM56? When you perform a search the only item I can find is a Skaledale model Ford Cortina. Is this purely a fictitious number, why the departure from the R prefix? It could stand for Loco Detection Module... and presumably the detection system will get an R number when it is released at some time in the future.