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Thursday 30 September 2021

September 2021 Update

It has been a while since I have updated my blog with the railway activity, so what has happened over the last few months.

  • The extension has had a reverse loop added  more details of that will in Extension "Phase 2" page.
  • The remote operation of the points (switches) motors has been transferred use with a Precision RC Train Engineer Revolution, affectionately know as a Revo, I will provide more details further down this page.
  • All track power has now been removed, along with isolation tracks and point motor supplementary switches. 
  • Wyvern Halt has new station signs mounted in a flower bed with "street" lights:


  • Planning is currently happening for a further extension, though sill in the very early stages, again see further down this page. 
  • To enable better operations, I now wish for the loco to "run around" the train in Wyvern Halt Station, and to enable this to happen the loco need to be uncoupled from the train.  As the train runs "double hooked" two uncoupling ramps are required.  Initially I tried with two "passive" ramps, however the loco/train would uncouple every time, so my next endeavour is to try one electrically operated (on order) and one passive ramp:


  • The railway has now gained its own cat:

Revolution 

When the railway was track powered this was remotely controlled by a Crest Train Engineer (TE), and via an auxiliary receiver,  when the track power was removed all the TE equipment went.

I looked around for various methods to control the points, but already having standard G Gauge point motors I was loath to move to a totally different system.  Luck would have it that I was offered a Precision RC Train Engineer Revolution (Revo) transmitter free, so all I would need would be the Revo "Track Switch Control Rx".  Fine Scale Brass were identified as the UK agent and a unit was ordered.

The unit comes as a bare unit with no casing as shown below, so a project box was obtained and the unit fitted inside.

Set up isn't difficult, however my lack of familiarity with the system did mean if took a couple of attempts to link (bind) the Tx and Rx, however once linked the system works so well a second Rx has now been ordered.