It’s been a little while since I last posted any updates on my layout, the On30 Bradford Valley Lumber Co.
I’m afraid it’s still in the ‘plywood pacific’ stage, as I’ve mostly been concentrating on the locomotives & rolling stock, as well as the electricals. Currently the control system is in place, all the locomotives & rolling stock have been built, and half the layout lighting is in place:
I’ve used dowelling to support the shadow box at the front of the layout, at the points where the supports need to be in the modelled scene. Given that this is in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, I figure I could disguise these supports as tree trunks.
My next step is to finish off the Arduino-based automatic staging system,which will control the two-track staging yard just beyond the hole in the backdrop. This will complete the electricals for this side of the layout. Once this is done, I’ll be doing the lighting for the other side of the layout.
One of the things I’m trying to do with my layout is automate, or at least, semi-automate, some of the functions that are purely ‘model railroad tasks’, or which would require a second operator. To this end, I’ve used a few Arduino microcontrollers around my layout for things such as train dispatching, timers to simulate loading in sidings, and other animations.
My latest endeavour is to automate the two-track staging yard behind the backdrop, so that I can just drive a train in and stop it. This is to make it feel more like I’m sending a train to ‘Camp B’ or ‘Camp C’.
On the fascia, there’s a control panel with an LCD screen, which will provide indication of which trains are in staging, and when they reach the end of the staging tracks.
Within staging itself, there are several sensors to determine which trains are moving in and out, and where they are. Following the path of a train entering staging, here’s how the system is set up:
The 3-LED light strip serves two purposes. It continues the layout lighting through the staging, so the trains don’t appear to be disappearing into a ‘black hole’ (I’ll also be continuing the scenery through the hole). Further to this, it also provides a light source for the light-dependent resistor mounted between the tracks, just behind the backdrop. This is so the staging controller can detect the trains as they enter staging.
When a train is entered, the controller will switch the points leading to the two staging tracks to whichever one is unoccupied, or leave it if they’re currently set towards an unoccupied track.
The black box in the middle of the backdrop hole is an ID-12 RFID tag reader, which will be used to ident
The DCC command station and handheld controller are my own design. My objective was to create a controller that was wireless and tactile, so I could operate it without having to take my eyes off the trains.
This is a slightly older photo, and I apologise for it being slightly out of focus. The black-and-grey unit on the right is the handheld controller, which is driven by an Arduino Nano, and the base station on the left is driven by another Crowduino.
On the controller, the LCD display shows the currently selected locomotive, its current speed step and direction. The LED above it turns on when the batteries are getting low. The red button on the handheld is the emergency stop - press it and all power to the layout is cut. Below it is the on/off toggle switch for the throttle. The switch to the right of the red button changes between ‘mainline’ and ‘shunting’ modes. In mainline mode, one ‘click’ of the throttle increases the speed by 4 speed steps, in shunting mode it increases by 1. The throttle knob on the right controls speed & direction. It’s a rotary encoder with a pushbutton built in. Turning it adjusts the speed, and pressing the knob once stops the train (i.e. it sets the speed steps to 0). Pressing the knob twice stops the train and reverses direction.
The handheld and base station communicate via XBee wireless modules. These modules use what’s known as a ‘Personal Area Network’ ID to identify each other, and this is how I’ll be sending data between the base station and staging controller. Wh
Thank-you, Mike & Dave. I discovered Arduino microcontrollers while developing a timer to simulate loading and unloading in sidings. After that, I was ‘bitten by the Arduino bug’ [:D]. They’ve sort of become a hobby-within-a-hobby.
Those matchbox computers are pretty cool stuff. Right now I’m planning on picking up a Raspberry Pi to host the JMRI implementation of the layout to take the place of Big Ol’ Laptop. Luckily enough, my wife is comfortable around Unix/Linux, so she’ll take care of the software implementation while I do the hardware.
The bad news is that I had a bit of a setback with the automated staging system. Namely, when I was trying to debug the code, I accidentally pulled the Arduino from the connection from the computer a few seconds too early, with the result that it would refuse to upload the code.
I’ve got a replacement one coming in, but until then, I’ve had to put the staging system on the back burner. As such, I’ve used the time to get on with the layout lighting. I’ve got the lighting up on the other side of the layout now:
My apologies for missing your reply. The paint on the backdrop & roof is a 4-in-1 sealer and undercoat, and my plan is to paint the backdrop directly onto it.
I also have some other news regarding my layout. Below are two photos showing it in a previously unknown state - completely clean and uncluttered! [:D]
The reason for this change is simple. As of today, this layout is now operational. After receiving the replacement Arduino a couple of weeks ago, I’ve now got the automatic staging system finished. It’s testing and working the way I want it, so next step is to start running operations.
Always great to reach that point, even if there’s still lots to do. It’s still an enormous accomplishment. It’s also when the layout starts seeming more and more like a real RR.[:D]
It seems my layout wasn’t as ready to run as I thought. [:$]. I wasn’t really happy with the track arrangement at the Camp A side, mainly because it didn’t have space for a log pond (or at least, the edge of one).
After a bit of discussion on these forums, I realised I could swap the three-way points with the ones leading to them, and that would allow me to fit in the sidings I was after. Here’s the result:
The gap on the right will be the log pond, and I’ll be trimming the fascia to suit.
I’ve got the lighting sorted out, and I’ve just held the first operating session on the BVLC. Naturally, I found a few bugs to be ironed out. I’ve also taken a few photos:
Here we have the first non-test train to run on the BVLC, a supply train to Camps B & C headed by 4-4-0 no. 8.
Following that, a scheduled maintenance train was taken to Camp D by Climax no. 4.
Today’s runs included two passenger services, both of which were headed by 2-4-0 no. 3. As the fastest engine on the railway, it’s used for all passenger traffic. In this photo, it’s heading out with the first run to Camps B & C.
Following that, some empty log skeletons were required at Camp D. Climax no. 5, seen here departing Camp A, took them up.
After delivering the empties, no. 5 returned with the loaded log cars. (I’ve still got to do the log load models.)
Here’s no. 3 on the second passenger run of the day, returning from Camp D.
Its looking good Danny. I love your rolling stock.
I don’t suppose I could persuade you to do a post about your lighting solution? I’m in the planning stages for my layout and I’m trying to figure out what I need to do lighting wise.
Thank-you [:)]. Most of my locos are modified ready-to-run or kits, and the rolling stock is a mixture of kits and scratchbuilt. This is one of the reasons it’s taken me 5 years to get to my first operating session [:P].
My lighting consists of 3 strips of 5050 model LEDs per section, stuck to the top of a shadow box as seen in the photos. These were just strips I bought off Ebay. I used round dowelling for the supports in the middle of the layout sections. This is so I can disguise them as tree trunks when the time comes for the scenery to go in place.
This was the first time I’d worked with light supplies like this, and I’d underestimated how much current would be needed. I ended up adapting the power supply unit from a desktop PC and doing an individual lighting bus to each section of the layout.
It’s been a while, but now that the Christmas period is behind us, I’ve been able to get a bit more done on the layout. When I ran my first operating session, I found there were only one or two minor things wrong with the layout itself. Most of the repairs I had to do were to the locomotives and rolling stock.
Given this, I’ve decided to go ahead with the scenery:
This is where the edge of the log pond will be, and I’ll be scratchbuilding an unloading ramp for the logs running down into the pond. I’m just modelling the edge, and implying that the sawmill is just ‘offstage’.
I’ve got all the paper down for module A. In this photo, I’ve just painted it with a mix of PVA glue and water to seal it. I’ll be letting that dry overnight, then putting the plaster bandages over it tomorrow.
