Dave1013

Hi traingeekboy I am working on a stand alone battery powered servo control for my point and signal rodding. Tam valley are indeed very good. They can be dcc activated or push button using a small button board. The boards I am using for my new unit are from a friend of mine in Ireland. dcc-decoders.com he makes a lot of dcc devices and modules of his own design. My boards are not on his site as they are new. They cost me 18€ each, and move a servo through 90 degrees. What are you wanting to achieve? If you are going for the advanced roundy roundy with full points and signal control as in your dreams or a simpler version, All is possible. If I can offer any advice I'm happy to do so. Cheers Dave

Hi All There is one thing wrong with winter in my view. Apart from the cold rain snow and long nights. It gives us all far to long to think about our railways. Now that spring is here and we can get back to our beloved hobby. Trouble is all those long nights have resulted in loads of designs for extensions, sidings new stations and the like. I must have been very board 'caus I have loads to build. Makes winter all worthwhile. I have replaced all points for express points, point control prodding (Bowden cables) installed as is the signal operating cord. I will update my thread in ground frame control topic under general questions. I will also add some pics once I've sorted out the uploading issues. Dave

Hi Guys A kit to remotely operate a signal (ratio 250) is around £5 each, they come with extra parts like cord and screw eyes. I have got hold of some Ratio 134 kits they have 2 levers only also around £5. I found ebay a good source.

Hi Stese I completely take on board TheQ's comments regarding downpipe. I have the same restrictions. For my layout I have used the 50mm ground spikes with the trackbead at a height of 2 foot or 600mm. For the baseboard I used the budget deck boards from Wickes diy as they have a plain side. Have a look at new member new layout thread in this category. Its been up for nearly a year and still solid. When I joined this forum last year, one piece of advice amongst many was to enjoy your adventure. It is brilliant fun this garden railway lark. Cheers, Dave.

Hi guys Having carried out my tests on the Ratio signal levers and the Mercontrol lever frame. I have come to the consultation that I prefer the Ratio levers. They look better and are more comfortable to operate. The metal frame of the Mercontrol is extremely fiddly to use as the levers are so close together. I have made up a 12 lever frame using a pair of Maplin boxes and paperclips for control rods. All the levers are Ratio 250 remote control kits. As soon as the weather is good enough I will try it out. I will report back soon.

Hi Shaun I will read your thread with interest, I think that possibilities are endless with the advancement of nanotechnology. However back to the old technology. Before installing the servos last year. I fitted the point controll wire through the baseboard and bearing to see how the winter affected it. I used the same wire as I have used indoors (a paper clip) . Although they all still move some are much stiffer than they should be. I think brass rod is the answer. Still it was a worthwhile test. I did fit one servo to see if it would survive the winter. No problem, still as free as a bird. Very encouraging. Dave

Mick, I have been reading your thread of last year, on kadee couplings. You indicated that you wanted remote decoupling. Maybe we could extend this system to activate a Hornby decoupling ramp, in place of the point motor. I'm going to try it on my carriage sidings. Meanwhile I'll rig one up on my test board.

I do intend to use fishing line outside. I have bought a reel of 3lb line and a pack of small screw eyes. I will have to make a tool to fit the screw eyes to the baseboard as they are fiddely to hold. If it is dry this weekend I'll have a go at fitting the two signals with the longest run, about 20 feet each. I will of course let you know how it goes.

Further updates. The Mercontrol groundframe has arrived. A sturdy cast metal frame with brass levers. These levers are a bit flimsy but seem to work fine. I have made up a test rig with a point to try it out. The piece of blue tube going under the track is a cotton bud with the cotton ends cut off. I think this project has legs but further testing is required. One thing I did find was that net curtain wire has become thinner. I have had to buy 1mm Bowden cable inner as my 1.5mm doesn't fit in the new curtain wire. I have not given up with the ratio levers yet, I do prefer the look of them. Once I get a long cable fitted on the railway to control a point 12 foot away I'll have a better idea. Any thoughts would be very welcome. Cheers Dave.

Hi Guys Well my Ratio 250 signal lever kits and the 1.5mm cable have arrived. Whilst waiiting I did some research as to how other modellers were doing it. It seems that Mick's comments regading the cord fraying were well founded. Apparently a good alternative to the cord is fishing line running through dolls house screw eyelets. A small weight is fixed to the signal end of the line and routed through the baseboard just beyond the signal. This keeps the line taught. Regarding the Bowden cable, I researched a suitable tube to run the cable in. I found a brilliant suggestion..... net curtain wire! That springy plastic covered stuff. My 1.5mm cable fits inside it a treat, as it's teflon coated it has low friction. I have made up a test rig to try my Bowden cable idea. It all works well. I do have concerns however, there is a weak point where the lever meets the actuator. If there is any resistance in the cable I think it will break. For this reason I'm going to use the Ratio lever and fishing line for signals . During my trolling various websites for info I came across a metal lever frame made by Mercontrol and sold by Lychett manor models. They come in 4, 6 and 8 lever frames and looks like they can be joined together. I have ordered the 6 way costing £18. More updates when it arrives. If anyone has any more info or experience of this type of system I would be most interested. Dave.

Thanks Mick I have ordered some Ratio 250 kits and the 1.5mm Bowden cable. I'll keep you updated on my progress. Dave

Hi all I am considering using the Ratio remote signal control lever kit and Bowden type cable to control points . I have six points to control all fairly close to each other. Using the Ratio levers as a ground frame and the Bowden cable to control the points. Any tips and advice gratefully received. Dave.

Hi all I'm now planning for the new season and am turning my attention to point control. I have a servo control system to install but am considering a manual system using a Bowden cable and levers. That way the "ground frame" can stay fitted all the time and needs no power. Has anyone got experience using this type of setup? I would appreciate any advice guys. Cheers Dave

Hi Craig We have several things in common, we have not grown up (I'm 61!) we both love model railways in the garden and we both live in Reading. I joined this forum last summer. The help and support I got was overwhelming. Having read a few threads on layout construction, I took their advice and was going for a height of 3' above ground. I was overruled by the the office of domestic services (my wife) so ended up with just under 2. I have used deck boards for the base. It is supported on 2x2 posts and ground spikes. Have a look at "new member new railway" in this category for a glimpse of a complete novice and my layout so far. WARNING this hobby is highly addictive. Have fun. Dave

Hi cookie Like the others,May I too welcome you to the forum. This has got to be the best and friendliest model railway forum out there. I have had a go at RC using a simple 2channel transmitter and speed controller. For power a pp3 size 9v l ion battery with 650 milli amp hour capacity. I bought a class 60 Lima loco from eBay. Loads of room for the battery and radio gear. I can run it for an hour non stop with a scale speed of 80mph hauling 5 Hornby coaches. I have several converted locos and a hst. Great fun for a quick operating session. Hope this helps to egg you on. All I can say is go for it and enjoy. Cheers Dave

I use DCC to drive my servos on my indoor layout. Having experienced mixed results of the main commercial servo decoders, I started a serch for a good reliable decoder. I found a guy in Ireland on ebay that designed and built his own dcc system. He takes a different approach to decoders making them modular slave units with a small master module. You canconnect 10 slave decoders to each master. I have used them for ayear now with no issues at all. Well made, robust, and well designed. Best of all is the low price. I am very impressed by this kit it takes all the heartache out of servo control. If you don't want to run DCC he is about to release an analogue servo controller. Have a look at Http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/arosama6/m.html I think you will like what you see.

Thought you might be interested in this. The servo control panel for the garden railway. I'm using two Tam Valley Depot dcc/analogue decoders with switch controllers. The unit is powered by a LiPo battery so it is self contained. Plug in a dcc command station and select dcc and away you go. Mind you it's just an ornament at the moment as I haven't installed the servos yet.

As promised I've made up a demo servo controlled point. I use this setup on my indoor layout and have had few problems. I have never used this setup outside, as the servo is mounted underneath the track bed it should be fine. However you could use waterproof servos. Each servo is attached to a furniture corner block with a cable tie.

Thanks for the link to the point controll thread chris. Central locking servos inspired,! I will make up a demo point and servo assembly to make photo shots easier. I have used the system indoors for along time with no issues. It always amazes me how resourceful we railway modelers are. Point pics soon on this thread, if you think it worthy Ill post to the other thread. Cheers, Dave

Having to pause on the railway due to poor weather. I can however run my radio controlled locos even on wet rails. Totonlover, I am no expert on garden railways am but just having so much fun building it. There is so much good will and encouraging comments on this forum you cant fail! Once I can get back out there I'll be fitting point servos and running the cables. More updates soon. Dave

Greetings All Further to my experiment with radio control. I have now opted for a 9volt l ion pp3 sized battery. 650 mAh capacity. So with the new battery installed and a three coach train I ran the class 52 continuously until the battery died. It ran for just over an hour and at a scale speed of 83 mph! I installed a fresh battery and ran a six coach train and measured the speed again and got 81mph just a bit under prototypical speed for Westerns. Looks good on the layout though. I have now found a transmitter that can control 10 different models for £25. It should arrive next week so I'll let you know once I've worked out how to use it. My next loco to convert is an old Hornby Hymek and a HST. I had better stop there, addictive this garden railway lark init. I have started installing the servo gear for the points today and some basic signals. Cheers Dave

Hi guys I have tried a small test track with medium granite ballast and Astonish wood polish. Having dribbled over the ballast and left it to dry it was quite firm. After a rainy day I noticed that the ballast was loose although it hadn't moved. I wonder if I should have used a second application of polish after the first was dry. Would a final coat of a Matt varnish help or is it not needed. I haven't laid ballast before so I want to get it as right as I can first hit. You are right though, smells lovely. Cheers Dave

Hi All Here are some pictures of the two locos I have converted to RC First is an old Hornby Western Courier. First photo shows the power switch and charging socket.

Hi guys I will photograph the two locos I have converted. Both are quite long and have plenty of room inside. The class52 is an old Hornby and the 60 is a Lima. I used a car/ boat 2 channel radio that comes with a receiver (£21 Amazon) speed controller that connects to the motor and the receiver (£15 also from Amazon). I am testing the 52 with a 450mAh 11.1 volt LiPo battery, and the 60 with a 280 mAh 9.6 volt nicad battery . Cost of battery £5 to £9 you can spend a lot more I have also installed a power switch that came with the speed controller and a charging socket made from a servo extension cable. Both locos can pull a six coach train without effort. The nicad powered train has a good speed and around 15 mins constant running endurance. The LiPo powered goes faster and has around 25 endurance. I have no previous experience with radio control so am no expert. There must be some good working knowledge on the forum. If not then let the testing begin. More reports and pictures to follow. Cheers Dave

Hi guys I have ran a test train today and so far so good. I will have to pay particular attention to the points. Soldering next oh joy! I have been experimenting converting a Hornby class 52 and a class 60 to run using radio control. Using parts from eBay I have converted them for under £60 for both of them. I'm using nicad batteries at the moment. I have heard horrendous things about LiPo batteries. I'll give more info once I have tested them. Cheers Dave