A couple of years ago at a clinic, I was taught how to hand lay turnouts using PC board ties, a Fast Tracks point/frog tool and their paper templates. I was successful at the hands on clinic and decided this was the way to go for me. Taking the best of the Fast Tracks tools…
As I posted previously I have entered the NMRA’s online social media contest. Each entrant was to procure and build the same kit. There were no limitations placed on what the individual could do with the kit. Following is my entry. This is the basic kit as per the manufacturer’s instructions. The kit is Dannen…
The NMRA is having a social media contest. The idea is for everyone to have the same starting point with a simple kit and bash and bang it into something you are proud of. You can of course build it as per the kit instructions as well. A well built kit is miles ahead of…
I have finalized my DCC system. As previously mentioned I have built a DCC++ Base Station per the instructions found on the DCC++ YouTube site and other resources on the web. On my blog I have lots of links and how to’s for that. To run DCC++ you either have to use the software that…
DCC / Electronics / MERG
I finally got around to building my MERG booster. The booster is a kit available from MERG. merg.org.uk You need to be a member to buy their kits but it is well worth the price for the information available to you and the other kits they have in their kit locker. The assembly went very smoothly…
Living in Montreal near the Montreal West train station when I was a kid, I got to see many commuter trains. I saw a lot of F units pulling double decked cars and of course, RDCs! Many many RDCs. When Proto 1000 brought theirs out I wanted one. I never did buy one. Fast forward…
Geoffrey McDermott has developed a board where you can plug in up to 8 motor drivers to enable multiple power districts using the DCC++ Basestation. Currently the only Internet source for this information is the DCC++ Facebook Page. You must be a member of Facebook and the DCC++ group to see it. Here is a…
There has been some updated information on the MRH website regarding the universal WiFi throttle. A design has been shown for an advanced throttle. Here is a link to page 6 of the discussion where the advanced throttle is introduced. http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/30242?page=6
David Cutting over at Cutting Edge Scale models announced on the DCC++ Facebook page he is picking up his integrated DCC++ project. He had previously worked on one based on a Pi HAT but this time he says it is stand alone. His project is based on his own design and runs the standard DCC++…
An interesting blog appeared on Model Railroad Hobbyist the other day. This question popped up when I was discussing DCC++ with someone and he expressed the need for a throttle with a knob that would work with WiThrottle and JMRI. Take a look for yourself and see what you think: http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/30242
A question came up during my DCC++ clinic about the number of throttles WiThrottle would support. My answer was 256 or thereabouts as that would be the number of IP addresses that a DHCP server could easily hand out. For instance 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.255.1. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. I couldn’t find…
I want to draw attention to an excellent website that has been around for a long time. Its longevity is a testimony to its usefulness. When folks are new to DCC there are a lot of questions. I have been visiting Allan Gartner’s Wiring for DCC website for a long time, way before I bought…
