This week is Easter Break for some of us educators. Guess how I will be spending my extra free time. I hope everyone has a blessed Easter! Daryl
Excellent Pics! And a warm welcome to Trainboard on this Easter Sunday. I have a question for you about your signals, as they look excellent as well. What brand are the signal heads, and do you have an actual signalling system installed that operates those signals?
You have some of the finest scenery that I have seen. I hope that your trackwork is flawless because anything that goes off of the track is in for a really bad trip! Ever have a bad day when some of your engines or rolling stock have taken that tumble? I would love to see your layout sometime if I ever get to your part of the world.
Niiiiice!!! I like the backdrop and the steel bridge. I need to get on the ball and make progress on my layout design/construction project.
Daryl, I just love the girder bridge the height of the structure must look so dramatic with a train thundering overit
Welcome to trainboard!! I like your pics. Is your backdrop photo or painted? Looks like a fun layout.
The signals are by Sunrise. I have the signals and the mainline turnouts connected to a computer which controls the indication on the signals. I must say it looks pretty cool to watch a green change to red as your train passes the signal. Or, to wait at a red indication until another train clears and then watch the red turn first to yellow and then to green. BTW, the computer can also run the trains automatically. My favorite is to run two trains in opposite directions. Its fun to watch them automatically take passing sidings and wait for the other train to pass and then move out once again when all is clear, of course with the signals changing indications appropriately the whole time. I usually only use train automation when visitors are present or when I just feel like watching trains. I mostly run them manually and do a lot of operating, either by myself or with a group. Daryl
The backdrops are painted by Eloise Krabbenhoft who is a long time, dear friend and also a professional artist. Whenever she visits she always asks if I need anymore work done on my train backdrop. As you can see, she does excellent work. I consider myself very fortunate to have her as a freind. Her husband, Marvin, is a lot of fun as well. Daryl
I use digitrax on the layout. For block detection I use two BDL16s that are connected to one of my computer's serial ports via a digitrax ms-100. To drive the signalheads, I use Tractronics SECSII input/output cards which are connected to a second serial port on my computer via a RS-485 Adapter. To control the whole system, I use RR&Co software. BTW, the computer is an old Packard Bell P60 that I picked up for $50. Here's some links with more info on the products I use SECSII CARDS Digitrax RR&CO Daryl
Daryl, what a beautiful layout! And to be able to run it automatically is a big plus, sometimes it is nice to just watch trains I have yet to fit signals on my layout, and would like to make them so a train cannot pass when they are red. Not sure I could ever master the sophistication you have, though
Great pics Daryl, for a moment there, I thought I was on the wrong page of the Horribly Oversized! Great layout, looking forward to more pics someday!
