The latest excuse for a lack of updates in these parts is the arrival of a pair of border collie puppies, named Lucy-Lu and Miss Moneypenny.
A cute photo of Lucy snuggled up to our spaniel, Aye-Bea, belies the fact that these destruction machines need pretty much 24/7 supervision at the moment. Toilet-training and general lessons in obedience go without saying, but only ever having had singles before, I'd underestimated the exponential increase in havoc that comes with the multipack. They're stripping the garden like a swarm of locusts and the house looks like the aftermath of an SAS raid.
But apart from the impish blitzkrieg that goes paw-in-hand with young pups, we're very pleased with how they've settled in. There's been no real friction between the newcomers and the existing menagerie, although the cats tend to sit out of the way when the pups are let slip for assault training.
We operate a strict 'Not On The Furniture' rule here. As you can see, this is less popular with the animals than their 'F*** Off, It's Comfy' policy.
Prior to the arrival of Lucy & Penny, I'd just dug out the New River Mining Company coal tipple kit from Walthers with a view to finishing what I started some years ago. Back then, this was packed away in a house move and wasn't as appealing as building a new layout in a new loft. Now it's been side-lined while I play with the puppies - will it never be finished?
I did manage to wire in some lights, though, which I suppose is better than nothing. The lighting isn't supposed to illuminate the embarassingly empty interior, but to shine out and light up the track underneath the loader. I don't for a minute claim this lighting will be authentic, but I need some illumination to enable night-time operations in what will be a dark area of the layout. The lighting is 3mm LEDs soldered to scraps of circuit board, with the wiring held in place with plastikard off-cuts. Additional squares of laminated plastikard around the holes hold the LEDs at the correct height, courtesy of the LED's moulded-in rim that rests nicely on the plastikard. All of this was painted black before the roof was glued on.
I made a determined effort to avoid my normal mistakes, taking care to:
I need a few coal tipples and this kit is a good starting point. I quite fancy building one as supplied and partnering it with another couple of kit-bashes. Anyone with access to a copy of the October 1998 Model Railroader can get some idea of the kit's flexibility.
I'm tempted to name one "The Charles Kennedy Mining Co" - I understand he likes a tipple...
Currently On My Stereo: Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
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It's now exactly three years since I first added the online diary format of 'On My Workbench' to this web site. While I'm obviously pleased that I've managed to keep going for so long (an increasingly rare event at my age) I can't help but be a little perturbed by the above photo. Taken three years ago to this day, it looks disturbingly similar to the mess currently found at the same location. Although I finished the tracklaying and wiring, even most of the ballasting, I decimated the area last year when I decided to return to US modelling. With most of the trackwork ripped up and just some temporary sections pinned in place to facilitate through-running, it seems like I've come full circle - back to the beginning.
Of course, this isn't the case. I've got hundreds of feet of mainline in place around the loft. I've got stacks of assembled wagons sealed in boxes awaiting the day when I dust off the airbrush gear. I've got decoders and lighting installed in dozens of locos. I've had a lot of intensive operating sessions. So intensive, in fact, that many of the Peco points are falling to bits. Above all, I've discovered an awful lot about computer control and automation, an area where I've pretty much been going it alone (apart from the internet) as ye olde magazines don't seem to cover anything that's happened in the last 20 years. Serves me right for being dysfunctional enough not to want to build whitemetal kettles, obviously.
I suppose I'd have got a lot more done if I'd kept going with US modelling from the beginning, rather than messing around with the UK scene for a few years, but life's never that linear. The most important thing, however, is that I've had a lot of fun in my spare time. I guess that's why they call it a hobby...
Currently On My Stereo: Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
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Having installed an up-to-date DCC command station on my US layout, I've been taking the opportunity to experiment with the Lenz LRC120 Local Address Display Module, a handy DCC gadget indeed...
What is it? The Lenz LRC120 is a simple DCC device, it exists only to display the number of a loco (or DMU, etc,) occupying the section of track to which the LRC120 has been connected. That's all it does, full stop - although in the future it will also be able to display other data concerning the loco, such as the acceleration rate or anything else stored in the DCC decoder.
What is it not? The LRC120 is not a block detector, or any other component of a larger detection or automation system. It isn't something that will talk to handsets, command stations or computers. Neither will it communicate with signals or other related devices. It simply talks to any item of rolling stock in it's section fitted with a compatible DCC decoder and displays it's number.
What does it need to work? The LRC120 is an NMRA DCC standard device and will work with any NMRA standard DCC system where the manufacturer has chosen to support bi-directional communication, or 'Railcom' as it's sometimes called. It will detect and display the number of any manufacturer's decoder that was designed to broadcast this information. However, because this technology is relatively new, the choice of compatible hardware is currently limited, although obviously this will change with time. The Lenz Sets 90 and 100 support this, but the entry level Compact does not. Lenz's Gold and Mini-Gold support it. The Zimo range fully supports it and Hornby's website claims the forthcoming Hornby Elite system will too.
What happens when it can't work? If you're perverse enough to install one of these units into a system that doesn't support Railcom, your system will still work. The LRC120 is completely transparent to the system, and merely flashes one of it's segments to indicate it's inability to communicate via the system it's been plugged into. The same happens if you deliberately switch your Railcom facility off. When installed and working on a Railcom-enabled system, however, but faced with a loco that isn't Railcom-enabled, the LRC120 simply can't display a number. Nothing untoward happens, in fact nothing happens at all.
Any restrictions? The LRC120 has a 4 digit display and is designed to display the number of a single loco, or the consist number in the case of a consist. If you drive two separate locos into the same section it works on a 'first in' principle and ignores the second loco's number until the first leaves. The only way I've managed to confuse it is by having two locos in the same section when the layout powers up - in that circumstance the unit can't decide which to display and so displays nothing.
How is it installed? Installation is simple, two wires in from the command station or track bus and two wires out to the track, all using the unit's screw terminals. No other hardware is required, however there are two additional steps needed before it will work. Firstly, you need to switch on the Railcom feature on your command station, if you've not already done so. Secondly, you need to switch on the Railcom feature in every decoder that has it. Once that's done, and we're only talking about button presses here, everything will work - drive a suitable loco into the LRC120's track section and the number appears on the display. Simple.
What am I using it for? The LRC120 is a 'spot' or 'local' display unit. It's designed to display the number of a loco at defined points only, and to me that cries out to be used in hidden storage sidings. I'm fitting these units to every section in my staging yards, the idea being that operators can easily see which train is in which siding and make the appropriate selections on their controllers. This is handy not just for hidden sidings, but also night-time operations or for selecting the right DMU from a swarm of identical looking units. The LRC120s neither replace nor conflict with existing block detection, they are merely an additional display facility that can be used alongside established installations when or if required. I certainly wouldn't try to outfit an entire layout with these gadgets, but at critical spots where I'd like to see a number they're very useful indeed.
Drawbacks? None really, it's a classic example of 'Does What It Says On The Tin' and worked first time for me. If you want a gadget that does what the LRC120 does, then it's worth a look. If you don't then spend your money on something else. There are some peripheral considerations that might concern some people, however:
Overall? An excellent product that was easy to install, worked first time and has worked consistently since. As a taster for Railcom products to come, this is certainly encouraging. In the near future I'll be installing a good number of these on my layout, until all staging yards are comprehensively covered. I'll need a few more Lenz Gold decoders before my entire active US diesel fleet is compatible, but I'm nearly there already. The cost of all the LRC120s will be significant, there's no getting away from the fact, but I feel it's money well spent for the functionality gained. If I have to trim my typically excessive loco shopping list for the coming year in order to fund this expenditure, will it honestly matter?
Currently On My Stereo: Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
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With little on the 2006 UK D&E menu apart from stale, regurgitated Italian, I suspect I'll be using the opportunity to spend cash on upgrading the mechanical and electrical side of my US layout. I think it makes sense to make the most of what I've already got, especially when there are so many areas where I've let things slip behind schedule.
One such area is the fitting of Lenz Gold decoders and Power 1 modules to my active US roster. I want Golds in every loco, and I'm nearly there, but I've very few Power 1s fitted so far. The cost of the things precludes fitting one to everything, but I'd like at least four lash-ups of US power and a couple of switchers so equipped. This will give me dependable running at the drop of a hat, even if the layout is filthy through neglect.
The photo gives a rough idea of the size, two Power 1s showing their plan and side views next to a Gold decoder. Perhaps too big to easily fit in small tank locos, they're pretty easy to house in diesels or tender engines. The quality of performance of locos fitted with these gizmos is first class, I'm really impressed. As well as the now infamous 'drive onto a sheet of paper and reverse off again' trick, the Lenz Power 1 gives stock a remarkable resistance to dirty track - something that was immediately obvious late last year, when I fired up the layout after it had been left unused for some months. While some locos stuttered and stalled, those fitted with Power 1s sailed off effortlessly.
It's not cheap fitting both a Lenz Power 1 and a Lenz Gold decoder to locos, but I'd sooner spend money on something that adds performance and reliability like this - rather than amassing an even larger collection of locos to store in cupboards. And with 2006 shaping-up to be a UK D&E desert, there may never be a better time to crack on with this.
Currently On My Stereo: Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
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Recently installed under my US layout is a Lenz LZV100 DCC command station, to replace the older LZ100 and LV101 combination after many years of trouble-free service.
The old two box combination (a bit like a pre-amplifier and power amplifier in the world of hi-fi separates) was superceded by the single box solution last time Lenz upgraded the hardware. I didn't feel the need to trade up at the time as the system didn't do anything my older boxes didn't, apart from supporting bi-directional communication - something I didn't need until now.
The new box went in with ease, just reconnecting the half-dozen or so wires from the outgoing kit had me up and running in a couple of minutes. Everything worked as before (a bit of an anti-climax when you've just spent money!) but I now have the ability to start fiddling with bi-directional communication, or Railcom as Lenz call it.
The older boxes will be used to power other things, so aren't for sale!
Currently On My Stereo: Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
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There will be no updates here for a while, as we come to terms with the passing of our beloved Holly. After a short illness, she died in our arms on the afternoon of the 30th of December. We managed a final happy Christmas together, but, alas, the new year is a very painful one.
Currently On My Stereo: Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
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