It’s now time to start thinking about the control system behind Rhad Valley, and despite the unexpected cost of the frog juicer, I wanted to get back on track with this and keep things low cost. With this in mind I decided on DCC-Ex because it’s good (I’ve used it before) and it’s b****y cheap! […]
I noticed when I was poking around the layout with the multimeter that the frogs and switchrails weren’t carrying any power. This is usually fixed simply by cleaning the track, mainly between the rails and the switchrails, but for whatever reason I couldn’t get it clean enough to be reliable. I don’t know how old […]
In the last post, we finished off by wiring up a bus wire for all of the common terminals of the solenoid point motors to connect to, and this is where we pick it up. The layout currently has old fashioned solenoid point motors – think classic Gaugemaster PM10’s and then think older! These motors […]
Ordinarily, converting a DC layout to a DCC layout is a fairly straightforward task when going from simple loops; you would unplug the DC controller, plug in the DCC controller and away you go. This one however, got me stumped… I came into the hobby when DCC was already around – my only experience of […]
Rhad Valley was purchased as a restoration project and gets its name from the fact that it only cost £100 – Rhad literally means “cheap” in Welsh. The layout has a lot of potential, however it also needs a lot of work doing to it. Unfortunately over time, the scenics have become damaged; all but […]
Nestled in the heart of Lincolnshire, the Cranwell Branch Line once served as a crucial artery for both military and civilian transportation. Its story, rich with industrial ambition and wartime necessity, reflects the broader narrative of Britain’s railway history. While the line no longer echoes with the clatter of trains, its legacy endures, reminding us […]