September 2015 update

Since the last post a month ago (where did that month go!) still not much modelling happening. Fathers' Day my boys gave me a couple more Oxford Diecast models for the layout.

Red Ford Transit MkI Recovery

(picture sourced from Oxford Diecast's website http://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/)

London Brick AEC Matador Wrecker

(picture sourced from Oxford Diecast's website http://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/)

I also put together a concept low relief model of a number of buildings for the Club layout 'town' scene behind the railway station. I used Model Builder software, cardboard and foamboard. It looks like a good possibility to fill in this area. I may even experiment with different scaling to provide deeper perspectives.

As for the Raspberry Pi, nothing more with this apart from using it as a wifi base station that runs JMRI. However, I have been researching the Arduino board for possible use as a input &/or output localised device that can control a number of sensors, switches, lights/LEDs, servos, etc in a local area but be connected back to a PC or Pi to allow JMRI to be the interfacing program between the different systems. There is a lot of bog standard electronic projects that it can control, but more importantly, the model railway electronics community has been seriously delving into its potential and there are already DCC and CMRI libraries for the Arduino. It is just a matter of getting one or two and playing with them, learning how to program them (very basic C++), an researching how to do railway automation with them.
You can get the original boards or clones as these are an open-source board.
I'll probably start with a Uno model as these are for beginners to learn on. These provide 14 digital I/Os and 6 analog inputs, plus other capabilities that the reader can look into if you so wish.

Arduino Uno
(picture sourced from https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno)

I have started on the model I am going to enter into the Club Christmas modelling competition. It is a Kadee logging caboose.

(picture sourced from http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page104.htm)

I will probably change the colour scheme a little as I am keen to experiment with the airbrush compressor kit I got for my birthday back in July. I went to Hobbyrama today and purchased some acrylic paints already diluted for airbrush use. They are a Vallejo product called Model Air.

So until next time, happy modelling.