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.

Shapeways as a source of model rail designs and parts

Shapeways allows designers to design and sell 3D printable items. I have from time to time perused the Shapeways site for model rail parts and designs that may not be readily available in 'ready to place' or kit form. However to date I haven't actually ordered anything from them.

The search filters is a bit simple and could do with an Advanced Search feature to allow improved search results, however with a bit of persistence you can muddle through the results.

From a NSWGR modeling point of view, I can recommend a visit to Ray Pilgrim's Shapeway store as he has invested some considerable time in designing prototypical signals and relevant support brackets for the servos, etc. I would be interested in seeing how lighting up the Clearance Posts with LEDs would look on a layout.

From a generic railway modeling view, I came across Madasu Designs which offer some interesting accessory parts for a layout. I would particularly like to see how the 500 gallon water tanks and the 44 gallon drums turn out.

Another shop, Focus offers a number of designs that might suit modelers. I particularly like the whiskey barrels. It would also be interesting to see how open the designer would be to doing these in OO (1:76) as beer barrels that could be used as freight cargo or static features near an old UK style pub.

Well that is about it from me on this topic. Have a look at Shapeways as a possible source of model rail parts, etc or even give it a go yourself with their online tools for designers.

RMCQ Show and Qld Rail 12mm collection started

Now that I am back again from my recent sabbatical from blogging, what has been happening. Well the Tour De France is over again for another year and as usual some surprise upsets but Froome won the contest.

On the modeling front, not much has happened as highlighted in the last post, however I have been pottering around with some ideas for the Club HO station area backscene and very low relief buildings that are needed. I have purchased the Evans Designs Model Builder software (http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/model-builder.html) which seems to be the way forward. I am thinking of making it three dimensional by using thin card (1-1.5 mm) against the backboard with a building on it, then in front of it using foam board (about 5mm) with the foreground buildings on it. I will come up with a design concept and place on the layout to see if it works as I am hoping it will.

On the subject of the Club HO layout, we have decided to incorporate a 12mm (HOn3.5) design that will coexist with the 16.5mm system. This has got me interested in Queensland Rail rollingstock as this is the prototype I grew up with, more so than NSW, but to date not much mass produced RTR 12mm available (PGC Models do small runs I believe and I will look into these to pad out my mixed traffic trains with some interesting rollingstock). However Southern Rail Models and Wuiske have been producing some nice RTR rollingstock. I also have 12mm and 16.5mm QR 2300 class  locos on order from Southern (care of Mr Mackie). Why the 16.5 you might ask? Something to run on the main layout (modeller's licence - the bogies were swapped out to standard gauge will be my story!).

So at the club's (RMCQ) show on the weekend just gone, I have started the 12mm collection with the purchase of a 4 pack of Southern Rail 4-wheelers from a vendor at the show, Railco.

(picture sourced from Southern Rail Models website http://www.southernrailmodels.com.au/)

I have also been on the hunt for a OO bus for my layout, but to date I have only been able to find buses specific to a region or city. However also at the Railco stall I came across an Oxford Diecast model of a generic British Rail bus which suited perfectly.

 

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

On the subject of the RMCQ Show, I took my sons down to have a look and there were some very good layouts in attendance. Some we had seen before, some added to, and some new. Some photos from the show can be found at Mr Mackie's blog (http://ca55ino.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/a-good-weekend-turned-into-great-weekend.html).

Also this week I received an email from a bloke at Shapeways, the 3D printing company, wanting me to do a blog post about their products and website. Not sure what is in it for me, but hopefully they will surprise me?

Better do an update....

Sorry to my readers for not updating the blog as regularly as I have done in the past. Seems like this year has just flown by without much modelling happening. Life is getting in the way, along with family commitments! When I have had a spare few hours during the week, competing interests have had to be prioritised. Railway modelling, Raspberry Pi, electronics and programming all want a piece of me.
I had a month off over May with one week up at Noosaville, and the three remaining weeks trying to reduce the 'things to do list' of tasks around the house. Modelling didn't really get a look in.
So since the last post I have:

• assisted with solving a problem with a MERG CBUS utility running on a Linux OS (Mint in this case)
• starting to look at Java and Python programming for future use on Raspi projects
• installed a Real Time Clock into my new Raspi 2B (along with sorting out some problems)
• investigating some alternative electronics projects to use as sensor and output use on the layout rather than have to use specific kits (MERG)
• went to the club each Wednesday when I was on holidays and helped out there on a couple of things
• ran my Climax, with a string of NSWGR wagons as I am yet to build the wagon kits I will be using, around the club layout when everyone else was having lunch. It took about 25 minutes to do a lap. A greyhound it isn't!
• looking at 12mm HO options to use on the club layout. I'm thinking of a mixed goods of QR stock from PGC Scale Models. Hopefully they are an OK manufacturer? Might even look at a PB15 steam loco. I've ordered a 23class QR diesel in 12mm (and 16.5mm) that I could also use to pull the mixed goods.
• finished off the terrace shops for my layout (weekend just gone)
• designing options for the backscene behind the main station on the club layout
• probably other things that I can't remember ;-)

So July is rapidly approaching and with it will be the 2015 Tour De France coverage, so expect not much to happen during that month either! I'll probably start on the next Metcalfe kit, a set of terrace houses.

So here are some pics and a vid for your visual edification.

Terrace Shops from Metcalfe

Weighbridge (or yard) office from Hornby.
This was brought back from London by my sister-in-law as my overseas gift.

Climax at RMCQ

The Metcalfe low-relief bank-shop-pub completed

Sorry it has been awhile since the last update. I've been busy with family life and when I've had a spare hour or so, I've been either making the Metcalfe kit pictured, or pottering around with configuring an old XP machine to run Linux Mint, install JMRI, and now trying to work out if I can run MERG's FCU application via Wine. This all sounds to technical for a model railway blog, but if I can get this up and running I can configure, manage and integrate the MERG CBUS system into JMRI all on the one PC without having to resort to using Windows.

Over Easter I spent a couple of hours progressing the Bray MPD side of the layout in anticipation of placing the buildings in position.

The next building project will be another Metcalfe kit, this one low relief set of shops, followed by terrace houses, the engine shed and a factory. I might get this all done by the end of the year!

Metcalfe Warehouse finished

I've been sporadically completing over the last few weeks the Metcalfe warehouse kit in low relief. This will be placed on the Bray MPD side of the layout to service a siding.

Next will be a set of three low relief shops one of which will be a corner pub.

Apart from the card kits for my layout I have been researching backdrop scenes and low relief kits for the Club HO layout for the area near the main station. I put up my hand to scenic this area along with a fellow club member. I am thinking a large town/city scene with a bit of variety amongst architectural styles to indicate the age of the town/city. This is not as easy as it sounds!

New Howto - Fitting a Zimo MX645 decoder into an Auscision 73 Class

I have finally finished the Howto that I was writing at the same time as doing the decoder install in the Auscision NSWGR 73 Class loco. The PDF of the Howto and the Zimo Decoder Manual can be linked to from the "Articles that I have written" page.