MODEL RAILWAYS. On-Line. No: 8 November 2005

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1 MODEL RAILWAYS On-Line No: 8 November 2005 In this edition Scenic Developments at Ashprington Road Computer Control of Model Railways Review of the Duchess of Montrose Download from: mrol.gppsoftware.com

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3 NOVEMBER MODEL RAILWAYS On-Line No: 8 November 2005 CONTENTS Ashprington Road 4 By Graham Plowman Last Quarter s Puzzle Picture 10 Computer Control of Model Railways 11 By Graham Plowman Review of the Hornby Grange 14 By Paul Plowman Review of the Hornby 15 Duchess of Montrose By Paul Plowman Readers Letters 18 Model Railway Web Shops 20 By Graham Plowman GPP Software 2005 All rights reserved. Copies of this magazine may be made for personal use only. Multiple copying of the computer files or contents of this magazine, without prior written approval is not permitted. The computer files or printed copies shall not without the written consent of the publishers be lent, resold, hired out or disposed of by way of trade. Distribution of the computer files or of printed copies is prohibited. Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Editorial It is with regret I have to announce that this will be the last edition of Model Railways On-Line Magazine to be published. Magazines rely on support from their readers, whether they are of the conventional type on sale in the newsagent or on-line as with MROL. We can include reviews and technical articles but without the support of articles from readers to provide variety and interest it is not practicable to continue. Graham and I are now writing the entire magazine between us. Additionally I have been invited to come out of retirement to work part time as a permanent way consultant on a number of exciting new railway projects in New South Wales, which is very flattering but will significantly reduce the time I have available for our hobby. The photographic competition has been extremely disappointing both for ourselves and our sponsor, DCC Concepts of Western Australia. Only two entries were received! Regrettably I therefore have to declare the competition cancelled. When I started Model Railways On-Line Magazine I envisaged that Broadband would take-off and become the service used by the majority of our readers within about two years. I expected the use of dial-up modems to decline significantly. Our page counters on the website indicate that about one third of our readers are using dial-up. This proportion has not changed during the two years we have been publishing. The use of dial-up by such a significant proportion of our readers has made it impossible to increase the content or the quality of the magazine without generating unacceptably large files for downloading. I would like to thank everyone who has supported the magazine, especially those who have submitted articles for publication. I would also like to thank members of the British Railway Modellers of Australia from the Sydney Group, the Central Coast and the Illawarra for allowing me the opportunity to photograph their layouts for inclusion in the magazine. Special thanks must go to Simon Kohler of Hornby for his support and provision of models for review, also to Richard Johnson of DCC Concepts, Western Australia for his offer of sponsorship of our competition. The MROL website will remain on-line for the present but will be closed down towards the end of the year. Some of the additional facilities provided on the site are already available on the website of the British Railway Modellers of Australia at Rather than just pull the plug and leave everyone wondering what has happened to Model Railways On-Line Magazine I decided we would complete the publication of eight editions making a complete set of two years. In this final edition we have returned to Graham s Asprington Road layout with a theme of local trains to show the work he has been undertaking recently to add scenery. One of the features of his layout, or should I say missing features, is the absence of a control panel. The trains are now DCC controlled and the points and signals are fully interlocked under the control of a PC computer. Graham has provided an article to explain how it all works and how our readers can download a free copy of a trial version of the software. Our review features the latest version of the Hornby Princess Coronation the Duchess of Montrose. The name was once carried by the flagship model in the original Hornby Dublo range and brings back nostalgic memories for many older modellers. Finally I would ask everyone to support their local clubs; particularly the editors of their club magazines who like us are always in desperate need of articles and most especially to give encouragement to younger enthusiasts without whom this hobby cannot survive. Cover: GWR Grange No.6869 Resolven Grange crosses Ashprington Road Viaduct with a local train to Newton Abbott. Photo: Paul Plowman Best wishes to all our readers and happy modelling. Paul Plowman

4 4 MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE ASHPRINGTON ROAD Graham Plowman describes scenic developments on his South Devon layout Photographs by Paul Plowman Modelling scenery is an art form in its own right! One of the problems we face is that many scenic products, particularly those from the USA, are often too dark for a British outline layout. European materials can often be too bright. To achieve a realistic balance of shades, the scenery on 'Ashprington Road' has been created using a number of different materials from various manufacturers. Most of the material is from Brian Champion of 'SetScenes' (PO Box 63, Crawley, W Sussex, RH11 8YR). It was found that materials from SetScenes are closer to British shades than any other products. They also have very good textures. 'Connifer Green' was widely used as a base with significant amounts of 'Summer Green' and a light sprinkling of 'Spring Green'. Small amounts of Woodlands Scenics 'blended turf', Noch light green and other browns and off-green shades have also been mixed in to give variation. Many colour photos of prototype railways were used to observe how real scenery appears. Ground cover on the 'railway side' of the fence is nearly always less well kept than that on the 'public side'. Above: 45xx Class 2-6-2T no.4560 running light passes the water tower at Ashprington Road Station. Top: GWR Grange No.6869 Resolven Grange crosses Ashprington Road Viaduct with a local train to Newton Abbott.

5 NOVEMBER Above: Above: 45xx Class 2-6-2T no.4560 hauls a train of empty bogie bolsters through Ashprington Road Station. To achieve this effect, course materials were used on the railway side while finer grades were used on the outside. Fencing is Ratio with the posts spray painted and the wire attached. Bushes and foliage are nearly all Woodlands with some Heki. Hedges are rubberised horsehair strips (available from SetScenes) covered with Heki foliage. Trees are a mixture of Woodlands and Heki. There is one exception a Britains oak tree very significantly modified. The larger trees are 8-10 inches tall and the Heki tree trunks are probably the best for this. Tree foliage is Woodlands on the Woodlands trees and Heki on the Heki trees and many other bushes. I personally believe that the Heki materials for trees are probably the best colours and textures. Gravel paths next to the track bed are crushed granite fixed with watered down PVA as for the ballast. There is some lichen, but when placed next to other materials, it really needs foliage added, as it looks rather primitive today. Photography Photographs of model railways are often spoilt by household features in the background such as doors, windows and furniture. The pictures in this article have been edited using Adobe Photoshop Elements software. The original digital photographs were copied into an upper layer of the image with one or more background layers below. The unwanted parts of the photograph were erased leaving holes in the layer through which lower layers could be seen. Suitable background photographs were selected, scanned if necessary and copied into one or more background layers. The use of layers in the image makes it possible to move background pictures to the most suitable position and to adjust their brightness, contrast and colour to match the foreground picture. Photoshop includes a fuzzy edged eraser tool, which enables the edges of the pictures in the upper layers to be blurred into the layers below. These pictures probably give a misleading impression of the model as we have gone a little over the top with virtual scenery. However, the process of producing these images has enabled us to identify where additional scenic work is needed in particular the areas suited for tree planting. The ability to use photographs for backgrounds and to manipulate their position is a useful tool for planning the artwork of the future permanent back scenes for the model railway. Above: 45xx Class 2-6-2T no.4560 hauls a train of empty bogie bolsters towards Newton Abbott.

6 6 MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE Above: 53xx Class Mogul No.5328 waits for the signal to clear for the section to Totnes. Above: GW 45xx Class Praire No.4569 drifts round the curve into Ashprington Road with a two-coach B set for Plymouth.

7 NOVEMBER Above: GW 45xx Class Praire No.4569 arrives at Ashprington Road with a stopping train for Plymouth as 57xx pannier tank No.7754 heads east with a train of cattle wagons for Ashburton.. Above: The pannier tank trundles past Ashprington Road East Signal Box towards the viaduct with a train of cattle wagons for Ashburton. Paul was carried away with the digital photo editor!

8 8 MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE 45xx Class 2-6-2T no.4569 in lined green livery crosses Ashprington Road Viaduct with a stopping train to Newton Abbott. Above: GWR Grange No.6869 Resolven Grange heads towards the viaduct.

9 NOVEMBER Above: A 53xx class approaches Ashprington Road with a train of cattle wagons. Above: The 53xx class heads towards the setting sun with a train of cattle wagons.

10 10 MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE Last Quarter s Puzzle Picture Puzzle Picture from MROL 7 Answer: The puzzle picture shows a permanent way trolley fitted with propane gas burners for heating rails. It was used for destressing continuously welded rails. Those of us who are long enough in the tooth will remember the days when every schoolboy knew that if the rails expanded in the sun (what sun?) and the expansion gaps closed up the track could buckle. Length gangs would spend the early part of each year greasing the fishplates and adjusting expansion gaps ready for the summer. Today everything is welded up solid. So why doesn't the track buckle? Yes, I know it still happens, but it shouldn't! The theory is that if the continuously welded rails are laid out on rollers so that they are free to expand and we all stand around waiting for the sun to warm them up to 75 O F then if we remove the rollers and key the rails down all will be well. When the temperature falls below 75 O F the rails will be in tension and when the temperature rises above 75 O F the rails will be in compression. It was found that the track did not buckle if ample ballast was heaped up against the sleeper ends two inches above the top for a width of two feet. In the last edition of Model Railways On-Line I published this puzzle picture taken at Hildenborough (SR) in At the time this device was state of the art leading edge technology. Readers were invited to send their answers to the Editor. Larry Schwartz wrote: I'll take a guess about the August puzzle picture. With the arms reaching towards us and far from the propane tanks, I'd guess that this unit used flame from the propane to melt ice and snow. Mike Wilson wrote: Re: The competition photo in the current issue of MROL. I've heard such things described before, but never seen one - is it a device for welding lengths of rail together? Like the magazine a lot, keep up the good work. Cheers Alan Pearmain wrote: My guess is that it is for burning off leaf débris - the scene looks suitably autumnal. Incidentally, those tiny supporting rollers must surely be the smallest wheels ever to run on standard rails! Roy Tipper wrote: I think this interesting device was used to de-ice rails. The only other thing I have seen propane used for is heat de-scaling, but not likely on the wear surface of the rail. Robert Navon from Israel gave the correct answer: Surely the mystery picture in the August 2005 issue of MROL is of the equipment used to unstress the CWL (continuously welded lines), which was starting to enter into use then. Rail lifted out of the baseplate and supported by a roller to permit free expansion. Close up view of the rail-heating unit. There was only one problem with this theory; the job invariably had to be done at night, sometimes in freezing conditions with snow on the ground. To overcome this problem the contraption, which features in our puzzle picture was devised. It comprises a conventional permanent way trolley on which are loaded several cylinders of propane gas. Both in front and behind the trolley are mounted burners for heating the rails. The procedure was to set the rails up on rollers and anchor the rails at one end, either by keying up the first 300 feet or by welding to existing continuous rails. The trolley would then be pushed backwards and forwards along the first 20m until it had expanded the correct amount. The trolley would then move on to the next 20m and the gang would move in behind and key up the track. And so it went on. On freezing cold nights the trolley would attract people like a light attracts moths. It was the warmest place to be! Today, all has changed. Destressing is now achieved with hydraulic rams, which literally stretch the rails to the required expansion. So now we all freeze on cold nights! The hydraulic rams did not come into use immediately because there was difficulty devising a method of gripping the rails without drilling holes in them or welding bits on. There were occasions when these early grips would just not hang on to the rails. In those days we took the old trolley along to the job as a back up. Well, the "brains" eventually came up with a design of grip, involving wedges, which could apply a force of several tons without damaging the rails. Today the process is quick, simple and without fuss.

11 NOVEMBER Computer Control of Model Railways By Graham Plowman For many years in the model railway space we have endeavoured to mimic real railways in many ways. However, there are some areas, which have never been widely understood and even less implemented, specifically: - Signalling - Interlocking - Route setting In MROL 6 we covered some of the basics of signalling, but what do the other terms mean? How do they apply to model railways and how can we implement them on our models? Signalling This term is probably universally understood to mean the positioning of semaphore or colour light indicators, which display an instruction to a train driver. Typically (in UK practice), there are semaphore signals, which have red arms and indicate a stop or proceed state either by rising up (upper quadrant e.g. SR) or lowering down (lower quadrant e.g. GWR). There are also distant signals, which are usually yellow and give advanced warning of the setting of the next signal. With colour light signalling, there are basic red and green signals which replicate the older stop/go semaphore. There are green/yellow/red 3-aspect signals and yellow/green/yellow/red 4-aspect signals. There are variations on these configurations including additional indicators such as callingon signals, position light signals and ground signals for example. Interlocking Interlocking is the process of applying logic to the setting of signals and turnouts for the safe operation of the railway. HM Railway Inspectorate require passenger-carrying lines in the UK to be fully interlocked. Historically, interlocking was implemented with mechanical systems located in the signal box locking room. In recent times, interlocking has been implemented using electro-mechanical relays and even more recently, it has been implemented in electronic Solid State Interlocks (SSI s), which are often controlled from remote Integrated Electronic Control Centres (IECC s). Route Setting In prototypical terms, a route is the section of track between two consecutive signals. Contrary to popular modellers belief, it is NOT the entire length of a railway from London to Scotland! The setting of a route therefore consists of the setting of turnouts beyond a signal to the required position and then the pulling off of the signal, which protects them to allow a train to pass to the next signal. Therefore, a journey consists of multiple consecutive route settings where each route is released after a train has passed. There is no concept of progressively releasing parts of a route while a train passes through it, contrary to popular belief. The progression occurs automatically because of the short lengths of routes, which can sometimes be shorter than the length of a train or several miles long. So how do we apply this to our model railways? The traditional method has always been to electrically power turnouts and signals with large amounts of electrical Above: Graham Plowman (left) demonstrates the computer control of his Ashprington Road layout to members of the British Railway Modellers of Australia.

12 12 wiring and mechanical switches or relays. Some modellers overcome this problem by using electrical circuitry, sometimes with Programmable IC (PIC) control. These solutions often result in complex wiring, which is usually inflexible, very difficult to debug and very difficult to change should the operational rules of a layout be revised. As a result, interlocking is not fully implemented or in most cases, modellers do not bother and quite rightly dismiss the whole process as far too complicated. However, these days, there are far simpler solutions to the problems of layout operation and interlocking. One such solution is the use of a PC computer. The modeller can either write software himself or use one of several commercially available products. For this article, we will refer to the commercially available SSI Model Railway Control System from GPP Software to demonstrate the use of a computer for layout control. At this point, it should be noted that there are various ways of using a computer to control a layout, anything between fully automated train control to interlocking and signalling. In this article, we will cover the use of the SSI software for implementing a fully interlocked and signalled layout. The layout we will use will be a fictitious station called Harburn (Fig 1). This layout is supplied with the SSI software. The layout is configured to use the Lenz driver and it requires two LS150 modules and one LR101 module. Prototype railway control systems are structured in a layered architecture. The SSI software has been built using a layered model (See Fig.2), which has been extended for model railway use: Level 1 is the basic electronic hardware, be it Lenz, Merg RPC, CTI or other product. Level 2 concerns control of the hardware and this is the level at which the Model Railway Applications Programmable Interface (MRAPI) fits in. This level involves the actual instruction of devices to change. Level 3 coordinates level 2 functionality and groups devices together, for example, two turnouts in a crossover or all the signals on a post. Level 4 coordinates level 3 functionality in a way that prevents devices being changed to create conflicting moves on a layout. For example, this level prevents a signal being cleared if there is a conflicting route already set. Both signals and turnouts can be changed manually. Level 5 uses the services of level 4 to set routes. This means that both manual setting of devices and route setting are subject to interlocking. It is not a requirement to have every move set up as a route the user can have turnouts and signals changed manually. Level 6 implements level 5 functionality (route setting) according to the clock timetabling. This could involve a modeller s fast clock. Level 7 implements automatic control of a layout via a timetable at level 6. The SSI software implements levels 1 to 6. Defining the Business Rules Before we start implementing our layout in SSI, we need to define the business rules of Harburn: Figure 1: Harburn Station - Harburn is a simple passing loop station - During winter services, the eastbound platform 1 is used for bi-directional operation and the westbound platform 2 is effectively out of use. The station then becomes a single line operation. - In summer services, platform 1 is used for eastbound trains and platform 2 is used for westbound trains. - Platform 2 is westbound only, i.e. not bidirectional - There is an overlap (length of plain track beyond a signal up to the nearest point of collision) beyond the signal (HN3) on the east end of platform 1 which meets Inspectorate requirements and therefore allows trains to travel eastbound into the platform while a train is travelling westbound into platform 2. The overlap makes a trap point unnecessary beyond Layer Description 7 Automated Layout Control and Train Driving 6 Timetabling (route setting by the clock) 5 Route Setting 4 Interlocking 3 Device grouping 2 Hardware control/drivers 1 Basic hardware Figure 2: Layered architecture used for SSI software MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE HN3. - The west end of platform 2 has a signal (HN2) but the overlap beyond it does not meet Inspectorate requirements for length but because there is a trap point, it is permissible for a train to travel westbound into platform 2 while a train is travelling eastbound into platform 1. - The layout therefore permits a train to enter platform 1 eastbound while a train is entering platform 2 westbound. - The trains at both platforms are permitted to leave the station at the same time. - It is not permissible for trains to enter into platform 1 from opposite directions at the same time. - A train cannot leave eastbound from platform 1 if there is a train waiting at HN4.1/.2 - A train cannot leave westbound from platform 1 or 2 if there is a train waiting at HN1. - Our entire layout is track circuited so that we can determine where a train is present at any time - We will use semaphore signalling Next we need to consider how these rules will be implemented.

13 NOVEMBER Firstly we need to decide where the signal box would be located. We have chosen this to be on the west end of platform 1. This affects how we number our turnouts in crossovers. All signals and turnouts need to be numbered. The crossover on the west end of the station has turnouts numbered 1A and 1B. The UK prototype convention is that the A turnout is closest to the signal box. The turnout on the east end of the station is numbered 2. In the SSI software, we define 1A and 1B as a group (1A1B) (See Fig 3) because they operate together and this is how we tell the software to operate them as a pair. Figure 3: We then number all of our signals, HN1, HN2 and HN3 on the east end of the station and HN4, HN5.1 and HN5.2 on the west end. Note how we numbered HN5.1 and HN5.2. This is because these two signals appear on the same signal post. In fact, this is a bracket signal where the arm of HN5.1 is higher than HN5.2 to indicate that it represents the main route. In the SSI software, signals are attached to posts so that the logic can differentiate between them. We attach signals to a post by defining groups and then setting the Device Group property of the post and all the signals on it to be the same group name. This effectively represents the relationship between two signal arms on a bracket post, but in the SSI software, we even attach single arms to a post. It is most important to attach all signals to posts as it is the latter, which appear on screen at computer run-time and enable the logic to operate. Every signal is attached to its post group. Group SP3 links post 3 and HN5.1 and HN5.2 so that we tell the software that these signals are dependent on each other and that if one signal is non-red, all the others are Red. We now need to implement the logic and to do so we look at each turnout and signal in turn and determine which rules govern their movement. In the SSI software, each device has an Interlocking Script, which controls how the device operates. For turnouts, this determines whether a turnout can change based on the current environment and for signals, the script determines what state a signal shows, based on the current state of the environment. Here is the Interlocking script for turnout 1A: IF %HN1% = RED AND %HN2% = RED AND %HN3% = RED THEN Return(TRUE) ELSE Return(FALSE) ENDIF This script specifies that if signals HN1, HN2 and HN3 are all RED then the turnout can be changed (TRUE). If any of them are not RED, then the turnout cannot be changed (FALSE) because a route is signalled across them. Here is the script for signal HN1: IF %HN2% = RED AND %HN3%=RED AND %HN5.2%=RED AND %TC2% = 0 AND %TC3% = 0 AND %1B% = NORMAL THEN Return(GREEN) ELSE Return(RED) ENDIF This signal allows a train to pass into platform 1 but this is only allowed if HN2, HN3 and HN5.2 are all RED, track circuit TC2 and TC3 (platform 1) are not occupied and turnout 1B is normal (straight). Notice how the script references HN5.2 at the opposite end of the layout to prevent a head-on collision in platform 1. This type of interlocking is usually not implemented in hard-wired solutions because it involves significant amounts of wire running up and down a layout. Similar logic to the above is applied to every turnout and signal in the layout. The script can be viewed by clicking each signal or turnout and then double clicking the Script property in the SSI Design mode Properties window. Real railways use data tables for storing the rules of interlocking. These are effectively coded lists of conditions. The SSI software uses a scripting language because it is simpler to use than data tables. It is far more flexible than point and click selection solutions for interlocking because it allows extensive conditional and relational logic to be coded (AND as well as OR) and there are no limitations on the number of devices, which can be linked together. Setting device addresses and hardware operating modes In accordance with Lenz recommendations, we will use addresses from 65 for feedback. We therefore configure each of the device addresses. We will use addresses 1 to 6 for signals and 7 to 8 for turnouts. This means that when configured to use the Lenz DCC system, Harburn requires one LR101 module for feedback and two LS150 modules for turnouts and signals. In this example, we have separated signals onto one LS150 and turnouts onto a motor for a second LS150. The instruction manual states that the Lenz LS150 sends a pulse to a turnout for a specified time and then turns it off. When used through the Lenz computer interface, the LS150 does not operate in the same way as it does from a throttle and it becomes the responsibility of the software to send both an on and an off. Therefore, if you are using solenoid turnout motors (e.g. Peco) it is CRITICAL that you set the Contact Delay property of every turnout and signal object in the SSI software. We have set it to 200ms. This causes the off to be sent 200ms after the on. A value of 0ms causes no off to be sent so the output on the LS150 will remain permanently on. Unfortunately, the LS150 only allows one output to be active at any one time, so although you could leave an output permanently on to power a relay or signal, you cannot have more than one output on at the same time for a given LS150. If you try, you will find that the new output will switch on and the original switches off. We configure all of our signals to be semaphore, which is the SSI software default. Now that we have reached this point, Harburn is an operational layout. By selecting the Test mode, the layout can be operated on screen without the layout actually being attached. Turnouts can be changed by left or right clicking to change them each way. Likewise for signals. Track circuits appear on screen in test mode and can be left/right clicked to simulate occupancy. The interlocking is now fully functional and can be tested. Entry/Exit Operating Mode Entry/Exit is a method of setting routes while operating a layout. In UK IEEC practice, this takes the form of left clicking a start of route (Entry) signal and then left clicking and end of route (Exit) signal. The system then proceeds to set the route according to the interlocking conditions. To cancel a route, the Entry signal is right clicked. In the SSI software, routes must be configured. When an Entry/Exit combination is selected, the software searches the list of defined routes for a match and then proceeds to set it. If a match cannot be found, an error occurs. To change the software into Entry/Exit operation from the default standard operation, the Layout/Options menu option must be selected and the Layout Operating Mode changed to Entry/Exit NX. This affects how the software manages the clicking of signals and turnouts. Having changed the operating mode, routes must now be configured. Configuring Routes A prototypical Route is the path between one signal and the next. There may be many turnouts in between and there may be much related interlocking. A route is not the entire distance from one end of the

14 14 MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE country to the other! To configure routes in the SSI software, select the Route/New menu option to open the New Route dialog (Fig 4). A route is divided into two components, the devices and their states required to set the route and the devices and their states, which determine that the route has been completed. A route is considered completed when the protecting signal is returned to danger and a track circuit indicates that the train is in the new section. Some layouts do not have track circuits so this means that they are reliant on the manual returning of signals to danger. All routes must have a unique name and they must have an Entry and Exit device specified. One of the significant benefits of routes is that they can be used anywhere on a layout, including a fiddle yard where they can really come into their own. Multi-track fiddle yards are common. So is the incredible switchgear and/or diode matrix arrays which go with them! With computer controlled route setting, we can configure routes in and out of a fiddle yard for every track and then use two mouse clicks to set any route into or out of the yard. There is no need for any traditional switching beyond track power provisions as the computer controls turnouts needing to be changed. Testing the Layout We can test a layout in the SSI software using the Test mode, which is available on the View menu and on the toolbar. Testing a layout enables the software to be operated exactly as it would with a layout except that you do not need the layout or its hardware connected to the computer. All signalling and interlocking operates as normal except that the individual signals appear so that you can check their aspects. In operate mode, only signal posts appear. Likewise, track circuits appear in test mode and we can left/right click on them to simulate occupancy. In operate mode they do not appear. Timetabling Timetabling is an optional feature of the Figure 4: SSI software. We can configure our own timetable and attach it to the clock, which may be either real time or a fast clock. Timetabling in SSI enables us to activate events automatically such as setting routes, sounding bells, turning devices (e.g. lights) on/off etc.. Hardware Support The SSI software is supplied with the following hardware drivers: - Lenz DCC - MERG RPC These drivers all operate with a standard software interface for model railway control known as the Model Railway Application Programmable Interface. Applications such as the SSI software are written to communicate with MRAPI rather like a piece of software communicates with a printer interface in Windows. MRAPI hosts replaceable hardware drivers, which means that the application can use any MRAPI-compliant driver without requiring any changes. We can also write our own software to communicate with the MRAPI interface. A free MRAPI Driver Development Kit is available from The kit contains full documentation and samples for writing applications to use MRAPI and to create MRAPI hardware drivers. Free Download A fully functional trial download version of the SSI Model Railway Control System can be found at Review of the Hornby Grange (published in MROL May 2005) Following our review of the Hornby Grange in the May edition of Model Railways On-Line Magazine it was brought to our attention that we had omitted to mention that the dials in the cab are so well detailed they even have legible numbers. Without more ado we pointed our macro lens into the cab of the loco. The following pictures were taken and we have published them without any touching up or digital editing! The numbers are indeed legible but we notice that all of the dials, including the boiler pressure gauge are showing zero!

15 NOVEMBER Review of the Hornby Duchess of Montrose By Paul Plowman In August 2003 I wrote to Simon Kohler suggesting that there must surely be many older enthusiasts like myself who started with a Hornby Dublo 3-rail layout and who would now wish to rekindle their childhood memories from 50 years ago with a modern model of the Duchess of Montrose. It would be a nice compliment to think that Hornby have reintroduced this version of the Duchess just because I made the suggestion. However, I believe the reality is that there have been many requests for the Duchess of Montrose, which encouraged Hornby to produce this model. The Hornby Duchess has been available for many years and this version is an upgrade of the existing model. Details have been improved but in reviewing this model it cannot be expected to match the standard of the recently introduced models such as the Great Western Grange. The Princess Coronation class, otherwise known as the Duchesses were designed by William Stanier and introduced to the LMS in Several of the class were built with streamlined casings, which were removed in Number Duchess of Montrose was un-streamlined from the outset. It was a Scottish Region loco allocated to Polmadie Shed in Glasgow. The Hornby model has the weathered BR green livery with the later logos and overhead line warning flashes. Out of the box On removing the model from its box one immediately becomes aware that the Duchess is a big locomotive, bigger than most other models. The front steps are very vulnerable and I unfortunately broke one off when first replacing the model in the box. The problem could be reduced with a reinforcing web between back of the steps and the chassis. The locomotive was placed on the track and it was found that the trailing pair of wheels on the leading bogie were raised clear of the rails (See photo 1). The bogie was removed from the locomotive and it was found that the bar, which links the bogie to the chassis, was curved in an upward direction. This has subsequently been corrected by bending it straight. Photo 1: When first placed on the track the rear wheels of the leading bogie were raised clear of the rails.

16 16 Locomotive body The one detail on any model, which makes or mars it for me are the smoke box door handles. Instinctively the first thing I look at is the face of the locomotive. Several models in Bachmann s Blue Ribbon range have one handle incorporated into the smoke box door moulding. On this model both handles are separately modelled (See Photo 2). It is only a small detail but it really makes a difference. The smoke deflectors appear a little too thick but this is an obvious manufacturing problem with plastic. The only alternative to obtain the detail required would be to use etched brass for the smoke deflectors. All buffers are sprung and coupling hooks are provided on both loco and tender buffer beams. We would have expected a fine dummy screw coupling as fitted to the Grange to have been provided on the front of the locomotive. A working sprung screw coupling can be fitted and only needs the removal of the existing plastic hook. Brake pipes are provided separately for fitting by the owner. Overhead line warning flashes and the locomotive works plate are printed to an amazing level of detail with fully legible text, eyesight permitting (See Photos 3 & 4). In fact I couldn t read them with a magnifying glass and it was not until I moved in close with the macro lens on the camera that the small detail could be seen. However, I have reservations about the location of the works plate. Both drawings and photographs show a hole through the frames at this location, which is used as a lifting point for the locomotive. The cab is well detailed but falls a long way short of the incredible detail to be found on the Grange. A fall plate has not been provided between the loco and tender. Photos 3 & 4: Overhead line warning flashes and the loco works plate are printed to an amazing level of detail. A moulding line along the top of the boiler spoils the overall impression but this problem has only been overcome with the very latest models from both Hornby and Bachmann. I think we can reasonably expect this to be rectified when Hornby eventually retool the Duchess. Inside the body The locomotive is fitted with a sealed 5-pole motor, which drives the wheels through a worm and train of gears. A DCC connector is provided and there is a slot in the top of the chassis casting into which the chip can be housed. Below the running board I have a thing about eccentric cranks! I find it difficult to understand why neither Hornby nor Bachmann can get this simple detail right. The eccentric cranks on this model are almost in line with the centres of the wheels giving only a minuscule amount of movement to the eccentric rods. The left hand crank is very slightly leading when moving in the forward direction, while the right hand crank is very slightly trailing. It appears that the cranks have been designed to have no throw at all and the very slight eccentricity is due to tolerance in the locking arrangement as the fixing screw is tightened. Both eccentric cranks on a Duchess should be trailing when the locomotive moves in the forward direction. When the wheels are positioned so that the coupling rods are in their lowest position the eccentric cranks should lean towards the front of the locomotive. A drawing published in Railway Modeller April 2002 scales just under 3mm of throw for the eccentric crank. If real valve gear was set in the position of this model MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE Photo 2: Smoke box door handles are separately modelled. The leading bogie has a forward extension to enable an optional tension lock coupling to be fitted. The extension strikes the front steps if the model is not handled carefully. the locomotive would not be able to move! Conspicuous by its absence is the large brass covered bearing between the eccentric crank and the eccentric rod (See Photo 5). The radius link is more in the style of the LNER than the LMS. There should be no open slot in the side of the radius link fitted to the Duchess and the radius rods run inside the radius links not outside as on this model. Cylinder drain cocks and sanding pipes have been omitted. The weights on the driving wheels are correct according to photographs and the RM drawing. Flanges on the centre drivers are very fine to allow space for the flanges on the leading and trailing drivers to be over-scale. The locomotive is modelled with a trailing pony truck (See Photo 6) presumably to enable it to pass around sharp curves. Part of the chassis has been incorporated into this truck to allow for greater freedom. Hopefully this detail will be corrected in the future in a similar way to the new A4. The leading bogie has a forward extension to enable an optional tension lock coupling to be fitted. The extension is unsightly (See Photo 2) and strikes the front steps if the model is not handled carefully. I found it most frustrating having repaired my broken front step only to have it knocked off several times by the bogie swinging to the side when handling. The front coupling of the original Hornby Dublo model was entirely cosmetic and one wonders whether this modern version should not have been the same. The occasions on which a Duchess worked tender first or had a pilot locomotive attached must surely have been rare. Photo 5: The Walschaerts valve gear showing minimal throw of the eccentric crank.

17 NOVEMBER locomotive driving wheels. Electrical connection is provided through the coupling. Brake rigging is supplied separately for fitting by the owner. Performance The model was fitted with a DCC chip for testing on Graham Plowman s Asprington Road layout. In the process of dismantling to fit the chip I accidentally broke the speedo cable. At first the locomotive did not appear to be responding to the DCC controller. We had not noticed that due to the large amount of side play on the driving wheels one of the leading crankpins had caught on a connecting rod, which was preventing the wheels from turning. When the controller setting was increased the mechanism had sufficient power to bend the connecting rod vertically! Photo 6: Part of the prototype chassis has been incorporated into the trailing truck to allow for greater freedom on sharp curves. The locomotive appears correct in principal dimensions when compared with drawings but both the Railway Modeller and Roche drawings suggest that the chimney, top feed and dome are slightly too small. Braking rigging is supplied separately for fitting by the owner. Tender As with the locomotive the tender has the logo, overhead line warning flashes and works plates printed to an amazing level of detail with fully legible text (See photo 9). The tender is represented full of the usual plastic coal. It would have been nice for it to be only partially filled with the steam operated coal pusher visible. A tension lock coupler is provided in an NEM pocket. A working sprung screw coupling can be fitted but it is necessary to undertake some surgery of the tender chassis. The position required for the coupling shank is obstructed by a screw, which strengthens the NEM Photo 8: The Duchesses were provided with large 4000 gallon tenders. pocket but otherwise is unnecessary. Comparing with the drawings the tender appears correct in all principal dimensions. The drawings do however suggest the water filler is too small. Pickups are provided on all tender wheels in addition to the Photo 7: Details along the running plate. Graham s layout is level and has a minimum radius of five feet on the running lines. The track is all Peco with nickel silver rails. It was found that the Duchess slipped and could not move 10 Bachmann MK1 coaches. It managed to accelerate with 9 coaches but was slipping continuously. 8 coaches was the maximum load to be hauled without slipping. Conclusions I am not happy about the eccentric cranks, the bogie wheels raised above the rails, the broken steps, the broken speedo cable and the bent connecting rod. I would have liked the wheels to have the 14.5mm back to back of Hornby s latest models such as the Grange. The finish is very good and the weathering is not over done. The details of the logos, electric flashes and works plates are simply amazing. Alterations, which I propose to make, will be to replace the leading bogie with a Comet one, Photo 9: Close up of the tender works plate. reinforce the front steps, add extra weight to reduce slipping, add working screw link couplings and adjust the eccentric cranks (if possible). Wheels Prototype Model True 4mm scale Back to Back Leading bogie mm mm mm Driving mm mm mm Trailing pony mm mm mm Tender mm mm mm

18 18 MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE Readers Letters Review of the C10 Turnout from the P4Track Co. s received from Peter Wright and Brian Harrington together with further information provided by Andrew Jukes prompts further discussion about the kit for the C10 turnout, which was reviewed in the August edition of Model Railways On-Line. Peter Wright wrote: In your review of P4Track you state that the placing of timbers at right angles to the rails of straight track only came about with the introduction of vertical flat bottom designs around Shome Mishtake, Shirley? The literature that I have read over the past half century has suggested consistently that the practice of placing the sleepers at right angles to the centre line of the crossing was a preference of the GWR but not of most other railways. I recognise the logical possibility that all these writers have been wrong and that you are right. Also that unequivocal photographic evidence on this point is hard to come by. However I can immediately reach for the following which are not consistent with your statement being as universally true as it purports to be, and which therefore negate quite a chunk of your review. Picture 77 of Mitchell and Smith Willesden Junction to Richmond clearly shows through timbering at right angles to the main lines across the turnouts of a bullhead double junction on the North London Line on, allegedly, 27 July (Note that I offer no view on the orientation of the diamond.) Picture 26 of Graeme Bruce Steam to Silver shows a scissors crossing at South Harrow, purportedly in 1905, with timbering at right angles to the up and down lines throughout. Picture 128 of Gammell Southern Branch Lines shows Wareham on, tis said, 18 May 1963 with a station release crossover timbered at a consistent right angle allowing for some tightly interleaved sleepering where flatbottom meets bullhead. The crossover at Wareham appears to be formed of 1 in 8 crossings by counting the number of chairs and assuming a standard distance between track centres of 11ft-2in. Now the problem with a 1 in 8 crossover is that the standard chair positions force a slightly excessive skew of the timber between the C and D chairs (See Fig.1). The skew is beyond being square to centre line by a small amount, just one inch between the chair positions. It would appear that the designer decided to change the 8D chairs for 8 1 / 2 D s. Because the 8 1 / 2 D chair is designed for a smaller running edge to running edge dimension than the 8D it is positioned closer to the crossing vee. I have drawn up the arrangement with a modern cad system (See Fig.2) and find that the 8 1 / 2 D chair of one crossing lines up with the 8C chair of the other Brian Harrington wrote: Another very interesting issue - as usual. Just a query relating to your review of the P4 turnout kit. You suggest that the timbering is incorrect and should run perpendicular to the centre-line of the turnout. My understanding from a number of sources is that this would have been true up to the early part of the 20th Century, but that the GWR were the only company still following that practice after the grouping. Thus the timbering adopted by P4Track Company would be correct for post-grouping non-gwr. It is clearly not intended to represent a GWR prototype (3-bolt chairs), so would be correct. Are my sources incorrect? Paul Plowman replies: Documented records of the official policies of the various railway companies are hard to come by. However, irrespective of official policy there are a number of switch and crossing configurations where the permanent way designer does not have any options in the way he designs the timbering: Firstly the timbers under an obtuse or diamond crossing must be laid at right angles to the centre line of the crossings. The ends of the point rails of the obtuse crossings must be supported and this is only possible with the timbers square to centre line. A scissors crossover includes a diamond crossing at its centre. The four obtuse point rails and the four common crossing point rails can only be supported if the timbers are laid square to the main lines as in the example at South Harrow to which Peter Wright refers. Crossovers or that part of double junctions, which form a crossover are more problematic because there are several variables involved, the angles of the two common crossings, which might be different and the spacings between the two tracks, which might not be parallel. The centre of the A chair under the point rail is 4in back from the blunt nose. The following B, C, D, etc. chairs are spaced at 2ft-6in intervals, measured along the centre line of the crossing. When used to form a crossover the designer has to ensure that the chairs of the two crossings line up in a way that enables them to rest on a common timber. By no means an easy task! Fig.1: A 1 in 8 crossover with chairs in standard positions showing slightly excessive skew of the timbers. Fig.2: A 1 in 8 crossover with the 8D chairs replaced with 8.5D chairs showing the resulting square timbering.

19 NOVEMBER crossing. Between them they subtend an angle of 90 degrees to the main lines to within 5 significant figures. So in summary my guess is that the designer of the Wareham crossover was not happy with the excessive skew of the timbers and made the minimum possible change to the 8D chair, which had the effect of bringing the timbers almost dead square to the main lines. Not having any of my old drawings to check back on, I also drew up the 1 in 10 crossover in cad (see Fig.3). In this example the chairs of the two crossings just did not line up for timbering at all. The skew of the timbers would be excessive. I tried changing the 10D chairs for 10 1 / 2 D s and the 10E s for 10 1 / 2 E s. The skew was still excessive. I then tried changing the 10D s for 11D s and the 10E s for 11E s. The chairs were closer to the vee but the skew of the timbers was still excessive, i.e. further than square to centre line of the crossing. Finally I tried changing the 10E s for 11 1 / 2 E s and found that the 11 1 / 2 E of one crossing was almost square to the 11D of the other, only 29mm out between the positions of the chairs. So again with the minimum possible changes to the chairs to eliminate an unacceptable skew we end up with the timbers of a 1 in 10 crossover within a gnats whisker of being square to the main line. Following the review in the August edition Andrew Jukes of Exactoscale Ltd. advised me the kit is a model of an REA design (with a few compromises) as used in the 1930s and 1940s by the LNER, LMS, SR and LPTB and in BR's early years by all regions except the Western. The main sources of reference were five different editions of the Permanent Way Institution book 'British Railway Track' and the North Eastern Railway Association reprint of an LNER publication entitled 'Permanent Way Standards, 1926'. On the issue of timbering the PWI 'British Railway Track Bullhead Supplement' page 34 recommends, "Chairs on opposite rails of the same track should as far as possible be square to each other. Where one timber is required to pass under two tracks which meet at an angle, this is obviously not possible, and generally the timber should be placed square to the centre-line of the intersecting angle, or at least between being square to the first track and square to the second.". Now since this book was published in 1943 and was given approval by all of the Chief Civil Engineers it can be reliably assumed that laying timbers square to the centre line of the crossing wherever possible was the preferred arrangement of all railway companies post Prior to this we have the LNER document of 1926, which indicates that LNER policy was to lay timbers square to the main line of a turnout. Information regarding the policies of other companies is scarce. Before the publication of the first edition of British Railway Track by the PWI the reference book used by designers was Railway Permanent Way by Hepworth and Lee first published in This book gives little guidance on the timbering of turnouts except for a simple diagram from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway showing timbers square to the main line. An even earlier book Switches and Crossings by William Donaldson 1871 gives no guidance on timbering. In summary, what can we be sure of? Diamonds, double and single slips always have the timbers laid square to the centre line of crossings. Scissors crossovers always have the timbers laid square to the main lines excepting possible non-symmetrical configurations. Timbering of crossovers can vary significantly depending on crossing angles and track spacing. There is a preference for timbers to be angled between the limits of being square to the main lines and square to the centre lines of the crossings. For turnouts in isolation laying timbers square to the centre line of the crossing wherever possible was the preferred arrangement of all railway companies post For turnouts in isolation laying timbers square to the main line wherever possible was the preferred arrangement of the LNER in No documentary evidence is known to this reviewer, which confirms the official turnout timbering policies of the LMS, SR, GWR or LPTB prior to Fig.3: A 1 in 10 crossover with chairs in standard positions showing excessive skew of the timbers. Fig.4: A 1 in 10 crossover with the 10D chairs replaced by 11D and the 10E chairs replaced by 11 1 / 2E s. The chairs are out of perfect square by just 29mm. Above: A Bullhead B8 scissors crossover installed at Sheffield Park, Bluebell Railway 29 July This crossover was manufactured at the SR Redbridge Works near Southampton for a renewal of the existing scissors at Ryde Pier Head. With the electrification of the Isle of Wight it was never installed and was sold to the Bluebell Railway. The kits supplied by the P4Track Co. are superb models. If this reviewer were building a P4 layout they would be my first choice. The turnouts as supplied are suitable for use in many configurations but may require some adaptation in others. As we have seen the timbering of the C10 and B8 being square to the main line is correct for turnouts used in crossovers across a standard sixfoot way. Even though the GWR used their own design of curved switch blade there is some photographic evidence of the use of REA turnouts on the WR in the early BR period. Most probably this came about during the War when anything was used just to keep trains running. I would have no hesitation using these kits for an early BR(WR) layout and highly recommend them.

20 20 MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE Model Railway Web Shops By Graham Plowman One of the amazing things about the UK model railway hobby is the incredible size of the cottage industry, which supports us. One can acquire everything from a handrail knob to an entire loco kit and tools to build it as well as all the ready-to-run products and services in between. Until now, the common barrier to model railway businesses getting onto the internet has always been the cost of employing someone to develop a website. SiteNet is a new website, which changes all this and has been designed with the model railway industry in mind. Most of the major retailers are well known for their websites, however, the smaller businesses have often chosen not to embrace the internet and have remained as advertisers in popular print magazines with phone numbers and SAE s. This makes it extremely difficult and time consuming for customers to make purchases, especially from overseas where there is a significant following of British Modellers in Australia and North America. SiteNet is a website which hosts other websites. This means that you can build your own separate websites within the SiteNet hosting engine. Building a website in SiteNet is essentially picking and choosing options and filling in text. SiteNet performs all of the advanced functionality for you. So for a monthly hosting fee, you can get a professional website with all the same functionality as the major retailers. The Model Railways On-Line Magazine website ( is an example of a site hosted in SiteNet as is the British Railway Modeller s of Australia site ( SiteNet enables you to create your own database with as many products as you wish. You can set pricing, shipping and tax information as well as product categories, a textual description and attach multiple pictures of a product just imagine: customers can now see full details before they buy! SiteNet provides full secure online ordering facilities via a shopping cart. Customers no longer need to worry about the security of credit card details when making transactions. As an online shop, you can choose to have payments handled by a service provider for you or if you have your own credit card facilities, you can have order details sent to you securely for you to process yourself. SiteNet provides an automatic facility where customers can register an interest in an out-of-stock item. When you set the new stock level, the system will automatically send notifications to these customers advising them that a product is now back in stock and that they can order it online. This level of service will set your business ahead of the rest! All you need to be able to use SiteNet is an address and a web browser. SiteNet benefits Showcase your business and product database to a worldwide market 24 x 7 Makes it easy for customers to find you and do business with you Optional fully functional web shop system with: o Product database including product categories, unlimited number of products and stock control levels o Product pictures o Shopping cart o Secure payments Provide a professional image with automated notifications of order confirmations to the customer Provide customers with notifications of re-stocked items they have requested to be told about Customer account and order management through readymade backend accounting system Quick and easy sales reporting Enables you to focus on your business while we take care of the IT issues No need for you to make any investment in IT infrastructure No need for you to undertake costly system development - we've already done the development for you Save time and money - build your own website quickly and easily Little/no need for web site development knowledge - SiteNet handles all of this for you You can maintain your own site 24 x 7 with no limits - no need to have consultants maintain/change it for you Fully automatic search engine across search database, site pages and product database Automatic page counters so you can see how many people visit your site Wouldn t it be great if the UK model railway industry could have the same level of internet representation as our cousins in the US? Wouldn t it make buying products so much quicker and easier? SiteNet provides the opportunity the model railway business has been looking for! SiteNet can be found at Full details are also available on the site. The Place to Build Your Web Business Web Hosting Solutions for Businesses Showcase your business to the world Websites completely customisable to your image Your full product database online with searching, categories, pricing, descriptions and pictures Automatic customer notifications of new stocks Accept secure orders online Increase your business turnover FREE OFFER FOR MODEL RAILWAY ORGANISATIONS! Let us host your website for FREE and we ll help you get up and running for FREE! GPP Software 9 Philippa Court, Kellyville, NSW, 2155, Australia Phone/Fax: +61 (0)

21 NOVEMBER

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