new "tiny layout"

[Tim Blanchard]

Working on a "tiny layout", in the theme of a shunting puzzle and modeled as "somewhere in Wales".   I have mostly Ffestinog style rolling stock and have been 3d printing most buildings and other bits and pieces,


controlled by
JMRI-Pi (JMRI loaded on a Raspberry Pi)
DCC-EX (arduino based)
Arduino based "CMRI nodes"


Pictures to follow,

[Tim Blanchard]

here are a couple pictures

[Tim Blanchard]

Here is a couple picutres of the "signal tower"

[B.Meldon]

320 size images are just all bluy when viewed full screen.
640x480 is about the min size that works with any detail visiable.
If you use JPG files (not png) you can also use up to about 30% compression to make the file size very small for a 640 x480 image.

[Graeme Dunbar]

The case looks interesting. Is it a bass guitar case?

It looks (from the paper clip icon I can see) as if you are using the meagre upload allowance. If you would like to post larger photos many of us use one of the free photo hosting web sites such as Flickr.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33431492@N04/

[Tim Blanchard]

thank you for the help with the pictures, as a first time post, it was a challenge to get the pictures to upload.

The case looks interesting. Is it a bass guitar case?

It is actually a Shotgun case, 50x18 inch.

[Tim Blanchard]

I've uploaded better pictures to Flickr, hope they are much easier to see.
Better pictures

[Tim Blanchard]

In the realm of being a random question;   Has anyone tried using "Hunt magnetitic couplings" in a shunting-style operation? if so what kind of uncoupling device would be best? I'm not sure a magnet between the rails will work well, if any.

[Graeme Dunbar]

In the realm of being a random question;   Has anyone tried using "Hunt magnetitic couplings" in a shunting-style operation? if so what kind of uncoupling device would be best? I'm not sure a magnet between the rails will work well, if any.

Not personally, but a few members of our group use them. I'm not aware of any simpe hands-off method of uncoupling (but see below) and they do it manually.

There is a post on NRRM online which relates to magnetic couplings but I can remember if they are Hunt ones. If I recall correctly it relies on a post coming up out of the baseboard behind an axle to hold a wagon and the locomotive pulling itself away. I assume it only works uncoupling locomotives as imagine a line of wagons could break anywhere between loco and fixed wagon.

[Tim Blanchard]

In the realm of being a random question;   Has anyone tried using "Hunt magnetitic couplings" in a shunting-style operation? if so what kind of uncoupling device would be best? I'm not sure a magnet between the rails will work well, if any.

Not personally, but a few members of our group use them. I'm not aware of any simpe hands-off method of uncoupling (but see below) and they do it manually.

There is a post on NRRM online which relates to magnetic couplings but I can remember if they are Hunt ones. If I recall correctly it relies on a post coming up out of the baseboard behind an axle to hold a wagon and the locomotive pulling itself away. I assume it only works uncoupling locomotives as imagine a line of wagons could break anywhere between loco and fixed wagon.

after originally posting the coupling question here, I thought it might be a better place to post it in the "rolling stock" page as well.


I think for the moment on this layout the "hand of god" uncoupling method is probably best. there is no room under the baseboard for anything.