Re: Greg and DCC

"Paul Newhouse"

I decided on Digitrax as it's the most common system in use in this area and I didn't want to be the odd man out.

-- Cheers

Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

I have just started using MS Outlook Express and clicked the wrong send button. It was an accident and I apologise for that.

After me plonking him on rec.models.railroad he writes to me privately, > my
> response follows: -
>
>> Your insistance that we are discussing _only_ US railroading _isn't_ >> putting
>> a twist on the subject line???
>
>
> I'm discussing how DCC effects the way I operate my GER. That isn't > putting
> twist on anything. I would have been happy to discuss UK railway > operation
> with DCC as well. UK railways run on a strict one train/locomotive per
> block and DCC will enhance that method of operation as well. BTW, it's
> "North American railroading" not "US railroading" as I live in Canada > where
> there are differences one of which is that we have "railways" not > "railroads".
>
>>> Greg is the all knowing God of model railroading.
>>>
>>> He claims to know all yet knows nothing, as his replies indicate. >>
>> Aren't you the bloke who claims to know more, much more, than me??? >
>
> Nope, I've never claimed to know "more, much more than you". It's you > that
> keeps telling me I know nothing about how North American (Not "USA") > railway
> operate.
>
> Your dismissal of my statements of how I operate my GER, and several other
> model railroads into the bargain, as proof that I know nothing about how
> North American (Not "USA") railways operate only goes to prove that you
> haven't a clue how North American (Not "USA") railroads operate. It is
> difficult to get closer to operating a model railway, set in 1958, more
> prototypically than I and my other operating buddies do.
>
> Therefore, I will claim I seem to know more about NORTH American (Not > "USA)
> railway operation than you do as you've proved your lack of knowledge on
> more than one occasion and not just in the current discussion.
>
> I worked as a brakeman for the CNR out of Montreal for five years until my
> eyesight failed and as a steam locomotive fireman for British Railways > from
> 1962 until January 1966, so I do have some idea how UK and North American
> (Not "USA") railways operate.
>
> I was aware of the reputation you have earned on rec.models.railroad but > was
> willing to give you a chance, however your 'know it all' attitude, your
> unwillingness read what is written and or ignore points that dismiss and > or
> disprove your arguments has put paid to that.
>
> As for DCC Vs DC I really don't care what you think. If you like DC good
> for you. I'm in the process of changing over to DCC and yes, the initial
> cost expensive as I cannot spread the cost out over several months. That > is
> only because I've a fully operating railway that requires either all DC or
> all DCC to run the full timetable of 16 trains which, with four operators,
> takes about 2.5 to three hours. I need two steam or diesels switchers, 2 > x
> 2 diesel consists and 14 other steam locos (Or diesels) and every one of
> them has to be either DC or DCC. However, given the way North American > (Not
> "USA") operate, DCC will make the way I run my locomotives and trains even
> more realistic.
>
> The operators will no longer have to worry about nor be limited by
> electrical blocks nor will they have to be concerned about turning on and
> off electrical blocks or sections and can concentrate strictly on running
> their locomotives and train in a totally realistic and prototypical > manner.
>
> Now you're plonked at my private address as well as on
> rec.models.railroad.
>
> Cheers
>
> Roger T.
>
> Home of the Great Eastern Railway
>

formatting link

It's a definite limitation of block control. However, multiple heading setups are normally done at reasonably specific locations; either in the loco depot or at the station through road where locos normally stop at a specific location.

On my prototype railway/location/date additional locos were added as follows:

- a pilot loco would be added to the head of the train. As the train loco always stops at a specific spot, a short switchable section is created between that point and the fouling point at the end of the track. I actually have two switchable sections at each end of the through tracks.

- bankers are added at the rear of the train as a block. (ie 1, 2 or 3 locos previously coupled together at the loco depot) The through road is bidirectional so there is already a pair of isolatable sections. Additionally the mid-point of the track is cut so that the possibility of through feeds is minimised. Each pair of isolation sections is feed via switches(relays) from the feed to the half track through road which is switched and the two halves are feed via the main switch. That gives me 6 switchable sections to the track/block, all switchable by a single switch or individually. As they are switched through software and interlocked to turnout and signal the electrical switching is only required for adding locos to the train or deleting sections incorrectly switched out. In normal operation, the train rolls to a halt on the track under the control of the driver, the computer senses zero voltage and turns off the traction current connection to the track section under the loco, other locos can be added as required on the live sections. The signalman then sets the route and signals. The signals switch on the track sections under the loco and the drive moves the throttle. ie normally there is no switching of isolating sections by either driver or signalman.

Regards, Greg.P.

Great system made by a local New Zealander :-)

Regards, Nobody.

Wolf Kirchmeir skriver:

That in model railway block control is fine, but it definitly has its limitations.

Im running a block controlled model railway with more than 1000 meter of tracks that's divided into approx 200 blocks.

Im know very well the advantaces and disadvantages of block control. If we had to start from scratch today, we chose DCC - definitly.

Klaus

I enjoy the programming and wiring, as one facit of achieving my layout.

I started with Maerklin stud contact/three rail.

I built my first computer in 1978 to operate that particular layout. Admittedly it had less computing power than the average egg timer today but it largely did the job asked of it.

I converted to two rail in 1979 after I bought my first lathe and played with Digital soon after Hornby brought out their Zero-1 system. I moved to DCC (well Lenz) when Maerklin/Arnold brought out their 2 rail Lenz system around 1987 (date from memory). I discarded DCC for my present layout around

You're going to get yourself excommunicated if you go agreeing with me! ;-)

Consdider his audience. Or should I say "His", since you refer to "Him" with the deifying "He"?

You've made a common mistake, Steve. The word president is not capitalized when referring to just any president such as the president of Tulane University. When use to denote the President of the United States of America, it is. The same goes for other pronouns. It's not a grammar rule but it is recommended.

-- Ray

Er, uh, just who recommended that? The Karl Rove Institute of Grammar?

Such deification of a politician is decidedly un-American, but what can you expect from the people whose antecedents brought you HUAC, the blacklist, Joe McCarthy, and the current balls-up in Iraq. Sentiments like that are more suited to some place like, say, Paraguay, or Uzbekistan, or Iran. Folks who really like that sort of slavering fawning over chickenhawk hacks might better move to one of those places - and take Katherine Harris with them, please!

When you do that "er, uh" thing it makes you appear to be drooling at your keyboard. Not unsurprisingly, it also makes you appear to be dumber than a box of rocks.

It's common usage, Steve. And you made a common mistake. Deal.

-- Ray

Caveman motors? How much current does such an animal want?

Thanks for doing your part to ruin this newsgroup! Take your political crap somewhere else. Do you think any one here really cares about your politics?

Paul A. Cutler III

And that is what I was referring to - the ayatollhic "He"

. . . about Greg and Newton and other obnoxious antipodeans ranting on about DC vs DCC?

PS - you forgot the "e" in whingeing, you wanker

Well, at least it's "On Topic" (hint, hint).

Paul A. Cutler III

Duh. Look at my post, and you will clearly see that Bob May has the sig and that I properly attributed it to him. You, OTOH, replied to his blatant political trolling on a non-political newsgroup. You fell for it like a total sucker. How does that make you feel?

Paul A. Cutler III

Not too bad, actually. I just got tired of his trolling. Or "His" trolling? Anyway, perhaps you should have long since said "Take your political crap somewhere else" to Mr. May.

A sig line is not trolling. Period.