My Layout using JRMI

[surfingstephens]

Thought I would show a short video of my current layout.  Sorry for the grainy film quality, just shot it with my Iphone in low light.

 

 

[Vato]

Trams is analog?

[surfingstephens]

The Trams are analog as are the switches for the trams.   Have not attempted that yet.   All the trains are dcc and the switches are all be controlled by JRMI as well.

Edited November 15, 2013 by surfingstephens

[Ochanomizu]

Very nice.  I give you 10 points. :)

[JR 500系]

Oh wow! It's a world-wide layout! I think i saw the ICE, BNSF locomotive, Southern Express? (i think that's the name of the orange train though i could be wrong), a N700, Kato Unitram etc~ 

 

Very nice! 

[katoftw]

Oh wow! It's a world-wide layout! I think i saw the ICE, BNSF locomotive, Southern Express? (i think that's the name of the orange train though i could be wrong), a N700, Kato Unitram etc~ 

 

Very nice! 

looks like a kyushu 885 series white gull, BNSF C44-9W with  2x smoothside UP car carriers, 3x intermodal maxi-v with csx containers.  a french TGV (orange/red one) and a N700A.

 

how close was i?

[Bernard]

Nice! What are the measurements of your layout? It looks large.

[Vato]

One more question, how you control kato switches with JMRI? I'm using NCE switch-kat decoders and can control only double crossover, and one more, how I can add already programmed locomotive?  

[surfingstephens]

Thanks for the compliments guys. I used to run HO on this table with a fully modeled world that represented (California, Texas and Germany).  My wife's parents are from Germany and she lived there 10 years, I am  from Texas, and I met her in California and my kids were born there.   We are living in Texas now.   If you were wondering how that happened.   

 

I discovered I liked the building and changing of track layouts more than the modeling of them, so I tore that out and went to the kato track (n scale) so I could constantly change things and keep myself entertained.   So I am not going for realism in the layout so much(although I appreciate it when I see it) as just having fun and running trains and playing with automation.   I am kicking around the idea of doing blocks so I can fully automate the stopping and starting of trains, but no immediete plans to do so.

 

 I will be adding some videos for fun in this thread as I go.   Here is a video of my TGV Sud-est running.  I converted this to DCC a few weeks ago(http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/7990-kato-tgv-sud-est-orange-dcc-install/) and I just got the four car add-on set yesterday so here it is running with a full 10 cars.

Edited November 15, 2013 by surfingstephens

[surfingstephens]

To answer a few of the Questions Posted:

     - The room is a closed in 1 car garage so the dimensions are roughly 10 feet on the back wall and the long straight away wall is 18 feet.   The short side where you see all the trains parked is 8 feet. 

     - The trains are (Ice Minitrix, N700 Kato, TGV Sud-est Kato, Thalys Kato)   I will have to check my notes to be accurate on the American Trains, but roughly a SD90 (with sound), a B&O passenger train, and a 70s diesel.  I will look them later when I am home.

     - I am using the Lenz LS150 to control my switches.   I am going to do a short write up on this as I need to set one more of these controllers up for the new switches I have added.    I had these left over from my HO layout and they are cheap and work great for me, so I stuck with them for the N Scale set up, but they did need one thing done to work with the Kato Switches.  I will show that in later posts.   http://www.lenzusa.com/1newsite1/AccDecoders.html

    - I am using the Sprog III to run everything.  I could sell these for a living I am so excited by this device.   It completely replaces any other command station.   I was using MRC and have since sold all of that.  Just think of it, for 135 dollars and an old pc you get all these features that I show in the video and more.  Really cool device.   http://www.sprog.us.com/

   - To add an already programmed loco, you can use decoder pro, put that one train on the (programming) track and there is a button that will read every cv setting of the train including the loco address and everything and then save it. and label it with a name you want.  You now go back into the panel pro and the train will be there to operate.   I know that was a bit high level explanation, but I will try and show some video's on working with software as I go as well.  You can also just go into panel pro and add a train to the roster and key in the address for it and operate the train.  It will work fine, just won't have any custom CV setting you may have done.

   -

Edited November 15, 2013 by surfingstephens

[surfingstephens]

Here is one more video from a different angle of the TGV Sud-est, but I also am sharing another hobby of mine, electric boats.  I am in a Remote Control boat club and we race these in organized club races as well as just play around with them.  They use lithium polymer batteries, can draw up to 240 plus amps and the voltages can go over 33.6 volts.   They turn  around 24,000 to 30,000rpm and the motors are capable of up to 50,000rpm.  There is a mix of everything in these boats.  Water lines to keep everything cool, the electrical components, the mechanical components for the drive shaft and rudder, and then the R/C gear.  Lots of things to go wrong and to keep it from catching fire, melting or otherwise self-destructing can be a challenge.   The others are 14.8 volts and 22.2 volts.  The speeds range from a low of 30mph for the small deep vee to up to about 70 - 75mph.   Most of them race between 50mph and 65mph depending on the class.  The race is 6 laps/1 mile in length and it can get crazy with 6 or 7 boats in a heat.  Lot's of fun.  Thoght I would show it since they are in my hobby room and you will see them in vidoes here and there.  From here on it's just all about the trains...

Edited November 15, 2013 by surfingstephens

[Vato]

To answer a few of the Questions Posted:

     - The room is a closed in 1 car garage so the dimensions are roughly 10 feet on the back wall and the long straight away wall is 18 feet.   The short side where you see all the trains parked is 8 feet. 

     - The trains are (Ice Minitrix, N700 Kato, TGV Sud-est Kato, Thalys Kato)   I will have to check my notes to be accurate on the American Trains, but roughly a SD90 (with sound), a B&O passenger train, and a 70s diesel.  I will look them later when I am home.

     - I am using the Lenz LS150 to control my switches.   I am going to do a short write up on this as I need to set one more of these controllers up for the new switches I have added.    I had these left over from my HO layout and they are cheap and work great for me, so I stuck with them for the N Scale set up, but they did need one thing done to work with the Kato Switches.  I will show that in later posts.   http://www.lenzusa.com/1newsite1/AccDecoders.html

    - I am using the Sprog III to run everything.  I could sell these for a living I am so excited by this device.   It completely replaces any other command station.   I was using MRC and have since sold all of that.  Just think of it, for 135 dollars and an old pc you get all these features that I show in the video and more.  Really cool device.   http://www.sprog.us.com/

   - To add an already programmed loco, you can use decoder pro, put that one train on the (programming) track and there is a button that will read every cv setting of the train including the loco address and everything and then save it. and label it with a name you want.  You now go back into the panel pro and the train will be there to operate.   I know that was a bit high level explanation, but I will try and show some video's on working with software as I go as well.  You can also just go into panel pro and add a train to the roster and key in the address for it and operate the train.  It will work fine, just won't have any custom CV setting you may have done.

   -

Thanks surfingstephens, I will try today, I have same system (Sprog III + JMRI) yesterday I try to use rocrail+Sprog III, but after 2 minutes system lost control, and I cant control loco, have no idea, today want to download and try TrainController Bronze

[surfingstephens]

Thought I would show what the old HO layout looked like the two kids hugging each other are mine, the other boy is a neighbor, there all much older now.  Time flies.  

If you look hard you can see Texas on the left, California is in the back (with ocean and beach) and Germany is on the right.

Edited November 15, 2013 by surfingstephens

[surfingstephens]

Hello all,

This is probably all I will have time for this week, but here is a link to my write up on setting up a Lenz LS150 accessory to operate 6 kato switches using the sprog 3.  It includes a youtube video.

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/8119-lenz-ls150-kato-switches-jrmi-software-planestrains-and-automobiles/

 

Jim

[surfingstephens]

Here is a short video showing how I am using JMRI currently and the various devices I am trying out to find something that I like for controlling the trains and switches.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=d5Z3zPzPEkM