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Oh sure, and that's how it's correctly working here. I was more indicating that beyond a single signal, this solution doesn't provide any of those capabilities to follow sequence as additional blocks are entered. The Signal Animator/2 works great if you just want the one signal to go through a sequence based on a delay, which is what it's designed to do, but I need a little more than that. The first video in the series outlines more. Iain

Yep, I've looked at them. They're very extensible and give a lot of options, but if you're having to spend that much time configuring each device and signal, could just as easily / awkwardly use JMRI or similar (which is what I'm trying to avoid). Iain

Thanks, it's nice to be back!

It was a good show! What was your favorite layout? Iain

Oh, I didn't think of RFID tags! I played with them years ago for freight cars as a proof concept for tracking cars coming in and out of a yard, but could totally add a micro RFID tag under a baggage car that triggered the appropriate train announcement. If I was already using an Arduino to read the tag and look up the train name / number, would be already right there to expand from the 8 basic tracks for the MP3 sound board. Definitely worth exploring! Iain

Yep, trigging audio by photo sensors would likely be how I'd approach things if not manually doing it using push buttons. Definitely a lot of use cases for these boards, and they're so cheap, it gives a lot of flexibility. Thanks for watching. Iain

Thanks for the suggestion. I did look at RR Circuits as it's an intriguing option, but seemed almost like you're swapping programming logic on JMRI to programming logic on the board. Not that that's bad or wrong, but I'm hoping to find something that's a little more plug and play. There also isn't a lot of clear pricing and purchasing information on their website, which gives me a little pause for future availability and support. Iain

Just saw this. Thought maybe??

That sounds like it will be a great layout! Have fun building your collection of locos and rolling stock. I'm slowly working through things and recording video, so more to come soon. Iain

@@gncascadedivision awesome!!!

Thanks - there's lots to catch up on! Iain

"just going down to the basement to get some exercise in, honey" 🙂 But yes - I want to be able to control the layout for the most part. Follow the trains around and throw the turnouts as needed, etc. Iain

Thanks, Michael! I still do a little UK modelling, so I'll share the OO gauge diesel maintenance facility that I'm building for you at some point! Great point on train orders. I think I'll end up with a balance - I won't necessarily create the papers / cards for the engineer to have when operating a train, but take that kind of approach. The engineer is in control, and for the most there's not going to be 6-8 different operators and trains running where you need to keep track of things more. So long as I have some amount of signals to add a little operational interest, I'll be happy. And thanks for the kind words on the layout in general. I'm trying my best to share, especially for those not in the same position to have this kind of space to build their dream. Iain

Thanks for the comments. Yes - I feel like ultimately there's not going to be quite what I want commercially, at least not something cost effective that I can scale to. I've done a bunch with Arduinos, and at least that's one where after I've figured out the logic and code, it's largely just the uploading the same thing to board after board. I'm okay with that. I still want to explore some of these commercial offerings so that I know what works and doesn't work, and explore the different approaches so that if I end up creating a custom board, I've been able to at least make sure it does what I want. More to come soon. I'll document if I go the route of creating a custom board, too. Thanks for following along. Iain

Sounds like a great approach. I looked at the SE74 but didn't want to have to program all the logic into JMRI. What does the DS74E offer, don't you still have to configure JMRI with the different heads and logic for when a turnout is thrown? How does that scale? My aversion to using JMRI is that I'll have somewhere in the region of 120 turnouts, not all of which will require signaling, but I simply don't want to spend the money on the solutions I've found so far that then still require me to configure all those signals in JMRI anyway. Iain

Yep, I know what it is, and have worked on ABS at 1/8th scale . Usually requires the layout in blocks, which I also discussed in the video as somewhat future proofing myself in having done already. Getting those signals working through available commercial offerings without being cost prohibitive is the challenge though, and focus of exploration in this upcoming series. Also, isn't the "red is permissive" based on the railroad and specific section of track? I don't think it's universally accepted as red being "pass at restricted speed"? Thanks for watching. Iain

@@gncascadedivision if the signal has a number plate, it is permissive. A signal without an number plate is an Absolute. To pass a red signal stop signal at a Absolute, you must have authority from the control operator or train dispatcher. Atlas's signal system is a very basic ABS set up that does not require a lot of work.

Thanks for the extra background. That all makes sense. The Atlas system looks neat, I checked out what they had at Trainfest and grabbed one of their ~16 or so page booklet. It's again one of those where scaling up to the size / amount I need is where the Atlas system gets too far away from being viable. I'm not even bothering to try it out for this initial exploration.

So many good layouts! Honestly wish I'd had more time to video everything. The Star Was train was fantastic, it really was! Thanks for watching. Iain

Pretty much the same, just either using construction adhesive to glue them or a small square of 1/8" masonite board adhered to the foam (my preferred approach). Just need a way to make solid adhesion. Main difference is replacing the throw wire - the wire that comes with the motors is too short / flimsy. Need to step up thicker / heavier gauge piano wire or similar. I've seen some people that recess the Tortoise into the foam, but thicker wire works just fine when the tortoise is mounted to the bottom of the 2" foam. I'll try to record a video in the future on installing them under the foam, but it's not that different. Iain

@@gncascadedivision Thanks a video would be ideal

Looked at them, and a bunch of others as I mentioned in the video. Tortoise still makes the most sense for balance of cost, installation, and features. Iain

Thanks! A long one, for sure, but I tried to cover a bunch of different things to help others out. Iain

Thanks! It's a lot of work by the time you factor in the panel and LEDs, but well worth it. That said, I'm really not looking forward to Interbay Yard - that's why I've been putting off laying out the track! Iain

Hah, people were running a whole mix of locos and roads, and there was quite a variety of layouts. The Santa Fe All the Way layout was pretty impressive though! Iain

This was at the Kyoto Railway Museum in Kyoto, Japan. It's about a 20 min walk from Kyoto Station, or one stop on one of the local train services. Definitely worth a visit! Iain

Yeah, that would be quite a trip for you! I'm lucky that it's "only" a 5hr or so drive. Glad you like Azatrax products - John was indeed very helpful and helped explain how to install the TS3. I'm excited to try it out and see how well it works! Iain

Thanks, it was awesome to meet you both! I'm glad you shared your channel, too. Let me know if you're in the Minneapolis area sometime (other than passing through on the Builder!) Iain

Thanks! Yes, this layout is mostly GN following the Scenic sub and further east, freelance prototypical from Seattle to Spokane. But, I also run some NP, SP&S, and a touch of Milwaukee. I'm not on Facebook, but I try to share as much as I can on TH-cam. Email is on the channel info page if you want to get in touch. Iain

Thanks. There were so many awesome layouts! Lot of larger O and G scale layouts, too, I just didn't do too much video of those. It was definitely a good show. Iain

Pretty much the same way (I just uploaded a video on installing the Tortoise switch machines and panel controls), but either using construction adhesive to glue them or a small square of 1/8" masonite board adhered to the foam (my preferred approach). Just need a way to make solid adhesion. Main difference is replacing the throw wire - the wire that comes with the motors is too short / flimsy. Need to step up thicker / heavier gauge piano wire or similar. I've seen some people that recess the Tortoise into the foam, but thicker wire works just fine when the tortoise is mounted to the bottom of the 2" foam. I'll try to record a video in the future on installing them under the foam, but it's not that different. Iain

@@gncascadedivisionThanks for the explanation; just watched your latest video on Tortoise installation and will look forward to segment on installation on foam

Thanks! Yeah, that's what I'm leaning towards - bend towards the back and model a little of the river there, and then curve the end of the yard at the end of aisle, even though it's kind of reversed to the prototype. I would like to show the bridge, for sure, and part of the small railroad at the park, too! Iain

Yep, that's a good option. I've seen people use Atlas products, too. I've used Seeps and Tam Valley Depot motors / servos, but mostly going with Tortoise motors here and just basically LED indicators from those, along with signalling. I don't want Digitrax having to control everything, or at least, I don't want have to configure it all. Iain

I do try! Stops me getting bored, and helps keep things fresh for different projects. Thanks for following along. Iain

Burnout is definitely real. I've certainly hit that, but also why I like to have a couple of other smaller layouts to keep things a little new and fresh sometimes. GN Cascade Division is still the main focus, but sometimes it just gets overwhelming. Take care of yourself! Iain

Sounds awesome! It's all fun, and helps pick up different skills to use across the different scales. Iain

Hopefully it was worth the wait! I'll try to get a little more regular videos out now that we're past outdoor weather. Iain

@@gncascadedivision It really was - the garden railway and 1/8 scale stuff was a real unexpected bonus! keep 'em coming, I'll be here for it :)

Awesome! Do keep an eye out and come say hi. I do like to spend time checking out all the club layouts! Iain

Put that machine shop time to good use! I'm not much of a machinist at all, and I think I somewhat know my limits not to try to take on that kind of a project. Maybe in a few years 🤣 It is nice to be able to dabble a little in different scales as it keeps me interested in new and different things. Iain

Hornby do make some nice TT stuff... I think I'm into more than enough for now though 😜 It's kinda nice to be able to jump around depending on what I feel like or I've been watching / reading about. I'm lucky I have the space to indulge in that, I know. Iain

Thanks! I've kept meaning to record some stuff along the way, but figure a recap video made sense by now! Iain

Thanks for following along! Yes, the upper decks are screwed straight into the studs with 4" construction screws. In a couple of the very early videos where I was building the bench work I explained that the dimensions of the different decks were somewhat a factor on the construction. I wanted them freestanding as much as possible, which meant weight was a limiting factor. It's worked just fine, and the framework has all been up for 2+ years without any noticeable change. That's also impressive in that the basement stud walls themselves will have settled a little after framing. The middle deck does have some 45 degree angled supports along the outside walls, but the center peninsula has none. The bench work runs straight through the stud wall and is plenty stable with no movement or twisting there. Your climate might be different. I'm lucky there's not much temp change or humidity as there are air drops and returns connected to the home's central air. Hope this helps! Iain

@ All good, was just wondering. I had seen the braces on the middle deck! Definitely a lot more humidity where I am in Philly over you up there. I spent most of ‘19-‘23 traveling back and forth to Duluth. Brrrr.

There are some great clubs, and usually all very open to visitors like you mention! Joining a club, if there's one near you, often opens up access to any club locos they might have. Usually there's an expectation for you to put in a little "sweat equity" to help keep things clean and running, but that's how I got started before I slowly started to build up my own little roster of rolling stock. Happy to show you around St. Croix if you make it up this way! Iain

Yep, sorry for the quiet over the summer. I just uploaded a recap video of various little projects I've been up to. Hopefully back to more regular updates now that the weather is changing! Iain

Options are definitely good! For my O gauge MTH train, I converted that to Bluetooth control with a battery pack given it runs outdoors. Works great. For a layout like this, it really needs DCC. Smaller layouts might be fine, but I think this is the right approach for the layout here. Iain

John Sarkozy up near the Vancouver, Canada area originally built it. He did a fine job, and it has served us well! Iain

I've had no problems with the Digitrax system, and overall happy I went that way. Was easy to expand. I didn't want to spend lots of time DIY'ing things together, even though I could / have before, as I just want this to work. Blue and white is for DCC, yes, just my preference. Red and black are for DC accessory bus. They run off terminal strips and currently connects to a single 5amp DC power supply. It was more just to pull the wires while I could, nothing is currently hooked up to it. Gives me options in the future, and I could power the separate DC runs if I want / need to at some point. Thanks for following along. All the best with your build! Iain

@@gncascadedivision Thanks and Great to hear, with a layout of your size glad to hear Digitrax is working well. I really like the package they offer.