Author: traiNmaster

After spending 35 years in Malaysia, I have decided to spend the other 35 years outside Malaysia. First stop, Germany!
Greetings1 Comment

trai-N-master is Taking A Short Break

traiNmaster

Just a short notice to my readers and followers that I am taking a short break from my model railroading activities. The last few months have been a peak period for me, too many projects running in parallel and one after another. I am also moving on to a new role in the organisation in the next 3 months. There would be a lot of handovers of existing projects, which take priority over model railroading. However, I am not abandoning my germaN160 layout nor this hobby. See you again next year!   Jimmy Continue reading trai-N-master is Taking A Short Break

DCC and Electrical System, Layout Construction, Planning Book6 Comments

Build #16: Wiring and Weathering (Part 1)

traiNmaster

Last weekend I installed the track bus on all 3 modules (Segments F to H). This week, I added the feeders from the terminal points to the rails using AWG20 (0.5 sq.mm) wires. Each wire was connected to the respective points on the terminal strips. The DCC buzzer was helpful to detect any shorts while wiring. For such wiring, you would not normally make mistakes but as the layout gets larger and more tracks need to be wired, it is always good to have such buzzer. Thus, I started getting use to the habit of using DCC buzzer now. As … Continue reading Build #16: Wiring and Weathering (Part 1)

DCC and Electrical System, Layout Construction, Planning Book4 Comments

Build #15: Good Wiring is An Essential Lifeline to A Model Railway

traiNmaster

It was a nasty Saturday this weekend but it was a good time to spend indoor. I corresponded with Jason Reis about DCC wiring my modules some 3 months back and in between, I let the notes of our discussions set for awhile. A recap of those notes: The bottom level (pic below) will be divided into 5 small power districts. For circuit breakers, Jason recommended auto tail-light bulbs. Cheap and effective. The top level (pic below) will have 4 small power districts. I started with the bottom level wiring first: the track 2 (dark blue marking). I have read … Continue reading Build #15: Good Wiring is An Essential Lifeline to A Model Railway

DCC and Electrical System, Layout PlanningLeave a comment

Build #14: Turnouts Turned Out ….

traiNmaster

I am satisfied so far with the flex tracks that I have laid so far on Segments G, H and A as you can see in Build #12 and Build #13. Since then, I have spent about 10 minutes per day running my ICE 2 (Fleischmann) and ICE 3 (Arnold) models up and down the double tracks. The idea was to make sure that the track work does not cause any derailment. The track work was perfect. There was an “unintended” derailment, but not due to track work (see my Facebook report in germaN160 by traiNmaster on 25 June) Over … Continue reading Build #14: Turnouts Turned Out ….

Education, German Railways, Layout PlanningLeave a comment

Guide to German Railways Operation and Signalling Principles

traiNmaster

For those who are looking for German railways operation and signalling principles especially in English, I highly recommended the following: Source: Mark Vogel (Flickr.com) Dr. Joern Pachl wrote an excellent document on the German railway operation principles (PDF), explaining in detail how the German system works compared to Anglo-Saxon’s. Wolfgang Meyenberg did an excellent job on documenting and explaining the various German railways signal principles from last 2 centuries as well as the latest practices. I hope both references will be useful to you in building a close to prototype railway operations on your model layout. Continue reading Guide to German Railways Operation and Signalling Principles

Benchwork, DCC and Electrical System, Layout Construction, Planning BookLeave a comment

Build #13: Maiden Power Test Run on First 3 Km

traiNmaster

The first stretch 1.8m (or 3km in real-life) (each track) is ready although not ballasted. While waiting for the World Cup games to start, I spent some time cleaning the excess glues of the tracks and tested the pickup connection. At full throttle, it registered 17V (I am using Fleischmann analog DC transformer for tests) This time, Kato E8/9A volunteered to make the maiden trip, to and fro. I am happy with the result. It is a baby step but an important step for me. It is a sign that I am progressing rather than procrastinating. Continue reading Build #13: Maiden Power Test Run on First 3 Km

Benchwork, Layout Construction, Planning Book5 Comments

Build #12: Track-laying Begins

traiNmaster

In the rest of the world is today Father’s Day. Here in Germany, the Father’s Day is celebrated on 29th May each year, which is the ascension of Jesus to Heaven. I guess it is the Holy Father that we are celebrating then. Anyway, the German Father Day is a day where fathers (those of us who are on Earth) took out the beer cart and enjoy a full-day drinking. As for me, I continued working on my layout. It was time to lay some tracks. Sometime back, I bought a pack of 3mm cork wall tiles from Hornbach. For … Continue reading Build #12: Track-laying Begins

Layout Construction, Planning Book2 Comments

Build #11: Dive! Dive! Dive!

traiNmaster

It has been exactly two months since I did any serious work on my layout. Checking back on the Build #10, I stopped at one-half of the staging yard track arrangements. I am happy to reduce from 7 originally-planned tracks to 6. This time around, I went back to the standard modules Segment F-H. I disassembled all the 3 modules and took them to the front garden for further work. The nice thing about having a modular home layout is, you can remove them anytime and work at a more comfortable location. I avoided having saw dusts flying around the … Continue reading Build #11: Dive! Dive! Dive!

Model Rail Radio1 Comment

Model Rail Radio #89: The JLow Show

traiNmaster

It is nice to have a show named after you. Reminds me of my childhood days, watching “The Andy Griffith Show“, staring Andy Griffith and Don Knotts. Thanks Tom Barbalet for hosting the chat show at European-friendly time. Here is the link to MRR #89 and a sypnosis of the show: Andy Dixson has a layout update. Will more trees have to die for this layout? Time will tell. Jimmy Low introduces his model railroading interests. Will Merrell provides a blueprint for a successful NTrak club in particular working through a busy show season. Will and Jim Lincoln answer some questions … Continue reading Model Rail Radio #89: The JLow Show

Exhibitions/Fairs, German RailwaysLeave a comment

Easter and Trains

traiNmaster

Happy Easter, everyone! Easter is a time many look forward to, not just children and also big children. It is a sign of spring season and the start of the train seasons. After a few months of break, most clubs, museums and shows start to come out of hibernation and active once again. This spring, I had the opportunity to visit Intermodellbau 2014 in Dortmund. This is one of major exhibitions for the model-related hobbies such as model railways. As the annual Nuremberg Toys Fair is only opened to the trade, this Intermodellbau is open to the public where almost all major … Continue reading Easter and Trains