#modelrailway — Public Fediverse posts

Hanging out in Griffith Park for the LA Live Steamers Spring 2026 Meet #ModelTrains #ModelRailway #LiveSteam

Hanging out in Griffith Park for the LA Live Steamers Spring 2026 Meet #ModelTrains #ModelRailway #LiveSteam

#ModelRailway #NGauge #Trainstodon

Drew haz a hobby... I don't post a lot about the model railway, mainly because I just have a tiny test layout for now while I try to find enough time to build the benchwork for a bigger layout.

But anyway, I'm focusing on Switzerland with some overlap with neighbouring countries, and I buy most of my stock second hand because have you seen the prices of new stuff?

The pic shows my latest used haul which arrived today from a trusted UK supplier. For scale, the front left wagon is 10cm long. This little lot cost me about £100 which is less than half retail price. Not the cheapest of hobbies, but I'm a #railfan so what can I do?

Today’s lunchtime project: nearly completed a prototype of an Arduino Nano based semaphore signal controller. The inputs (green terminals on the far side) are compatible with SigNaTrak’s SIGM20, so you just wire up red (or green) of a two aspect signal. The outputs are straight servo connections. The board requires 5V to work.

The Arduino reads a digital input and uses the value to decide if the associated servo output should be in one of two positions. Those positions are set by the adjustable potentiometers. If the servo isn’t in the right position, it moves to that position, but slowly.

This allows you to connect a small servo to a semaphore signal and drive it from the SIGM20 as if it were a two aspect red/green signal. The board actually supports three servos in total.

I’ll need two such boards to support all the semaphore signals I’m planning to install, they’ll cost me maybe £15 each in this prototype form.

#ModelRailway #arduino #prototype #signalling

Today’s lunchtime project: nearly completed a prototype of an Arduino Nano based semaphore signal controller. The inputs (green terminals on the far side) are compatible with SigNaTrak’s SIGM20, so you just wire up red (or green) of a two aspect signal. The outputs are straight servo connections. The board requires 5V to work.

The Arduino reads a digital input and uses the value to decide if the associated servo output should be in one of two positions. Those positions are set by the adjustable potentiometers. If the servo isn’t in the right position, it moves to that position, but slowly.

This allows you to connect a small servo to a semaphore signal and drive it from the SIGM20 as if it were a two aspect red/green signal. The board actually supports three servos in total.

I’ll need two such boards to support all the semaphore signals I’m planning to install, they’ll cost me maybe £15 each in this prototype form.

#ModelRailway #arduino #prototype #signalling

Today’s lunchtime project: nearly completed a prototype of an Arduino Nano based semaphore signal controller. The inputs (green terminals on the far side) are compatible with SigNaTrak’s SIGM20, so you just wire up red (or green) of a two aspect signal. The outputs are straight servo connections. The board requires 5V to work.

The Arduino reads a digital input and uses the value to decide if the associated servo output should be in one of two positions. Those positions are set by the adjustable potentiometers. If the servo isn’t in the right position, it moves to that position, but slowly.

This allows you to connect a small servo to a semaphore signal and drive it from the SIGM20 as if it were a two aspect red/green signal. The board actually supports three servos in total.

I’ll need two such boards to support all the semaphore signals I’m planning to install, they’ll cost me maybe £15 each in this prototype form.

#ModelRailway #arduino #prototype #signalling

Today’s lunchtime project: nearly completed a prototype of an Arduino Nano based semaphore signal controller. The inputs (green terminals on the far side) are compatible with SigNaTrak’s SIGM20, so you just wire up red (or green) of a two aspect signal. The outputs are straight servo connections. The board requires 5V to work.

The Arduino reads a digital input and uses the value to decide if the associated servo output should be in one of two positions. Those positions are set by the adjustable potentiometers. If the servo isn’t in the right position, it moves to that position, but slowly.

This allows you to connect a small servo to a semaphore signal and drive it from the SIGM20 as if it were a two aspect red/green signal. The board actually supports three servos in total.

I’ll need two such boards to support all the semaphore signals I’m planning to install, they’ll cost me maybe £15 each in this prototype form.

#ModelRailway #arduino #prototype #signalling

Today’s lunchtime project: nearly completed a prototype of an Arduino Nano based semaphore signal controller. The inputs (green terminals on the far side) are compatible with SigNaTrak’s SIGM20, so you just wire up red (or green) of a two aspect signal. The outputs are straight servo connections. The board requires 5V to work.

The Arduino reads a digital input and uses the value to decide if the associated servo output should be in one of two positions. Those positions are set by the adjustable potentiometers. If the servo isn’t in the right position, it moves to that position, but slowly.

This allows you to connect a small servo to a semaphore signal and drive it from the SIGM20 as if it were a two aspect red/green signal. The board actually supports three servos in total.

I’ll need two such boards to support all the semaphore signals I’m planning to install, they’ll cost me maybe £15 each in this prototype form.

#ModelRailway #arduino #prototype #signalling

Busy day on the #ModelRailway

Completed signal box with signalman, lever frame, furniture, and overhead light. Most of what’s in there is barely visible, but a lit empty room with big windows like these stands out a mile.

The full complement of ten buildings are now ready for the branch line boards. Next up, semaphore signal electronics and 3D printed mounts, and then to build the station platform up from the 3D prints I’ve got ready.

#ModelRailway #Metcalfe #OOScale

Paddington is still being cheerful on the station platform. #ModelRailway

One thing I did do last night though was touch up my hand painted model of my old dog Jess and replaced the generic border collie in my little diorama. Here she is with me. #ModelRailway

“Work in progress”

Fitting lights to a Metcalfe barn kit. Made slightly trickier because the barn had a floor.

Wiring for the lights will run to the front corner of the building where they will terminate on a small piece of perfboard holding the resistors that allow 12v to be used. The 12V cable will run down and out of the bottom and be very short, just enough to bend over and slot into a gap cut into the foam base that the barn will sit on. There’s a second building yet to be added to this structure.

More pics to follow this evening.

#ModelRailway #Mrtcalfe #Progress

“Work in progress”

Fitting lights to a Metcalfe barn kit. Made slightly trickier because the barn had a floor.

Wiring for the lights will run to the front corner of the building where they will terminate on a small piece of perfboard holding the resistors that allow 12v to be used. The 12V cable will run down and out of the bottom and be very short, just enough to bend over and slot into a gap cut into the foam base that the barn will sit on. There’s a second building yet to be added to this structure.

More pics to follow this evening.

#ModelRailway #Mrtcalfe #Progress

“Work in progress”

Fitting lights to a Metcalfe barn kit. Made slightly trickier because the barn had a floor.

Wiring for the lights will run to the front corner of the building where they will terminate on a small piece of perfboard holding the resistors that allow 12v to be used. The 12V cable will run down and out of the bottom and be very short, just enough to bend over and slot into a gap cut into the foam base that the barn will sit on. There’s a second building yet to be added to this structure.

More pics to follow this evening.

#ModelRailway #Mrtcalfe #Progress

“Work in progress”

Fitting lights to a Metcalfe barn kit. Made slightly trickier because the barn had a floor.

Wiring for the lights will run to the front corner of the building where they will terminate on a small piece of perfboard holding the resistors that allow 12v to be used. The 12V cable will run down and out of the bottom and be very short, just enough to bend over and slot into a gap cut into the foam base that the barn will sit on. There’s a second building yet to be added to this structure.

More pics to follow this evening.

#ModelRailway #Mrtcalfe #Progress

“Work in progress”

Fitting lights to a Metcalfe barn kit. Made slightly trickier because the barn had a floor.

Wiring for the lights will run to the front corner of the building where they will terminate on a small piece of perfboard holding the resistors that allow 12v to be used. The 12V cable will run down and out of the bottom and be very short, just enough to bend over and slot into a gap cut into the foam base that the barn will sit on. There’s a second building yet to be added to this structure.

More pics to follow this evening.

#ModelRailway #Mrtcalfe #Progress

Moving to a new instance is a sly excuse to write an #introduction post (I never did one before).

I'm Drew, pleased to meet you. I'm male, middle aged, child-free, a Brit but don't feel like one, living in 🇵🇭 for the last few years. I'm #neurodivergent with quite severe #CPTSD. You can ask me about it, I'm trying to get better at discussing it. I'm married, I work in #tech and I love animals and nature.

I post about (takes deep breath): #DogsOfMastodon #WebDev #Linux #Fedora #RaspberryPi #Apple #NoAI #FuckAI #BanAI #Enshittification #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #ADHD #ChildhoodTrauma #MentalHealth #Stroke #PTSD #ModelRailway #NGauge #Philippines #SilentSunday #Bookstodon #Music

Edit: Almost forgot! I have a single-page personal profile website at https://drewtowler.me which expands on all this.

Edit: Other things I like but probably won't post about: #OldMaps #AnimeArt #StudioGhibli

Moving to a new instance is a sly excuse to write an #introduction post (I never did one before).

I'm Drew, pleased to meet you. I'm male, middle aged, child-free, a Brit but don't feel like one, living in 🇵🇭 for the last few years. I'm #neurodivergent with quite severe #CPTSD. You can ask me about it, I'm trying to get better at discussing it. I'm married, I work in #tech and I love animals and nature.

I post about (takes deep breath): #DogsOfMastodon #WebDev #Linux #Fedora #RaspberryPi #Apple #NoAI #FuckAI #BanAI #Enshittification #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #ADHD #ChildhoodTrauma #MentalHealth #Stroke #PTSD #ModelRailway #NGauge #Philippines #SilentSunday #Bookstodon #Music

Edit: Almost forgot! I have a single-page personal profile website at https://drewtowler.me which expands on all this.

Edit: Other things I like but probably won't post about: #OldMaps #AnimeArt #StudioGhibli

Moving to a new instance is a sly excuse to write an #introduction post (I never did one before).

I'm Drew, pleased to meet you. I'm male, middle aged, child-free, a Brit but don't feel like one, living in 🇵🇭 for the last few years. I'm #neurodivergent with quite severe #CPTSD. You can ask me about it, I'm trying to get better at discussing it. I'm married, I work in #tech and I love animals and nature.

I post about (takes deep breath): #DogsOfMastodon #WebDev #Linux #Fedora #RaspberryPi #Apple #NoAI #FuckAI #BanAI #Enshittification #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #ADHD #ChildhoodTrauma #MentalHealth #Stroke #PTSD #ModelRailway #NGauge #Philippines #SilentSunday #Bookstodon #Music

Edit: Almost forgot! I have a single-page personal profile website at https://drewtowler.me which expands on all this.

Edit: Other things I like but probably won't post about: #OldMaps #AnimeArt #StudioGhibli

Moving to a new instance is a sly excuse to write an #introduction post (I never did one before).

I'm Drew, pleased to meet you. I'm male, middle aged, child-free, a Brit but don't feel like one, living in 🇵🇭 for the last few years. I'm #neurodivergent with quite severe #CPTSD. You can ask me about it, I'm trying to get better at discussing it. I'm married, I work in #tech and I love animals and nature.

I post about (takes deep breath): #DogsOfMastodon #WebDev #Linux #Fedora #RaspberryPi #Apple #NoAI #FuckAI #BanAI #Enshittification #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #ADHD #ChildhoodTrauma #MentalHealth #Stroke #PTSD #ModelRailway #NGauge #Philippines #SilentSunday #Bookstodon #Music

Edit: Almost forgot! I have a single-page personal profile website at https://drewtowler.me which expands on all this.

Edit: Other things I like but probably won't post about: #OldMaps #AnimeArt #StudioGhibli

Moving to a new instance is a sly excuse to write an #introduction post (I never did one before).

I'm Drew, pleased to meet you. I'm male, middle aged, child-free, a Brit but don't feel like one, living in 🇵🇭 for the last few years. I'm #neurodivergent with quite severe #CPTSD. You can ask me about it, I'm trying to get better at discussing it. I'm married, I work in #tech and I love animals and nature.

I post about (takes deep breath): #DogsOfMastodon #WebDev #Linux #Fedora #RaspberryPi #Apple #NoAI #FuckAI #BanAI #Enshittification #Autism #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #ADHD #ChildhoodTrauma #MentalHealth #Stroke #PTSD #ModelRailway #NGauge #Philippines #SilentSunday #Bookstodon #Music

Edit: Almost forgot! I have a single-page personal profile website at https://drewtowler.me which expands on all this.

Edit: Other things I like but probably won't post about: #OldMaps #AnimeArt #StudioGhibli

Remember kids, there’s always trains 💚 #ModelRailway

The last week’s evenings have been busy. All these buildings are for the branch line station and goods yard.

#ModelRailway #OOScale

Brandenburger Tor in H0 im Leeraner Miniaturland (27/04/2024).

#leeranerminiaturland #berlin #berlincity #ostfriesland #leerostfriesland #modelbuilding #norddeutschland #loxx #brandenburggate #tiergarten #modellbahn #modellbahnh0 #modelleisenbahn #landscapemodel #modelrail #modellbahnanlage #modelrailway #modelrailroad #hOscale #pariserplatz #h0scale #1zu87 #187scale #h0 #modeltrainlayout #modeltrains #hO #brandenburgertor #berlinberlin #modelcity

Brandenburger Tor in H0 im Leeraner Miniaturland (27/04/2024).

#leeranerminiaturland #berlin #berlincity #ostfriesland #leerostfriesland #modelbuilding #norddeutschland #loxx #brandenburggate #tiergarten #modellbahn #modellbahnh0 #modelleisenbahn #landscapemodel #modelrail #modellbahnanlage #modelrailway #modelrailroad #hOscale #pariserplatz #h0scale #1zu87 #187scale #h0 #modeltrainlayout #modeltrains #hO #brandenburgertor #berlinberlin #modelcity

Also here’s the other end as I could only attach one video at a time. #ModelRailway

5 year old me would have absolutely lost my shit at this, because it’s so cool. As a 33 year old, it’s still awesome. #ModelRailway

Another cool thing I saw today (though I had seen this layout at another exhibition last year but it was great to see again) was this one with actual sand and operating functions. This crane/excavator digs up sand at one end of the layout and drops it into wagons on the narrow gauge railway. An engine then takes the train to the other end of the line, the wagon gets tipped and the same goes down a grate in the ground. The sand is then taken up a conveyor belt to be sifted. #ModelRailway

The T-Rex occasionally came to life, thrashing about and making dinosaur noises #ModelRailway

Jurassic Park! #ModelRailway

RE: https://rail.chat/@andreaswiedenhoff/116522807528005939

Now I want an N gauge model of one of these.
#ModelRailway #NGauge

RE: https://rail.chat/@andreaswiedenhoff/116522807528005939

Now I want an N gauge model of one of these.
#ModelRailway #NGauge

RE: https://rail.chat/@andreaswiedenhoff/116522807528005939

Now I want an N gauge model of one of these.
#ModelRailway #NGauge

RE: https://rail.chat/@andreaswiedenhoff/116522807528005939

Now I want an N gauge model of one of these.
#ModelRailway #NGauge

RE: https://rail.chat/@andreaswiedenhoff/116522807528005939

Now I want an N gauge model of one of these.
#ModelRailway #NGauge

Clunk. #ModelRailway

My first taste of O gauge (outside of playing with a friend’s) as I couldn’t resist this cheap model, as I’ve driven the full size locomotive! (It belongs to same previously mentioned friend) #ModelRailway

It’s a sort of purple colour. #ModelRailway

I’m contemplating listing a second model for sale. I’m not 100% sure because I like the loco a lot, it’s just that it mostly sits in a box and feels a waste, especially when it’s worth quite a bit of money. Conflicted. #ModelRailway

#NScale #NTrak #ModelTrains #ModelRailroad #ModelRailway

#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings

1. Heading up to our farm workers' bunkhouse as soon as we wake up, to have a catch-up while the dogs roll in the grass and the chickens wander round us pecking in the dirt. #FarmLife

2. Running some trains on my little test layout while consistently failing to find the time to build my "proper" layout. #ModelRailway #NGauge #DCC #JMRI

3. A call from a former client #today may result in a #webdev project for a new client.

#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings

1. Heading up to our farm workers' bunkhouse as soon as we wake up, to have a catch-up while the dogs roll in the grass and the chickens wander round us pecking in the dirt. #FarmLife

2. Running some trains on my little test layout while consistently failing to find the time to build my "proper" layout. #ModelRailway #NGauge #DCC #JMRI

3. A call from a former client #today may result in a #webdev project for a new client.

#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings

1. Heading up to our farm workers' bunkhouse as soon as we wake up, to have a catch-up while the dogs roll in the grass and the chickens wander round us pecking in the dirt. #FarmLife

2. Running some trains on my little test layout while consistently failing to find the time to build my "proper" layout. #ModelRailway #NGauge #DCC #JMRI

3. A call from a former client #today may result in a #webdev project for a new client.

#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings

1. Heading up to our farm workers' bunkhouse as soon as we wake up, to have a catch-up while the dogs roll in the grass and the chickens wander round us pecking in the dirt. #FarmLife

2. Running some trains on my little test layout while consistently failing to find the time to build my "proper" layout. #ModelRailway #NGauge #DCC #JMRI

3. A call from a former client #today may result in a #webdev project for a new client.

#3GoodThings #ThreeGoodThings

1. Heading up to our farm workers' bunkhouse as soon as we wake up, to have a catch-up while the dogs roll in the grass and the chickens wander round us pecking in the dirt. #FarmLife

2. Running some trains on my little test layout while consistently failing to find the time to build my "proper" layout. #ModelRailway #NGauge #DCC #JMRI

3. A call from a former client #today may result in a #webdev project for a new client.

#NScale #NTrak #ModelTrains #ModelRailroad #ModelRailway

#NScale #NTrak #ModelTrains #ModelRailroad #ModelRailway

#NScale #NTrak #ModelTrains #ModelRailroad #ModelRailway

#NScale #NTrak #ModelTrains #ModelRailroad #ModelRailway