My Loft Railway

Robspalu Model Railway

My model railway has been under construction for over 30 years, yet still not finished, and I doubt it ever will be as I am always thinking about improvements.

The layout is double track of the 'Tail Chaser' style, in a folded figure of 8, with a diverging single track branch line. The main line running length is just over 43 yards in each direction, and can easily run 4 trains on each track without then being on each others 'tail'. 

I am a DCC modeller, and use a "Digitrax DCS100" as my command station, with a additional DB150 as a booster, I have an extensive 'Loconet' on which numerous devices are connected, see 'Control System' for more details.

I use 'Kadee' buckeye couplings on all locos, coaches tend to be in defined rakes with kadee's at each end. Wagons are mainly in small groups with kadee's at each end.

My working life was spent in the Railway Signalling industry starting with British Rail, and ending with a well known signalling contractor. At heart I am a signalling engineer, but diversified into electronic control systems, and then software engineering. I now provide signalling support to the Beer Heights Light Railway (BHLR) at Pecorama in Devon. The signalling system now has a dedicated web site which can be viewed at bhlr.co.uk. The track diagram is states are driven by a Raspberry Pi which is connected to some of the interlocking relays. 

This background has meant that my model railway is fully signalled and interlocked and includes a 'Train Describer' as well as automatic control if desired using a suite of applications I have written myself.