gregc ATLANTIC CENTRAL Yes, it just regulates movement based on occupancy and turnout position. How does your question relate to your quote from the OP? it's more than just for show. It allows you to check that turnouts are aligned (trailing point) before proceeding which is something we suffer from while operating on a new layout we're not that familiar with. And that the block is clear if there's crowded complicated trackwork. i thought ABS confirms that permited movements are safe. They might not be because another train is not cleared a block in time or has proceded when it doesn't have permission.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Yes, it just regulates movement based on occupancy and turnout position. How does your question relate to your quote from the OP?
How does your question relate to your quote from the OP?
it's more than just for show. It allows you to check that turnouts are aligned (trailing point) before proceeding which is something we suffer from while operating on a new layout we're not that familiar with. And that the block is clear if there's crowded complicated trackwork.
i thought ABS confirms that permited movements are safe. They might not be because another train is not cleared a block in time or has proceded when it doesn't have permission.
OK, now I understand what you were getting at. But not everyone above hastheir signals linked to detector or turnouts. Truely modeling any prototype system is difficult as Dave H explained earlier.
Our layouts are simply not big enough for all the aspects to have a purpose, are distances are too short.
Some people extract some features, some choose other features. It depends on your goals, layout size and operational style/interest.
I chose all interlocking/absolute signals w/CTC because I like the busy CTC invironment and I model a double track mainline. Even with what will be a nearly 400' long mainline run, I don't have enough distance between interlocking points to justify intermediate blocks or ABS functions.
My typical train is 15' to 20' long, my typical mainline block is between 40' and 60' long. Typical interlocking sections are 3' to 6' long.
Sheldon
Hi, a bit late timewise for a comment but here it goes. Low cost signal control is possible using block occupancy detectors (CT Coils @ $2 ea), signals and an Arduino. Robin Simonds stuff (http://www.thenscaler.com/) has done much on this and is a good basis for going forward - cheaply.
Wow, this is an older thread, isn't it?Oh, well, since I'm here anyways...
At my club, we have two working signals (so far). Eventually, we will have a real, working system, but right now we just have two temporary signals.
Our situation is that we have one 60' length of single track that needs to operate trains in both directions (in a gallery with a tunnel). I placed a signal at each end and wired each one to it's own DCC mobile decoder as we're a DCC layout (decoders are a Digitrax DH123's). The mobile decoders are then wired into the track bus.
Both signals are wired to the headlight functions, but in the opposite fashion. So if the west signal's green indiction is wired to the forward function and red to the rear, the east signal's green indication is wired to the rear function and the green to the front. Both decoders are programmed to the same address (in our case, the two switch numbers make up the address number: switch 53 and switch 02 = DCC address #5302).When I'm in the tower, I plug in my throttle, select address 5302 and turn on the headlight function by hitting "0". Because the signals are wired in opposite directions, one signal will always be red and the opposite one will always be green. It's not possible for boths signals to be green.
This allows traffic in one direction only through our long single track mainline.