Is there anyone out there, usung a Plc to control layout lighting.
Probably not.
Most folks on this Forum probable don't know what a PLC is, and since it is not listed on any of the common model railroad web sites, they won't go looking for it.
However, if you have such a system, I don't know why it couldn't be used for controlling layout lighting. If you don't already have one, I am not sure that it would be cost effective.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
I was sort of intrigued by this post as in essence a PLC uses a gate/ladder system which could be used for controlling signaling and lighting. But there is a lot of ifs and buts. Unless you have a newer system lying around ( which can handle digital) most of the older ones that would be salvaged from a plant rely on analog inputs based on voltage change. The older PLC's may or may not have an ethernet interface and may have to be programmed via RS-232 or another RS variant. These things are not swapped out like PC's. Plants can run them for 20 years.
So if, you happen to have one, you are a electrical or mechanical engineer familiar with process control systems, you know how to program one and have access to the software to program one and have the wherewithal to figure out how to trigger the inputs I would google "PLC Model railroads". There is a fair bit of information and a couple of sites that look like they are dedicated to this.
If you can actually get one for a reasonable cost - a typical industrial PLC is NOT inexpensive and you cna probbaly accomplish much the sam thing with a high current switch on a DCC accessory controller (or something like the Aux Box) and some simple scripting in JMRI.
We do have a new amusement park module coming online soon witht he club layout, and one fo the members actually does have a spare PLC he is configuring to controlt he rdes - they will all be powered and lighted, and start/stop at random time with different run times for each ride - rather than have them all start and stop at the saem time, it will instead look more like the ride loads up, runs a cycle,a dn waits for the next load, each one independent of the others.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I now have Allen Bradley Plc 5-30e running all of the lighting and signals on my ho layout. My job is installation and programming Plcs. I was just wondering if anyone else is using them.
Thanx ccg