During normal operation I would like to manually control the operation of the crossover turnouts (they can be paired together – both closed or both thrown).
Normal Operation - Allows the operator to control the train path:
A – B – C – D
A – B – C – A
D – C – B - A
For the purposes of automated continuous running I would like to be able to configure the turnout control to ‘automate’ throwing the turnouts so the path is always (Assume train always enters from A):
A – B – C - A
I will be using a DCC Specialties PSX-AR to control the reverse section and DCC Specialties Wabbit/Hare or NCE Switch-It Mk II stationary decoders to drive tortoise motors controlling the turnouts.
What’s the best way to accomplish this?
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
Two pushbuttons. You only have 2 optiosn even though you listed 3. A-B-C-D is the same as D-C-B-A, so the only real different ince if the crossover is set to cross or not. So two buttons, one for cross, one for straight. Switch-Its can drive 2 Tortoises at a time but you really only need 1 and linkage to operate both throwbars from a single motor. For automated running, just select the cross position and let'er fly. No need to make it complicated. The PSX-AR will handle the loop polarity if you set the crossover to cross, or do nothing if you set it for straight through. No need to complicate things.
Hares and Wabbits always seem so overpriced to me. But then so do Tortoises anymore, I use airplane servos, 6 for $13 plus a controller for $40 in single unit quantities that controls 4 of them. So about $11.50 per turnout motor.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Onewolf For the purposes of automated continuous running I would like to be able to configure the turnout control to ‘automate’ throwing the turnouts so the path is always (Assume train always enters from A): A – B – C - A What’s the best way to accomplish this?
An alternative:
A is a spring switch and is routed straight. C is routed diverge.
The train will go straight through A, take the loop, hit switch C and cross over, and hit spring switch A and proceed through.
It's all automatic. But not automated.
Then work backwards from that to set up the "manual" operation.
Ed
rrinkerFor automated running, just select the cross position and let'er fly.
"Automated" to me meant that the switch would throw automatically to line up with the train when it completed the loop. The PSX-AR will do this for you, but you don't want it to throw the switch when running in manual mode.
Also, since he is using stationary decoders, I would assume he is throwing switches with DCC and the use of pusbuttons wouldn't be consistent.
How about feeding both turnouts from a DPDT toggle that has the output of the PSX-AR on one side and on the other side, straight DC that would put the crossover in an "uncrossed" state? That way, when toggled to auto, the train would enter on A and return on A automatically. (it would go around the loop in a different direction every other time, but that shouldn't matter). When switched to "uncrossed" the train would run A-B-C-D.
It's an interesting puzzle.
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Connect the Tortoise running the crossover via a DPDT toggle (NOT wired to reverse the polarity). Center pins to the Tortoise motor. One side to the Tortoise control output on the PSX-AR, the other side to the output of the Switch-It. Thrown one way, control is manual via the Switch-It. Thrown the other way, control is automatic via the PSX-AR.
Or possibly reconsider the operation mode. The layout is effectively a dogbone, which is how I'm designing mine. For automatic running as an open house display, or to just show things off for those who just want to see trains run and don't know about operation, I'm thinking the trains will not use the reverse loop at the ends bust continuously circulate. For actual operations, the trains would go in and then get parked on a staging track until it's time to reset the layout for the next session.
Thanks for all the replies so far. One point that cannot be emphasized too much is that this trackage will be hidden under a city and will be accessible with only about 5" of vertical clearance. Therefore it needs to be 1 MILLION Percent reliable until the end of time.
The concept of simply throwing the crossover to run in "automated" mode is interesting but I am ignorant of how reliable to it would be to simply run through/against the thrown turnout upon returning from the loop? What is the long term reliability prognosis on that approach (the turnouts are Peco code 100 large turnouts driven by Tortoise motors).
rrinker Connect the Tortoise running the crossover via a DPDT toggle (NOT wired to reverse the polarity). Center pins to the Tortoise motor. One side to the Tortoise control output on the PSX-AR, the other side to the output of the Switch-It. Thrown one way, control is manual via the Switch-It. Thrown the other way, control is automatic via the PSX-AR. Or possibly reconsider the operation mode. The layout is effectively a dogbone, which is how I'm designing mine. For automatic running as an open house display, or to just show things off for those who just want to see trains run and don't know about operation, I'm thinking the trains will not use the reverse loop at the ends bust continuously circulate. For actual operations, the trains would go in and then get parked on a staging track until it's time to reset the layout for the next session. --Randy
The layout has a double track mainline east of Ogden, but it has a single track mainline north/west of Ogden. Therefore it's half a dogbone and a true return loop.
rrinkerConnect the Tortoise running the crossover via a DPDT toggle
...and, if you want to avoid physical toggle switches, you could use a port on a switch-it to throw a DPDT relay instead.
Onewolf Thanks for all the replies so far. One point that cannot be emphasized too much is that this trackage will be hidden under a city and will be accessible with only about 5" of vertical clearance. Therefore it needs to be 1 MILLION Percent reliable until the end of time.
Oh! You are more naughty than me! My staging has 7.5 inches of vertical clearance and people were scolding me! =P
You say east of Ogden - remind me of what RR and era you are running?
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761 Oh! You are more naughty than me! My staging has 7.5 inches of vertical clearance and people were scolding me! =P You say east of Ogden - remind me of what RR and era you are running?
Operated by the PSX-AR? It will take more than your lifetime to achieve 1 million operations. I've never seen a Tortoise fail. I have one I've even taken apart and put back togther multipe times and it still works fine, ff a bit noisier than a new one.
Don't ever build something you can NEVER get to. Nothign is perfectly reliable forever.
As a spring switch that the train just runs against coming out of the loop - should be very reliable, until you throw a car in the train that is way underweight and it can't hold the spring. It would be highly reliable, but trains would always take the same route throught he loop.
In any case, remove the spring from the Peco turnout. Just stopping the slam against the stock rails will increase the life of the turnout.