"Self-location" isn't bad. Perhaps "auto-location" would be better, because it implies both "self" and "automatic."
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
i'm guessing you're trying to do a search and need terms. you might try "position sensing"
this might be similar to what self driving cars (see google) are doing with gps and more locally with radar or other means.
on another forum, someone is developing precise locomotive positioning using an encoder on the motor shaft to count motor revolutions (from some known position).
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
I guess you could use the word "detection". Digitrax uses the term "transponding", which is part of that.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Artificial inteligence?
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Is there a technical term for the concept of a train knowing where it is on your layout? I've used the term "self-location", but I know this is my own term. What do other people call this concept?