Randy,
Thanks for the info. I was pretty concerned with the transponding piece anyway. Finding out that its not needed for automation is a relief. Do you know of a good current resource for automation? I want to make myself as smart on it as possible before i pull the trigger. Thanks again.
v/r
J.R.
Threads merged and moved...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
rrinker2. Wiring channel along the front edge for the main bus wires. That way they will be easily accessible once the module is added to the layout.
Ken Patterson, who puts out a monthly youtube called What's Neat does that for his turnout/block control is using 3 layers of 2" foam and tunnels his wires to the front so the electrical switches are in the middle of the foam layers. You might have to go back 6 months or more to find that video.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Well you DID tell him in the other thread to post over here so the electronic types would see it...
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
1. Build modularly - a small module can be placed on a table to work on, and can be flipped upside down to access the wiring and other infrastructure.
2. Wiring channel along the front edge for the main bus wires. That way they will be easily accessible once the module is added to the layout. This is something that can be useful to anyone, not just someone in a wheelchair or with other health issues.
3. There seem to be as many people have issues with transponding as get it to work reliably. It limits you to Digitrax decoders, which would be a big issue with me. Transponding is not needed for automation - both major players in the software arena, JMRI and RR & Co, can accurately track trains without transponding - you just need to know the starting position and if the software is controlling the route, it knows by block occupancy what train is where.
Threads consolidated and it's no longer Ground Hog Day, thanks Tom.
Thanks Everyone. I will try and shorten the learning curve on editing a post and uploading photos.
RR_Mel Welcome WOW!!! From a wheelchair, I’m not doing that good without a wheelchair! Thumbs Up Thumbs Up
Absolutely, it is a remarkable accomplishment.
Hey Insanity-
I say this with all honesty (and with a little humor) . . . based on your description, it sounds like you don't need any advice. Or not much, at any rate. I mean, Holy Cow, what a great setup! I'm looking forward to getting advice from you.
Photos? Track plans? etc?
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
ScaleInsanityAfter careful consideration i decided to design this layout based loosely on the MKT during the transition era.
snip
ScaleInsanityThe goal was to maximize reliability and provide an infrastructure that could support transponding, signaling and detection and PC control.
If you are modeling double track and CTC, and want to be "prototypical", then what you are really modeling is the Mopac between Jeff City and St Louis after the MKT abandoned its St Louis sub and moved its operations to trackage rights over the MP between Sedalia and St Louis.
The MKT was, lets say, frugal.
It only had double track for about 5 miles in Dallas, TX and CTC before the 1980's was mostly confined to connections with other railroads (some of it controlled by the other RR) in short 3-5 mile stretches (more or less a really big interlocking). Where they had signals, it was single track ABS (not CTC). Most of the long stretches of single track CTC were installed in the 1980's where the MP had trackage rights over the MKT.
The MKT is a really cool railroad, I worked for the MP and then UP before, during and after the MKT merger and various parts of the MKT were my territory at various times. They were really old school. Minimal if any computers right up to the end. They were the last TT&TO territory on the UP. Their dispatch office in Denison was in a former "Piggly Wiggly" grocery store. Their "records center" was a 50 ft boxcar. In 1981 or 82 I was hi-railing over the MP north out of Ft Worth and when we went through Denison I noticed a "yard" over to the east that had a whole bunch of F units and old engines in it, I asked if that was a railroad museum and was told, no, that was the Katy's system shops.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
ScaleInsanityif anyone has any advice to accomplish full digital control from a pc or any other considerations i need to be aware of your input would be invaluable
Welcome to the forum. Please accept the following as constructive criticism. I am not interested in busting a newbies chops.
Large blocks of text are difficult to for some of us to read. Spaces between paragraphs (even if it doesn't make gramatical sense) make life much easier.
The title of you post will attract the rivet counters but your question is for the electrical gurus who know about arduino and JMII control who might bypass this thread altogether. May I suggest you go back to edit your post and change the title or maybe ask the same question in the Electric forum
You gave us plenty of details, which is a good thing.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Hello All,
I would like to start by saying thank you in advance for any and all comments. While i am new to the forums; i am not new to model railroading. I am currently working on my fourth layout in HO which consists of a double main a large pass through yard as well as several sidings for industry. It is an L shaped open grid bencwork setup with a pass under and central isle to provide access to every section of track. Subroad bed is 1/2 inch plywood with midwest cork roadbed. After careful consideration i decided to design this layout based loosely on the MKT during the transition era. My layout currently has 15 turnouts all atlas code 83 #6 or #8s and powered by tortoise switches. The minimum radius on all curves is 22 inches and there are no grades that exceed 2%. My layout is powered by a Digitrax Evolution and all joints are soldered and all turnouts and every three foot section have 20 gauge solid feeders running to my primary bus which is 14 gauge solid core with no individual runs longer than 15 feet. The goal was to maximize reliability and provide an infrastructure that could support transponding, signaling and detection and PC control. This will be a first for me in that this layout will have much more digital integration than i have used in the past. I would like to keep the layout as prototypical as possible but allow for ease of access and operation. This is because i am disabled and have to have wheelchair access as well as stuff that is easy to reference because unfortunately i am not quite as sharp as i was once. With all that being said, if anyone has any advice to accomplish full digital control from a pc or any other considerations i need to be aware of your input would be invaluable. Thanks Again.