The Russet Lines - a model railway project

[Paul-380474]

Fascinating to 'read' about your use of reed switches. I have set up a very simple system for my fiddle track (which consists of six lanes each capable of holding two four feet long trains). In my case I have isolated the track into 12 sections and reed switches detect the passing of an engine (small magnets on their undersides). This detection is passed to one of two Pickaxe-18 programmable electronic modules (up line and down line).  Using the in-house software Logicator (which uses input/output event blocks to auto code) I can write  procedures to have the track sections switch on and off in accordance with the engine location. (This code is downloaded to the eprom on the module and so functions independently).

This prevents collisions, and provides active queue management.

Miles of wiring though!

[96RAF]

4 hours ago, Paul-380474 said:

Miles of wiring though!

Yes sensor wiring can be copious, which is why some of us in the TGG group now use the fibre optic Tx-Rx modules. 1 fibre optic cable cuts out 8 sets of sensor wiring (I was using ethernet twisted pairs for the reed switches, but for the hall sensors I use domestic LED strip-lights 3-wire extension ribbon cable. The motherboard board integrates the simple Leo Bodnar gaming switch-box as a collector and this passes a 'yes' back to the software when a sensor is passed. All dead simple. As previously explained the program scripts then await a sensor being triggered by a loco magnet before the next program event can run, which is ideal for interlocking to prevent collisions, etc.

[96RAF]

The Russet Lines is back on its legs at its new home. The garage train room is larger than the old one, hence more room for a workbench and better control station. It is also integral to the house so much more convenient to use as well as being more sociable than the detached room before.

 

 

[Dukedog.]

Looking good