Advice Welcomed - Controlling switches via eLink?

[Hartley]

I have just acquired the Hornby R1184 Western Express Train Set with the Digital eLink and RailMaster software.  I also have lots of track that includes 10 * R8072 Hornby Track Left Turnout and 10 * R8073 Hornby Track Right Turnout. What is the best way to link and control these via eLink and RailMaster?  Your thoughts, comments and advice are most welcome.

I have yet to set-up the track and I have no additional accessories, so I have the luxury of starting from scratch.  Many Thanks.

[jane1707819582]

You will need 5 quad point accessory decoder and 20 point motors.

Address the acc decoders and wire up the point motors.

[Chrissaf]

If I was being pedantic, then this question should have been raised in the RailMaster forum because you mentioned eLink which is part of RailMaster. But the question is primarily about DCC operation of points that could relate to any DCC controller. Thus I have decided to leave this question here.

 

What is the best way to link and control these via eLink and RailMaster?  Your thoughts, comments and advice are most welcome.

 

If your question had just been a simple how do I operate points using DCC with Hornby kit, then the answer could have been very direct and straight forward like Jane's above. However you asked what is the 'best way'. This is where any answer has to stray into areas of 'greyness' along the lines of 'it depends'

 

This is an area where there are a multitude of different options in different prices brackets some of which can have operational issues. As you have not committed to purchase yet, I strongly advise that extra research effort is used to get this decision right, else you will be back trying to get operational issues resolved. Asking this question here is a good place to start for this research.

 

First thing first, you need to decide whether you want to operate the points slowly in a prototypical manner or operate them via Solenoid type point motors that can be fierce and potentially stressful to the point mechanism.

 

Then there is the question of do you have the point motors surface mounted or under-board. Slow Action point motors are best suited for under-board mounting. Most, but not all, 'Surface Mounted' point motors are Solenoid based with under-board product versions.

 

Once you have decided whether to go Solenoid or Slow Action, then you need to decide on brand. All brands of point motors are compatible with eLink [RailMaster controlled]. Hornby do not make or sell 'Slow Action' point motors.

 

Whatever point motor type is decided upon, then to operate the point motor you MUST have a DCC Accessory Decoder to provide the interface between the eLink controller and the point motor. These can be either single (1), dual (2), quad (4) or octet (8) ports, with quad port being the most common type.

 

Some point motors include the DCC Accessory Decoder function as part of the point motor. Examples of integrated DCC controlled point motors are:

 

• DCC Concepts iP Digital slow action point motors.
• GaugeMaster GMC-PM20 Solenoid surface mounted point motor & GMC-PM10D Solenoid under-board mounting.

 

But there are other point operating solutions that integrate the DCC Accessory Decoder in the product as well. In general and in principle, the non Hornby branded Accessory Decoder products are [unlike Hornby] in the main, made as 'self learning' decoders. This makes them very simple to configure with any controller including eLink (RailMaster controlled]. The RM configuration process is very slightly more convoluted, but there are threads on this forum that provide 'step by step how to' guides.

 

If you are looking at only Hornby branded products, then the Hornby DCC Accessory Decoder is the R8247 [4 port] used with ether R8243 Surface mounted Solenoid Point Motors or R8014 under-board Point Motors. But be aware that the R8247 is an old technological design [it is not 'self learning' and needs configuring on a 'PROG' track connection] and can have issues if used with some non Hornby Solenoid point motors.

 

In Conclusion.

 

I suggest that you consider the content above and do a little research regarding the products mentioned. Then come back with a 'short list' of which products you are considering. Then more targeted advice can be given. Your initial question as written is casting your net far too high and wide for definitive product advice to be given.

 

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[Fishmanoz]

I would be taking Chris's advice concerning self-learning decoders very seriously.  That means not the Hornby R8247.