programming help

[Tomp]

A little tip that could work for some, I have a 8 x 4 layout with a basic dual track, through station in front and passing loops at the rear hidden by scenic boards and tunnels each end  , this allows me to run 4 locos at different times.

I also have problems with ESU sound locos responding to prrogram commands, what I do is issue a command to turn off the sound after the loco has entered the tunnel this allows me to get a fairly acurate stopping time which is needed to operate the next loco on the passing loop and aslo adds a bit of reality. Note, I can only do this with steam locos, my desiels need to be started with sound and allowed to go through the startup sounds before issuing a  run command.

I'm still striving for perfection so no guarantee as all locos seem to be different (mine are mostly Bachmann) but it's worth a try for any who are having problems.

Tom

[RDS]

Hi Tom

How do you detect when the loco has entered the tunnel to be able to turn off the sound?

[Tomp]

Sorry, I may not have explained properly, I'm operating the trains from the station side with my PC, as the train enters the tunnel there's a  timed command programed to turn off the sound

I initally prorgramed the locos via the record function in RM pressing the sound off within the control panel when the loco enters the tunnel then refined it afterwards if needed.

Tom

[RDS]

Oh I see, so you always start your loco's from the same point and then the time taken to reach the tunnel is usually the same?

This sort of operation should be far easier when we have Loco Detection. 

[Tomp]

You explained it better than me but yes that's the objective, start stop at exactly the same point and watch them go round

[St1ngr4y]

My layout is in the loft and at one end I have 8 loops out of sight from any visitors, but it is also where my Elite and Railmaster pc are located. So I can hold 8 trains in these "hidden sidings" but I can also see where they start and stop. At one end of the loops I have two marker pegs at each side and I stop the trains alligned with these pegs, the rear end of anticlockwise trains, and the front of clockwise trains.

When I first started developing programs, I was generally able to get them to stop consistently within an inch or so, and then to manually adjust them to the exact position for their next journey. I have recently changed the end of my programs to something like this:-

Loco Forward to Shunt

Program Command Message "Stop train at marker",15

Loco Stop

The first command is timed to slow the train to a crawl about 10" short of the markers.

The second command reminds me to get ready with the mouse to hit the Stop button when I see it reach the markers

The final command is a fail safe in case I have been distracted, and will stop the train before it overruns the siding.

When starting a sound loco from one of these sidings, I usually get the train moving without any sound. Some of my sound locos have a "Fade sound" function which can increase the volume from silent to normal or the reverse. So I switch this on before the train moves off. Then just before it emerges from the tunnel, I switch the sound on first, then switch the "Fade sound" off. The advantage of doing this is so that any startup sound sequence the loco may have is by-passed. It just sounds as if the sound has been there all of the time but the volume increases from silent to normal just as the train approaches the tunnel mouth.

When these locos re-enter the tunnel, the "fade sound " is used to take the volume down to silent just after it enters the tunnel.

Ray