I have not layed any track yet (thanks Walthers/Shinohara for that [:(!]) and wonder if I must plan for future signals before I lay any track?
The last thing I want to do is to lay track and after it’s complete realize that I must take it up again just to be able to install signals.
What do you guys say about this? Is this something that I need to worry about right now?
Mostly, it’s just a wiring thing, and it can be done after the track is down. You need to provide a place for the signal itself, of course, so you need to have a flat spot somewhere next to the track. If you are using a double signal bridge that goes above a pair of tracks, make sure the tracks are close enough together.
I don’t have any signals yet (the train crew have radios for instructions). i will be adding some at a later date so i have planned roughly were they will go it will be a case of pushing wires through the foam board scenary and connecting them to a control panel, as i only have a limited amount of turnouts i will be doing it the old fashiond way by switching the turnout by hand then operating the signals to suit
Go ahead and plan them in if you want to. John Allen, a firm believer in planning, while building the last Gorre & Daphetid RR, installed wiring for his signals as he was pouring the concrete that became the basis of part of his layout scenery. He didn’t get around to installing the actual signals until some twenty years later. But because he had gone ahead and made plans for them, did the preliminary work involved in it, all he had to do was attach the wires to them.
are signals easy to install?
One thing we’re running into on signaling is that when actually operating the RR it’ll be a point to point but when visitors come over we run it as a continuous run. If the signal blocks are set up for operation, they won’t be correct for continuous running and vise versa. Decisions, decisions…
the answer is no , you don’t have to , lots of people have added the signals after completing (or as close as we ever get) trackwork and scenery . but i’ll bet that if you asked them , they’d almost all say they would have planned , wired etc. when 1st constructing the layout
No - except most signalling system’s use COMMON RAIL (only one rail gapped) for detection, so I would suggest it would be prudent to get a book on ‘wiring your layout’ ala common rail (simple).
Yes, Cool, but not cheap.
YOU NEED the hardware (signals) and software (detection). Cheapest way to go is two aspect (red / green). It does the job.
http://www.oregonrail.com/items.html
The BETTER software will not only work in proper sequence, but in both directions like the real thing. For example backing up.
http://www.integratedsignalsystems.com/Default.htm