We (The Klamath Rails) are assisting our local children’s museum in building a model railroad (20’ x 17’) as part of it’s transportation area. Weare looking for groups and individuals that would assist in the planning phase. The railroad will be set in the 50’s and 60’s. It will feature logging, cattle and mine features.
The railroad must be unsupervised and will need to be operated by push buttons so the children can operate the trains and animated features. Any suggestions?
I think one of the bigger problems is that you will have will be with turnouts. If they are set the wrong way the train will derail. So you are probably looking at running loops. The Altoona RR Museum has a layout about 10 x 25. Their operations consists of two buttons. One start a passenger train that stops at the stations for one loop. The other activates a coal train that makes one stop during its loop. Running automatically is a switcher that runs forward about 10 feet stops and goes back.
One option is to go DCC. If you find someone who knows enough about computer and DCC you can have all the train controlled by DCC, turnouts and all. Just a thought.
Anotther suggestion is to tell us where your club is at. That way you can find people in your area.
Andrew
You say “Klamath” - I presume Klamath Fall Oregon.
Can we see a diagram of the layout, viewing, and access areas? Do you have a schedule of trains worked out? (passenger, express frieght, through freight, peddler freight, etc?) You mention stock yards - plan for a “stock run”?
Publish up a “Givens & Druthers” form. Any survey of the prospective “viewers”
I STRONGLY suspect you will want a DCC system - don’t be scared. I think they are simple. Also, consider a system controled by C/MRI Interface ala Bruce Chub’s systems. What will the pushbuttons “do”? Start a specific Train? Start and Operate a specific train acccording to a schedule? Etc.
Pragmatic: suggest “spring” switches w/ trailing points so don’t confuse the engineer and derail the train.
Check out DIGITRAX site. They have a lot of stuff, and their decoders can control automation and turnout functions.
You have thrown down the gauntlit. I look forward to maby assisting in the design, cretiquing, etc. of you layout. Keep us posted.
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randy
P.S.: Check the old index/library. back in the '60’s or '70’s MR ran an article on a small layout that was totally animated. Detectors and relays turned tains on an off, and changed switch alignments.
be ready with a computer to help control operation…
Remember the slomotion tortoise switch machines would be able to move more than a turnout, like move a log back and forth.
Don’t let it become a maintenance nightmare, keep it simple.
You can go with the extreme and exotic, as mentioned above, or keep it simple such as Northlandz in NJ.
This massive layout is no more than numerous continuously running separate loops and automatic reversing of trains on the same track. Maintainance could be kept to a minimum this way.
Bob K.
THe Adventure Science Museum in Nashville uses a 3loop Lionel system. Push buttons apenty to operate the accesories as well as one of the trains. An operator needs to be on duty to keep an eye on things. A little fence keeps little fingers off the rails. THe layout needs to be very low, perhaps 20in off the ground, so that a tod can push buttons without being held by a parent.
You should see the smiles when a child can push a button & have the train go. Don’t forget lots of operating accesories, like the cattle car, barrel car, coal chute, etc. Kids will have fun if they can make lots of noise.
For each loop, you may consider having 2 trains ready to operate from a siding. I have seen where LGB trains go into a siding & then the other train takes it’s turn on the loop.
Those who say keep it simple are right on the mark. The larger scale trains you can use the better, G would be best. Forget switches, computers, and command control. All are a waste of money for this type of display.
Multiple loops of track, with a single train each should be your goal. Kids push a button, and the train makes a single loop. Very easy to do, and very reliable. This will keep the wear and tear to a minimum.
Add buttons for sounds like cows mooing, saw mill, lumber jacks, train sounds, etc. Add buttons for lights and any animations, and you’re done.
I don’t know about anyone else here, but I have extensive experience in the area of public train displays. Feel free to email me if you would like to know more.
This is the control area for the automatic HO layout at the B&O Museum in Baltimore: