When we had our first operating session on my layout Monday night, we discovered a problem. I have hidden staging tracks underneath my elevated city where trains are “staged” to come into my layout, both from the east and west. Here’s the problem. Since my staging is hidden, when an engineer went to bring in a train, sometimes the direction switch was thrown the wrong way and a train would back up further into staging rather than coming out onto my layout. Unfortunately, with trains staged “back to back”, the trains would back up into the caboose of the train behind it and couple to it.
Obviously, there’s no way to know in advance which way your train is going to go, in looking at a throttle. I’m using block-controlled DC with walk-around radio throttles.
My buddy suggested that I install a dead section, controlled by a single-pole switch, just behind where my engines are sitting on the staging tracks. Thus, if an engineer backs a train up by mistake, it will stop once the engine hits the dead section, preventing it from coupling to the caboose behind it. Then, the engineer will know to reverse direction on the throttle and will have to throw the single-pole switch to “on”, to allow the engine to move forward and come in from staging.
Anybody have any other ideas or do you think this will work? Let me say that I will not be running multi-units so the dead section only has to be the length of one engine, obviously my longest engine, including RDC’s.
Thanks in advance for any help that can be provided. Oh, by the way. I don’t want to install TV cameras back there with monitors out front just to see which way a train is headed.
I have a pair of photo-cell detectors at both ends of each track for my hidden staging. On the panel, each end has a red led and a green led. When a train is staged, it is parked so the engine is activating the green led on the panel - the red led indicates the engine is fouling the turnout. When the train begins to move and the green light stays on with the red light turning on with it, we know we’re heading out. If the train begins moving and the green light goes out, we’re obviously headed in the wrong direction.
Could you please give me a little more information? What company makes the detectors and where did you get them? I’ not sure if I understand completely. What do you mean when you say the red led indicates the engine is fouling the turnout.
In my situation, with the engine heading to come in from staging through a tunnel, are you suggesting that 2 photo cell detectors are placed along side the track such that the green one goes on when the engine is along side it? Help please.
I’m very interested in your idea because then I don’t have to cut gaps in the rail which is difficult to access in my case. If you would, please email and we can take this question off-line, so to speak.
I’m uncertain as to why you’re having this problem. My layout, an around the room design with hidden staging, and provision for run-through operation, is also DC-powered, with hand-held (wired) throttles. Since my road is a north-south line, and the operator, when facing the layout is looking west, the direction control switch on the throttles is marked “South” for the position of the switch to the left of centre, and “North” for the opposite position. You don’t have to see the train to know which way it’s travelling. Is there some anomaly in the wireless throttles that the function of the direction switch varies from throttle to throttle? Or is there another factor that I’m overlooking?
Mondo - I sent you a P.e-mail, but it now my understanding I’m currently having e-mail issues with my server. I don’t know if you received my e-mail, and if you replied, it’s not coming through. I just spoke to the tech guy, and they are trying to correct the situation. I’ll check when things are running again.
You may be a “life saver” because I picked up my 4 Aristo-Craft radio controlled walk-around throttles and checked out what you said. I put several engines on a track in 1 block and noticed that when I hit one direction switch, all engines travelled in the same direction and when I hit the other direction switch, they all travelled in the other direction. Therefore, you’re right…all I have to do is indicate on the throttle East or West for my layout and of course, make sure my operators know which way they are traveling.
Can you believe that up until I read your post, I’ve always been guessing which way the train will go and then just hit the direction switches until I get the train traveling in the correct direction. It won’t be that difficult to get ourselves oriented so that we know when we’re heading east or west. Then all we have to do is hit the appropriate direction switch. Hooray…no more guessing after 12 years with these throttles. Duhhhhhhhhhhh.
I had read somewhere that all motors for our engines are supposed to be set for the same direction when our throttles are set for a particular direction. If that is
Yes, I did get your email. Let me know when things are corrected.
Right now I’m intrigued about another response I got to my problem. I may not have to install sensors, unless there is something else I’m not considering. I never thought you could mark your throttles for east/west or north/south.
You could put small signs on your fascia at strategic locations (ie: near staging areas) indicating the direction of train travel (eg: North → ← South or East → ← West). That way operators can be reminded of which direction is which just by looking.
Glad to hear that my suggestion was a help. I also occasionally use some SCR throttles, which use input from the AC side of the power supply. A switch on the facia allows an easy changeover. While these throttles don’t provide enough power for long, heavy trains, they do afford excellent low-speed control. The north/south designation works equally well with these.
Another advantage of designating directions on your layout is for operational purposes. Even a simple oval gains operational credibility when the train is headed “west”, rather than around the oval. I think that detectors can be useful for showing which tracks are occupied, although a facia-mounted rack, with slots for each track, could contain car and loco cards with all of the necessary info, if you’re into car/card operations.
Yes this is true. NMRA specifications state that for DC when the right rail (engineer’s right) is positive the train will travel in a forward direction.
I had forgotten that it is an NMRA standard. Since all my engines were bought in the last 12 years from companies like Proto, Atlas and Kato, I would imagine they are comforming to the standard.
I built my first hidden staging yard over 30 years ago.
Knowing where the trains are and which way they are headed is a MUST. The most important thing is to make sure that no train is fouling a switch. I did that by wiring locomotive length dead sections ahead of each switch controlled by a SPMomON push button switch on the control panel. A train will go as far as the dead track and stop. When you want to move it, you just push the button until it shows up. Dont’t use an SPDT toggle because you might leave it on, and cause running through a closed switch.
Unless you want to keep throwing turnout toggles to be sure the alignment is the correct route out to the main then, switch indicators on the panel are also very beneficial.
If the main is single track, leave it open for through movements. The same goes for double track. Stage east bound tracks on the south side and westbound tracks on the north side. Now you know which way a train is headed.
If the yard tracks are long enough for two trains, put another dead section in the middle and hold that control button down until the first train stops ahead of the switch. The following train will stop in the clear.
Not necessary, but a BIG plus is to install infra red detectors, or some other block detector, under each section with LEDs on the control panel so you will know what blocks are occupied.
I realize that this is a hard place to access, but doing it now will save you a whole lot of grief and inconvenience in the future which will quickly take the fun out of operating your model railroad.