Articles.................

Evening All,
Just wondered if we were going to have some sort of repository for any articles we might write?
At present, I am fighting with relay circuits with which to control my railway automatically....great fun.
I thought I would like to share some(all) of the little nuances with these little fellas that I have found.

Love the Emoticons BTW... this evening I shall mostly be using this one

What do you have in mind excatly John, a sort of library or a seperate section/heading for something like electronics?

I intend eventually to copy and sore in a secure yet accessible place written articles.

Hello Boss...Yes a Library of sorts......perhaps something that could be built up over time...erm..Like a sophisticated FAQ perchance? Not specifically for electronics... I mean the possibilities are endless...The operation of live steam(or diesel electric) springs to mind! I have learnt a lot about relays for example, using my (British)railway signalling experiences. I just thought you all might be interested.....

I will have a think John about how best to arrange it but a section of FAQs or Tips and Tricks could be a good idea.

We like relays here, especially me from my old GPO/BT days.

Oh please don't call me boss. (that's reserved for another forum ) and Boss in French means a lump or hump. (Le Bossu de Notre Dame.....)

Admin wrote:

...Oh please don't call me boss. ........

Blimey. Sorry, I dont know what I was thinking about.

Don't worry, John. There are no bosses here or....rather you are all bosses.
You can all moderate each other's posts.

Tell us more about your relay work.
I would like to know how to build a simple analague shuttle/auto reverse system for end to end or branchline operation.

Well..where to start. I planned my railway with 1:22.5 trains in mind. First, I bought some Bachmann 4-6-0s and thought they were great.... I've still got them. I was then seduced by the smell of hydraulic oil, as I have been in real life, (see BR(W) class 35 or 52) and bought a few V52s from LGB...Love em. Theeeennnn..., in yet another twist, I bought some Bachmann 2-8-0s....

A lot of folks slag Bachmann stuff off as cheap tat, well, stuff 'em, they are perfectly fine machines. I'm not sending my credit card into apperplexy. The only problem I have had with Bachmann kit was the 4-6-0s not picking the juice up very well. My rails are cleaned twice a year with a vinegar solution, so the 4-6-0s struggled with the mucky track. I stuck batteries in the tender, with a simple control devised mainly by a certain Mr. Carl Hibbs, problem solved.

Anyway, the 1:20.3 2-8-0s are BIG...so there isn't room for them to pass each other on my two track 1:22.5 railway.

So I hatched a plan. I am in the process of altering the railway to suit the bigger traction. I can still have two trains running but not at once. I will control them with relays. There are two areas of conflict on the layout, a flat crossing and a section of single line. As each train leaves the conflict point it sets up the route for the train going the opposite way. If a train is ready to enter the crossing or the single track section, it is held until the opposing tain is clear.

Heady stuff(for me). But as usual, if you sit and think about the problem, and break it down into little bits, the answer comes sooner or later. Ive got wiring diagrams and stuff but thats for another day, when I get it working.
Carl, I would imagine that a shuttle could be effected with one relay. I will draw a circuit tommorrow and put it on here....although I suspect you already know the answer

Good explanation john but can you tell me, how does one train 'setup' the route for the next train! This is a subject of which I know nothing!! (and whats this simple control Carl devised, I could certainly do with that!!)

Mikey

Mikey,

I wrote an article on G.S.M. (with appropriate credits)

battery

The circuit diagram isnt brilliant but I'm sure Carl will fill in the gaps

If you put a magnet on the underside of the Loco and have reed switches on the track as someone said ‘the possibilities are endless’ and only restricted by your imagination.

Peter

Too right Peter.

But, just to be awkward, I put the magnet on the brake van

I'll have a look at that article on GSM later, thanks.
A bit of admin and housekeeping to do first.

John wrote:

Too right Peter.

But, just to be awkward, I put the magnet on the brake van

That is not being awkward, it’s just you prefer to do things later rather than sooner.

Peter