Control Panels

[cessfordalan]

Good Evening all,

 

I am building a new layout which is a single line B.L.T to fiddle yard with an analogue controller and panel and every is working fine!! I thought  passing station with the usual offices might be nice and I am looking at a two platform loop and  this is where it becomes complicated to me as I would like another control panel and controller. I would like to drive one train into the loop and be able to drive a train in the other direction. 

The actual building of the panels and basic wiring is not a problem, its getting the trains to pass and where to put the dead sections and and wiring 

 

I am not computer literate and do not  know how to to put drawings on the machine so I hope someone will take pity on me and produce a sketch showing the wiring and rail breaks.

 

Regards and thanks from the sunny Outer Hebrides

 

Alan Cessford

     

[Ray H]

Do you know anyone local who you could give/email a copy of your track plan to? Maybe they could then post the file for you.

 

Alternately, instead of using the "Reply to the topic" input box towards the bottom left of the page you can use the "Reply with attachments" option even further down at the bottom right.

 

That option opens a new window with an input box. You'll see "Attach Files" below that input box and a "Choose File" below that. Click on that button to locate the file you want - the image file with your track plan in it.

 

The name of your file will then appear next to the "Choose File" button, replacing the "No File Chosen".

 

You then use the "Attach File" button to link your file to your "reply".

 

That puts an small icon between the reply window and the "Attach Files" text together with the file name and - at the right of the screen - you'll see "Add to Post | Delete".

 

Position your cursor in the reply box where you want the image to appear and click "Add to Post". Attached files can be put at the start of your reply by default so you need to be aware of that.

 

Hope this helps.

[RAF96]

Depending upon how computer literate you really are - working from your own description...most people are far more capable than they admit and you are posting on a forum so obviously at grips with it so far.

 

If you sketch up your track using pen on paper, then take a picture of it on your phone would you be computer savvy enough to upload it to the forum from there per the instructions above from RayH.

 

Rob

[Joseph_Pestell]

Alan,

 

Happy to do a wiring diagram for you. PM me.

 

But basically, what you need is called cab control. All the various sections use a double-throw centre-off switch (or a rotary switch if you prefer) which is linked to each controller. You can find details in various standard railway modelling textbooks and I think Peco even have one of their little booklets about it.

 

When operating the layout, you will usually find it easier to drive the train which is coming towards your panel.

Edited June 12, 2018 by Joseph_Pestell

[DCB]

Cab control should work well in this situation.  To over simplify each section has a switch which can connect it to one of two or more controllers.  It is the section which has the switch not the controllers. You need a minimum of four sections,  1)Terminus, 2) Fiddle Yard,  3) Through station Up Line and 4)Through station Down Line.  I would put double rail breaks on the frog ends of both points leading to the two lines through the station.

 

Whether you use the Terminus section exclusively with the "Terminus" controller, and the FY section exclusively with the "FY" controller or drive towards the respectve controllers as I do is up to you.    I use slave hand held controllers with Morleys and OnTrack which have 3 wire slave connections and with which which ordinary stereo audio connectors and lead can be used to create very long wander leads

 

In operation in steam days the first train would arrive at the through station and until it stopped the train in the opposite direction would be held outside the station, two trains running in to a passing station simultaneously was not permitted.    Simultaneous departure was quite common.    However first in last out was normal, the first train gave up its token to the signalman, the next could receive the token and give up the other token so was ready to depart but the signalman still had to get a token to the first train to arrive.

[cessfordalan]

Good afternoon Gentlemen,

Thank you all for almost instant reply to my query.and it all sounds so simple ? Iam enclosing a copy of my track plan subject to some possible slight alterations which should not effect the electrics and look forward to your comments and possible sketch plans.

[beast66606]

Take a look at Brian Lambert's excellent pages :

 

http://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/Electrical.html

[Junctionmad]

Cab control should work well in this situation.  To over simplify each section has a switch which can connect it to one of two or more controllers.  It is the section which has the switch not the controllers. You need a minimum of four sections,  1)Terminus, 2) Fiddle Yard,  3) Through station Up Line and 4)Through station Down Line.  I would put double rail breaks on the frog ends of both points leading to the two lines through the station.

 

Whether you use the Terminus section exclusively with the "Terminus" controller, and the FY section exclusively with the "FY" controller or drive towards the respectve controllers as I do is up to you.    I use slave hand held controllers with Morleys and OnTrack which have 3 wire slave connections and with which which ordinary stereo audio connectors and lead can be used to create very long wander leads

 

In operation in steam days the first train would arrive at the through station and until it stopped the train in the opposite direction would be held outside the station, two trains running in to a passing station simultaneously was not permitted.    Simultaneous departure was quite common.    However first in last out was normal, the first train gave up its token to the signalman, the next could receive the token and give up the other token so was ready to depart but the signalman still had to get a token to the first train to arrive.

Under certain arrangements , including the provision of catch points , it was entirely possible to have trains entering loops simultaneously

[DCB]

I would put the feeds as shown in the diagram.  You might need to divide the section between the thru station and the terminus (also thru stn and FY) if you have more than one operator and want to shunt the thru station and terminus simultaneously.

It may be permissible for two trains to arrive in a loop simultaneously but not on any loop as short as a typical 00 gauge station and certainly not for passenger trains

 

 

[Joseph_Pestell]

Hope that you can follow this. My handwriting gets worse!Scan0088.pdf

[cessfordalan]

Hope that you can follow this. My handwriting gets worse!Scan0088.pdf

Thanks Joseph, I have sent you a P,M

Alan

[cessfordalan]

Good Evening everybody, 

Thank you for bothering to take the time to answer my query so promptly,   I must apologise for the delay in answering but who said retirement was easy. what with community peat gathering and gardening and the list is endless in fine dry weather. Hi ho back to the grind yes it is 8 45 PM#

 

Regards 

Alan

[AndyID]

Good Evening everybody, 

Thank you for bothering to take the time to answer my query so promptly,   I must apologise for the delay in answering but who said retirement was easy. what with community peat gathering and gardening and the list is endless in fine dry weather. Hi ho back to the grind yes it is 8 45 PM#

 

Regards 

Alan

 

Hi Alan,

 

I just noticed where you are. You'll know a few MacLeods then

 

Cheers!

Andy

[cessfordalan]

Hi Andy,

 

There are a few near us but the Morrisons and Macaulys are our near neighbours historically speaking that but we are all at peace now!

 

Regards 

Alan