The main passenger automation runs using two new Rapido F40PH engines. They have superb detail and superb sound.

Since we use them for the automation in a back-and-forth route, our initial concern was that some dirty track where the engine stops and reverse would have them lose power. Thus we got two ESU current keeper which I installed.

Many weeks pass and I finally complete the automation of the route. At first everything is fine and then we realize quickly that one engine derails consistently in one of the curves, just before the canyon bridge by the entrance.

Oddly enough we have seen hundreds of engines go through that route, and even though the layout track is not exactly new, it does seem OK.

Description of Issue

Engines often stop / hesitate on the turnout. Some pass unaffected, others totally stop.

Frog issue: Measurement with multimeter shows a DC offset of 3 V on the frog.

The power for the Branchline includes a Lenz Digital Plus LK100:

http://www.lenzusa.com/1newsite1/Manuals/lk100.pdf

This is a DCC Reverse Loop polarity reverser.

Yes, the branchline is a reverse loop.

An engine going from B321 (mainline) to branchline will come “in the back” in the tunnel in the reverse direction.

The signal mast on Sonora is a double track signal bridge.

What we want, for trains going up hill:

• T330 Normal aka “mainline” (block 320). Mainline green, Siding red.
• T330 Reversed aka “siding” (block 321). Mainline red, Siding green.

First I need to identify wires under the layout, there are likely 6 of them, 3 for each signal.

Apparently most of these use a common anode (e.g. http://www.sbsignal.com/ho-signals-and-systems.html).

[Update ⇒ 5, one is a common anode.]

Issue: short push on activation buttons are not detected fast enough by the AIU01 polling.

Solution: use a basic RC to make the signal seem longer.

Experiment at home:

• Use a 1000 µF between GND and the input.
• Use a 110 Ω R in serie from input to button (to avoid shorting the capacitor).
• This results in a hold time of about 5-7 seconds when fully charged.
• When powering up, this also activates the input while the capacitor charges.

Quick drawing:

Time for an update on the progress on the layout.

Last time our group of volunteers and I got access to the layout was in May and June 2017. Claudette spent a lot of time carefully dusting all the buildings and the scenery. Greg, Mike, Robert and Jim all helped refresh the scenery, which looks much greener and less dusty.

A lot of time was also spent in cleaning the track and make sure trains could go around properly. There are some areas that need more work, e.g. at least 2 spots were trains hesitate on a turnout (probably frogs that need to be rewired) and I'll need to come back to them. Here are two videos of a train going around the track -- there's nothing like a good cab ride to identify all the problems on the track. I'll spare you the earlier camera recordings with the trains stopping at the most hard to reach location and instead let's focus on the last working version:

Some brainstorming ideas regarding the issues with the Randall Passenger train.

The core of the issue is having two engines in push-pull configuration. When one loses power due to dirty track, the other engine is either pushing or pulling the whole train and it results in irregular motion that easily derails the whole thing.

Question is: Can this be avoided, yet still having two engines in push-pull.

Note: I am NOT doing any of this. Just thinking aloud about the problem and potential solutions.

Work as started a few months ago on the layout and scenery is being refreshed.

In parallel, automated train runs are being installed. On two different routes, two trains are waiting to be activated at the push of a button. The trains go around a selected part of the layout, reverse and come back. While there's still work to do, here are two short videos demonstrating the early results.

The first route is a short passenger train composed of two Amtrak F40PH engines and Amfleet coaches that starts at the main passenger station. The second route features a single-unit Budd RDC (Rail Diesel Car) operating on the Branchline.

Here's a rethink of the automation software.

Right now I have JMRI for sensor management and DCC throttles. Conductor acts as a plug-in that drives the automation purley on sensor+timer event based script.

One useful thing in RocRail is the notion of routes, which JMRI has too of course (but annoyingly complex to setup).

The idea is to describe the model railroad using a chain of blocks with turnouts on or between them.

The timer/sensor script remains the same, but the goal is to have the software know which engine number is on which block. This in turn will drive the display and make it possible to lock routes.

Just brainstorming here.

Power on the lights : steady when buttons are enabled, blinking when running (or the reverse).

• That could easily be done with an Arduino.
• Or by using a Switch-8 and an NCE Dual Relay (if it were steady only, I would not do blinking with that).
• How does the Arduino receives the orders?
• ⇒ Might as well use an ESP2866 with wifi.

Optionally emit speaker sound.

• There are some RMC speakers in the back (save them so they don't get trashed).
• Something like a DigiX with a speaker output and wav files loaded from an SDCard.
• Even simpler: use the JMRI computer, audio output split in 2, e.g. right channel to speaker under Passenger, left channel to speaker under Branchline.