The Randall Museum in San Francisco hosts a large HO-scale model model railroad. Created by the Golden Gate Model Railroad Club starting in 1961, the layout was donated to the Museum in 2015. Since then I have started automatizing trains running on the layout. I am also the model railroad maintainer. This blog describes various updates on the Randall project and I maintain a separate blog for all my electronics not directly related to Randall.
2024-02-18 - An Update on the Trolley Automation
Category RandallThe trolley automation has been running (more or less) since I made this video back in November 2023:
The software part of the automation with the SDB on the ESP32 and the link with JMRI and RTAC works fairly well. The problems that arise are fairly mechanical. The Bowser streetcar is quite finicky and often does not stop running.
The trolley automation also regularly fails because the trolley gets stuck on the one turnout in that little spur where it is running back and forth:
That looks like one of these old Atlas turnouts where the turnout frog is not powered. We have a few of these around, especially in the yards. This is the assumption. It needs to be verified by checking the power routing on that turnout.
Assuming it’s that case, what are the possible solutions?
These Atlas turnouts are designed for the frog to be powered by placing a little screw at a strategic place and then bringing power to that from under the layout (it’s impossible to solder directly to the frog due to the metal used).
The “proper” way to fix this is to have power routing to the frog, either from the turnout machine or from a Frog Juicer.
The quick n’ dirty way is to realize this turnout should be kept in the closed/normal position for the automation to work properly. E.g. I could disconnect the turnout switch machine and then force the frog to be powered for normal.
But first, I need to validate the assumption, and then decide which way I’ll address it.