I have run on many tracks across the United States, England, and New Zealand. I have seen only a handful of railroads that supported full-time bi-directional running with automatic signals. Continue reading
The system now supports switches automatically returning to a “Normal” routing after a designated timeout.
Continue readingI have added a short video showing the injection molding of my signal heads.
Continue readingThe BC002 Users Manual has been updated to reflect current hardware and firmware revisions.
Continue reading
I realize that people may have existing signal systems they are happy with except that their train detection is not totally reliable under all weather conditions.
To address this need, the BC002 Controller can be configured as a cost effective 8 channel train detector.
Our ride-on railroads are outdoor railroads. In addition to being able to enjoy the outdoors, we have to contend with nature’s wrath. One of the things we need to deal with is lightning.
In this discussion I will present the advantages and challenges of using solid state components in signal systems for ride-on railroads. I will also discuss why I believe these solid state automatic signals have many advantages over other systems. Continue reading
In this discussion I will show how a wye can be signaled to maximize traffic flow but still de-conflict opposing traffic. Continue reading
In this discussion I will attempt to lay out why ABS and APB signals alone are not the answer for ride-on railroad signals. Continue reading
In an attempt to keep costs down but still have “Automatic Signals” some railroads have turned to systems that do not use “Track Circuit train detection” but rather “Trip Tracks” or “Axle Counting”. I will discuss why these systems should be avoided if possible. Continue reading
Traditional approaches to automatic signaling use track circuit sensing and relays in a manner similar to full-scale railroads.
In many cases this works fine until longer track segments are required, central monitoring is desired, or you want to add CTC capabilities. Continue reading