Model railway scenery art and craft work scenery scratch and kit building garden. Hobby enthusiasts use our custom made physical control panels, an ipad app, or both, to control the turnouts, track power and uncouplers on their layout. The mercontrol system uses a mechanical wireintube method to remotely. Maintenance equipment, train spare parts, train control systems and driver training. Simple, cheap point control for model railways youtube. Atrack provides total control over a model railroad layout from your atari computer keyboard, allowing you to set up a roster of locomotives for an operating session, allocate locos to consists and to selected handheld controllers, and even to operate all turnouts or signals from a central location. Jmri, the java model railroad interface is a collaborative, opensource effort to develop a javabased suite of tools for model railroad computer control. Traincontroller bronze offers a costeffective entry into model railroad computer control. Sort by featured items newest items bestselling alphabetical. Mechanical control using the wireintube method is not new. Dcc uses digital binary signals sent over two wires on a dc voltage that. In this video we show you how to program the arduino to control a 16channel. Dcc supplies ltd unit 17a, top barn business centre, worcester road, holt heath, worcestershire wr6 6nh, uk. I dont use a direct route for mercontrol but if its say near the base board edge i route it in a u curve behind the point then back under the trackbed.
And, if youre like me, and have a model railway situated outside of the comfort of a. One you tube clip i have seen suggested a feeder wire be soldiered to the point rail. Obviously home made levers and wireintube would have been cheaper, but i didnt have the space or materials available. Worldwide first model railroad control software with own handheld.
Introduction layout control for windows, macos and linux. Model railway manufacturers and gauges hornby including lima, rivarossi, jouef, electrotren bachmann heljan dapol n gauge model railway large gauge model railway including 1, o, and s narrow gauge model railway other model railway manufacturers and gauges. But if you just want to remotely control your points theres an alternative, cheaper, way. With scarm you can easily create the layout of your dreams. Wire in tube cheap and easy point control for all scales youtube.
Each wiring run needs to handle just one block current. For clever and reliable wire in tube mechanical control of points and signals, without the traditional headaches. Manual turnout control using micro switches for model railroad layouts. Dcc model railroad wiring is considerably less laborintensive with this method of train control since all tracks can be wired with feeders going into the same bus lines running under your layout, with the common, or negative, rail connecting to the common bus wire, and the positive rail connecting to the positive bus wire. Use a small fishing weight on the end of the wire if necessary to help pull the wire through the tube to the. Connections between the components of the system, i. Bachmann 36565 12v power controller with transformer for model railways. Bottom line, if i were to build another layout and wanted wireintube. Control the world with arduino model railroad hobbyist magazine. The initial goal of a new model railroader flush with locomotives, track, and rolling stock is to operate two trains on his layout at the same time, each with independent.
Apr 20, 2020 a program to control your digital model railroad. Scarm means simple computer aided railway modeller software for easy and precise design of model train layouts and railroad track plans. We explain why computer control can make operation of your dcc layout easier. Whats more, i am building for my own well understood needs, not meeting a price point or a ship date the twin scourges of tech companies. With dc only one loco can be operated at the same time unless the circuit is divided into isolated blocks as the current in the track controls the loco. In this video i show you how to install mercontrol as a way to control your points on your layout using a manual method.
Nibe railway components,switch points heaters, heating solutions for. For clever and reliable wireintube mechanical control of points and signals, without the traditional headaches. Model railway computer control centre mrccc is a windows software application created to provide a user interface and interlocking for the model railway that closely replicates real modern uk signalling practice. High to low handy accessroies for mounting and connecting your cpnode or telephone system. Runs on all 32bit microsoft windows systems beginning with windows 98. The outer plastic tube is coloured black and is easily hidden. Xpressnet, these two sockets are of the 6wire rj12 type. A number of control systems are available to operate locomotives on model railways. You can use the jmri toolset as the starting point for developing your open model railroad control applications, or use their higher level applications suite idrectly. With the help of these tips from allen keller, you will be equipped with the knowledge to create your very own model railway control panel. In this way you center the rails with the dpdt in the centeroff position. Model railway point control case studies that work peco motor base plates.
The new hornby system differs from the conventional type of 12v controllers in as much that it is the individual locomotives that are controlled internally rather than the controlling a locomotives speed and direction by varying the. Switch and point motor harness are supplied complete wiith connectors for the eze wire system, allowing extensions to be added between the switch and motor to reach the. Since then, the nmra national model railroad association in the united states. Im about to embark on setting up our point controls with the wire in tube method. Model railway power and control new modellers shop.
But as we learn from expert builderoperator, matt snell, creating a timetable is so much more than just making a model railroad schedule. How to wire your model railroad for dcc using bus and feeder wires duration. If you have any questions then please post them in the comments section below and i will. In this way, the positive and negative rails never meet. Aq wiring systems,rail cable harnesses and electromechanical modules. The purpose of the bead is to adjust for the amount of throw needed. Supplier of dcc systems and sound projects, based in ipswich. When i build my own circuit, i am taking responsibility for all of that. You can only solder a wire to the frog of electrofrog live frog points to help to prevent stalling. Mechanicalwireintube point and accessory control system. Winkler gmbh,flexible electric heaters for the rail industry wire and tube. Reliable and fast processing based on unique traintelligence technology, which allows for reliable processing of up to commands per second.
Its great and i use those little spdt switches to operate them and provide frog wiring. In theory the minimum number of interconnecting wires may be defined as one wire per individual device or track section you wish to control or two wires to each point motor plus one and one only single common return wire. Digital model railway control systems are an alternative to control a layout and simplify the wiring and add more flexibility in operations. In practical terms it means drilling a small hole at the side of the point between sleeper ends, about 10mm from tie bar i suggest some experimentation to get the length right, inserting a brass tube in the hole, making up a simple torque rod from brass wire a nice sliding rotating fit, then soldering on an actuation lever under the. We provide free interlocking design software, sigscribe4, which enables you to. We design and manufacture control panels for the model railway hobby. I use woodland scenics black foam trackbed and i can just cut into.
Feb 03, 2016 this weeks tech tuesday shows you how to drive model railway point motors with the arduino microcontroller platform. Its a personal thing really, ive never got on with wit or point operation using below baseboard mechanicals like bowden cable, i have, however, used the rod method shown in my photo many times successfully. Manual point control model railroad hobbyist magazine. Hornby points are dead frog they have a large plastic frog and cant easily be modified by soldering a wire to the frog. Fortunately, there are easy solutions to these electrical problems that dont involve adding a third rail.
Tips to designing a model railway control panel model. I have purchased all i think of the necessary bits and pieces from gem wire, tube, cranks, omega wires, snap connectors, 8 way lever frame. Dpdt slider switches from regular correspondence with fellow modellers the laying and operation points is a of reoccuring theme. Analog systems where the speed and the direction of a train is controlled by adjusting the voltage on the track are still. This diagram shows a single track block controlled by two power packs cabs which may be selected with a singlepole doublethrow spdt switch. Brian lambert model railway site brian lambert m2067 website covering many aspects of model railway construction, including electrics and dcc. Matt attempts, as much as possible, to run by actual conrail employee timetables, which contain track diagrams, critical siding information, mileposts, speed, and station or control point names. Threerail track systems, most commonly associated with o gauge trains, solve this problem by putting a common voltage on both outside rails, using the center rail for the opposite. This is an extremely basic model railway control panel, but it still allows your railroad to operate seamlessly. S how do i make and wire up points to make them move when. A wire in tube system that can operate gates, points turnouts and signals etc. Hi all, i have manual point control using wire in tube on one of my layouts so a few things based on experience.
So here is my video about wire in tube point control. Avoid even short runs where the wire is not restrained by the tube. Only bend the tube with the wire inside, applying a drop of oil to the tube before sliding in the wire. I have purchased all i think of the necessary bits and pieces from gem wire, tube, cranks, omega wires, snap connectors, 8.
An eshleman turnout switch point link could also be used if you dont want to. Introduced in late 2010, the railmaster is a model railway control software package by hornby. Model railway electronics capacitor discharge unit the two systems commonly in use to control a model railway are analogue dc and digital dcc. Control software cti model railroad computer control. If you have a layout with more than a few points or turnouts for american readers equipping the layout with electric point motors can get expensive. Overview of different types of model railroad wiring. Control of points and other accessories was available in a very simple manner. Static decoders sit alongside or hidden underneath the model railway layout and handle. Even point control, whether it is solenoid or motor driven, can be reduced to one wire plus a common return. Mechanical control using the wire in tube method is not new. Our interactive control panel puts you in charge at a centralized traffic control center. Model railroad computer control with traincontroller. I shall not discuss sophisticated systems as those who wish to go down that route will already have their own ideas.
Johns smartrax control and simulation software pages. Modratec australia manufacturer of mechanically interlocked lever frame kits for the operation of signals and points switches, turnouts on model railway model railroad systems application to semaphore or colourlight multiaspect signalling signaling including semiautomatic and computerbased control also sigscribe4 interlocking design software. The turnout wiring guide is reproduced by permission of andy. Mechanicalwire in tube point and accessory control system. Useful links page the model electronic railway group.
It is an easy and straightforward alternative to using a ctc board. Here you see the end of the rod where it connects to the vertical spring wire that runs from the turnout down through a brass tube. Third party software cti model railroad computer control. Its a personal thing really, ive never got on with wit or point operation using below baseboard. It couples directly to a plain wire, and an adjustable nylon clutch permits excess wire travel. Powerful software features the key to userfriendly computer control ctis powerful, userfriendly software makes it easy to control every aspect of your model railroad from your pc. Expo eze wire point switch with hornby point motor harness 28071 control switch and wiring harness and chocolateblock terminal block for connection to hornby point motors.
Ive now completed all 21 of my manual point controls based on sols method but incorporating some ideas of my own, i. The elite also supports control of points and other accessories, as well as full. An inexpensive and simple method for manual point control. And even if you dont have a model railway, a fully interlocked lever frame makes a great executive toy. The most asked question at exhibitions is about point switching and wiring. Assuming the driver has stopped short of the junction, the incorrect signal is put back.
Most of us will start out with just one transformer to control our one train. Wire in tube cheap and easy point control for all scales duration. The future of model railway control is here with the latest and best hornby digital command control system. But modratec has developed its range of wit products with the aim of eliminating the headaches that have traditionally been associated with this form of control. Placing the small levers along the edge of the board in line with the point they control provides an excellent solution for remote operation of points on a small layout. Using electric point motors for a model railway can get expensive. It works for mechanical control of points and signals. Scarm software simple computer aided railway modeller. Dcc wiring clinic 8 dcc wiring basics i with dc cab control the maximum current in a block 12 amps.
Control panel designs model railway control panels custom. It is well suited for users who are looking for an easy to use program that covers reliably the standard tasks of model railroad control, such as switchboard operation, routes, block securing, hidden yard control or shuttle trains. Lytchett manor models gem mercontrol your model railway. Discard the square tube and substitute a length of 18 styrene tube. How to use model railway software to make operation of your dcc. Anatomy of a model railway turnoutpoint buffers model railways. Just download the setup package, install it and start editing your first track plan.