Fastrack Sensor

I"m pretty sure this is the breaking news. I know there had been a lot of speculation about this sensor and some hints from NY. 

What interesting is you can use it like a tag reader, with few of them on the layout you know where each  engine is. Of course it will have to be program in a software like JMRI or Railroad & co. 

I was told by my LHS that the new sensors in the track were to identify the position of the engine with the sensor on the bottom. Not sure which is transmitter and receiver. This would all you to easier set up routes for the Legacy Engines and the CAB2. Am I close?

The prototype for this sensor track was on display somewhat at last year's Lionel Customer Service Center open house, and it was discussed to varying extent at both the October 2011 and April 2012 Legacy Users Group meetings at York.

 

Looks like it is getting ready for public release by the looks of the official-looking printed documentation.  It has some interesting capabilities and a lot of potential for adding even more fun to a layout (including such possibilities as tracking and routing of locomotives).

 

The sensor pulls info from newer Legacy locos equipped with the LED's under the tender.  The LCD display they had hooked up at the open house last year would display things like the engine ID when it passed over, and things like how much "fuel," or "water" and "coal"  the loco had remaining (which could tie into animated fueling accessories).  As I said, there is a lot of potential for this...

 

Andy

Any ideas as to MSRP?

Not breaking news.  This has been seen for close to over a year now.

 

There are a few thought process that I know of involving this track.

 

One is tracking around a layout of an engine.  This could as others pointed out, identify an engine and put into motion a sequence of events.

 

The other would allow the engine to enter all the info into the Legacy system rather than using the orange module.  The engine would cross the sensor and "dump" that info into the Legacy System.

 

As Andy said I see a lot of possibilities with this.  Routing trains depending on frieght or passenger.  Signaling and layout control.

 

From Jon Z at lasy years LUG meeting...

 

 When the IR Transmission receiving tracks arrive, they can record sequences, and the sequences will have a track specific point to activate (when the loco crosses the receiving track). Our eventual goal is to have the Loco react to your layout. Where the realism is driven from the terrain the loco encounters.

 

 

WOW!!!!! This is why I am going all legacy and selling off my dcs engines. Hope eight sensore tracks per layout will be enough in the future? Thanks jon z for your incredable vision. Can we compare hime to frank peditte ( not sure I spelled it write?)of the early lionel era? What a whiz talent!!!!

When I first saw this, I thought it was like a less obtrusive 153 IR controller for accessories. Much more than that, obviously.

No offense meant - but I am sooooo glad I run only conventional. 

 

I work with this type of stuff all day at work, on power systems and such.  How I would hate to bring it home to my train layout!

 

Sounds interesting though . . .

Lee, I have to disagree with you.  I work with real track circuits and automatic train control systems everyday and I cannot wait to incorporate this feature into my layout. 

It amazes how how much technology crosses over between models and the real thing.  Optical speed sensors are used on both, PWM for speed control, messages are received through the track, and now we will have something close to a central control office. 

 

-Ryan

Just scanning the manual photos. Can an engine run over this sensor and then tmcc fastrack switches and creat a rout automaticaly,say in a switch yard?

I'm with you, Lee.

Does anyone know which Legacy engines support this? I think the GE Evo does but which others?

There is a new "breed" of Legacy engines which have an IR device mounted in the bottom of the fuel tank to interface with this unit.  Tom Nuzzo of Lionel demonstrated this device at the LCCA Convention in Norfolk.  The address of the unit is programmable through the Legacy remote.  When a Legacy engine equipped with the new reader passes over it, it will trigger a sequence of programmed events like a macro.  As previously mentioned, it will also replace the need for the orange dongle for logging the engine into the Legacy system.

I think that most recent ones do. (All of mine do anyway.)

Just look on the underside for the little i/r-LED chip (As illustrated in the pictures above.) It's normally on the fuel tank for diesels.

 

From what I remember, I think all the Vision locos have them, and all of the Legacy locos starting some time towards the middle or end of last year have them.

 

Andy

Well the Evo does, but the SD60 from last year does not 

I would suspect that is one application.  I can see a passenger train going over it and the switch throws and it heads into a station.  When the freight comes by the switch is normaled to the mainline.

 

There are so many possibilities, it just depends on how it is incorporated.  Imagine being able to have the Polar Express come by and it trigger a sound clip or activate lights.  If any other train goes by, nothing, nada, zilch.  Only the PE would trigger those specific events.

 

 

any part number yet?