Mth oil derrick

Yep,…it takes time to get the bubble globe hot enough to do the deed….

Pat

So is it ok to run it for hours toght now my transformer is hooked up to a timer that is set for about 4-5 hours every night .

@Kp33 posted:

So is it ok to run it for hours toght now my transformer is hooked up to a timer that is set for about 4-5 hours every night .

I can’t understand your typing buddy,….slow down, and re-type,…..proof read before you hit send,…..I don’t wanna give you bad information,…..

Pat

This what comes from typing with thumbs!  :-)

I have all my accessories hooked up to my power chief transformer which is hooked up to a timer so it goes on and off by itself, is this ok for the Derrick to run for 4-5 hours a day. Is having it  hooked up to a switch better?

@Kp33 posted:

I have all my accessories hooked up to my power chief transformer which is hooked up to a timer so it goes on and off by itself, is this ok for the Derrick to run for 4-5 hours a day. Is having it  hooked up to a switch better?

Well, it's probably "O.K." in the sense that you're unlikely to burn your house down or anything (depending on the condition of your equipment, of course!), but why would you do so? In addition to the wasted electricity, you're putting wear and tear on everything on your layout, for . . . what? If you *can* fill in that blank (say, you have an outside holiday display you want to have running at certain times), the timer may be justifiable, as well as the wear and tear -- otherwise, I'd just use a switch when you or someone else is there to enjoy it.

OTOH, all power to my layout is through one of several smart plugs, which in turn are controlled through Alexa. So, I can turn the layout on or off from anywhere (and activate some features), by voice command through the Alexa app on my phone or through the Echo Dot nearby. I *could* set up a timer for the trains using what Alexa calls a "Routine", but so far haven't seen the need, though I have done so for activation of some house lights while on vacation. Here's a demo of some of the voice-controlled features:

The reason I have that is so my layout comes on every night and yes it’s only out during the holidays so I want it to come on every night to enjoy it for the month or so it’s out. I have a beacon and a ton of light poles as well and it’s nice to see it lit up at night.

@Steve Tyler posted:

Well, it's probably "O.K." in the sense that you're unlikely to burn your house down or anything (depending on the condition of your equipment, of course!), but why would you do so? In addition to the wasted electricity, you're putting wear and tear on everything on your layout, for . . . what? If you *can* fill in that blank (say, you have an outside holiday display you want to have running at certain times), the timer may be justifiable, as well as the wear and tear -- otherwise, I'd just use a switch when you or someone else is there to enjoy it.

OTOH, all power to my layout is through one of several smart plugs, which in turn are controlled through Alexa. So, I can turn the layout on or off from anywhere (and activate some features), by voice command through the Alexa app on my phone or through the Echo Dot nearby. I *could* set up a timer for the trains using what Alexa calls a "Routine", but so far haven't seen the need, though I have done so for activation of some house lights while on vacation. Here's a demo of some of the voice-controlled features:

That’s pretty cool how is the alexa able to have the train go forward and reverse?

@Kp33 posted:

The reason I have that is so my layout comes on every night and yes it’s only out during the holidays so I want it to come on every night to enjoy it for the month or so it’s out. I have a beacon and a ton of light poles as well and it’s nice to see it lit up at night.

Fair enough, as long as you are willing to trade the life of any incandescent bulbs and operating components activated. Your railroad, your rules, but in general I prefer to run my trains when I am able to run the trains!

@Kp33 posted:

That’s pretty cool how is the alexa able to have the train go forward and reverse?

Frankly, it's really just a bit of sleight of hand. My trains (at least, the ones I use with this!) have simple two-position E-units (forward-reverse-forward), so the 'reversing' command just interrupts power for a second, and the E-unit changes the train's former direction. In other words, it's not really directly commanding the train to go forward or run in reverse, but rather replicates exactly what conventional control does to reverse direction from the transformer, by cutting power momentarily.

If I *really* wanted to try to simulate command control, I could create two identical routines, calling one "forward" and one "reverse" or some such, and just invoke one or the other as needed to appear to be directly commanding direction, but I haven't felt the need for such showmanship!