TIU AIU Isolated Bump Out Question

MTH DCS signals are send on the track, so a on-off switch will made the sliding "bump-out" dead track if off.

If two trains are running on your layout and you want to switch trains between sliding and main, Stop the main line train before the sliding.  Then switch the controller to the other trains ID number, to run it out of the sliding.  Once the sliding is clear, then the first train can be moved into the sliding and stopped.

Wiring just requires enough drops to the track to prevent voltage drops or dead spots, every 6 to 10 feet or so.

If the AIU is the only control for the switches just run the wire straight to the AUI box from the Switch Machines.

The Sliding power could also be turn on & off by the AUI.

You can do it with a toggle, but without cycling the TIU power, the train on the siding will not get a watchdog signal, and some engines do not behave well in those startup conditions. Most would respond well if you hit the startup button for that engine immediately after turning on the siding power.

As stated above wire the siding with a toggle switch and use a MTH DCS Remote Commander 50-1033 wired in passive mode that way when power is toggled on the DCS watchdog signal is sent out.

Or, you could use that DCS-RC with the WD Generator and use it strictly to continuously output WD signals.  Anytime you power the track, the WD Generator is pumping out WD signals to keep things dark.  There was an extended thread on this board a few months ago, so I laid one out to add to the DCS-RC.

TSTrains posted:

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I would like to power this "Bump Out" so that it is isolated but still able to communicate with my TIU. Or in other words I am trying to avoid a secondary train setup being parked on this Bump Out and still being powered on (i.e. Engine and Passenger Cars Still lit but not running). I would like the train to sit in a "Dead" state until I call it on. But also be able to do so on a fly so that if the combined Main Oval and Bump Out only has one total train on it I could quickly decide to send that train to the bump out and back to the main oval. Does this make sense? 

To summarize the problem, a "dead" state engine nevertheless needs track power for its radio receiver to hear the DCS command to turn on.  So if the bump-out section is powered, then so too the lighted passenger cars.

If going the toggle-switch approach for the bump-out power, you could use an AIU ACC(essory) port.  An ACC relay that can perform the toggle function to apply what should be enough power for a bump-out.  Enough power means 3 or 4 Amps which should be enough for a bump-out.  Else, if you need the full 10 Amps of power on the bump-out you could add an external relay which would set you back less than $5.  The point is you would have DCS remote-control of the power to the bump-out...if that is important.

As for the "watchdog" issue brought up by others.  You could use one TIU channel for the main loop...and a 2nd TIU channel for the bump-out section.  TIU channels can be turned on and off via the DCS remote.   Then, when you turn on the 2nd TIU channel, it applies power to the bump-out and automatically generates the "watchdog" so that the engine on the bump-out remains in the "dead" state until you explicitly issue the Startup command.  The lights on the passenger car(s) will turn on immediately.

Without substantial DIY modification of the electronics in the engine and passenger car(s), I am not aware of any off-the-shelf method to use DCS to issue engine startup and shutdown commands AND have the lights in the passenger cars turn on and off in tandem.