Have you ever lost sight of one of your trains? Do you have places on your pike that are hidden from view and when a train is "in there" you can't see it? Then worst case is that because you lost visual contact, and there is so much happening at the moment, WHAM, stalled train just got hit by another train. Happens much to often on Anozira RR (an outdoor O). There are two places on ARR that are hidden from view from the control station located in the gazebo. That is were the switch control board, the transformers, and the TMCC control is located. I sit there running up to 4 trains at a time (TMCC) and if you have done that, you know how hectic that can be. (No sense trying to talk to me then . . . I'M REALLY BUSY trying to keep trains away from each other by managing speeds and switches and passing tracks, etc.) The photograph above is one of the hidden areas. I added a second track to the lower one shown. So now there is a double below and still the single track at the top of the retaining wall.
Well, those two hidden from view places cause me vexation . . . as I loose track on what is on what track. Well, heck, I'm old. To see those two areas, I must get off my comfy director's chair, walk 15 feet to the left to see what happened to train ONE. Just a glance won't get it because the track in that area is out of sight. The same for the hidden area to the right; get up, WALK, check the track and then get back to the control station quick as there are 3 other trains out there of which at least two are about to get into trouble if a switch is not thrown SOON. And so it goes. And, as you know, STUFF happens: derailments, unexplained engine stall, a car uncouples leaving a stalled portion of a consist just sitting there. No matter it seems, just how perfect things are going and TMCC/engines are working wonderfully - - - - glitches happen and STUFF happens.
So, I decided that I had to do something about knowing what was happening to that train in the hidden zone. Getting up and running right and left was wearing me thin. Ahhh! Well, what would do the trick? A TV camera and dedicated monitor. That would be two of those sets. A light beam across the track with a dedicated indicator light on the switch control board diagram. Pressure sensitive switch to indicator light. Something else? All of the above seemed latticed with technical mumbo-jumbo and constraints including cost of apparatus. KISS is the acronym that comes to mind. Keep It Simple Stupid. So I worked on SIMPLE. (the Stupid part is easy)
Here is what I came up with and is working to all my expectations. Now I can sit in the Cat Bird's Seat, sip coffee and TMCC and flip switch control toggles to my heart's content. By deductive reasoning I know if a train is stopped, part of a train is stalled, or a train is not in there. Just a glance at the indicator lights or being tuned in to be aware that the indicator light(s) are blinking or not blinking.
Concept:
Devise a simple electrical switch that when closed (circuit complete) a light comes on. The switch works as a double throw meaning that pressure against the switch from either direction would complete the circuit and light would go on. This means that the switch is the sensor and the light is the indicator.
How it works:
Switch toggle sticks up through the track between an outside rail and the center rail. Toggle is long enough to be bent by anything that comprises the bottom of an engine or car such as the axles. A passing axle bends the toggle. As the toggle is bent, a conductor mounted on the toggle is pushed against a stationary conductor thus closing the circuit (indicator light goes on). At speeds one likes to run trains, the toggle hits axles rapidly (2 axles/truck and 2 trucks/car as a rule), and the indicator light blinks rapidly and continues to blink whilst a train passes from engine to caboose.
Deductions:
Light is off = (1) no train present. NO PROBLEM.
Light is blinking = train passing through. NO PROBLEM.
Light is on steady = train or portion of train is stationary and toggle is hanging in closed position on an axle. PROBLEM. This doesn't happen very often as 90% of the time the toggle will not be in contact with any portion of a car; neutral position. PROBLEM.
Light is off = (2) train or portion of train stalled and the toggle is under a car but in the neutral position (indicator light did not blink long enough thus you know something happened). PROBLEM. If portion of train is stalled, the powered end of the train will appear shortly and you will see that not the whole train is still moving. PROBLEM.
(3) Sensor toggle is in neutral (indicator light is off) and the entire train is stalled. This is the worst case situation. Doesn't happen very often, but when it does, your brain has to fill in the information needed. (A) You know that the train was headed toward the hidden zone . . . so it is there, but not moving. PROBLEM.
(B) Running a short consist such as a passenger train and the engine stalled prior to reaching the sensor's position. So sensor still in neutral position because the train had not reached its location. PROBLEM.
(C) Train had passed the sensor, indicator light blinked, but train did not reappear out of the hidden zone. Thus short consist freight or passenger train that stalled AFTER passing the sensor and did not reappear in just moments later. PROBLEM
My hidden zones are about 20' long. One is a single track and the other is a double track. Double track presents an added concern in that due to the distance from my control position and my perspective view, I can't tell if a train is on the outer or inner track. So I installed a sensor on both tracks of the pair. The indicator lights on my track diagram board tells me upon which track the train is located. If I am running a freight consist longer than 20', I can see the forward and the aft ends of the train at the same time. That tells me visually via eyeball the status of that train. When I am running consists shorter than 20' then the shorter and shorter the consist is, then the more and more I must rely upon the train's status via the sensors.
Cost:
Near to nothing out of pocket as the components are pieces parts that I had laying about; scrap wood, extra screws in the odds and ends can, the same for wire as I have a bunch of wire left over. The wire run is about 60' so I used 14 and 16 gage wire to minimize voltage drop. Three each, plastic cable ties which I buy in packaging of 20+. And there are the wheat lights. Pricing wheat lights is an education in marketing. One can purchase all kinds of wheat lights from hobby outlets and Radio Shack. But, the cost is an eye opener when compared to where I bought mine. I checked Ebay with key words "wheat lights" and found bunches from which to choose. For $20 I bought 100, red, 12 volt AC/DC with 8" pig tails. Cute little things that can be used for all sorts of lighting amendments around the pike. The lights I got are rated at 12 volts, but I power them with 6. Six volts makes them bright and they will last longer than at 12v.
Place your indicator lights where you can see them at glance like on your control board.
Additionally, ARR is an elevated track system. Mounting the sensor switches was easy due to the elevated track. Indoor layouts are constructed on table-type design. This will require and under the table mount not unlike is done with below track, switch motors. However, the sensor can be mounted at track level with the plastic, cable tie horizontal to be moved by the side of the engine and cars instead of the axles.
Okay now that leaves the pictures to show you what I did. Even a caveman do it. Enjoy.
