Shuttle

[stevep5b]

As a complete novice to model railways I am looking for advice please from you knowledgeable folks here for my planned layout. I wish to run automatically a train as a shuttle stopping for a period at a station in each direction, is this possible?

At present I have nothing more than a DC transformer and potentiometer so upgrading to DCC is probable/ possible, or will I need control from a "laptop" or other devices. It is possible ( maybe) that I could hash something to do this from electronic timers and relays bits and bobs etc. but wonder if something more suitable is available. Any tips and tricks please?

Thanks in advance, Steve

[EngineDriver]

I have a shuttle thingy from "Gaugemaster" but it only runs from point "A" to point "B" and returns you can't make a stop en-route, it is automatic though. We just run a railcar up and down a separate branch, it's quite good really, just set it up and away it goes, all day if you want!

[Mart]

Something like this uses infra red

[EngineDriver]

Yes that's what the Gaugemaster one does but the Gaugemaster is all contained within on box and wires very simply to the track using two diode thingys it's very easy to install and easy to adjust the time delay between the train setting off and returning.

[stevep5b]

Thanks for posting engine driver, quite interesting. I was hoping of something a little more realistic when it comes to speed changes before stopping and starting.

I have just found this on utube, looks very expensive though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce6RcgN3dug

A search on google found this http://www.blocksignalling.co.uk/index.php/shop/product/view/3/64 so it looks as though I will have to go with DCC

Edited December 15, 2015 by Guest

[EngineDriver]

I know what you mean, Steve, but it's really just go and stop, however I find it not too bad with us because the railcar we use has flywheel drive and does carry on for a short while instead of just stopping dead. It is quite good though Steve, because you tend to forget about it while you are running the rest of the layout and then you will see the train making it's way along the branch to or from the terminus all on it's own, its cool really. Obviously you get to set the speed of the train in the same way you normally would.

They cost about £35, I think it's worth it as an added feature to the layout.

Nige.

[stevep5b]

Thank you Nige, this looks good http://www.blocksignalling.co.uk/index.php/dc-shuttle-with-acceleration-sas2-dc

As you suggest having the shuttle run in auto mode would be rewarding and just what I'm after

Edited December 16, 2015 by Guest

[EngineDriver]

Just watched that video clip! Interesting, I expect something could be conjured up perhaps if you were using DCC (which we are not) but it's beyond me I'm afraid. I don't know why anyone would want to computer control their trains anyway except for a shop display for example, because I thought the whole idea of a model railway was ultimately to actually drive the trains! Unless I have been doing wrong for the past 50 odd years!