I have always enjoyed the electrical part of building a layout. I do not know an ohm from a watt , I really don't, but I can visualize a wire and a toggle switch, I know what an insulated section of track means. I can imagine a device that will turn on, shut off, or redirect the path that electricity will take when a train activates it. So,. ..that's enough.
This is what I want. Sometimes, I will control all the stopping and starting myself. That is the normal way. But, other times I just want to watch and see what happens as the trains move around the layout. If two trains are approaching a crossing, I want to see one train come to a stop safely in front of the crossing and wait until the second train goes past. Then when it is clear the first train will start up and continue on.
Another scenario is a slower train pulls off into a siding and comes to a stop as the switch it just went over changes to straight ahead as the approaching faster train gets a green signal to pass. Then the train on the crossing starts up and re-joins the main line. Things like this are possible. It helps if you always run your trains in the same direction, but remember we always have the capability to manual override.
The advance stage of what I described above is to make it even more realistic by making it appear natural. A train will not always stop at a crossing, but only when there is a danger of colliding with another train.
I have done a little bit of this but I want to learn a lot more. The best thing I have come across is a controller that sits right beside the track. It has an infra red sensor that switches electrical paths when a train passes by and breaks the invisible beam. It only has a range of a couple of inches but it works very well and is dependable and does not 'stutter'. A nice feature is you can control how long after the last car goes by that the effect will continue. It is made by Lionel and I believe it is called 153I Controller. I have two on my layout and will get details if your interested. I paid about $27 for each of mine. I am using them to control several accessories but I want to try to experiment with stopping and starting trains.
If you have other ideas or know of other gadgets that are simple to use, please post your comments. Thanks John.
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I believe that years ago Lionel made a device that paused trains at the crossover on a figure-eight layout, but I can't remember where I saw the reference. They may be available on Ebay. The price you paid seems reasonable for the modern device. I have made infrared timer circuits with Radio Shack parts, but I'm not sure they would last in the garden. I will lend you an old "how-to" electronic book if you'd like. It doesn't go into warts, but it's pretty good at explaining ohms.
Thanks Scott, Your way ahead of me but it is fun to tinker with stuff. The old Lionel was easier because 3 rail let you cut a couple of notches in the track to isolate it and use the metal wheels and axle of the train to complete the circuit.
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