Model Railroading > Time to Rethink Train Control?

For many decades, train control has meant turning a knob to adjust the speed of a train to a set level and a switch to control direction. While momentum and emergency stop buttons have added to this scheme, the basics have remained the same. Some time ago, a electrical engineer developed a DC throttle for the main yard at a model RR club I once belonged to. I still consider it the best switching throttle that I've ever used. It consisted of just three buttons and a couple of adjustment dials. The adjustment dials controlled the acceleration/deceleration and coasting speeds. The three buttons across the middle were reverse accelerate, emergency brake, forward accelerate. Pressing the forward accelerate button would accelerate the locomotive. By releasing the button the locomotive continued forward slowly losing speed (coasting). By pressing the reverse button, the still forward moving locomotive would decelerate at a rate the same as the accelerate rate set by accelerate/decelerate dial. One could continue to hold the reverse button and the locomotive would eventually come to a stop and start backing up. But you can also release the reverse button while the locomotive was still decelerating, and the locomotive would continue forward at the reduced speed. Both the forward and reverse buttons acted like brake buttons when the locomotive was moving in the opposite direction. I would love to find a throttle like this for DCC, but have come to the conclusion what we really need are programmable throttles. Throttles that can operate any way in which we can program them. An obvious choice would be to create a app for a touchscreen smart phone and use the wi-fi feature of JMRI. This would be a wonderful start, but in the long run I would like to see the throttle and sound control of sound chips separated and controlled independently via programmable throttles. My thought as one held down the forward accelerate button the sound would notch up to run 8 in fairly quick succession. Then as one released the button the sound would notch down to idle over a period of time as the train coasted along. Pressing the reverse button to slow the train would enact the air set and brake squealing sound. Prehaps Digitrax and NCE could develop wireless interfaces for smartphone throttles that were independent of JMRI?

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

You need to take a test drive of MTH' DCS on an O Scale layout (Yes, I know you are in HO - that's not what I asked). Don't knock it till you've tried it. Now available as an I-Phone App. It takes running trains to a whole new level.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

I still use DC, I was never sold on DCC and also I operate my layout alone and I enjoy the wiring. But I think the next step is using tracks as a power source to charge batteries on the loco and then each loco to have a wifi chip and controls everything through a app on your smart phone. Having the power through battery reduces the inefficiencies of electrical pick up and also the wifi connection should be better than the signal thru the track.

I think we've been using the majority of what you describe with DCC already. Programming a button on a diesel tsunami to act as brake, we throttle up (goes to run-8 if you run it up that high) the loco slowly starts due to momentum. Back off to zero throttle and it coasts and very slowly reduces speed but the sound also drops off coming to idle sound long before it actually stops. Pressing brake plays the squeal sound and of course stops the loco quicker but realistically. If you press again to turn the brake off, it continues at the reduced speed. I don't have your described air hiss sound though, that would be cool. A side effect that's nice - after stopping, if you leave the brake on, you can throttle up and give the effect of a heavy train, release the brake after the sound comes way up and it starts rolling later than if you had the brake "off".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/14 06:46 by KA7008.

KA7008 Wrote:
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> I think we've been using the majority of what you
> describe with DCC already. Programming a button
> on a diesel tsunami to act as brake......

I've been reluctant to do anything like this due to the need to have locomotives that can be run mu'ed to non Tsunami locomotives. But I should try this with my Tsunami equipped Athearn Genesis SP GP9E for use as a yard switcher/local unit. What happens when you switch directions?

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/14 07:01 by funnelfan.

Search the tube of you for nwbatman2222 for a couple videos of
a DCC control stand.

Larry

funnelfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> I've been reluctant to do anything like this due
> to the need to have locomotives that can be run
> mu'ed to non Tsunami locomotives. But I should try
> this with my Tsunami equipped Athearn Genesis SP
> GP9E for use as a yard switcher/local unit. What
> happens when you switch directions?


Yes you have a valid concern. I have equipped MU'd non-sound units that normally run in a consist with the soundtraxx non-sound decoders for compatibility. I have also found you can make Loksound and QSI decoders behave the same way re-mapping their dynamic brake function and using CV21 for consisting the function. Their idea is when you go into dynamics, your loco will stop quicker. I separate the two and have the dynamic "sound" on one function and the increased braking effect on another.

When you change directions, the loco simply coasts until it stops then restarts the other direction. The trick is getting the momentum values to match amongst different decoders.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/14 07:40 by KA7008.

I was inspired by the above mentioned youtube to program our locos as above.

I am not sure how many people know this, but Bachmann has announced a new form of train control they are working on. I honestly think this may be a game changer to a certain extent.
Bluetooth!
The part about bluetooth starts about 5:20 into the video.
http://youtu.be/W3MGlaRgfwE