Finally getting close to finishing my main line out front! Next, will be adding in a small wye, for reversing train movements once rest of layout is eventually completed! As well as adding a bit of operational Interest to the railroad when complete. Need to find an auto reverser that will work for an outdoor G Scale layout. Will require 2 reverse circuits. One for the wye in front, and one for the reverse loop in back. However, I need to find something that is suitable for outdoor use. Or am I best to keep both indoors, and run wiring accordingly?? What would be suggested for use in my situation? Information much appreciated. Thanks.
From what I read, it sounds more like this board is used with DCC. I'm using an MTH Z-4000 and bridge rectifier, to put up to 24 volt DC to my track, using QSI sound cards in my locomotives and Airwire radio control using an NCE G-Wire throttle. Or an old CVP Airwire 9000 throttle. Doesn't sound as if it'll work. Just need simple reverse loop control. Although, signal control might be a nice option at some point! I'm just concerned about getting my railroad built and running right now! Although, the information linked is good. It'll provide some useful information.
Massoth makes an autoreverser that will work on DC. (you know you DID post on the DCC forum, so most people would assume you wanted a DCC autoreverser) Greg
You may not need an autoreverser. How are you throwing the turnouts? Since you have to throw the turnouts anyway, you may be able to use whatever mechanism you use to throw the turnouts to flip the polarity of the reverse section. For example, if you are using a toggle switch for the turnout, you can use a toggle with two additional poles to flip the reversing section polarity.
I'm using stock manual Aristo Craft wide radius turnouts. They don't have any other electronic capability to them. Was thinking of just using a plain toggle switch, protected from the elements somehow. But, I have seen something elsewhere, of an electronic reverse loop controller. Weather proof, or at least weather resistant! Had 4 wires to connect - 2 to the mainline and the other 2 to the reverse section. I've got time yet, so I can research what I want.
Spring switches are easy to make, and often work better than relying on Arghristo switch machines. If you find an auto-reverser, be advised most of what you will find is useful for trolleys. Point to point reversing. You WILL need to spring load your switches, for ease of building your first....and a detector component approaching the backside that relay reverses the main line after you are firmly in the loop. Flip-flop driver for a relay, detector can even be a reed switch in the track and a magnet under the loco. I would determine the current draw of the operation and slap a suitable polyswitch in line, as you never know.
Keith, why not walk over to the Wye and manually throw the switches as 1:1 scale does at least at tail of wye; mains might be thrown at switch tower. . Also, you say "small Wye". If you mean turning entire train, not just engines, in G this is not going to be a small wye ! A 10' long train will of course need more than 10' curved wye legs to make the triangle. Plus, if one leg of wye is a lone tail track and not another branch main line (were wye becomes a junction), this tail will also be at least one train length, too. Anyway, as I said, why not throw those manually and at area have a large SPDT toggle ( search 'wiring' for this. Too dif to explain here) in a waterproof shingled-roof box on a post with a door, containing toggle. Only one isolated leg of wye needs polarity reverse once engine is in it, to make it match polarity of leg it's going to enter beyond the turnout it's now facing. Wayyyyyy cheaper than an auto reverser and creates some welcome RR work.
Mark, I will be manually throwing switches for the wye as needed. Yes, small wye. Big enough to just barely hold 2 85' passenger cars, or a pair of GP40 diesels, or a K27, once running again! It will be plenty long to turn an entire train! Again, a view of the wye in question: The ballasted track seen, are the original main and the recently added loop. The unballasted curve is one leg of the wye, and the unballasted straight track is the mainline to the back yard. Two of the switches are seen, the other just out of sight behind the rocks. Tracks come together farther to the left. From switch at mid right, I can fit 2 locomotives and about 8 cars between switches. I'll have to see IF I can set up for getting an overhead view of entire railroad!! Might help explain a few things better!! Estimating that trains will be fairly short. Narrow gauge, maybe 7 cars and caboose. Length of cars I have for a pipe train. Standard gauge, up to maybe 10 cars and caboose, with 2 locomotives, or 6-7 cars with single locomotive. Passenger train is 3 cars and a PA. IF I can get an Airwire 9,000 control repaired, I'll have up to 3 throttles available for running trains!! Just gotta get a sound board and Airwire reliever for the PA. And maybe see IF I can find someone to install same into an LGB Rio Grande #50!! Going to hardware store tomorrow, looking for a couple fence pickets for bridge abutments as well as a toggle switch, and a few other odds and ends needed. I know what I need to do, I know HOW to get most of it done. Now, it just a matter of getting the necessary supplies to continue!! A question, and or two: Mentioned switch machines, and changing track polarity that way, what would you recommend for that undertaking?? Would make access to one switch MUCH easier!! Thanks.
Easy with a toggle. Or, if you're running a full wave bridge and cap on your hairwire, use some super caps to bridge a section at least as long as the entire locomotive. The issue will be metal wheels on cars, but you're only turning a loco. Air switches, toggles in a box on a steel pole for ease of access. This is not rocket science. Why do you need repair? I'm still running throttles and radio gear over 20 years old. If you went on board batteries, no reverse loop section. Hint: If still track powered, place a signal across the gap. Red light only. If the power is reversed, the lamp will light, and you know to do something before you blow a fuse. The bad part of this is you are apparently running full voltage track power to an onboard throttle. With a bridge, the throttle doesn't care track polarity, but you will have to change polarity on the rest of the railroad, or just reverse power (using said light to indicate) one leg you designate as the "last" leg before re-entering mainline. Go up "first" leg, through top switch, checking polarity on "last" leg, proceed onto last leg, then throw power switch over to reverse that section..throttle may reset to stop, but you're stopped anyway, check red lamp at junction of "last" leg to main, if not red, proceed. You could do it with reed switches, magnets and a relay, but this is old school and with the lights, bulletproof
Looking at supplies tomorrow. Hope to have something rigged up temporarily, so I can at least use the new trackage!! Waiting on fence/gate installation yet, before I can do much more towards the back. Another 2 weeks. After brief testing with passenger cars, my original reversing section would NOT work. I'd have a locomotive and cars bridging insulated joints. Causing complete system short! Moved one set of insulated joiners to a different spot, letting entire front loop become a reversing section. Plus the loop in back, eventually, would be the other reversing section. Toggles will be used on a temporary basis, for now. Until I can find something to auto switch track polarity! The amount of walking, to change toggles would destroy my feet!! Then require a week of doing nothing, to return to almost normal! I like the light/LED idea for polarity detection. Wondering if I could also tie in a target signal trackside, to make operations a bit more prototypical. That is, reversed polarity, signal reads Red, when track is clear, and polarity matches, signal reads Green. Throttle busted up, after being throw at the ground several years ago. A couple of push buttons broken and the antenna broken! If I can't get it repaired, I'm gonna get me a second NCE G Wire cab instead. Have ideas for temporary and permanent wiring for operations. Have to do some additional research yet. But, I've got a start on things so far, so at least I'll be able to run, while looking for other solutions. Trying to KISS. But know that there will be more complex pieces of the puzzle. Appreciate the information to date! Thanks.
Okay...trying to read and view photos, looked like it was just a loco reversing wye. Yes, you can use red and green lamps. In fact, you can find red/green LED's, either two or three wire. Proper current limiter will allow single point light changes. In smaller scales, that's what I always did..red lamp only in a signal aspect. Even rotated it slightly to make sure I could see it from my usual vantage point. Long trains and metal wheels, like I posted first response, not going to work with gaps.
BTW, I really don't care for garden RRs for one reason; always standing looking down at everything. I did see one once which had pits to go down into, to view them from the side. If it was my serious, long time layout, and I had the $, I'd build these pits with concrete or brick walls. One problem : drainage, unless they had water proof covers for rainy days ...There was an article in MRRer of a G scale layout indoors on benchwork which was a simple industrial switching layout. It was really to scale with huge buildings with loading docks (not sure exactly, now) and like an S4 switcher. I really liked that..If rail size, couplers and flanges were well proportioned I like to do this myself. They certainly run great ! Your layout looks proto in character, not the all too common, cutesy, silly ones some folks put in with no Ops, just big roundy-rounds with goldfish ponds and white quartz ballast ! Ugh ! ..
Mine is 1500 feet of track, lowest point is 1' AGL, highest mainline is about 5' AGL. Most of it you are looking sideways at,k not down. Of course, all those 30" high Half Zero railroads on 4X8 sheets of plywood don't count as "looking down" onto? My pike uses 215 and 250 rail, NOT 9" tall .332 anything. #4's and #6's. Everything is a compromise. Look at all those folks using such prototypical Kadee couplers.
