Hello all. I run my outdoor railroad on dcc on stainless steel track. I would like to have some basic automation, then eventually increase automation with JMRI. One issue I have experienced is electronics do not weather well. I was wondering what others have had successfully use outdoors for train detection. I know modelers indoors mostly use current sensors for block detection but those electronics look fragile for outdoors. I have thought about reed switches but that only gives point locations not real block detection. Looking forward to your ideas.

Thanks for reading

Steve

Hi Steve, I am not an expert on train detection, however visit Z-Stuff for trains . They have a sealed optical detector in a utility box. It is built into their signals. You can buy the detector and use it with most control systems.

https://www.z-stuff.net/dz1075.html

Don

Hi Steve

I’ve been playing around using NCE BD20’s for detection on one passing siding on my layout. I bring all the wiring back to a building and have it in a Cableguard weatherproof demarc wiring box. One of these.

https://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9siv02e1uu1760&bri=9b-0zk-0172-001m4

Bob, where are you getting you cable connectors? They look like what the OEMs use in the auto industries. What is the board behind the ribbon cable on the right side of the enclosure in your photo? Have you had this system outside for any length of time? I have found the weakest link in water proofing is where the cables go through the enclosure.

Thanks

Steve

They’re Superseal connectors. You can find them, or clones, all over eBay and other places. They come in everything from 2-pin up. You should get the special wire crimper tool if youre going to use them. You don’t NEED it, but it makes it a lot easier than using a pair of needle nose pliers. I’ve also started looking into using IP68 connectors, since they’re a bit smaller, but theyre solder connections and waterproof once they’re ‘built’

The block under the ribbon cable is a Phoenix Contacts multipin board that takes a 50-pin ribbon cable and turns it into 50 screw terminals. That’s where all the IO from the LCC board goes into (and eventually out of)

This box has been out for a couple years, summer only, inside the warehouse building, so its not directly in the weather. The box has a rubber o-ring so it keeps water out. So far no issues. Where the cables come through points DOWN, so occasionally there’s a bug inside, but I havent found water to be an issue.