Large Scale Central

Another Poll.... How do you power and control your Trains

Electronics Power and Sound
#21

Good old fashioned Analog DC on 3 loops. Nothing fancy- Aristo 10 amp throttles. Seems to work for me.

-Kevin.

#22

My hand, gravity and windup keys

#23

Batteries and Airwire…Soundtraxx sound decoders

#24

DCC

#25
David Russell said:
My hand, gravity and windup keys
What about a pull string?
#26

With a 90 ,180 or 360 degree pull?

#27
David Russell said:
With a 90 ,180 or 360 degree pull?
You lost me David ?
#28
Nicholas Savatgy said:
David Russell said:
With a 90 ,180 or 360 degree pull?
You lost me David ?
Don't worry about it, happens quite regularly to most of us (when David gets profound). :lol: :lol: :lol:
#29
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Nicholas Savatgy said:
David Russell said:
With a 90 ,180 or 360 degree pull?
You lost me David ?
Don't worry about it, happens quite regularly to most of us (when David gets profound). :lol: :lol: :lol:
Thanks HJ, I thought is was me............Remember a Mind is a terrible thin to waste.......HE HE HE :)

Nick

#30

Brian, which Soundtraxx decoders, and if the Tsunamis, do you have to do anything to the motor leads to put a simulated load on them? I’ve read that’s advisable, but haven’t heard directly from anyone specifically using the Airwire/Tsunami combination. I’ve been wanting to play with them only because they’re half the price of a Phoenix, for situations where I don’t want/need that much control.

As for me, battery power, with Airwire, QSI, and Revolution controls.

Later,

K

#31

Kevin,

I am using plain DSX sound decoders (bought them when I was in ‘O’ scale)…so, I can’t answer your motor lead/load question.

#32

Power: I tie a piece of string to the pointy tip of the cow pusher-off thingy and pull them around our living room.

Control: I have to go pretty slowly 'round the corners to get them to follow me.

#33

Thanks. I’m no longer seeing the straight sound decoders on their web site–everything’s the Tsunami.

Later,

K

#34

John Le Forestier said:
Power: I tie a piece of string to the pointy tip of the cow pusher-off thingy and pull them around our living room. Control: I have to go pretty slowly 'round the corners to get them to follow me.

… Darn… John Le. Forestier… You got to get up with the times… Get a wind up like we have and only have to use a key to run them… Strings get old and brittle and break… causing derailments… Also, Train can run over the Kat if you don’t slow down for the corners like you said. lol. " Run away…" Ours never derail due to Eng. slows down before stopping…

(http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/noelw/Logo/bigsmile.gif)

#35

“Also, Train can run over the Kat if you don’t slow down for the corners like you said.”

Noel;

Had something like that happen on an American Flyer layout once. 4-6-4 and seven car passenger train went roaring into the tunnel. Did not know our cat was taking a nap inside the mountain! :rolleyes:

Scared both of us out of one or our lives.

Best,
David Meashey

#36
Dave Meashey said:
"Also, Train can run over the Kat if you don't slow down for the corners like you said."

Noel;

Had something like that happen on an American Flyer layout once. 4-6-4 and seven car passenger train went roaring into the tunnel. Did not know our cat was taking a nap inside the mountain! :rolleyes:

Scared both of us out of one or our lives.

Best,
David Meashey


What did the cat do to the mountain/tunnel?

Where can I find that on YouTube?

:lol:

#37

“What did the cat do to the mountain/tunnel?”

Steve;

This happened in 1971 on an American Flyer Christmas layout we had in the living room of our apartment. (pre-home video days) Fortunately, I had put up that brick-print crepe paper as a skirt for the layout and for the back side of the mountain. The crepe paper could part like a curtain (for rerailing trains in the tunnel), so our startled kitty escaped through that. It was the startling appearance of a train SHE did not expect, and the startling appearance of a cat that I did not expect that lead to each of us losing one of our lives.

Would you believe that after THAT experience, I checked inside the mountain each time before I started to run trains?

Probably could have been a winner on America’s Funniest Home Videos had I captured it somehow. But know that even today, the camera is never handy when this stuff happens. :stuck_out_tongue:

Have fun,
David Meashey

#38

I’m battery powered using a radio control of my own design. It supports 32 individually addressable locos or MU lashups. Receivers have Back EMF for realistic low speed operation and can control 6 accessories built-in with a daughter card that supports 6 more. Multi unit operation allows each loco to have a 5 point speed curve that is easily downloaded from the transmitter for speed matching. I use two motor control sizes, 3 amp and 14 amp. Multiple transmitters can be used at once with all of them able to control the same layout switches and accessories (99 of them) and their own 32 locos/lashups. I have a few locos wired to run on both battery and track power. Here is a link to the design/build log if you have the wear withal to suffer through a long read: http://www.kronosrobotics.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=894 Here are some pictures of my back yard layout:

(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i27/rmcintir/Trains/Old_SnM_Expansion_5-15-2011.jpg)

(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i27/rmcintir/Trains/Old_SnM_Expansion_5-14-2011.jpg)

(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i27/rmcintir/Trains/HPIM3319.jpg)

(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i27/rmcintir/Trains/DSC00612.jpg)

russ

#39

Hey Russ - I like those PVC pipe supports. The reducer is a great idea to allow a larger (more stable) pipe to be used as the riser. Good thinking :slight_smile:

#40

Thanks Jon. The 3" PVC is way more stable at height than 2". Schedule 40 PVC is plenty thick too.