Large Scale Central

Portable Switching Puzzle / John Allen "TimeSaver"

I have always used a transformer with an Aristo TE 27 mhz, for the control. The transformer can be set to half throttle and that keeps anyone from cranking it all the way up.

On the switching layout our club has and bring to our module events has a transformer that can be set at a slow speed so the locomotive does not run off the track and will not harm the bumpers at the ends of each siding. We also use a toggle switch for the forward and reverse. This way the kids only have to use the toggle switch to move the locomotive. Another thing we use is hook and loop couplers. By giving the operator (kid) an old credit card or hotel card they can slide it down between the 2 cars that they want to uncouple and move the other car away. The switching layout is not a timesaver, but does have a main line and 3 sidings. 2 sidings can hold 2 cars max. and the other 3 cars max. The mainline will only hold the loco and 2 cars. We also use small cars like the Hartland mini cars and an Aristo Lil Critter for the motive power. There are 6 cars on the various sidings when the child starts. The cars are all numbered. They then pull 3 cards from a deck of 6 cards. This tells them the cars they have to pick up and in what order. So with the mainline lining up with the straight siding that will hold 3 cars it makes it a challenge to clear that track and get the cars in order to have the loco and 3 cars on that track. We have been using this switching module for over 10 years and it has been a big success with the little ones at the events. It was originally made for the Boy Scouts Scout-O-Rama and is one requirement for their Railroading Merit Badge.

Edit: I wish I had a picture of it. The next time we have it up, I will take a picture.

Greg Elmassian said:

Greg

Your picture doesn’t show up for me. I have tried Firefox and MS Edge.

When I use Firefox and ask for View Image, it gives me a security warning. It says Do Not Continue To SDGRS.COM.

Edge just shows a little image like a very small piece of paper.

Tom

Colin Criswell said:

On the switching layout our club has and bring to our module events has a transformer that can be set at a slow speed so the locomotive does not run off the track and will not harm the bumpers at the ends of each siding. We also use a toggle switch for the forward and reverse. This way the kids only have to use the toggle switch to move the locomotive. Another thing we use is hook and loop couplers. By giving the operator (kid) an old credit card or hotel card they can slide it down between the 2 cars that they want to uncouple and move the other car away. The switching layout is not a timesaver, but does have a main line and 3 sidings. 2 sidings can hold 2 cars max. and the other 3 cars max. The mainline will only hold the loco and 2 cars. We also use small cars like the Hartland mini cars and an Aristo Lil Critter for the motive power. There are 6 cars on the various sidings when the child starts. The cars are all numbered. They then pull 3 cards from a deck of 6 cards. This tells them the cars they have to pick up and in what order. So with the mainline lining up with the straight siding that will hold 3 cars it makes it a challenge to clear that track and get the cars in order to have the loco and 3 cars on that track. We have been using this switching module for over 10 years and it has been a big success with the little ones at the events. It was originally made for the Boy Scouts Scout-O-Rama and is one requirement for their Railroading Merit Badge.

Edit: I wish I had a picture of it. The next time we have it up, I will take a picture.

I love the idea that a simple model railroad setup could serve as a fun instructional tool for young people, for over a decade.

tom, use https:// to access largescalecentral…

Greg Elmassian said:

tom, use https:// to access largescalecentral…

Greg

I am using https;// to acccess largescalecentral.

This is the first picture I haven’t seen in while.

Tom

here it is from my site:

Greg

I get the same results as with the other posting.

Tom

don’t know what to tell you, I can see it https:// and http://

It’s your computer or browser

go to my web site: https://elmassian.com/index.php/large-scale-train-main-page/others-layouts/timesaver-switching-layout

Greg

Hi Greg

I had the same trouble as Tom until I ignored the warning from firefox and went to the pictures location, then when I came back the pictured had shown up in your first post.

Mick

what warning did you receive?

Reminds me of a request a few Christmas’s ago from some friends who had been somewhat taken, after a visit, by my garden railway, “Oh, could you bring it down so we all can have something to play with before Christmas dinner ?” Er, what ! Then did a bit of head scratching and remembered a shunting puzzle, I saw operated in 009 scale, at one of the shows here. Googled “Shunting Puzzle” and came up with, I think, “Inglenook”.

Just so happens I had some LGB R3 switches lying around awaiting sale (after wholesale change to R5) and some spare sections of LGB set track. Gathered it all up along with my R/C 0-6-0 live steamer (Roundhouse Lady Anne), its fuel, water, oil and basic tools, a selection of narrow gauge W&L railway wagons, the track plan, a packet of Post-It notes and headed down to my friends for Christmas celebrations. Took about 10 minutes to set up in their back yard on a patch of concrete.

Hosts and guests were on it for most of the day, excepting lunch. We only stopped when it got dark and the Xmas special of “Dr Who” was about to start on the TV. One of my friends, a computer software engineer by trade (I wonder why he liked the shunting puzzle so much ?), was most miffed when he was beaten on time by another guest’s 10 year old daughter, who though a total novice, was handling the controls of the live steam loco as though she had been born with a Spektrum DX6 in her hands.

Greg Elmassian said:

what warning did you receive?

I can not remember the exact wording, I was advised not to continue to the site but was given a choice to ignore the warning which I did.

Using Firefox Quantum 68.0.2

Mick

The warning was something about a potentially hazardous site.

Well, your computers have something wrong or an overly-aggressive blocker…

My site uses https:// you should use it for my site also

My certificate is up to date and legitimate

https://www.sslshopper.com/ssl-checker.html#hostname=www.elmassian.com

So, I would check the updates for your browsers, your root certificates are up to date, and if that does not reveal anything, take a long hard look at your plugins on your browser…

Greg

Sounds familiar; check your connections while we figure out what went wrong…

Greg, I’m on a 2 week old laptop, I’ve only added CCcleaner and Chrome. In both Edge and Chrome with and without the s; no pics from you.

I opened your page and saw the pics… w/edge.

What malware should I add?

OK, I think the issue is solved.

(the posting of http:// pictures when you are logged in as https:// is not solved, that is a problem with this website)

The key was Chrome, it was not showing pictures formatted a certain way, but FireFox was.

I removed this formatting (which I have no idea how it happened) and now seems to show fine… it was just these pictures on that particular page… really weird.

Thanks to all that persisted and helped me eventually find this weird problem.

Greg

Greg Elmassian said:

here it is from my site:

Greg

It looks like there should be 2 picture in this post.

I see the first one, but not the second one.

Tom

Greg Elmassian said:

Well, your computers have something wrong or an overly-aggressive blocker…

My site uses https:// you should use it for my site also

My certificate is up to date and legitimate

https://www.sslshopper.com/ssl-checker.html#hostname=www.elmassian.com

So, I would check the updates for your browsers, your root certificates are up to date, and if that does not reveal anything, take a long hard look at your plugins on your browser…

Greg

Good information to have just in case I need to view “your” site Greg.

Thanks for the update.