Automated fiddle yard

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  • #44
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    OK, I haven’t seen all the designs, but I haven’t seen something like this before and I use it all the time: an automated system to change trains.

    Using different ID’s for different trains you can at least sequence 6 trains in a fiddleyard like this. Use your own logic to extend it or just use it like it is.

    It’s available at http://www.holleman.demon.nl/treinen/IDfiddleyard.zip

    #443
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Great Design Louis! You could expand it to more trains just by adding more flip flop switches within an Engine ID segment, so one branch for ID 1 could have 3 or four tracks. The first switch ID’s the engine and sends it to that siding group. and once it gets in there there it just flip flops to whatever one is open. GREAT DESIGN ! ! ! !

    #444
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    mclare wrote:

    Great Design Louis! You could expand it to more trains just by adding more flip flop switches within an Engine ID segment, so one branch for ID 1 could have 3 or four tracks. The first switch ID’s the engine and sends it to that siding group. and once it gets in there there it just flip flops to whatever one is open. GREAT DESIGN ! ! ! !

    To be honest: I think you’ll soon run into troubles, especially with groups of 3 sidings. The problem will be the starting sequence for the next train (which now runs simply from top to bottom). Maybe I’m blind (I’m a very lousy chessplayer), but it could be worth a try :)

    What I did was add a follow up section with simply 3 tracks again for the different ID’s, where one incoming train sends off a waiting one on the same track with the same ID. That one totals up to 9 trains already.

    #445
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I’ve been working on a 3×4 yard, which works OK.

    An uneven amount of sidings in one bundle (which would serve one specific ID) will IMO lead to problems, and I believe 6 would do the same.

    The bundle entry switches react to ID’s, the divider switches are all flip-flops.

    The easiest way to expand this would be an increase in ID’s from Brainbomb 8)

    Incase you are interested I could email the zipped roa file…

    #446
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Louis,

    Could you send a zipped copy to chris.behrens@yahoo.com?

    Regards, Chris

    #447
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Chris wrote:

    Hi Louis,

    Could you send a zipped copy to chris.behrens@yahoo.com?

    Regards, Chris

    Done, Chris. BTW, this one needs v 3 and ext. pack 7 😉

    #448
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Dratz, before I keep sending those emails:

    fetch it at http://www.holleman.demon.nl/treinen/IDfiddleyard12.zip

    Enjoy!

    #449
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    And now for the funny part:

    Of course I wanted to expand this one. So I put another similar layout behind the first one.

    The difficult part is to get it running like it should, but I got that done.

    What you need is one free track in every 2 sets of sidings for each ID. Which means you cannot put 24 trains in it, but “only” 21.

    If you do it right, it means that on every “completion of a cycle” there will be a change. Which means that you maybe can watch a whole day before things will repeat as they were when you started…

    (I might be wrong here, but if I calculate right, it means it would take 21 cycles before things will actually repeat for the first time like when you start this thing…)

    PS: zipped roa file not available yet, why don’t you try it out yourselves? :D

    #450
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Louis,

    I have been having a go of your track work Idfiddleyard12 and like it very much, can it be addaped to out and back like a terminuse station?

    Reg

    #451
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Biggs wrote:

    Hi Louis,

    I have been having a go of your track work Idfiddleyard12 and like it very much, can it be addaped to out and back like a terminuse station?

    Reg

    I think you can. Theoretically, you can do whatever you want between its exit and entrance, as long as you feed a departing train back to the entrance.

    #452
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I made a basic set for a terminus thing, just 4 tracks with no ID’s. You can expand it to 12 using ID’s again.

    The key thing here is that a train coming in will direct another one out. This one will set the switches right for it’s own departure. Since that train will eventually come back, it needs to go to the same track. So when it comes back, it won’t change any switches position. If it would, it would also mess up the whole system.

    The other thing is: a pulling engine coming in becomes a pushing one going out, so keep an eye on the placement of controls :D

    If you want to make it real hard: place a return loop at the other end, so the train gets back reversed 😉

    That could probably be done too, but you’d need double controls to set switches right for departing trains: one for the engine on the far end and another one for the engine on the near end….

    If you can’t sort it out (talking about the basic one now), provide me with an email addy so I can send you the roa file (which cannot be done using this forum’s email options).

    #453
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    louis wrote:

    If you want to make it real hard: place a return loop at the other end, so the train gets back reversed 😉

    That could probably be done too, but you’d need double controls to set switches right for departing trains: one for the engine on the far end and another one for the engine on the near end….

    Ermmm…. It CAN be done :P

    Not even double controls needed: just place the engine in the middle of a train. Use the Governors’ Intercity-125 type, perfect to combine with 2 sets of 3 or 4 cars, with just one engine in the middle. But don’t use the night feature coz’ it’s not decent to see the big headlight somewhere in the middle 8)

    Hint: could we perhaps have dummy engines with working headlights and acting like carriages? 💡

    #454
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi louis,chris,biggs and mcclare

    this fiddleyard from louis can be combined with runaround from gov in both modes(analoque as digital). See this as a fork with 2 or 3 lines on both ends of the track,i´d test this many times and it´s running perfect. austindave demonstrate it in the coaltrack 125.roa for analoque. :) :)

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