Does anyone make an Automatic Interlocking circut?

[learmoia]

Does anyone make an automatic interlocking circut?

Lets say I have Main Line crossing Main line with automatic running.. with occupancy sensors on each leg of the diamond.

If all sensors are open, power goes to both mains, when one sensor set closes with a train, the opposite main shuts off to prevent an opposing train until the sensor is open again.

Thoughts?

[John]

Sounds like a relay circuit driven by the detectors .. I would start with one of the railroad crossing circuits - and when it detects the train, rather than flashing the lights, it activates a relay to kill power to the track segment opposite side of the crossing  ..

[C855B]

Sounds like a relay circuit driven by the detectors .. I would start with one of the railroad crossing circuits - and when it detects the train, rather than flashing the lights, it activates a relay to kill power to the track segment opposite side of the crossing  ..

Several years ago I visited a small (but nice) RR museum in Colorado (...where? got me...) that had this exact operating arrangement on a small display N-scale layout. They were running two trains on a single track in a extended figure-8 with the crossing at-grade. It was running unattended, and the slow speed of the trains combined with the automatic interlocking kept them sufficiently separated. The momentum built into the (single) locos was sufficient to prevent hard stops and starts.

In deeper recollection, it appeared they were using DCC with brake-on-DC enabled in the decoders because the headlights remained illuminated. So it was a matter of the relay not dropping power, but switching power sources on the crossing approaches.

[John]

Well, thats another option . you could run two trains in JMRI using the occupancy blocks as triggers to stop the train -- you could even slow it down slowly with the momentum setting ..

https://www.jmri.org/help/en/html/tools/automation/viaJava.shtml

Probably how I would do it - But that not what the OP asked ..

[kc9jts]

I have not used it personally but check out this item: https://www.iascaled.com/store/ModelRailroad/Signals/MRB-IIAB   There is a lot of diagrams about how it operates in the manual on that page.

[Bill H]

Hi;
As kc9jts noted Iowa Scaled Engineering makes a programmable interlocking that appear to do exactly what you want. I have seen it in some videos of Tony Koester's layout and he spent some time talking about it. I would give ISE a call.

https://www.iascaled.com/store/ModelRailroad/MRB-IIAB

Relevant info...
"The Iowa Scaled Engineering Interlocking-In-A-Box (IIAB) provides the signal logic to control a fully automatic interlocking on a model railroad. It can be used to manage a crossing of two active main lines with signals on both, or more typically, it can be used to manage the crossing of an active (modeled) main line and an inactive (dummy) main line. Each main line can have one siding, on either side of the diamond, and the signals respond prototypically based on the position of the switch points."

Kind regards,
Bill

[learmoia]

Skimming through the instruction, the ISE solution seems to control signals, but may not control the track power.  I'll contact them..

I also found this:
https://www.azatrax.com/track-crossing-protection.html  (Looks like I'd need one for each main.)

~Ian

[craigolio1]

Sounds like a relay circuit driven by the detectors .. I would start with one of the railroad crossing circuits - and when it detects the train, rather than flashing the lights, it activates a relay to kill power to the track segment opposite side of the crossing  ..

This seems easiest to me. Simple. Cheap.  No programming. Just works. Relays rule!!!


Craig.