Hi,
* SORTED * SEE REPLY ***
Newbie with a 'simple' (?) question; concerns 00-9/HOe but probably applies to all analogue gauges.
To be honest, I've never been particularly interested in the electrical aspects of my layouts, other than supplying power to the tracks. I mean, I just want to watch trains going round and round and round and... well, you know, right?
However, I'm in the process of renovating a OO/4mm project at the moment which just so happens to have a OO-9/HOe end to end line embedded inside the layout's twin OO outer loops.
Currently, the layout's electrics consist of an analogue Gaugemaster twin controller which feeds 2 × 12V independently to the OO up/down lines/loops; which is all I need to have two locomotives running continuously and (obviously) simultaneously. That pretty much keeps me perfectly happy. However, the Gaugemaster also powers a third controller which allows manual end to end running of the OO-9/HOe line (also 12V), which is fine, but...
... Can anyone point me in the right direction so that I can automate the OO-9/HOe line as follows?; i.e., the line is a single track, stretching from location A to B (see images below). I'd like a single locomotive (e.g., a Roco 33204, an Egger-Bahn 1005, or similar 12V analogue model) to run from one end to the other e.g., A to B, and on arrival at B to automatically stop and return to A, whereupon it does the same i.e., stop (automatically) and return to B, whereupon... it continues to A, B, A, B, A... ad infinitum, or until its power is cut.
I'm hoping that this can be done in my "analogue world" as the chances of me upgrading to DCC are about as remote as an electrified point motor appearing on one of my layouts - not happening: end of. Soldering, basic wiring, etc., can be tolerated but not so any digital nonesense.
Then again, as the end-to-end OO-9/HOe line was constructed to be more of a decorative, not functional, aspect of the layout, will my requirement turn out to be more bother than it's worth?
Any advice would be gratefully accepted, even if it's just a link to an appropriate article/post. Thanks in advance.
FYI:
1/ The locomotives likely to be involved (Egger-Bahn, Roco#1, Roco#2, Roco#3):
2/ The end-to-end OO-9/HOe line to be automated:
2.1/ View from 'End A' (line extends straight from buffer stop past loading docks before curving right up behind wall).
2.2/ Mid section: looking from 'End A' towards 'End B' (line curves back ~ 90° to left, past central loading dock, with the wall bordering it to the right hand side).
2.3/ 'End B': Looking back from buffer stop/loading docks at 'End A' as line curves up to central loading dock (see 2.2). Note: it's the same wall (partially hidden by water crane) but this time on the left.
3/ And finally: While revamping the scenic background, I managed to create a 5" × 9' 10" 'gutter' which could, conceivably, be used to host another two 00-9/HOe end-to-end lines! Just a thought... perhaps some basic landscaping would be sufficient...
Be safe.
RJI
