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The North River
Railway is a "heads-up" model railroad where the engineers
can give their full attention to running their train instead of
worrying about routing power via a control panel. Three wireless
walk-around controllers allow the engineers complete freedom to follow
the train wherever it goes worrying only about the speed and direction
of travel.
Trackside
switch machine control operates the turnouts right at the switch so the
train crew doesn't have to hunt on a distant panel for the correct
control. Admittedly, some machines are too far to reach
conveniently in this manner so some switches can also be operated from
push-buttons on the table front.
Control
is by a computer controlled block system. Tracks are wired as if
for a conventional block system so that any unmodified engine will
operate without the installation of receivers of any kind. The
computer uses photo cell detection to detect the approach of a train to
a block to turn the blocks on and off as the train progresses on its
route. Signals display the correct track occupancy so as long as
the engineer doesn't run red a signal, two trains can pass where sidings
permit.
The
turntables are also fully automated with alignment accuracy ranging
down to about ten mills (0.010 inch). Pressing the -CW- button
twice will cause the table to index clockwise past the first track,
slow and lock in place to the second and put power to the appropriate
stall track(s) without any intervention from the crew.
Track, turnout and
other power systems are protected against shorts with an alarm that
sounds when shorts occurs. The computer will periodically
recycle and attempt to re-start the system until the short is removed.
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