FUNTRAK‘s usual interesting layouts were the center of attention again this year at the annual Valley Rail Sights show in Ilion. In addition to the layouts this year, FUNTRAK also had vendors with trains and supporting equipment for sale. The vendors were pleased and promised to return next year. Attendance was good and everyone had a great time.

Innovation! What a great idea. Unfortunately, as Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.” So I am ambitiously pursuing my brilliant idea of how to do a simple job with the least complicated solution. Developing a means of having a train go down a single track, traverse a reverse loop, and return to its origin with minimal human intervention. Seems simple enough, doesn’t it? Whoa! Let me tell you what I have done so far and what I foresee as yet to come in this “simple” endeavor.

First, I had to overcome the skepticism of my fellow helpers who all claim this is way too complicated to be done simply and efficiently. To do this I sent a preliminary drawing out and asked for help. This at least convinced them that I was serious, even if they thought I was still crazy. Now that the communication exchange had begun, the ideas and answers began to pop up. Some of the simple things that needed to be solved included how to automatically change the polarity of the tracks in the loop without having to stop the train, how to notify the engineer when the main throttle direction should be changed, how to protect the mainline from having the train go against itself when coming out of the loop, and the list goes on. Control of these functions is dependent upon knowing the location of the train at any given time. Here we go again!

Now I have to find some way of sensing the position of the train and relaying it to some sort of control mechanism. I decided that an Arduino microcontroller should do the job of providing a control mechanism for all the operations necessary to control the power supply for the trains in this section. I also decided to see if Hall effect sensors would work as the means of providing the necessary position indicators to feed this information to the Arduino. Again, simple ideas but complicated answers. How many Gauss does an electric train motor radiate? What, you say. So did I. I need to know something about these little motors in order to use the Hall sensors as a sensing mechanism.

How many relays does it take to control the polarity of the power being fed to the track? Simple suddenly doesn’t seem so simple any more. To answer these questions, I ordered the parts I would need to complete my experiment and test my brilliant ideas. Now all I have to do is wait for them to arrive.

Meanwhile, I am trying to figure out the magnetic pattern of my little locomotives so I know how to position the Hall sensors in the track, if in fact they will work at all, to detect the little trains. If, and that is a BIG if, this all works out as planned, I then need to delve into programming the Arduino to control the necessary hardware to accomplish my end desire. As you can see, what Edison was alluding to is that as each solution for a simple problem comes up, so does another problem required to be solved to support the original idea. Nothing is as simple as it at first appears.

I will keep plugging away at my problem and eventually either come up with a satisfactory solution or realize that it “simply” cannot be done.
Until next time, keep training.

Brian

Everyone – visitors and participants alike – had a great time at the train show this weekend. Our thanks go out to Fischer Elementary School for welcoming FUNTRAK back again. Read more from The Little Falls Times.

Here it is February again and the same old problem persists; no activities to report. The Springfield show was last weekend, but FUNTRAK did not participate as a club and I did not attend. The Utica Toy Train Collectors Society show has come and gone, again FUNTRAK did not participate. Consequently, there is little to report for January. So what to write about?

Upcoming events that FUNTRAK will participate in. February brings in a new show this year at the Fisher Elementary School in Mohawk sponsored by FUNTRAK and the local Parent Teacher Organization over the weekend of February 9th and February 10th. This inaugural event should prove to be an exciting event for all involved. The residents of Mohawk, especially the children, have been exceptionally supportive of FUNTRAK in the past and have enjoyed the many displays provided by the club. FUNTRAK hopes to lure in many new visitors for this show to help support the Parent Teacher Organization and FUNTRAK as well as promoting model railroading to the public in general. This will be an excellent opportunity for families to come and enjoy the many aspects of model railroading from history to construction to modeling of railroads of all kinds. Do not miss this chance to see what model railroading can offer to you and your family.

March looks to be a quiet month but April is fairly active. First up is the 25th Anniversary of RailRun in Boston over the first weekend in April. FUNTRAK club members Greg Brockway, John Fleming, and Brian King are scheduled to attend with our old friend from Canada, David King. This is always a fantastic occasion that everyone enjoys. The layouts are not only wonderfully scenicked, but extremely well organized and professional in their operation, which is the main reason for attending in the first place.

Following this will be FUNTRAK’s annual Valley Rail Sights Show at the Masonic Lodge in Ilion again this year. Even this is an historic happening as this marks the fifth year FUNTRAK has been associated with the Masons in Ilion. This has proven to be a great venue for FUNTRAK and the Masons as both benefit from the event. Participation by other clubs has made this show a favorite for FUNTRAK club members and those who join us in the fun. We look forward to seeing our friends from Syracuse, Rochester, Canada, Albany, and other places who help with this show each year. The layouts change each year and the excitement at seeing what is new keeps the spectators coming back for more. They won’t be disappointed this year as FUNTRAK will be bringing the HO T-trak layout for the first time to Ilion. People have been clamoring for an HO display and this year FUNTRAK will be able to accommodate their wishes. Additionally, the other scales will also be represented from G, to N, to Z and the ever popular Lionel layout the public operates.

Future activities are in the works and the PicNik this year is going to be a BIG DEAL! Mark your calendars for the first Sunday in August (the fourth) and don’t miss this one! Meanwhile, keep on training. See you next time.

Brian

The display at the Amsterdam Riverfront Center was deemed a success!

Christmas is right around the corner as we leave November behind. This past month has been a busy one for FUNTRAK. The first weekend found club members in Syracuse with numerous other clubs running one of the largest t-trak layouts assembled in the area. The double bubble made for some very interesting running. Besides the double bubble, FUNTRAK also had its first showing of the newly constructed mountain division on the t-trak layout. As expected, this ran exceptionally well and provided even more interest and comments from spectators. The red line was set up to accommodate DCC while the remaining loops were all conventionally powered. The main red line was over five and a half scale miles long and took well over nine minutes to traverse. John Allen from Canada put a miniature camera on one of the trains and set out on a journey around the layout.

Overall, the show was a great success for all involved. The two day event allowed everyone to have a chance to run trains and acquire new equipment for their railroad kingdoms.

The next event was the following weekend in Fulton with the Oswego Valley Railroad Association sponsoring their annual holiday show. FUNTRAK again showed up this time with a new and exciting “triple bubble.” Additionally, FUNTRAK club member Greg Brockway managed to bring the new HO t-trak layout. Both layouts were big hits with the public. The next weekend found club members at Brian’s building more HO t-trak modules for future shows. These included four double modules and plans for a new regular outside corner and a new two piece inside corner. This will allow for more diversity in the HO layouts as more and more modules are constructed. The N scale one track modules are still in the works and should be completed soon. One of the newest modules for the N scale t-trak was built by Tim Brien, one of our newer members. Tim’s beautiful work can be seen here. Great work, Tim!

New specialty modules for both scales are being planned for the future. Expansion is the word of the day for FUNTRAK as new modules, concepts, and shows evolve for the club. FUNTRAK’s next endeavor is a show at the Amsterdam Riverfront Center on Saturday and Sunday, December 1 and 2, 2012 where the HO layout will again be displayed for the public’s enjoyment.

Finally, to close out the year, FUNTRAK will again be displaying the t-trak layout at the Oneida County Historical Society from December 27 through December 29. Both of these shows are open to the public and FUNTRAK welcomes all to come and enjoy the trains! So, in the holiday spirit, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all. See you next time and keep on training.

Brian

FUNTRAK runs trains with the Oswego Valley Railroad Association at their annual holiday show in Fulton, NY.

FUNTRAK shows off its newly constructed mountain division of the T-Trak layout. We were delighted to participate in one of the largest T-Trak layouts assembled in the area!