Background
Model railways are, in 99.99%, of cases, compressed views of the real railway, sometimes models of actual places with correct features for a date and time chosen, sometimes based on an area and sometimes just pure fantasy - but the thing that connects them is they need to be signalled and operated.
If you are modelling one of the very few (comparatively) lines that had no fixed signals then stop reading now !
The first thing which is required for decent operation is signals, very few real life railways had no signalling and with the normal levels of traffic that most modellers run it is likely that fixed signalling would have been provided. In an ideal world the signals would all be perfect working examples however life does not always give us the time to do this so static models of signals are a good start, maybe one day they can be upgraded to working models, working colour lights are easier to model although they have their own challenges if you model the prototype accurately.
Some layouts will typically have signals which are just "wrong", for example including isolated (i.e. not under another signal boxes stop signal) distant signals on a model where the prototype is over 1000 yards from the signal box (1000yds = 35 feet (very rounded) in 4mm scale), so if you take a typical double track layout with a single signal box, to provide a distant in each direction and also have some of the "bit in the middle" modelled, even with compression, would require a good 80 feet - so don't model isolated distant signals on the approach to your station area.
The next difficulty that most modellers face is they are both driver and signalman at the same time, now I've met a good few railway people in my time but VERY few (in fact I can only think of one) could do both jobs, the same is often true on models - signalling is a very specialised skill and often not understood by those who operate the layouts and often the builders too.
For small layouts there is little that can be done, physical size precludes multiple operators, but for bigger layouts the driver and signalman could be split into two distinct jobs. The advantage is that the drivers then drive and the signalman signals, this is how the bigger WFRM layouts are operated - we have found that crashes are now a thing of the past, in the old days its was very easy to leave the wrong route set in the fiddle yard and watch the Down express demolish the ballast train (for example)
If you are using an old fashioned control panel with switches for points then there is a good chance that someone will throw the wrong point with catastrophic results, but technology is there to help and this will be discussed presently. We understand that for some this is a step too far however for those who would like to adopt this method, or those who are just plain interested, then please read on.
So how did we solve these issues for the WFRM layouts ?
The development of the ideas involved learning lessons after exhibiting both (big) layouts.
There are a couple of tasks which need to be performed to "enable" the technology - i.e. get it all working in a cohesive manner.
1. Install correct signalling - easy for us, one of the team is a signal design engineer by profession and one has had a huge interest in signalling since around 1976 and who acted as a "corresponding member" (expert - allegedly!) for the Signalling Record Society for many years.
I do not intend to give a lesson on "how to signal your layout" - there are plenty of books and Internet resources around to help with that, I am happy to help individuals as much as I can through direct contact - see the contacts page.
2. Install some sort of panel to allow the signalling to be done separately from the driving (it can be operated by the same person of course, its a virtual rather than a physical separation)
3. Devise an operating method - i.e. timetable / sequence / whatever
After some trawling of the Internet I found RailRoad and Co software from Freiwald little realising that one of the team had already spoken to Steve "ElectricNose" Jones and had ordered a copy. I tried other software but none of it quite did what I wanted so I was left with little choice but to get RR&Co working - a software package that inherently has no understanding of British signalling, but such is the power of RR&Co that we did eventually get it all working ... but more of this later.
This article will take you through the process necessary to create a realistic panel - or lever frame - so that it forces the operation of the signals to a prototypical manner, you will be able to follow either of two routes (or both)- colour light or semaphore.
NOTE - with a bit of thought it can be seen that most/all of the following could also be done (in a similar fashion) using wire and relays etc. - the software route is just easier !
If you would like to correspond on this matter then please use the contact us page
Last updated : December 10, 2007 22:41