Alternating Station Circuit

Mike Bett

Mike Bett

Beer, G Gauge, Beer, Cricket, Beer.
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I am setting up a couple of Alternating Station Circuits.
Below is my rather rough sketch of what I propose to use, culled from my old LGB EPL Techniques booklet.

Are the connections 3 and 4 made directly to the layout transformer? and which of the two is the live connection.
Is the direction of travel important, do both engines need to enter from the same end, or can one enter from the opposite direction? providing the reed switch and block area are suitably placed.
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Ok you have done pretty well what I did on this line.
I also got my concept from the LGB book and a copy of LGB Telegram, this had a revercing circuit with 2 trains going one way and one the other. I never worked out how that was done as there was not enough info for me fathomable the wiring. However it is more complex as you need to be using another auxiliary switch or two (10270) to do a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) reverce on the varying sections thus getting quite complex.

Your feeds 3 and 4 are used to power the point and are on an uncontrolled output. Your green wires as you show feed the isolating sections as you show, however if the next train goes into the same track as the one departing just swop the green wires over on the 10270.

Note on my line how trains start up and how for simplification I have not powered the point, that was for the future 12 years ago. Still not done!
 
Connections 3 and 4 made to the transformer’s AC supply, so it doesn’t matter which way round they are connected.

The layout as shown is a one way, alternate train circuit. The 10210 controls in the entry point directing the incoming train to the unoccupied track. As it passes the 17100 it flips the point, which energises the other insulated section and turns off power to its own track. That is the other train will start to move and the first train will stop when it enters the isolated section. The process is repeated when the other train completes its circuit and enters the unoccupied track.

It won’t work with trains running in opposite direction without considerably more complex circuits. That is, unless one locomotive runs backwards when compared to an other on the same track!

David
 
DavidC said:
Connections 3 and 4 made to the transformer’s AC supply, so it doesn’t matter which way round they are connected.

The layout as shown is a one way, alternate train circuit. The 10210 controls in the entry point directing the incoming train to the unoccupied track. As it passes the 17100 it flips the point, which energises the other insulated section and turns off power to its own track. That is the other train will start to move and the first train will stop when it enters the isolated section. The process is repeated when the other train completes its circuit and enters the unoccupied track.

It won’t work with trains running in opposite direction without considerably more complex circuits. That is, unless one locomotive runs backwards when compared to an other on the same track!

David
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I set it up but the only problem I have is that the train goes on track 2, switches the track to track one and stops but when the second train goes on track one it doesn’t switvv c h the track and stop.
 
Lgb train said:
I set it up but the only problem I have is that the train goes on track 2, switches the track to track one and stops but when the second train goes on track one it doesn’t switvv c h the track and stop.
Click to expand...
Could be you have a faulty actuator (17100). Try swopping them and of course the wiring over to see if the problem persists.
 
Lgb train said:
I set it up but the only problem I have is that the train goes on track 2, switches the track to track one and stops but when the second train goes on track one it doesn’t switvv c h the track and stop.
Click to expand...
have you tried to conect the green cables to the other set of contacts of the 10 270?
there are only four possible failures:
defect 17100 no. two
wrong connection on 17100 no. two
failure inside no 10270
a broken cable (no connection) from or towards 17100 no two

oh, or failure no five: have you tested, if both locos have a magnet, that is strong enough?
 
Ok another thing. In my vid you can clearly here the thump as the motor changes, I guess this happens ok?
 
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korm kormsen said:
have you tried to conect the green cables to the other set of contacts of the 10 270?
there are only four possible failures:
defect 17100 no. two
wrong connection on 17100 no. two
failure inside no 10270
a broken cable (no connection) from or towards 17100 no two

oh, or failure no five: have you tested, if both locos have a magnet, that is strong enough?
Click to expand...
I tried the 5 issues that could have caused it to not work and it still didn’t solve the problem.
 
korm kormsen said:
in that case i would fall back to the very definition of insanity: repeat the same actions, expecting other results.
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So I took everything apart and put it back together and now when I turn on the trains it instantly switches the track and when I try to switch the track manually it just switches back instantly.
 
That would tell you that the power is being applied continuously.

I gather the switches in the track are driven by magnets?

If the train stops over the magnet, wouln't it be on all the time?

Anyway, does the behavior you described in post #11 continue without any loco on the tracks?

If so then you have a stuck reed switch or your installation does not match your wiring diagram
 
Greg Elmassian said:
That would tell you that the power is being applied continuously.

I gather the switches in the track are driven by magnets?

If the train stops over the magnet, wouln't it be on all the time?

Anyway, does the behavior you described in post #11 continue without any loco on the tracks?

If so then you have a stuck reed switch or your installation does not match your wiring
Click to expand...
 
So I took it apart and put it back together again and now the only problem that I have is when the locomotives go over 17100 I doesn’t switch the track.
 
Ok so do you have a Meter? You can check the operation of the reed switch with the 17100 by a continuity check with the meter. Connect the meter to the two wires, if you get no change in reading that would be as expected. Put a magnet on the read and the meter reading should change. That would show your 17100 is working correct. Now do the same test with the 17100 but this time in place not wired up, do the same check with the meter but this time try to get the read operated by the loco, just gently push it over on the track. Try this with both locomotives to prove that they both operate the Reed.
 
dunnyrail said:
Ok so do you have a Meter? You can check the operation of the reed switch with the 17100 by a continuity check with the meter. Connect the meter to the two wires, if you get no change in reading that would be as expected. Put a magnet on the read and the meter reading should change. That would show your 17100 is working correct. Now do the same test with the 17100 but this time in place not wired up, do the same check with the meter but this time try to get the read operated by the loco, just gently push it over on the track. Try this with both locomotives to prove that they both operate the Reed.
Click to expand...
I don’t have a meter but when the locomotive goes over 17100 it changes the track and stops but when the other locomotive goes over the other 17100 it doesn’t change the track.
 
Lgb train said:
I don’t have a meter but when the locomotive goes over 17100 it changes the track and stops but when the other locomotive goes over the other 17100 it doesn’t change the track.
Click to expand...
Ok it sounds as though one loco magnet may not work, could be too far from the 17100 or have we checked that?
 
There are 2 reed switches, being one in each 17100. If only 1 loco had a magnet on the base the system would certainly not work.
 
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