Model Railroader – October 2019

October 2019 43

I worked with Seth Neumann and
Steve Williams of Model Railroad
Control Systems to convert my specifica-
tion to a functional system. Seth devel-
oped the hardware, and Steve provided
the programming.
This telegraph system is still under
construction. An early prototype of the
electronics is shown in ⓬.
When it’s fully installed, there will be
control panels at each station. Train
crews will use a rotary switch to select
their train number and then push a but-
ton for either regular or extra to report
their “OS” to the dispatcher. Arduino
microcontrollers will generate the cor-
rect coded message that will play in the
dispatcher’s office on an authentic tele-
graph sounder. I received the sounder as

a gift from Ron Schmidt who visited my

layout. This one-way system will add

audio “scenery.” During my current ses-

sions, I act as the dispatcher, since that

job isn’t very busy. Perhaps once the tele-

graph system is in place, the dispatcher

will become a more sought-after assign-

ment during operating sessions.

Lessons learned

Battery power and capacitor-based

stay-alive systems make smooth running

DCC and sound-equipped locomotives

possible. Laser cutting, 3-D printing,

photo-etching, and spin casting open up

many options for scratchbuilding proto-

types that don’t have widespread manu-

facturer support. Microcontrollers pro-

vide a means for adding animation to a

model railroad. These high-tech tools are

taking our hobby to a new level.

Those who don’t have the time or

expertise to exploit these technologies

shouldn’t be afraid to get help. This great

hobby is chock-full of enthusiastic people

who are willing to help a fellow modeler

meet his or her goals. To this end I’m

indebted to David Schneider, Eric Cox,

Seth Neumann, Steve Williams, and Ron

Schmidt. I also want to thank my many

friends who continue to help me build

and operate the O scale Aquia Line.

❼ Structures and details. Locomotive
McCallum hauls a train through the
town of Brooke. Bernard made all of the
freight cars and structures visible in the
image and many of the details,
including the fences and saw mill, at
least in part with laser-cut parts.

❽ Working hand brakes. The truck

sideframes and other main components

are made of laser-cut parts. Photo-

etched parts simplified constructing the

working brake mechanism.

❾ 3-D printed trucks. Working with

Panamint Models, Bernard had some

freight car trucks produced using the

firm’s 3-D printer. The trucks are made

of a plastic material.

⓫ Spin-cast metal trucks. These metal

trucks were spin cast using molds made

from 3-D printed masters. The metal

trucks are heavier and track better than

the lighter plastic trucks.

❿ An entry-level spin-casting system.

The steel circular disk in the foreground

is the mold vulcanizer. The spin-casting

machine is in the rear. In the middle is

the small electric metal melting pot.

⓬ Microprocessor telegraphy. The

telegraph system is still is development.

This is an early breadboard prototype of

the microprocessor, LED display, and a

sounder used to evaluate the software.