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Help with automating an O-Scale layout at Children's Hospital Track and electrical/DCC
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Regular poster 161 posts DBodnar Regular poster 161 posts
DBodnar
I have been helping with the G-scale model railroad layout at Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital for many years.  It has two trains, one on the lower level of the layout and a trolley that runs on a point-to-point that is raised above the rest.  Each train and a number of animations and sounds are triggered with buttons that are placed on the skirt of the layout.  Pressing a button starts a train or other item for a set time.  This arrangement is ideal for the hospital environment with the train buttons being pressed hundreds and hundreds of times each week.

This week the hospital was the recipient of a gift of a really wonderful O-scale (Lionel) layout that will also be set up at for the children to enjoy.  It has four trains that run on several different levels.  This layout operates using Lionel's Lionchief radio control.  I am not too well versed on Lionel systems but my reading (and a few hours of experimentation) tells me that this is a radio control system with a separate transmitter for each engine.  The engines pick up power from the track and operate when a radio command is received from its unique transmitter.
 
We want to change the operation of the trains so that they work much like the G-scale layout.  That is, we plan on putting four buttons on the layout to start the operation of each train. 
 

I believe that we can use the existing equipment to operate the trains as we have noted that the trains will start running when power is applied to the track as long as the transmitter is set to a forward speed and is powered on.  That should allow us to add an external power supply to each transmitter and apply track power to one track or the other depending on a button being pressed.  When the time expires the track power is removed and the train stops.

 
This may not be an ideal solution and I am seeking input on what others might do in a similar situation.  We have the following options:
 
1.  Modify the Lionchief as described above. 
     Advantages:
      - uses existing equipment
      - only cost is timing circuit
     Disadvantages:
        - the trains that come with Lionchief systems are thought of as of lower quality that may not hold up in an institutional environment.
        - changing locomotives necessitates changing transmitters and the timers they are attached to
 
2.  Purchase Lionel (or other brand?) locomotives that operate from track power and simply use the timers to turn track power on and off
     Advantages:
       - we can purchase locomotives that are known to hold up under constant use
       - simpler control system
     Disadvantages:
        - cost - we would need to purchase several variable power supplies and new engines
 
Any thoughts or recommendations are appreciated.
 

thanks!

dave
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Logger01 Prolific poster 1,786 posts
Logger01

Run Away and Hide

I was involved in several similar projects in New England, and given the reliability requirements of unattended layouts, I would never again consider installing Lionel. It can be done, but where the HO and Large Scale (LGB) equipment running on nickel-silver or solid brass track required monthly maintenance, the Lionel layouts required weekly and sometimes daily maintenance. In one case we ripped out the O and installed LGB track and rolling stock, and the other layout was (thankfully) scrapped when the lobby it resided in was updated. Now when I get requests to help with public O layouts, I attempt to quietly slip (run) away.

My current club resides in a Children's Museum, and we do have an O gage layout which supports conventional, TMCC and Legacy equipment. We often get people attempting to donate their precious pile of O gage, but given the quality of most of the donations the museum and club have established a policy of not accepting any more model railroad stuff without preapproval. We also attempt to help visitors with their Lionel trains (when it is not going to take up to much time), or steer them to a local repair service. We have found the new LionelChief RC controlled products to be some of the cheapest stuff ever produced by Lionel. i feel that the Chief equipment is OK for running around the tree once a year, but maintenance for continuous operation will probably be a big time sink. 

However, as the trains were donations you may feel obligated to setup the layout, I would definitely consider rebuilding the engines to run on conventional (AC) or converted to DC. It is fairly easy to find good (cheep) transformers or DC supplies for power, and controlling (and maintaining) converted engines would definitely be easier. It would also be easier to find spare parts and or replacement engines which will be needed.

Since these are new systems hopefully the layout was constructed with FasTrack. Although my club's layout uses conventional track, we have found that FasTrack tends to have fewer contact issues. If you are using conventional track I would consider soldering the track sections together and ovoid using any switches without carefully reviewing the isolation requirements.

Conclusion: Converting the engines and or obtaining conventional engines will probably reduce future maintenance, frustration and headaches. (Per policy we regularly turn down donations (unless it contains something special) because we have no where to store them.) Once a layout is installed you may also be inundated with donation offers. (Put a little contact sign on the layout, and you will probably have to beat them off.)

Ken K

gSkidder.GIF 
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UPWilly Prolific poster 1,965 posts
UPWilly

Another source

Although I believe it was done with HO scale trains, Rick Wade (rtw3rd) was involved in a multi-volunteer effort at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Georgia in 2011. Regarding what was done by that volunteer group, you might want to look at his blog  https://forum.mrhmag.com/journals-was-blogs-891775 (several threads) on that subject.

Here is a thread he posted of the completed project:

https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/bobs-trains-unveiling-at-northeast-georgia-medical-center-12189155

 

Bill D.

egendpic.jpg 

N Scale (1:160), not N Gauge. DC (analog), Stapleton PWM Throttle.

Proto-freelance Southwest U.S. 2nd half 20th Century.

Keep on trackin'
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DBodnar Regular poster 161 posts
DBodnar

Hospital Layout

Ken - thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. 

The good news is that the layout was professionally created by a company that does such things and the track and other components are first class (Ross track).

The main question, which you speak to, is what to do with the trains.  I hadn't thought about removing the LionChief system from each engine but that certainly is a viable option.  We could either run the engines on DC or put a simple bridge rectifier inside to power the motors.  We would likely loose the sound but that can be dealt with in other ways.

Thanks again.

dave
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Louiex2 Frequent poster 561 posts
Louiex2

Contact Lionel

Since it's a great cause, have you contacted Lionel directly?  Their engineering department might be able to assist  or at least point you in the right direction.  The worst they can say is they can't help.
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DBodnar Regular poster 161 posts
DBodnar

Lionel

Getting in touch with Lionel is on my list - I have a contact in the service department that may be able to tell me what locomotives are appropriate for running 10 or 12 hours a day, 6 days a week

thanks!

dave
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