If you want to get started in model railroad automation, then a basic point to point layout can be a good place to start other than an oval loop. Arduino is a great platform for these projects, due to low-cost and open-source hardware and free software. 

Back then when I was looking for new ways of controlling a model railroad, I remembered using DTMF for remote control, combined with a low-cost Arduino microcontroller, I was all set to use it for controlling a model railroad.

Arduino microcontrollers have great potential to be used in model railroading for layout automation. Their low-cost and a huge community around it makes it a good tool for hobbyists, especially beginners.

If you want to get started in model railroad automation then this might be a good place to start.

Starting with the layout

Here, we are going to build a simple oval loop:

A while back, I came across an Instructable which showed how a stepper motor can be turned into a rotary encoder. Since I had a bunch of stepper motors in my collection harvested from old printers and scanners, I decided to give it a try.

A while back, I came across this video on YouTube:

A while back, I came across this video on YouTube:

Then it hit me. Why not use the same thing to control other stuff?!

I developed a recent interest in model railroading since a year ago. Bought some tracks and trains and got them running. Since I didn't have much space, I went for N scale Kato Unitrack to make my temporary layouts. Since I also had a casual interest in microcontrollers, especially the Arduino microcontrollers(since they were low-cost and open-source), I went ahead to automate a model railroad layout.