So I am about to re-lay my engine shed with room for 9 engines - 3 in each of 3 roads. Unfortunately I occasionally get runaway situations on my layout - usually whilst friends are round and we are pushing the system with many locos moving at the same time :twisted: - so I am inclined to provide some isolation blocks in the new shed area.

I know there was some debate a year or more back about RR&Co handling several engines in one real block with virtual blocks, but I could easily wire up each of the 3 roads into 3 blocks as I lay them - making 9 in total.

What do you think? Worth doing?

John (Dew), I presume from the schedules you demonstrated on Granby III that you have split your fiddle yard into a number of blocks on each road?

Hi Geoff

First question………….are you wiring for both DCC control and RR Control?

Second question……..are you wiring with a view to eventually operating with RR&Co Gold?



There is nothing wrong with splitting lengths of contiguous track into more than one detected block……ie each block with its own occupancy detector.  There is a cost issue of course.

Three blocks in each road would simplify the operation with TC and give you manual protection with isolation sections but is not essential……you could operate with each road each consisting of one block


With Gold you can set up separate blocks (electrically supplied direct from the DCC bus) in RR&Co without "normal" occupancy detection………….RR detects (deduces) the entry of a specific loco and activates stop and brake markers by using  either a virtual contact or a flagman associated with that block. 

Hope this isnt too confusing……let me know if I can help further

Kind Regards

Thanks for your answers John. I want to wire up with RR&Co left as a future possibility, but also want to have isolation as a "safeguard" for locos parked up close to each other and not being used - especially as their only way out is via the turntable.

I thought there was a work around using flagmen, and I can see that this saves the extra cost of additional occupancy detectors. I think for now I will go ahead and wire up with the 9 independent blocks connected to isolation switches, leaving me the options at a later stage if I do go the whole way with RR&Co. I can always connect them together and only use 3 occupancy detectors at that time.

 

That makes sense Geoff…….I remarked earlier the similarities with parts of our layout……I too have a re used 3 way point……I am not certain how I will wire up the shed roads and may well go down the multiple occupancy detector route.

Blocks without detectors using flagmen really come into their own in shunting operations where a loco leaves a block that continues to be occupied to enter a block that is already occupied! Current detection does not work in those scenarios.