The art of modeling trains, what you need to know about it in order to do it in a cutting edge way
Image courtesy of Sundaresh Ramanathan at Flickr.com
To model trains and railways is a recreational activity which object is to imitate scale trains and their environments. Trains can be static or moving, in the latter case, low voltage electricity is often used (between 9 and 24 volt) for the movement, the accessories, the lighting, etc. Also, during part of the 20th century there were popular wind-up models and there were real steam-powered locomotive models.
In the case of wagons, these may be handmade, (we will need plans to put them together) or you can directly buy the wagons at a local hobby’s store, the same goes for the locomotives, they can be handmade or purchased but most of the ferro-modellers buy their locomotives because the crafted ones are usually made our of bronze.
Power and control systems: Traditional control
Image courtesy of Ayala Botto at Flickr.com
Since the beginning of electric trains, the trains’ speed has been controlled by varying the voltage present on the road from which the same engines take their power. There are two main systems: the one called “two-lanes of continuous power” and the three lanes one with an alternate power source.
The two-lane system uses direct power and powers the locomotives and wagons through one of the rails and returns through the other. Therefore, the Rails have polarity, by varying this polarity the reversing of the travel direction is achieved.
The three lanes’ system uses alternate power that is fed by the circulation lanes on one side and has a third central rail, among them, for the return. Since the AC (alternate power current) does not have a constant polarity, in order to reverse the traveling direction, the locomotive is sent a discharge of approximately 20 to 24 volts which activates a mechanical or electronic reverse mechanism.
Two lane and three lane locomotives are not compatible with each other. The wagons may be compatible in accordance with the following rules:
Three lane wagons will work in two-lane ways if their wheels are isolated and do not have any power outlet for lights, etc.
Two lane wagons on three lane roads always work, but in the case of these being equipped with lighting features, they will not work.
Image courtesy of Tim Evanson at Flickr.com
Electronic control
In the mid-90s, the electronics-based control systems began to popularize and they have currently started to use micro-controllers. This system has been standardized to a large extent thanks to the NMRA (North American Model Railways Association). The standard systems receive the generic name of DCC (Digital Command Control). The system requires that the locomotives have an electronic circuit installed, able to move the motor or the accessories (lights, smoke generators, etc) according to the digital orders received via the electronic circuits. The locomotive circuit receives the name of decoder, and the installing operation is usually called “to digitalize”.
DCC systems also exist in versions of two and three-lanes. Unlike traditional systems, the kind of current flowing through the lanes can be in both cases the same. In reality two- and three-lane traditional systems each had their own advantages in the way they moved their compositions in different shapes on the same circuit. Digital systems take an individualized control through microcircuits, regardless of the power system control.
Regarding the traditional control system, The DCC control offers the following advantages:
It can control independently several locomotives on the same road, very close to each other.
Locomotives and wagons can keep their lights and other accessories lit while they are not moving and their intensity does not vary with the speed.
You can also control other accessories like detours, hooks, etc.
It makes other game options possible, such as functional cranes and other electric accessories fed by the same source as the railway.
The disadvantages of The DCC system compared to the traditional system are:
The need to digitize all the locomotives, which is especially difficult in older locomotives, or locomotives of smaller scales.
Greater complexity for the understanding of how it works and its operation.
The small scale modeling is a “thing” possible for any kind of hobby, the main branches of modeling as a hobby are:
Trains: Modeling of trains or rail way modeling
Aircraft and other flying devices: Air-modeling
Rockets: Amateur rocketry
Cars: car modeling
Miniature figures or historical figures or fantastic characters or famous people
Boats: Navy Modeling
Dioramas: either civil buildings and constructions or buildings and military constructions or battlegrounds or science fiction and fantastic environments or dollhouses
There is a kind of modeling for every taste, for me, train and railroad modeling is as good as it gets, it can be hard and it can sometimes feel impossible to achieve, but believe, once you reach the point of no return, the rest will feel like a great satisfaction.