# What Track Spikes to use & Automation help too?????



## Mark Stearns (Jan 4, 2008)

Hey All, I am back online and am starting a new project for my sons Pre-School, I have voluntered to build an overhead railway around the lobby and have come to a question. I am going to be building the roadbed out of Oak and didn't like the way it looked w/ the track just sitting ontop, so I have decided to hand lay the 100+/- feet to make it look better. My question is what track spikes to use that I won't have to worry about for years to come in an inside environment? I have done searches of the forums and can't find a whole lot of info for spikes. Second question is I wan't to run both Thomas and Percy on the line and would like automated block controll, I have looked at the bump A.s.s. system but dont trust my electronic skills enough to build it . Any help in this field would also be verry welcome. Thanks to all in advance and I hope you all have very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

The Bump A.S.S. system may or may not be right for you anyway. If you describe what you would like to do in the way of automation (e.g., a protected crossing, station leap-frog, timed stop, p-2-p, etc.) we could better pin down your simplest needs. Lots of this just requires simple relays and reed switches.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

I got my spikes from Sunset Valley:  Track Stuff  
scroll to bottom of page. 

This place has some block controls like you describe, both DCC and DC:  Bitswitch  
If you email Fred (owner) he's good about giving you a diagram of what is needed for your situation.


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## Mark Stearns (Jan 4, 2008)

I am just looking to keep the 2 trains from running into each other. I would like to have a station stop on one side of the loop and while that train is stopped I don't want the other one to run into it. The owner wants to keep the track work as close to the wall as possible so a passing track won't work. I have seen different products in the past that did exactly what I am looking to do but they are no longer around (i/e Realroad products). I need this to be as easy an install as possible with minimum amount of wiring due to the suspended nature of the layout and not having a whole lot of places to run wire.


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## Mark Stearns (Jan 4, 2008)

Thanks Jim The Sunset Valley spikes are exactly what i'm looking for.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By Mark Stearns on 17 Dec 2009 02:46 PM 
I am just looking to keep the 2 trains from running into each other. I would like to have a station stop on one side of the loop and while that train is stopped I don't want the other one to run into it. The owner wants to keep the track work as close to the wall as possible so a passing track won't work. I have seen different products in the past that did exactly what I am looking to do but they are no longer around (i/e Realroad products). I need this to be as easy an install as possible with minimum amount of wiring due to the suspended nature of the layout and not having a whole lot of places to run wire.




OK, got you covered.

For the simplest solution you need two track insulators, two reed switches, two relays (a minumum of a dpst and a spdt), two magnets, and a wall wart power supply of the same voltage as the relays. In a nutshell, the station will be a "block" isolated with two rail gaps in one of the rails; one one just before and just after the station. This section will receive power via the main loop through one of the relays. The other relay will be used to "unlatch" this primary relay.

The two reed switches will be placed along the rail line past the midway point.

When the first train (with a magnet) comes to the first reed switch, it turns on the primarily relay (dpst) that through one of its two poles, allows power to flow to the station block. Through the other of it's two poles, the relay runs power through the secondary relay (spdt) normally closed contacts back to its own coil. This causes the relay to latch "on" allowing the train at the station time to depart.

When the train comes to the second reed switch, it activates the second relay interupting the flow of power to the primary relay's coil, killing the relay and the power to the station block. The two reed switches need to be far enough apart to give a train waiting at the station sufficient time to depart.

Because the second train has not yet been put on the track, the first train will come to the station and because the block is dead, will stop.

Now put the second train on the track. When it crosses the first reed switch it will release the first train waiting at the station. When it passes the second reed, it will again kill the station block so that it will stop when it comes to the station.

The first train, now out on the loop, will eventually come to the reeds releasing the second train from the station and the situation will cycle continually. The wait at the station is governed by the time it takes the train to reach the station and the other train to reach the reeds. The only caveat is in the placement of the reeds relative to the station to ensure that the train that just crossed the reeds gets to the station before the train that was just released from the station can reach the reeds. Just placing the reeds well beyond the midpoint of travel should alleviate this potential problem.

If this can work for you and you need me to illustrate the reed/relay connections, let me know. However, if you can work out the wiring from the discussion, it presents a mental puzzle and you may learn something along the way.


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## GarryNCGRR (Jan 18, 2008)

You can also get the black steel spikes if you don't want the stainless steel ones. They come in 1/2 inch and 3/8 inch lengths....and are cheaper than the stainless ones. You can check them out at California & Oregon Coast Railway on line.

Garry NCGRR


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