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A work in progress scene on the railroad, a fictional local yard near Rochester. The view here is towards the end of work for this area, with the benchwork completed, wiring installed and scenery started. Future additions will include buildings and on my end the project, lighting said buildings. One idea is to add a day night cycle and the electronics that requires.
The brains and power distribution portion of the layout. The "power box" contains the main controller and three power boosters that are part of the DCC system running the layout. DCC, or digital command and control, is a hardware platform that allows for easy operation of many locomotives and accessories at once.
A future plan for this area is to add a remote control system to the circuit breakers, seen on the right of the box. This system will report back current draw, voltage and current state (shorted or no issue) to a wireless panel located inside the clubroom.
An example of the wiring underneath the layout, the green housings contain stall motors used for the switches on the railroad, these connect to controllers which talk back to the main command station. Power is distributed through a main power/data bus, as information is sent through the power lines in DCC, and then branches off into the switches themselves and the controllers along with track power lines.
A WIP shot at the power distribution diagram for the layout, showing how data and power is routed from the boosters, through circuit breakers and detection circuits to the rail itself.
A view from the top deck, the layout is often called plywood city in its current state.
120V was ran around the layout to provide power in key areas for the main electronics running the layout.
To power lighting and other accesories a 12V bus was run around the layout. To expand on this system a 5V regulator was developed for additional flexibility. This is the schematic for a 12-7V to 5V, 2A regulator.
A rendering of the PCB for the 5V regulator, it will include screw terminals for input and output power, as well as an optional power good LED.
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RIT Model Railroad Club's New Layout
The RIT Model Railroad Club has been building a new layout for the past three years. I have been heavily involved in the design and construction of this new layout, especially the electrical side of the project.