Back in the 1980's I created a 4'x5' HO traction layout similar to this track plan the main difference being that it had no turnouts. It consisted of one continuous track in a 3 leaf cloverleaf similar to this. As best as I could figure total continuous track length was close to about 40 feet. To simulate streetcar track I used Shinohara double guard rail flex track with black card stock between the inner guard rails and outside the outer guard rails to simulate pavement. Traction consisted of Bachmann trolleys and PCCs and AHM LRVs. I could run 12 cars without them hitting the car in front of it. This was accomplished with small inexpensive 12 VDC relays I bought at a surplus outlet. The relays were triggered by small glass reed switches embedded in the track under the card stock. The switches were triggered by magnets mounted under the cars. I don't remember the exact details but it worked something like this. As a car left a block it shut off power to that block. The following car would enter the dead block and stop preventing it from entering the next block and hitting the car in front of it. As the first car left the block it was in it would again turn off the power to the block it was leaving AND restore power to the block behind that so the car in it would now travel to the block ahead which was now dead UNLESS the first car was now in another block ahead. Bottom line is that no car could proceed to the next block if it were occupied. Once the car in the occupied block left it could proceed to that block. I hope I am making my self clear. But the most interesting part was the center crossing. Using the same type of relays, reed switches and magnets it was set up that no car could enter the crossing if another car was already in it crossing perpendicular to it. It was quite complex but it worked with never a miss. It really was something to see. People would ask me how it worked. I had a police officer figure in the center of the crossing and I would tell people that he controlled it all. When they would scoff I would say I'll show you. I would reach over and remove him at the same time flipping a hidden switch under the layout shutting off the power to the relays. All the cars would start crashing into each other. It was funny to watch people start yelling, no, stop! Overall there were about 50 relays used. The biggest problem was the amount of power needed to power all the cars and the relays. If my skills were better I guess I could have done it with solid state electronics but I never mastered it. I wish I had video of it but it was before the time of inexpensive video cameras. It sits in the garage now as thoughts of restoring it fade with time.
Wow, you were way ahead of your time with your automated intersection control. I have not looked into details, but I think Faller (Germany) now offers similar functionality for their Faller Car System HO autos. I think it uses ceiling-mounted “GPS-like” 3-D position sensing of all of the vehiches using Wi-Fi and/or RFID. All vehicles and even traffic signals are centrally controlled by a computer.
help! please tell me how to contact onetrue for advice. am thinking about a unitram V60 starter set x 2. and connecting them as simply as possible via electric switch turnouts? thinking 2 v60s since that might be more interesting then 1 set and simplest way to achieve. have looked at infinite # web pages and videos but cannot wrap my mind around how to. and want usa versions where possible. am senior/senior person with all my faculties working. thanks,
Gotta have these haha...true, much more fun to watch these than watching my tropical fish, they never collide haha. However, it seems these products never really made their way to Europe. At least I’ve never seen these in specialised model railway shops in Holland that is. Greetings from Hekelingen, Holland. Willem.
Hi Willem. I hope you have been successful obtaining unitram stuff. The 2021 NOCH neuheiten katalog shows that they will carry unitram track sets and versions of the new Hiroshima 3-element tram including generic red and blue versions.
@@theonetruescale Hi! No, unfortunately the products are very hard to obtain over here. Due to covid imports are minimal. But I keep a close watch on things, perhaps I will get them from abroad. Thanks for sharing the video’s, great stuff! Bye, Willem.
Thanks NHseacoast! DCC probably could help with constant speeds and lashups. Computerized block and route control also could then prevent collisions at crossings. In my 35 years of model railroading, I have avoided DCC because of cost and electrical rework time. I don’t really enjoy creating electronics. Rework is even more difficult with limited space in trams. AFAIK Bachmann Peter Witts are the only factory DCC tram offering. My lazy solution is to only run similar speed trams and to allow lashups with a slightly slower tram in front. BTW, NH is my close second favorite US road (PRR favorite). Let’s hope Rapido will do a NH EP-5.
I just checked Hobby Search (Japan), see link below. They have Tramway 8000, 7500, and Tomix unmotorized 8900 (which if motorized should also run fast per volt like other Tomix in my video). www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/1700/0/1?sold=1
@@theonetruescale I ordered some trams from 1999. They won't ship until Feb. However I got a few from eBay. I also order 2 V60's So Would I just need the 90' Crossing and the 4 Unitram switches to complete the layout? I plan to start with something like yours then either change it or expand. How large is your table? I appreciate your help. I also got 2 power pack coming.
Hi China Al. Glad you are getting started with trams. Regarding my layout details: I had planned to do a video just on my layout and variations. Unfortunately that plan got very complicated and I put it on hold. I have bits and pieces of that advice scattered throughout all videos (except Night Running), especially in Teaser and Portram Centram. Please look at my videos again carefully, maybe rewinding and taking notes. I have answered your layout size question in one of the videos. I am pretty sure it is 1054x1054mm. The Portram Centram video has the most detail on the specific sets and pieces to assemble. If you just snap the track together as is, you will only be able to use one controller safely, because your entire running path will connect electrically. It wont short (+ and - rails are still isolated), but your second controller will “fight” the first, possibly damaging something. To use two controllers, I think you have to change some of the power routing screws underneath each turnout. I am sure you have to use insolating joiners on 8 of the 16 rails of the 90deg crossing in sort of a swastika pattern. I also insolated 4 of the 8 curved rails connecting turnouts, but that was unnecessary. In Teaser, I think I show all of my insolated joiner locations, however I did that to use 4 controllers, which later proved impractical. Sorry this is so complicated. My layout works fine now with all of these insolations and some redundant power feeds, but I had planned to rework my layout to a more simplified 2 controller insolation and power cable solution for a new video. Sorry I have not done that yet. BTW, this layout’s complexity is probably the reason that KATO does not show this it in their turnout instructions. They show a similar looking layout with 2 loops, 4 turnouts and a crossing. It is plug-and-play with no insolator or power routing screw changes. However that KATO layout has only a few running boring paths, while my layout has many exciting ones. ChinaAl, unless you are very clever experimenting and figuring out wiring, please use my layout with only one controller for now. Good luck!
ChinaAl, regarding your track parts question: Yes, 2x V60, 2x left turnout, 2x right turnout, crossing, controller, and trams are the minimum needed to start. If you prefer Japanese trams, I recommend the left hand traffic marked V50 set. The V60 is marked for American right hand traffic. Also, the V50 comes with extra non-track road plates which the V60 does not have. The road plates are useful to fill voids between the track. Equivalent American road plate accessory sets for the V60 unfortunately still do not exist.
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Great layout! I bet its fun working out the timings at the crossings!
Back in the 1980's I created a 4'x5' HO traction layout similar to this track plan the main difference being that it had no turnouts. It consisted of one continuous track in a 3 leaf cloverleaf similar to this. As best as I could figure total continuous track length was close to about 40 feet. To simulate streetcar track I used Shinohara double guard rail flex track with black card stock between the inner guard rails and outside the outer guard rails to simulate pavement. Traction consisted of Bachmann trolleys and PCCs and AHM LRVs.
I could run 12 cars without them hitting the car in front of it. This was accomplished with small inexpensive 12 VDC relays I bought at a surplus outlet. The relays were triggered by small glass reed switches embedded in the track under the card stock. The switches were triggered by magnets mounted under the cars. I don't remember the exact details but it worked something like this. As a car left a block it shut off power to that block. The following car would enter the dead block and stop preventing it from entering the next block and hitting the car in front of it. As the first car left the block it was in it would again turn off the power to the block it was leaving AND restore power to the block behind that so the car in it would now travel to the block ahead which was now dead UNLESS the first car was now in another block ahead. Bottom line is that no car could proceed to the next block if it were occupied. Once the car in the occupied block left it could proceed to that block. I hope I am making my self clear.
But the most interesting part was the center crossing. Using the same type of relays, reed switches and magnets it was set up that no car could enter the crossing if another car was already in it crossing perpendicular to it. It was quite complex but it worked with never a miss. It really was something to see. People would ask me how it worked. I had a police officer figure in the center of the crossing and I would tell people that he controlled it all. When they would scoff I would say I'll show you. I would reach over and remove him at the same time flipping a hidden switch under the layout shutting off the power to the relays. All the cars would start crashing into each other. It was funny to watch people start yelling, no, stop!
Overall there were about 50 relays used. The biggest problem was the amount of power needed to power all the cars and the relays. If my skills were better I guess I could have done it with solid state electronics but I never mastered it. I wish I had video of it but it was before the time of inexpensive video cameras. It sits in the garage now as thoughts of restoring it fade with time.
Wow, you were way ahead of your time with your automated intersection control. I have not looked into details, but I think Faller (Germany) now offers similar functionality for their Faller Car System HO autos. I think it uses ceiling-mounted “GPS-like” 3-D position sensing of all of the vehiches using Wi-Fi and/or RFID. All vehicles and even traffic signals are centrally controlled by a computer.
Which wheels on each type are picking up current? Thanks.
help! please tell me how to contact onetrue for advice. am thinking about a unitram V60 starter set x 2. and connecting them as simply as possible via electric switch turnouts? thinking 2 v60s since that might be more interesting then 1 set and simplest way to achieve. have looked at infinite # web pages and videos but cannot wrap my mind around how to. and want usa versions where possible. am senior/senior person with all my faculties working. thanks,
Gotta have these haha...true, much more fun to watch these than watching my tropical fish, they never collide haha. However, it seems these products never really made their way to Europe. At least I’ve never seen these in specialised model railway shops in Holland that is. Greetings from Hekelingen, Holland. Willem.
Hi Willem. I hope you have been successful obtaining unitram stuff. The 2021 NOCH neuheiten katalog shows that they will carry unitram track sets and versions of the new Hiroshima 3-element tram including generic red and blue versions.
@@theonetruescale Hi! No, unfortunately the products are very hard to obtain over here. Due to covid imports are minimal. But I keep a close watch on things, perhaps I will get them from abroad. Thanks for sharing the video’s, great stuff! Bye, Willem.
ChinaAl, I posted detailed answers and photo to your layout questions on JNS forum/Trams.../UNITRAM Tram Turnout Tests.
Nice layout ! How about using DCC digits decoders inside of the trams allowing you to run lash ups and multiple trams on the same track?
Thanks NHseacoast! DCC probably could help with constant speeds and lashups. Computerized block and route control also could then prevent collisions at crossings. In my 35 years of model railroading, I have avoided DCC because of cost and electrical rework time. I don’t really enjoy creating electronics. Rework is even more difficult with limited space in trams. AFAIK Bachmann Peter Witts are the only factory DCC tram offering. My lazy solution is to only run similar speed trams and to allow lashups with a slightly slower tram in front.
BTW, NH is my close second favorite US road (PRR favorite). Let’s hope Rapido will do a NH EP-5.
@@theonetruescale I'm also looking for a computerized block and route control. Also checking into DCC ugh!
Great video. Are any of these trams still available?
I just checked Hobby Search (Japan), see link below. They have Tramway 8000, 7500, and Tomix unmotorized 8900 (which if motorized should also run fast per volt like other Tomix in my video).
www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/1700/0/1?sold=1
@@theonetruescale Wow! Thank you. I'm looking into building a layout like yours in scale. Can you tell me the size of your layout please?
@@theonetruescale I ordered some trams from 1999. They won't ship until Feb. However I got a few from eBay. I also order 2 V60's So Would I just need the 90' Crossing and the 4 Unitram switches to complete the layout? I plan to start with something like yours then either change it or expand. How large is your table? I appreciate your help. I also got 2 power pack coming.
Hi China Al. Glad you are getting started with trams. Regarding my layout details: I had planned to do a video just on my layout and variations. Unfortunately that plan got very complicated and I put it on hold. I have bits and pieces of that advice scattered throughout all videos (except Night Running), especially in Teaser and Portram Centram. Please look at my videos again carefully, maybe rewinding and taking notes. I have answered your layout size question in one of the videos. I am pretty sure it is 1054x1054mm. The Portram Centram video has the most detail on the specific sets and pieces to assemble. If you just snap the track together as is, you will only be able to use one controller safely, because your entire running path will connect electrically. It wont short (+ and - rails are still isolated), but your second controller will “fight” the first, possibly damaging something. To use two controllers, I think you have to change some of the power routing screws underneath each turnout. I am sure you have to use insolating joiners on 8 of the 16 rails of the 90deg crossing in sort of a swastika pattern. I also insolated 4 of the 8 curved rails connecting turnouts, but that was unnecessary. In Teaser, I think I show all of my insolated joiner locations, however I did that to use 4 controllers, which later proved impractical. Sorry this is so complicated. My layout works fine now with all of these insolations and some redundant power feeds, but I had planned to rework my layout to a more simplified 2 controller insolation and power cable solution for a new video. Sorry I have not done that yet. BTW, this layout’s complexity is probably the reason that KATO does not show this it in their turnout instructions. They show a similar looking layout with 2 loops, 4 turnouts and a crossing. It is plug-and-play with no insolator or power routing screw changes. However that KATO layout has only a few running boring paths, while my layout has many exciting ones.
ChinaAl, unless you are very clever experimenting and figuring out wiring, please use my layout with only one controller for now. Good luck!
ChinaAl, regarding your track parts question: Yes, 2x V60, 2x left turnout, 2x right turnout, crossing, controller, and trams are the minimum needed to start. If you prefer Japanese trams, I recommend the left hand traffic marked V50 set. The V60 is marked for American right hand traffic. Also, the V50 comes with extra non-track road plates which the V60 does not have. The road plates are useful to fill voids between the track. Equivalent American road plate accessory sets for the V60 unfortunately still do not exist.
Where's Godzilla 🐲
Busy at Yokohama Harbor!