3 Rail Shuttle

[yelrow]

ATTN, Flashbang, Brian, am making a round the room 3 rail double track. What i would like is an automatic reverse. I have a cheap 2 rail one, and an expensive TAM Shuttle, DCC one. Can either be adapted, and if so, how. thanks. john

[Brian]

You certainly can't use a DCC one. However, the standard DC one should work. Three rail has the outer running rails at the same polarity by being bonded together and the middle rail as the feed to the locos wiper.
I would Isolate the middle rail at each end a suitable distance back from the buffers and fit the diode across the isolation to stop the loco on its inward journey to the end section. Doing this at both ends, remembering the banded end of the diode at each end face the same direction at both ends.
Wire the Auto reverser's output to the middle rails. One wire to the middle rail the other to the joined outer running rails. If the loco travels the wrong way swap around the pair of wires going to the middle track.

[yelrow]

Brian, merci beaucoup. I only mentionned the Tam Valley one, as it is no longer in use, and i wondered if it could be adapted. Tis much better quality than the 2 rail one. john

[yelrow]

Brian, another question, sorry. Do you know anything about Gaugemaster SS-1 Super shuttle. Would this be a better bet for reliability. john

[Brian]

I haven't used the GM SS1 or any of their shuttle modules as I'm DCC. But the SS1 offers user variable timings.
If you want to use one you already have, I would suggest a call or email to Gaugemaster technical who are very helpful. But I cant see any reason why it shouldn't work unless your shuttle loco draws more than 1.0Amp.

[yelrow]

Merci beaucoup. I can pick up one of there’s on eBay, new for £35. Will ring G master.

[Mountain Goat]

I used to have one. One would break the sticker at the front to gain access to the variable resistor timing control. All it did was reverse the polarity after a certain time and after the same time again the polarity would change back again. Diodes soldered in the track would stop trains from hitting buffers at either end.
It worked well enough but trains did a sudden stop at either end. I'm not sure Gaugemaster still make them. It is possible to buy more diodes and have two trains on different sections running automatically and I also combined it with another track trigger device to set the second train to go when the first was half way along its shuttle sequence...

[RAF96]

John and MG
GM still make them as the SS1 unit. £36.
FB says the bands on the diodes should face in but the instructions show both facing the same way and checking my tram shuttle track confirms that I have them both facing the same way per the instructions. The shuttle needs 15AC power and a DC controller input.
Edit: Deleted my original observation.

What I would like to do is have a single track terminus at each end splitting into two tracks along the main route, then have trams leave and go down the left hand route, stop at the other end and come back down the right hand route. Each tram would swap therefore ends via the ‘magic roundabout’.
Ideally the shuttle would be used but I need an automatic way of changing the points unless I use crash thru points. Ideas from the members please.
Rob

[Brian]

MY error re diodes direction. In fact this is shown in the SS1 leaflet!! I have corrected my school boy error in original post.

[yelrow]

Gosh FB, you are one of us, after all. An error, quite out of character, thanks for update. Seems like a good bit of kit.