Thanks to the egging of Paul Cesak, another ling time C/MRI user and User’s Group participant, Ed has achieved something that he had always though was a pipe dream. He’s used the C/MRI to develop a fully automated system that runs up to four trains simultaneously with three doing coupling and uncoupling routines. Once Ed flips the switch he can stand back and watch the trains in operation. The sequence takes about 20 minutes and includes around 24 coupling and uncoupling moves.
Ed states that, “Over the years I have come to appreciate the flexibility of the C/MRI and what it can accomplish. The last few years I’ve been working more with the software, mainly getting the kinks out of the system for reliability handling the automated switching simultaneously with 4-train operation. It has been a fun project, and frustrating at times, that could not have been accomplished without the C/MRI.”
Ed has the whole operation captured on a CD showing sections covering both the Electronic and Layout. Understandably most model railroad operators shy away from totally automated operations. However, setting up for a few trains to operate automatically while you and your crew operate others can be a very rewarding aspect of the C/MRI. For more information on what Ed is doing you can contact him via E-Mail.
