Subject:
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Re: Question for model RR gurus
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Sat, 18 Aug 2001 14:09:33 GMT
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Viewed:
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561 times
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In lugnet.trains, James Brown writes:
> Why is it that there is such a huge chunk of the MRR hobby (both Lego and
> traditional) that puts sooooo much time into automation? My personal
> suspicion is that it's just because automation is cool and fun, but I'm not
> sure.
Yep, "cool and fun" are two big reasons! <grin> Being a computer programmer at
my 'day job', programming RCXs is something I enjoy. It's a challenge, trying
to reduce a problem to its simplest solution so I can control it with an RCX (or
two, or three, or more!) My current GMLTC project is automating the trolley
line through our 'downtown' area. Single track, reversing loop on one end,
turntable on the other. I think I can automate the entire process, including
having the trolley stop at the train station, using three RCXs...
The other thing is that during a show, many of us are spending most of our time
*talking* to people. Answering questions, talking to kids, explaining things -
just representing 'the brick'. If I had to take time to manually control
things, it would take me away from talking to people.
Besides - sometimes it's fun to just sit and watch something run on its own!
> A lot of the stuff that I see go by here (since I started paying attention,
> admittedly) is talking about automating switches, yards, roundhouses, or
> programmed routes through DCC or even more complicated automation. Maybe
> I'm seeing something that isn't there, but it seems like there's a stigma
> against doing things manually on a MRR, and that seems kinda odd to me.
>
> My confusion, I'll confess is stemming from the fact that I work near a
> fairly large switch yard, and this is all stuff that gets done manually. If
> a track needs to be switched, a guy in orange coveralls jumps out of a truck
> and flips the big lever.
>
> So am I out to lunch, or is everyone else? ;)
>
> James
Hmmm.... Lunch.... Of course right now it's closer to breakfast time! ;-)
JohnG, GMLTC
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Trolley line automation
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| John Gerlach wrote in message ... (...) trolley (...) including (...) Aren't most trolleys double ended, so you can run them in either direction? What are you going to be using the turntable for? (Not criticising, just interested!) Dean Husby did a (...) (23 years ago, 18-Aug-01, to lugnet.trains)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Question for model RR gurus
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| Why is it that there is such a huge chunk of the MRR hobby (both Lego and traditional) that puts sooooo much time into automation? My personal suspicion is that it's just because automation is cool and fun, but I'm not sure. A lot of the stuff that (...) (23 years ago, 17-Aug-01, to lugnet.trains)
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