100% remotely operated switching puzzle,

Goals

My goal was to create a layout that could be remotely operated and could be shared with the community. While I was able to take guidance from those that have ventured into the realm of remote operations, there were still several challenges I had to overcome. I am still making improvements as I want this to be the best version of a 100% remotely operated switching puzzle as possibe.

Options

Once I decided I wanted to base my layout around a switching puzzle there were three main options that I considered. The Inglenook, The Timesaver and Switchman’s Nightmare. I eventually settled on creating a version of John Allen’s Timesaver.

Control System | DCC

The first step to enable remote operations was to setup the model railroad so that it did not require local intervention. The system is controlled by a Digikeijs DR5000 DCC Command Station, the turnouts all have slow motion switch machines controlled by DCC, and the uncoupling is accomplished with delayed uncoupling magnets. At this point operation could be completed without touching the model railroad, but the second step was remote access.

Software

The backbone of the remote operations portion of the railroad is JMRI, Java Model Railroad Interface. I have this software running on a dedicated MacBook Pro. Through the use of the JMRI Web Server an operator is able to remotely access the locomotive throttle and the turnout control panel. The WiThrottle server can also be used for remote operations with a smartphone. I am using DDNS, a Dynamic Domain Name Server as well as port forwarding to enbale access to JMRI Web Server. Once requirement for remote switching a yard or puzzle is a low latency connection between the remote operator and the model railroad.

Camera Connection

While low latency is important for throttle control, it is extremely important when it comes to what the operator sees. My goal was to enable the remote operator to couple and uncouple cars remotely without any local help. This requires very precise control and real time visual support which means any video service that uses a cloud server will not work, eg. Skype, Zoom, Teams, etc… The ultra low latency view for the layout is provided through the use of a peer to peer video connection called VDO.Ninja. This tool was one that I have been testing for use with OBS and Live Streaming and it is the perfect solution for this project.

Turnout Feedback

I also added some visual turnout feedback by connecting Red/Green Dwarf signals to the SPDT switches on the Smails. While the turnout control panel should be accurate, this additional visual confirmation has been appreciated by the operators.

Puzzle Challenge/Solution

At this point the puzzle was able to be remotely operated, but we needed to establish the challenge. What I decided on is a randomly generated switchlist which based on the challenge level you pick will provide you with track locations and the cars that need to be spotted in this location. The puzzle currently has a maximum of seven boxcars on the layout, but it might expand to nine. You can select from Apprentice, two boxcars, Journeyman, four box cars, Expert, six boxcars or Master, seven to the max number of boxcars on the layout.

While there were some hiccups along the way, this is a successful implementation as to what is possible with remote operations of a switching puzzle. For more information, please reach out to me via email.