Regional Control

Control of the railway is divided into five regions, each with its own control panel. Each region is centred on one of the five main stations modelled in the layout and may include nearby smaller stations, junctions, and other track features. For example, the Hobbiton region comprises Hobbiton station, where the control panel is located, as well as Overhill and Tuckbrough stations, the Hobbiton mine, Bywater Junction and all the track connecting these locations.

Each region is further divided into track sections such as a platform, siding or section of mainline, and it is the control panel which governs the distribution of power to these sections and the operation of points. Track sections are electrically isolated from their neighbours and each is powered via a single switch so that it is not possible to connect a section to more than one power source.

Every control panel can pass command of specific track sections over to their neighbouring panels. This enables a train to travel continuously from one end of the railway, through the five regions, to the other end under the direction of just one controller for the entire journey. This is achieved by exporting and importing power between control panels, and appropriate track sections are powered by switches with three positions:

  up = external control
  centre = off
  down = local control

Some regions have multiple sources of imported power because of different routes between stations and further switches (either rotary or standard) are used to select the required source. Furthermore, distinction is made between 'up' and 'down' lines so that two trains may pass each other in one region, each controlled by a second and third region. This method provides a very flexible and efficient means of control.

For more information about the control panels used on the railway, Click Here.

The construction of Grey Havens station has seen the introduction of safety-related electrical systems. The station is linked to the rest of the railway via a 'bridge' that drops down when not in use which potentially allows trains to run off the end of the track and over the edge of the baseboard. To solve this problem microswitches have been installed that permit power to reach the track only when it is safe to move a train. This is when either the bridge is impassable and a barrier across the track is closed or when the bridge is in place and the barrier is open. No other combination will allow power to reach the track. More information and a photograph can be found Here.

Locomotive Control

Of the five locomotive controllers, one is a single supply Gaugemaster unit (providing power to the Michel Delving region), two are home-made versions (Grey Havens and Buckland regions) and two are feedback controllers from Trax Controls (Hobbiton and Bree regions). All, except the Gaugemaster, are hand-held units linked to the control boards via a cable enabling the operator to walk around the layout as far as the wire will allow. The cables vary in length of between 1.5 and 3 metres.

Click Here for a circuit diagram of the hand-held controllers used on the railway.