I am told that a new system will be presented at Detroit, m-RPS for model
Railroad Position System, with JMRI support. There was a presentation at a
Regional meet in CA. It is supposed to be like a GPS for model railroads and
uses ultrasonic transmitters in the locomotive and receivers at the ceiling.

It provides train location anywhere, anytime with identification and signal
control with no track wiring besides basic DCC. There is a clinic and an N
scale show booth.

Let us know what you think of it.






************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

We will be launching the Santa Fe Sk.N/P Caswell stock/dump car as built at the convention as our 25th anniversary car. Although most of the cars were rebuilt numerous times (and we will offer more versions shortly) some cars lasted essentially as built into the early 1950s. Our kit will cover both classes from delivery to scrapping. The kit is more complex than usual with more than 150 parts. The Sk.L/N/P kits will be limited run, signed and numbered. I'll have some photos up on our web site by Monday morning.

Because of a large backlog of orders we cannot take special orders on older kits for the convention as is our usual practice. - Al Westerfield

Is this system going to transmit the decoder signals via the track or a wireless application. DCC and signals aren't the best combination because nickle silver and oxygen=oxidation and the spells T_R_O_U_B_L_E for transmisssion of signals.



Greg Martin

Greg,

He said transmitters and ceiling mounted receivers -- that
sounds wireless to me. But it sounds completely impractical.
Where are you going to put a transmitter in a switcher that
is already jammed full of stuff? Or is the transmitter part
of the DCC decoder?

An advantage of track-based systems is they are prototypical,
in that any wheelset can be detected, not just motorized stuff.

Tim O'Connor

Tim,

GPS for my power? If I can't find my train, then it's time to stop using the layout. My question now is >> does this have interference from the garage opener, portable phones, or CB radio transmissions? The more "stuff" we incorporate, the more we will need 'B' units with everything. Somehow, a GPS unit in a mountain pulling a perishable consist just feels like too much of a stretch. Think I will let the modelers who use GE evolution power deal with this new "hobby advancement". I'll stick with the fishbelly underframes, 5-5-5 ends, and wood sides with roof top brake wheels! What's next, the "talking" caboose repeating the train orders?

Fred Freitas

Tim O'Connor <timboconnor@...> wrote:
Greg,

He said transmitters and ceiling mounted receivers -- that
sounds wireless to me. But it sounds completely impractical.
Where are you going to put a transmitter in a switcher that
is already jammed full of stuff? Or is the transmitter part
of the DCC decoder?

An advantage of track-based systems is they are prototypical,
in that any wheelset can be detected, not just motorized stuff.

Tim O'Connor

George - No, the cars will be available for a year. - Al