How to Use a Model Railroad DCC Block Occupancy Detector

Knowing where current is flowing can be essential to a well operated model railroad. When operations become more involved and you have multiple trains running at once, it’s important to have a complete sense of which lines are in use and which are clear should you need to alter your schedule. If you’re like us and you prefer to make the model railroad DCC on your layout run as smoothly and efficiently as possible, then it’s high time you add a block occupancy detector to your model railroad DCC operations. In this lesson, introduce the benefits of utilizing a block occupancy detector in your model railroad DCC system.

Adding a block occupancy detector to a model railroad DCC system

To help you discover the best way to utilize a block occupancy detector on your railroad, modeler and model railroad DCC expert Steve Barkley talks about how he likes to use the detector on his layouts. If you use a PC diagram to show in real-time what’s happening on your layout, you’ll love the added benefits that a block occupancy detector provides for your railroad.

Steve explains how the detector allows you to sense whether current is being drawn on any piece of track or block section, and then discusses how this can be a huge help to the diagram of your model railroad DCC system. For instance, you’ll learn how to edit your software to display an indicator light whenever a block is currently occupied, which will noticeably improve the way you set up and operate your layout. Consider adding a block occupancy detector to your model railroad DCC toolkit, and streamline the way you run your railroads!