When did the first walk-around model train controls come out? I like reading older issues of model railroader, and I have noticed at some point between 1970 and about 1980, the style of layout began to change. Layouts slowly evolved from a more rectangular with access holes shape, to an around-the-walls philosophy. Track plans evolved from a series of interconnected and overlapping loops to a linear style that is more common today. Layouts also got bigger. I used to think that was because houses got larger, people got more disposable income, more ready-to-run items meant lest time in the workshop, or a bigger emphasis on realistic operations. But looking at Gary's layout something dawned on me -

That style of layout would be pretty darned inconvenient without walk-around controls!

When did walk-around controls become readily available? Was this a main contributor in the change in layout style? I am sure people made their own hand-held rheostat controls fairly early on. But there was no "memory", so there would still need to be a long wire. When were the first commercial hand held controls available? I can't imagine they would have been made before transistorized throttles became available - mid 1960s?

I cant find an online source but electronics australia had a `kit form' train controller for g scale that used valves...

and the guy that made the remote control for the `herby' used in the early herby movies was a remote control `freak'- one of the first movies used a harmonic(??... harmonica) to play the tones used for different commands...
(from memory they used a mid 60's valiant (thats an aussie built chrysler) windscreen wiper motor to drive the vw beetle steering shaft via a bicycle chain)

they also crashed it at one point, taking out a few dozen meters of a farmers fence...

I can't imagine, nowadays, operating any layout, even a 4'x8' or a shelf layout with anything but a walk-around throttle. They allow you to stay that much closer to the action and to enjoy all parts of your layout as you run the trains. I use four different ones, depending on personal preference and on the type of operation desired. All are for DC operation, although three of them are powered off the AC terminals of the power pack.

Wayne

doctorwayne Wrote:I can't imagine, nowadays, operating any layout, even a 4'x8' or a shelf layout with anything but a walk-around throttle. They allow you to stay that much closer to the action and to enjoy all parts of your layout as you run the trains. I use four different ones, depending on personal preference and on the type of operation desired. All are for DC operation, although three of them are powered off the AC terminals of the power pack.

Wayne

I agree. It almost seems like any kind of switching or realistic operation would be a PITA without a walk-around. I am sure people wouldn't be fooling around with bamboo skewers or rix uncoupling wands, and very few people would even consider a point-to-point layout design.

I think that some modellers saw a big control panel as a bit of a status symbol, too - the more lights and knobs and switches, the more impressive it looked. Of course, in those days, much of that hardware was necessary to make the layout function properly.
For my layout, the only complicated (at least for me it was complicated) wiring was to enable throttle choice by flicking a couple of switches. My solution perhaps wasn't the simplest, but it drove me nuts (I'm close enough I coulda walked ) for several months, as I couldn't get my newest acquisition, a PWM throttle, to work. I even took it back to the manufacturer to have it checked out. One day, as I was fooling around with the wiring (well, just sorta poking at it, hoping for some divine intervention, I suppose) it suddenly started working.
After running trains for a while, I switched over to one of the other throttles, and then back to the PWM. Nothing! That's when it finally dawned on me that one of the brand-new, DPDT, centre-off switches was defective. By switching the power feed from the fixed DC terminals to the AC ones, I was able to wire it in with the circuit for the SCR throttles, and it's been working fine ever since.

Wayne

doctorwayne Wrote:I think that some modellers saw a big control panel as a bit of a status symbol, too - the more lights and knobs and switches, the more impressive it looked. Of course, in those days, much of that hardware was necessary to make the layout function properly.
(snip)
Wayne

I remember the local club when I was a boy, they had (still have actually) a shed the size of a house with a single layout (ho). in it from memory it could let 12 different operaotrs run at once, each on their own dc controller and using block control

its points display and setting main board was bigger than my mums dining room table, with several other smaller repeater display only boards at various parts of the layout

I remember when they first went to walkaround (still using dc mind you)- each controller had a `faster' button and a `slower' button and a reverse/stop/forward switch
flash- they continued to use the old dc controllers they always had- but one of the locals made up a `contraption' using mechano brackets and gears and slotcar motors bolted to the controllers that were driven by relays by the pushbutons on the handheld walkarounds

wonder what ever happened to those old beasts- a pure work of art they were.... (when I moved back into the area years later after doing my appreticeship in the big smoke- they had gone dcc)

edit to add

and they had memory too!!- you could unplug the contoller and walk to another jack point and your loco kept running unless it hit a red.

Boppa - I forgot about those early motor controlled throttles. Do you remember when this was? I was looking through the ads of two old issues of Model Railroader yesterday, and a 1958 issue was talking about rheostats and selenium rectifiers, while a 1966 issue had an article about SCR motor controls. I couldn't find any mention of a walkaround control in the ads of either issue.

I then searched Model Railroader magazine index for the keyword "walkaround" and it seems they ran 4 articles in 1965 Model railroader for walkaround throttles. Nothing before. From the number of articles I saw referencing walkaround throttles, it seems they became more commonplace in the mid 1970s.

this was late 70's, but they had been around for a while then, as the guy that thought up and built the homebrew ones for the club had seen them around and built his own version for the clubs layout
(they were definately around as commercial options at that time, but were too pricey for a country town based club layout)

I think the biggest impediment to a true walk around control on a large layout was the need to have the throttle constantly "tethered" to the layout. I think the old analog command control systems were the first to allow the train to continue running with the throttle unplugged while the operator walked to the next station. I'm sure that Tony Koester's Allegheny Midland, and Allen McClelland's V&O were both walk around from the beginning. I would guess probably mid 1960's.

Russ Bellinis Wrote:I think the biggest impediment to a true walk around control on a large layout was the need to have the throttle constantly "tethered" to the layout. I think the old analog command control systems were the first to allow the train to continue running with the throttle unplugged while the operator walked to the next station. I'm sure that Tony Koester's Allegheny Midland, and Allen McClelland's V&O were both walk around from the beginning. I would guess probably mid 1960's.

the motorised ones that our mechanically minded club member copied could be used with the throtle unplugged
and there were several circuits that `held' the speed even if the controller was unplugged available in the hobbiest electronics mags from the early 80's (I made several from Electronics Australia's `readers ideas' column while I was still at school)- I remember my first was based on a 4017 decade counter and a heap of `and' and `or' gates

IIRC, I saw an article in 1963 Model Railroader about modifying an Astrac (early command control system made by GE) for walk-around control (tethered). The big advantage was being able to independently operate rear pushers as helpers.

Walkaround control was also a feature of the Ma & Pa project layout in Model Railroader in 1965. I think the PH&C series also had how to make your own walk-around controller in 1962 or 1963 in the wiring article.

Interesting points about tethered vs memory operations. I have decided I do NOT want memory operations on my 4x8 sized layouts. I see it as a disaster waiting to happen if you can't get communications back very quickly on a small layout. Murphy's Law says that the jacks, plugs, or wireless link will fail just when you need to hit the emergency stop.

my thoughts, your choices
Fred W

....modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it's always 1900....

I think you are right about a 4x8 Fred. I had originally planned to use a wireless walk around control for my 7x9 foot "L", but I've since come to the conclusion that a 7 foot cable tethered to the inside of the corner will easily allow me to reach both ends of the layout without needing to try to restore the hook up. On the other hand when I operated on the La Mesa club's Tehachapi layout at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, with a 240 foot long operators walkway, the need to be able to unplug and move to the next station was absolutely essential.

While some of my walkaround controllers have "memory", I usually stop the train if I wish to unplug to move to another outlet. With a 30' tether, the entire layout room is accessible from just about any outlet, but the long cord can be a nuisance if you're doing switching operations at the outer limits of the stretched cord.

Wayne

When did the first walk-around model train controls come out?
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The first "walk around throttle" I ever seen was in 1966..It was a home made throttle that was quite large and was tethered to the layout..You had to stop your train,unplug and move to the next "power station"plug in and resume running your train..As a young modeler I was unimpressed but,like the overall idea of walk around throttles..Then there was that R/C throttle idea...I don't recall that much of that idea but,one used a R/C controller...I was not impress.

Brakie Wrote:When did the first walk-around model train controls come out?
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Earliest I know of - September 1962 Model Railroader had an article on how Gordon Odegard built and wired a walk-around controller for the PH&C project layout. He built a 1/8" thick plywood box that housed a Marnostat lever rheostat (anybody remember those?), and featured a rotary switch on the side for the direction controller. Standard 4 wire tether. Hardly one handed carry or operation, but it worked.

IMHO, the Marnostat lever rheostats were a big improvement over standard rotary controls. Unfortunately, they were never made with enough resistance to use in transistor throttle circuits. And they were bulky. But I much prefer the lever action to rotary.

Fred W