# Questions about Azatrax block signals



## WIrailfan (Mar 6, 2016)

I've decided to try to get a few train signals installed on both loops of my layout, but have run into some confusion. Looking at this page it says each block needs to be 35-50 scale feet in length. That would be a pair of ir sensors and an TS2 every 6 inches, which seems a bit excessive! Also their diagram shows a signal at the the end of each block.......so there has to be a signal tower every 6 inches, or can you put them only where you want them? I must be missing something here....


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

that's only where you want signals ... no signals , longer [much longer] blocks


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## WIrailfan (Mar 6, 2016)

wvgca said:


> that's only where you want signals ... no signals , longer [much longer] blocks


So there don't have to be signals every 6"? How much longer can the blocks be? I know i'm gonna have to shorten my trains to have any sort of realistic signal operation.


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## gregc (Apr 25, 2015)

WIrailfan said:


> Looking at this page it says each block needs to be 35-50 scale feet in length. That would be a pair of ir sensors and an TS2 every 6 inchesi


35-50 scale ft is certainly confusing and may refer to the actual distance in ft on a very large model railroad and practical model train lengths

signal location depends on stopping distance, block length and locations of junctions.

on model railroad, signals are typically located before junctions (turnout)


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## J.Albert1949 (Feb 3, 2018)

Somethings wrong here.

There's nowhere on a real railroad that you're going to find a "block" 50 "scale feet" long. An engine won't even fit into that.

Typically, blocks could be anywhere from a mile (or perhaps less) long, to 3-4 miles in length, sometimes longer. HOW long would depend on traffic type and traffic density. The blocks inside the tunnels to Grand Central were about 1/5 mile long "back in the day", and you could follow trains quite closely there, but the speed limit was 35mph, and only passenger equipment (with better brakes than freight) was permitted.

For a freight railroad, or higher-speed passenger railroad, blocks would be far longer.

For a model railroad, blocks (between interlockings) would probably work best at 2-3x the typical train length (unless you run VERY long trains).

The best placement for signals would be at interlockings (switches and junctions), so that they "protect" the switches from conflicting movements.

Signals should be located TO THE RIGHT of the track, viewing them from the perspective of an oncoming train. There were exceptions in the real world, but this is the normal way of doing it in North America.


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## WIrailfan (Mar 6, 2016)

J.Albert1949 said:


> Somethings wrong here.
> 
> There's nowhere on a real railroad that you're going to find a "block" 50 "scale feet" long. An engine won't even fit into that.
> 
> ...


I think i figured it out. The 35-50 scale foot distance is their recommended spacing for the actual IR sensors at a block junction. Not the overall block length. 

I've been playing around with cars and I can get 4 consecutive blocks that are twice the length of my longest train on the outer loop. Will that work? When I feel like running longer trains I just wont be able to have the signals on. The inner loop is smaller so it's trains will likely have to be a car shorter.


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