My N Scale model requires a stationary winding engine which will winch wagons up and down a steep (1 in 4) incline by a cable. I hope you can imagine what I propose, from this description:

My idea is to use an elastic thread or belt (modelling a cable) passing along the track between the rails, through a hole in the sleepers at either end, with the thread returning under the track. A small neodymium magnet attached to the thread would attach itself to a wagon's Easi-shunt coupling when one or more wagons arrive at either end of the incline. The thread would then pull the wagon(s) up or down the incline. The thread would be driven by a motor below the baseboard; the motor would also drive a drum above the baseboard, alongside the track, which in turn would be connected by another thread (cable) to the "engine" in the engine house at the top of the incline. The magnet must stop before it reaches the hole in the sleepers (otherwise the wagon tips up), so the control system must be able to stop the thread loop accurately. I think reed switches at either end might achieve this?

Has anyone controlled anything similar using DCC modules - if so which ones and how was it achieved? Or can anyone suggest how I might do it or direct me to someone who has already done this. I am hoping to be able to use LoDi modules exclusively on my model, controlled by iTrain, so that the coupling, drive and uncoupling can be automated.-

No need to involve DCC, motorised inclines are  very easy (in fact arguably easier) to do with traditional DC.

I have a Brawa funicular system installed on my latest module which will be at TINGS in a couple of weeks.  This set was made in the 70s and 80s.  It uses a reversible motor on the main capstan, with magnets under the cars and reed switches at the far ends of the track.   When the reed switch is triggered the drive motor reverses immediately but there's a cam of some sort in the gearing so that there's a delay before the capstan starts turning the other way.    Simple but effective.


Here's an initial test before it was installed on the module.

Originally it used braided copper cable which was live to power lights in the cars, but I soon found that any accidental short circuit burned and broke the braid.  It's now been replaced with fine black filament fishing line which looks better.  I fitted battery powered LED lights but to be honest I'll leave them off as you cannot really see them anyway.





Top capstan (motor mounted vertically underneath).  The reed switch is right at the end of the track.


Bottom capstan



The original 1970s relay board failed a while ago, so I replaced it with a new changeover relay board trigged by the reed switches plus  PWM driver module for the speed and that's running fine.  12V DC in at the top, reed switch connections are the green wires in the middle, and output from the changeover relay to the capstan motor at the bottom.    If you wanted to stop the motor for the delay then adding a timed relay module to the circuitry would do the job.



I'm not sure how you'll achieve coupling and uncoupling of the wagons though?  Even the smallest neo magnets as found on magnetic wagon couplings will probably be a bit strong and the wagon will literally "ping" onto the incline's magnet from a distance.  It might be easier to attach a physical pin to the incline cable which engages with a wagon axle to pull the wagon up the slope?   If your cable then runs over and underneath as a continuous loop it will naturally pick up a wagon at the bottom and release it at the top