stan2004 posted:Not sure we're talking apples-apples. If the train is backing up the hill, say the caboose trips the top-of-hill sensor. The way your relays are configured, the top-of-hill sensor always takes precedence (if both sensors are tripped simultaneously). So the voltage would drop on the grade and the engine might get starved of voltage and perhaps even stall! Likewise, you might have a MU consist or even a pusher engine configuration. In such cases, as soon as the lead engine reaches the top-of-hill, any helper engines that are still on the up-hill (or that have not even started their ascent, might be starved of voltage.
Guilty as charged. It's not a perfect solution for all possible scenarios. I was just thinking of running in conventional mode with a lead engine up front and moving forward. Even then, any lighted caboose or passenger cars could suffer from changing voltages as they move on the grade. But that might be okay. It just seemed to me rather awkward not to be able to adjust for uphill / downhill movements. I can't think of how you would cover any other situations and still keep it simple and cheap.
