Toy Train Switch Control with a Raspberry Pi

This is a fun DIY – the intention is to control a train set, like the ones most of us played with in childhood, using Raspberry Pi. You know, toggle the track switch, via Web etc. Which means, from anywhere in the world, using internet, you would be able to control the various elements of your toy train that would be set on the floor ready to move in your absence.

Cool!

The owner here owns a Lionel train set. The other parts he needed were: Raspberry Pi Model B+, Raspberry Pi Power Supply, Raspbian for Robots SD Card, Arduberry, a Wifi Dongle for the internet, Arduino Relay Shield and Electric Remote FastTrack Lionel Switch. Setting up the parts is pretty logical and, if you have worked with Raspberry Pi before, should give you no trouble. The makers connected the Pi with the wifi network subscribed at home and powered it through USB port using the Raspberry Pi Power Supply. As most of you would know, Arduberry slips over the Raspbery Pi and Arduino Relay Shield fits directly into the Arduberry.

Once the wifi was configured on Pi, the toy train was ready to be controlled from anywhere in the world. All that was needed was logging in from a computer to the home network.