Patent ID: 8894020

Claim:
A model railroad block control system comprising: a plurality of Block Modules coupled in series to form a loop with one of the Block Modules being designated a Master Block Control Module, each Block Module having a programmable processor, an input connector, an output connector and a flash memory for storing configuration data, for storing a brief description of the Block Module and for storing block district speed limits representing a portion of a model railroad layout being emulated by the Block Module, the output connector of the Master Block Control Module being coupled to the input connector of a first Block Module in the loop and the input connector of the Master Control Block Module being coupled to the output connector of a last Block Module in the loop; and a master layout display coupled to the Master Control Block Module for showing locations of locomotives within the model railroad layout to a roadmaster; the Master Control Block Module transmitting, when electrical power is applied to the model railroad layout, a seed string of data words around the loop of Block Modules until the first data word in the seed string is received back at the Master Block Control Module, the number of data words in the seed string received at the Master Block Control Module determining the number of Block Modules in the loop and information added to the data words by the Block Modules in the loop providing the configuration data from the flash memory for each of the Block Modules to the Master Block Control Module for display on the master layout display, the Block Modules subsequently operating in a distributed processing fashion in a dwell mode to control elements within the portion of the model railroad layout being emulated and to update the Master Block Control Module accordingly.