Why are some programmers fascinated by model railroading? A mechanical technology from the 19th century has somehow remained a powerful totem in the culture of programmers throughout the decades.
Several have noted the resemblance of miniature model train layouts to a programmable system, delighting once more in the fact that no matter how far we’ve come, our modern insights can still mingle with our memories of mighty engines from long ago. Even as the world of model trains, like programming itself, is transformed by ever more sophisticated tools, logical brains keep solving the new challenges that arise.
While working as a part-time programmer, I’ve dreamed about building my own high-tech model train set and it turns out I’m not the only one. Last month the New York Times reported that several model train makers were seeing a jump in sales during the pandemic. “For many people, the chance to create a separate, better world in the living room with stunning mountains, t
Update (April 5, 2021): So it turns out that Adam Chalcraft and Michael Greene already proved the essential result of this post back in 1994 (hat tip to commenter Dylan). Not terribly surprising in retrospect!
My son Daniel had his fourth birthday a couple weeks ago. For a present, he got an electric train set. (For completeness and since the details of the train set will be rather important to the post it’s called “WESPREX Create a Dinosaur Track”, but this is not an ad and I’m not getting a kickback for it.)
As you can see, the main feature of this set is a Y-shaped junction, which has a flap that can control which direction the train goes. The logic is as follows: