
Computational Duplo train track layouts - amenghra
http://www.cr31.co.uk/stagecast/trains/tt8_duplo_lout.html
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jeffwass
Ian Stewart wrote about calculational train circuits like these in an article
in Scientific American in 1994 :

“A Subway Named Turing”

Subscription-required link :
[https://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v271/n3/pd...](https://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v271/n3/pdf/scientificamerican0994-104.pdf)

Love the closing line (as the train passengers discussing the concept of train
logic circuits realise they haven’t come to a station in awhile):

>“This isn't any touring machine," the guard said indignantly. "This is a
personnel commuter, buddy." >At least, I think that's what he said.

~~~
M2Ys4U
>Subscription-required link :
[https://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v271/n3/pd...](https://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v271/n3/pd..).

Of course you can always access academic papers using sci-hub ;) [https://sci-
hub.tw/10.1038/scientificamerican0994-104](https://sci-
hub.tw/10.1038/scientificamerican0994-104)

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btown
Somewhat related to computation and train tracks (though using train tracks
for binary state is really awesome!):

"Introductions to Monads" are a dime a dozen, but this one, which uses train
track analogies (a monad is just an adapter that changes a noncomposable
function into a composable segment for a path), was the one that got the
entire concept to click for me. Highly recommended.

[https://fsharpforfunandprofit.com/rop/](https://fsharpforfunandprofit.com/rop/)

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stackola
Semi-related, here's a binary full adder build from trains in Open Transport
Tycoon

[https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/2se36e/binary_...](https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/2se36e/binary_full_adder_using_trains_in_openttd/)

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twic
Okay, now i want to see this used to build a circuit implementing the
shunting-yard algorithm:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunting-
yard_algorithm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunting-yard_algorithm)

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joering2
On of my on-the-list-when-i-get-old project: build a lego train system with HD
camera in the cockpit that users can visit my website and navigate said train
online :) something tells me there is a buck or two in such project :)

~~~
jstanley
Do you mean it would make you lots of money or cost you lots of money? If the
former, where does the money come from?

~~~
jonsen
Maybe just a spelling error: _...theres is a bug or two..._

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amelius
These must be the most expensive logic-gates I've seen so far ...

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Aardwolf
Easy to miss but the link is to just one page of the site late in a series,
the whole series begins here:
[http://www.cr31.co.uk/stagecast/trains/tt0_intro.html](http://www.cr31.co.uk/stagecast/trains/tt0_intro.html)

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kennydude
> Duplo is a train set system made by Lego®.

I thought Duplo was just the Lego for babies?

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dragonwriter
Duplo is the brick line by Lego with twice the linear dimension of Lego per
“dimple”.

This does make them more suitable for younger kids (because they are less
likely to be choking hazards and require less fine motor skills)

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robaato
Desmond Bagley's novel "The Enemy" features a model train set whose
layout/timetable was used by the ex Russian spy also a genius, to encode his
research and leave for posterity. Haven't read for years but enjoyed it!

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sceadu
[https://youtu.be/psvTTNOJgfA](https://youtu.be/psvTTNOJgfA) (see the second
half of the video)

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wiredfool
I remember doing stuff like this when the kids were little. I only got one
good gadget tho, pretty much the a set of flip flops chained together.

