PLC-Based Rail Vehicle Model

Jun 2022 – Sep 2022 Team of 4 (high school graduation project) Encouragement Award, Daegu Specialized High School Project Competition

We built a working subway model in which propulsion, braking, doors, and safety devices are divided across two PLCs.

The train body was designed in 3D and printed externally by FDM.

My Part

Wiring design and physical installation for the entire system, from the control box through to the vehicle
Component research, selection, and ordering

The emergency stop and dead-man switch were wired so that the system defaults to braking even if a wire breaks.

These conditions were fixed before the normal operating logic, and the wiring diagram was drawn around them.

Dead-man switch: automatic stop after a set period without operator input
Four-stage braking on emergency stop
Neutral enforced at start-up, and every gear change forced to pass through neutral
Reverse disabled unless the vehicle is at a standstill

PLC 1: door opening and closing, door sensors, gear (forward / neutral / reverse), traction control
PLC 2: three-stage brake, two independent emergency stop circuits, dead-man switch, ignition
Development environment: LS ELECTRIC XG5000 ladder diagrams