non powered sidings

[mikadoCA]

I am new to garden railroading. I want to create a siding from the mainline that is powered or unpowered depending on the switch. Can this be done with manual switches? If so is there a simple way to do it? I know about the track insulator, but is there a simpler way to do it than buying about $150 of LGB switches and controllers?

[tomgb]

Probably the easiest and least expensive way would be to simply bridge the isolated rail on your siding with a small SPST toggle switch which you could feed from the closest hot rail of a main or from a nearby track feed that may be serving multiple attachment points depending on the size of your layout. If you are trying to tie the isolation to the the throw of your track switch, it's a bit more complicated and depends on the switch controller you are currently using. When you throw from main to siding you could have it kill the siding at the same time but depending on where the track isolater is located, it might stop your engine before you were ready as soon as it entered the siding. I use the former method with small toggle switches and the cost and effort to install is pretty little. When everything is on the siding in a manner I like, I toggle the siding off.

[ttrigg]

Have a look at using a small single throw electrical knife switch as the ground throw for the turnout. Run the connecting rod from the turnout to a point about 3/8 inch from the pivot poit of the electrical knife switch. Run a jumper wire from the mainline rail throught the knife switch to the isolated rail of the siding. When the knife arm is vertical the turnout is set for the mainline and the siding is non-powered. When the knife arm is down the turnout is set for the powered siding.

[tomgb]

Tom Trigg’s advice (linking switch throw to electrical connection) is correct and my wording about it is bad, at best. In his version the siding stays hot until switched to main. If you just use a toggle switch on the isolated siding rail as I proposed, that will work too. Thanks for giving better advice TT.

[Curmudgeon]

Of course, if you go radio/battery, there is no track live to be made dead....

TOC

[Greg Elmassian]

You can get a small waterproof micro switch that will operate from the switch throwbar.

Greg