Hi everyone:
I'm in the process of designing the turnout control panels for my layout. Right now I'm looking more for some ideas on how to build them rather than how to wire them. I'll get to that mind boggling challenge down the road, but please offer your suggestions in that regard if you wish. FWIW, I will be using tortoise machines on the main layout and Peco machines in the staging area. I don't plan on using DCC for turnout control. I would like to automate turnout control on the main line for continuous running, likely using simple IR track sensors.
Aisle space is at a premium so I'm looking specifically for panels that are flush with the fascia or slightly recessed to protect the toggle switches/push buttons. I'd also like to keep them from interferring with the lower level staging as much as possible. The staging will be somewhere around 24" below the main level. I can post my initial attempts at designing the control panel diagrams if you wish. Having the panels hinged is a given.
I found some interesting ideas through the search function but I'm curious to see what others have done.
Thanks as always!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave,
Well I don't have any isle concerns and when I built them and You do know I am running DC,(there are three) my son's were smaller then, so everything was built basically to their chest level. For an adult, it would be perfect in a chair and that is what I use, the ones with caster's on them. I started out with #1 pine cut to shape, 7'' at btm, 2'' at top and 24'' long, all three are the same. For the front, I used Lexan shatter proof plexiglass replacement window's 1/8'' thick. I cut that on my table saw with the protective cover still on both sides. Drew out a full size template on graph board and taped that to the Lexan. Then with my shop drill press, I drilled out all the holes, five different sizes. I then test fit all the components, sanded all four sides of it, took the protective paper off the back side and spray painted that side with Automotive original equipment black, which is a very durable primer like semi gloss black, let it cure two days, then took the other covering off and layed out the track diagram with Automotive white pin-stripe tape. I choose a full diagram, so the kids knew exactly where all the blocks were and what toggles control what, at a glance. After the diagram was finished, I installed it on the piano hinge on the front, with brass screws and nuts, with star lock washers, all the lock washers are the star type, they do not move once tightened. After that I installed all the switches, terminals, power supplys, fuse's and tried to complete a main line at a time. I have a double track mainline throughout....a dogbone, within a dogbone, no reverse loops at all. When the panel is lowered, it sits, right in my lap, sitting down. About the only thing I did to them in 30yrs, was to put larger power transformers in them, I went from 2amp, to 4amp,have not even had a light burn out for the switch direction and they are incandesants. The panel is a little dirty from working on the layout, but windex clean's it up great.
Take Care!
Frank
Most use hardboard or Masonite for the panel. I plan on doing that and painting it, using chart tape for the track diagram and drilling holes and mounting toggle switches or momentary contact switches.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
LION has used many panels in the past. Him thinks this one is the BEST:
Now that you have seen that, LION has other ideas for ewe.
LION likes centralized panels, and him walks not around the layout. Him runs more than one train at once ewe know... From the first Abbey Layout of him:
This panel was made with clear plexiglass. The routes were applied to the reas as tape, and the rear was then painted black. The tapes were removed and then the rear was painted white. Very nice, but... changing routes was not possible. All of those big push buttons in the middle were for block selection.
From the second Abbey layout of him:
This panel was made on a 1/4 sheet of plywood. Lion had not a piece of tempered hardboard at the time, and what the heck, this was free. It is painted green since somany prototypical boards are painted green. The route is applied as 1/8th" thick square dimensional basswood painted white. NOW when LION makes changes, and LIONS always make changes, him could scrape off old route and after touching up the board, apply the new route. If switches or lamps were removed then modeling clay filled the holes and then could be painted.
NOW since ewe are building a console, consider that it is important that you be able to open it easily for service and for making changes.
LION *loves* his tortoise switch machines, and they make a good soup too. him uses a ONE WIRE system to connect the machines. With 14 miles of track the cost of wire becomes an issue too. One side of the anphibian is attached to ground, the other side to the panel. -12v dc puts the turnout in the NORMAL position; +12v dc puts the turnout in what is called the REVERSE position. On your panel you must consider what positions your switches will be in. some modelers use the position of the lever (control) to indicate the position of the turnout. I guess that is ok, since so many people use it, but it is definately NOT prototypical. In a proper interlocking plant (see top photo) turnouts are in the normal position when the levers are in their home positions. A turnout is reversed when the lever is pulled. The operator can see at a glance if his plant is in its home position or not.
If you do not want to build a GRS machine such as I have built in the top photo, or an US&S armstrong machine, then the LION would suggest just lining up a row of DPDT switches (perhaps nice big automotive switches) and put them in a row. Lever down is "turnout normal"; lever up is "turnout reversed". Using GRS protocol the outside levers are red and control signals, the middle levers are black and control turnouts. If you knew how the interlocking bed worked you would see why this is so. A train entering the plant from the left is controled by the red signal levers to the left of the row throught the plant. A train entering the plant from the right uses the signal levers at the right end of the row. Turnouts are controled from left to right across the track diagram with lights on the diagram to display to the operator the status of signals and turnouts.
Incase you did not catch on yet, the LION is enamoured of his interlocking plants and the operation thereof. Indeed, on the Route of the Broadway LION, the trains run automatically with out any primate intervention, and I the LION operate the tower.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
My panels (there are three of them) are made from 1/8th thich Masonite. I painted the masonite silver, than used pin stripping tape to layout the track schematics, drilled holes for the turnout contols and block switches and painted over all with green paint. When that had dried I pulled off the pinstripping and mounted the switches.
What else are you wanting to know?
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
Mine is a simple hardboard panel with a 1x2 frame.
I used my router to notch the inside of the frame so the hardboard sits flush. I actually used "shower liner," which is hardboard with a plastic coating. I chose white, but you can get a variety of Martha Stuart colors if you prefer. I did the lines with automotive pin-stripe tape, too. The frame attaches to the back of the benchwork above with two screws, so it's easy to remove for maintenance or to add more wiring.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Take a look at these "touch toggles".
http://www.berretthillshop.com/
The video is kinda goofey, but it does give you an idea of what you can do with these.
http://www.berretthillshop.com/joey-ricards-video-of-his-touch-toggle-installation/
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
one thing I did not see noted is printing track diagrams. I drew the track diagram in Microsoft PowerPoint with simple lines. I was able to add lettering to name tracks. I printed out (Laser printer) on 8x11 paper and white glued to a 1/4" hardboard. You have to apply glue to the entire surface. The panel itself was 7" x 10" or so.
Then I drilled 1/4" holes for mounting SPDT switch machines for tortoises. The hole edges were not perfect, but get hidden under the nuts for the switches.
I was worried about the paper not being long lasting. But it worked fine for 2+ years until I removed the entire layout for an upgrade. I have saved the panels as museum pieces, they will go for many more years.
NP
I have eight local panels for switching different areas of the layout. I drew the track plans for each area on 0.030 white styrene sheet (later laminated to 1/8" hardboard) using Sharpie pens. Black for mainline, blue for sidings and other colors for industrial tracks.
Although I have adequate aisle space I recessed each panel with a frame work of 1/2" x 3/4" parting bead. I then positioned each panel behind the 1/8" hardboard fascia and screwed them to the fascia from the front. To then hide the screws (and my imperfect cuts of the "windows") I press fit picture frame material around each panel opening for a nice finished look. They are fully accessible/removable should the need arise.
(If I had known about what Mr Beasely described as shower panels the 0.030 white styrene sheet would not have been necessary.)
NP01 one thing I did not see noted is printing track diagrams. I drew the track diagram in Microsoft PowerPoint with simple lines. I was able to add lettering to name tracks. I printed out (Laser printer) on 8x11 paper and white glued to a 1/4" hardboard. You have to apply glue to the entire surface. The panel itself was 7" x 10" or so. Then I drilled 1/4" holes for mounting SPDT switch machines for tortoises. The hole edges were not perfect, but get hidden under the nuts for the switches. I was worried about the paper not being long lasting. But it worked fine for 2+ years until I removed the entire layout for an upgrade. I have saved the panels as museum pieces, they will go for many more years. NP
I do the exact same thing. I developed my panels in Powerpoint and printed them on a Color Laser printer. I then sandwish the diagram between two pieces of Lexan. Lexan is much easier to drill than Acrylic. Acrylic has a tendency to crack when drilling holes in it. Lexan is much more forgiving and can be found at almost all big box stores. I can also be cut with a table saw or in my case a radial arm saw.
I use several different size bits. I used 1/8" bits for Indication LED's and 5/16" for Push buttons.
The key thing to maintain is that you have constant pressure on the lexan when drilling. This keeps the paper from getting torn up while drilling the holes. Also do not remove the protective film until you are ready in install the panel.
While this panel is on my old layout it is very similar to what I have now. All my panels are now recessed and have a small plactic facia around them that protects the pushbuttons. They were all done in PowerPoint and I standardized on a size of 8"x3"
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
Mine has some similarities to those above. My layout uses Tortoises. So I used DPDTs and bi-color LEDs. And added a program track DPDT. I had no need to make it vertical, so made it a bit of a shelf for throttles and paperwork, etc. The panel is hinged but has a bungee arrangement so it will rest horizontal when opened so it can be worked on if needed.
I followed the basics of the Jan 2012 MR article "How to build and wire a turnout control panel". I ordered the appropriate size piece of 5/64" sheet aluminum. Drew the diagram on graph paper, used that to poke (mark) the divergence points (with a nail and hammer) to drill the holes for the turnout DPDTs and the accompanying bi-color LEDs. Then primed, sprayed with white, pinstripe taped the diagram lines, painted black, removed the tape, added desired dry transfer lettering, and sprayed with clear finish.
Inside are terminal strips for the 12v wires to the DPDTs. It was quite a fun project. Easy to make additions (drill new holes, paint, etc). Less easy to make subtractions if DPDT holes would need to be eliminated.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Since I had access to free .080" aluminum sheet with white enamel coating, I used it for all my panels. I made the track artwork in CorelDraw and had it printed at a local print shop for about $20 (16 x 24 panel) and glued it to the aluminum. I then drill 1/4" holes for the toggles and hinged the panel for easy access. I also keep all wiring neat using terminal strips and good labeling. These photos were taken before all the wiring and facia were finished. Last photo shows some of the facia.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Lots of great responses! Thanks everyone.
Frank - If my panels protrude its going to make it difficult for two or three people to operate the layout. Nice neat wiring job!
Lion - I like the second panel.
Mark - I'm looking for ideas on flush or recessed mounting, hinges and framing. Bob (farrellaa) has done pretty much what I want to do.
MisterBeasley - I had come across your design in my search and it suits my purposes. The only changes I would make are to bring it up to the top of the fascia and recess it a bit more to protect the toggles.
Carl425 - Very interesting products! Thanks for the link. My problem is that I think I would have trouble remembering which is the through route and which is the diverging route based simply on LED colours. I'm kind of a klutz when it comes to those sorts of things. I'm inclined to use toggle switches so I can see exactly which track the toggle is pointed at. Also, the toggles would seem to eliminate the need for LED route indication on the panels.
NP01 and renegade1c - I can print the panel diagrams directly from 3rdPlanIt to whatever size I want. I already have the diagrams drawn up but I still need to tweak them a bit to reduce their size.
renegade1c - Thanks for the suggestions re Lexan vs Plexiglass, and how to work with it.
Mel - Your panel looks great. I have broken my track plan into four sections so that I can see what the turnouts are doing as I operate them if I want to. I will also need a fifth panel for staging. I like the idea of having a panel for accessories too. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle control of structure and vehicle lighting.
Roger - Getting things behind the fascia is my goal. Thanks.
Paul - Nicely done. I wish I had the space.
Bob - Your design is exactly what I am looking for. It is recessed behind the fascia and it comes up to just below layout level, and you have managed to tilt the panels too. I had seen your design in my search but seeing it again tells me that it is the way I want to go. I'm glad I have seen your methods before I started building benchwork because obviously the space for the recessed panels has to be included in the design. Thanks for sharing your work.
I'm glad you find my design to your liking. It takes a little more planning in the beginning but is worth it. My daughter and her husband own a sign shop and they use .080" aluminum for many of the signs they make, so I just had them cut the panels to size. You might check some of the local sign shops and get them to make the blank panels for you; shouldn't be very expensive and they are cut square. I have about 5-6 of them on my layout. This photo is the turntable control panel which is built the same way.
Ah, but LION did do that, him just not shew it to you, because it is a simple model board without any switches on it. All it presents to the tower operator is the location of the trains.
Layed out on the computer using Serif PagePlus X7 set for paper size 11 x 65". When printed, it came out of about 5 11x17 heavyweight sheets. I cut them to fit the panel, and so that splices between sheets would be in non critical places. I printed them on a Xerox Color Laser Printer, if you have not one of these you can take it to a local quick print to do it for you. Laser is much more water restant than ink jet. I used silicone caulk to adhere it paper to the board. It was spread without any gaps so that the paper would be well attached and could be drilled witout damage.
Wiring the inside, the grid to the right is where the 60 conductor cable enters the display and is connected to the wires to each LED.
Here it is on my workbench (in the computer office, not in the train room) standig for the approval of severl of my LIONS.
hon30critterCarl425 - Very interesting products! Thanks for the link. My problem is that I think I would have trouble remembering which is the through route and which is the diverging route based simply on LED colours. I'm kind of a klutz when it comes to those sorts of things. I'm inclined to use toggle switches so I can see exactly which track the toggle is pointed at. Also, the toggles would seem to eliminate the need for LED route indication on the panels.
Ahem, that is why levers on the railroad are separate from the modelboard. It is easy to see when the levers are in the normal position. And they (by rule -- with some exceptions, of course) must always be returned to the normal position after the passing of a train.
I did not clutter my modelboard with the switch and signal numbers which SHOULD be there, but the board is too far away from me for me to see the numbers clearly anyway.
The GRS machine on my layout controls the entire layout, but you can see by the lables above the levers which levers belong to which interlocking location. So it is really very simple, and very easy to get used to.
You have also identified one of the primary problems with the control system at Chernobl. A green light identifies an open device a red lamp indicated a closed device. Problem is that there are always devices open and closed. Further more a closed switch passes electricity, and open switch does not. An open valve passes product, a closed valve does not.
LION would use White lights to display an energised circuit, and a yellow lamp to display an open electrical switch. Him would use a blue light to indicate a open valve, and a orange lamp to indicate a closed valve. Further the LION would use a RED lamp to indicate a device out of compliance with the current conditions, and a green lamp to indicate a device set properly.
RR_MelMy control panel is very unconventional and nothing like what I see online. I
What is it you think is so unconventional? I built something very similar for a club layout in the 1980s. We had some sheet metal lying around that was used, with the added benefit of letting us use magnetic markers on the panel to show where trains were.
RT