simplifying turnout control

[Anonymous]

Below is the layout my son & I are working on. The question I have is whether or not we can consolodate some turnout controls by having multiple turnouts on a single remote switch.

In the diagram, is there a reason why the following turnouts should not be controlled by a single switch:

Turnouts E & F: Consolidating the passing siding turnouts

Turnouts A & B: Conolidating a turnout from the mainline to the spur/future extension

Turnouts C & D: Same as above, but for the other direction

My thought is I could take these 6 turnout switches and get it down to 3. Is this bad? Is there a reason for the current layout or when we add this to another layout that this would cause problems?

Thanks

[chateauricher]

Malexenko,

I really don't see how you can get away with any fewer than 7 controls. Don't forget the control for the double crossover.

Turnouts A & B should be on the same control. Same with turnouts C & D; and E & G.

All the other turnouts should have individual controls in order to ensure optimal operations. You will need at least 7 controls in this configuration :

1. A&B


2. C&D


3. E&G


4. F


5. H


6. I


7. double crossover

Turnouts E & F could be controlled together in such a way that at no time are both in the same position (ie: one diverging, and one not). However, this could complicate operating trains longer than the distance between the two turnouts. So, I would say you should not combine their controls.

I could be wrong, so, perhaps someone else will have different suggestion(s) to offer.

[MisterBeasley]

I'd say the A-B and C-D combinations are valid, assuming that the track lengths between the connected turnouts are short. I wouldn't connect G to anything - it's just a siding and there's no point throwing it just to "protect" the frog side of E.

I would also wire the two paths of the double crossover separately. Otherwise, you are going to be throwing turnouts unnecessarily half the time, which will reduce the lifetime of the points and the turnout motors.

[Anonymous]

thnaks for the tips. I had assumed a number of switches would stil be needed beyond the ones that I brought up.

I hadn't really though trains entering the two passign sidings/minlines at the top at the same time from different sides.... good point. So I thnk the only ones I'll consolidate will be

A-B
C-D

As for the double crossover, the Kato version we are using only requires a single switch for the whole thing (at first my 6 year old & I shuddererd at the double crossover, thinking it needed multiple switches, and how would we kwewp it straight).

So it looks like 8 switches for 10 turnouts (if you count the double crossover as a single turnout)

thanks again

[dehusman]

Why would you combine any of them.?

According to the drawing B, D and G are switches to spurs. They should normally be lined for the route away from the spur. So regardless of how switch A is lined, switch B should normally be lined away from the spur, unless you are switching the spur. Same with the other sets of switches. None of them are operationally crossovers.

The danger here is that if I am meeting another train at the siding between E&F and I am on the main going to the left, I would pull up to the clearance point of switch E to wait for the train I was to meet. That would put my train on switch G. If you throw switches E and G together, if I have a car sitting on switch G it will be derailed when the points move.

For only 3 additional controls, I'd say don't consolidate them. They aren't crossovers, don't control them as such.

The only switches you should interlock are the ones in the scissors crossover.

Dave H.