KENNETH HISSONGI am building an 8-track double-ended yard . I want to be able to push one button on the facia to allow turnouts to be thrown for entry or exit to the main. Do any of you kind folks have a source for this type of electronics? Ken Hissong Hamtramck, MI
Ken
I have my 10 track staging controlled by turtle machines using Route control with just a Rotary Sw.
With a simple Rotary Sw - one just has to turn it to the track one needs and the Turtle Route Control does all of the work!
The method I used was in Model Railroader May 2009 - "Easy Yard Ladder Control". They used Pushbuttons in the article.
I changed over all 5 of my Staging Yards and even Automated my Turning WYE using this method!
BOB H - Clarion, PA
If you really must use pushbuttons, this example from Rob Paisley's site has what you need. A simple circuit is the basic building block, if you scroll down slightly there is a headond on DIode Matrix Route Control which uses that basic building block circuit and some cheap diodes that will line each switch motor in the chair for a particular route.
http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/StallMatrix.html
Difference between this and the article from MR that Bob references is that in this circuit, all the switch motors will move at the same time instead of one triggering the enxt and so on until they all are properly lined.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
If you're committed to buttons on the fascia or DC this solution won't work. But if you're in DCC, it may be the simplest to implement, although not the cheapest. My system is NCE, but the others offer similar capabilities.
My staging yard is 7 tracks. I started off wiring to a panel, then thought, "What about macros?" That's what NCE calls them anyway. Basically a pre-programmed route you access through your DCC controller. There are some difference between Tortoise/stall motor and snap-action/solenoid setups, so you do need to figure out which is best for your application there.
NCE makes something called a Switch-8, which can control up to 8 tracks/switch machines. I put one at either end of the yard, wiring my Tortoises to it instead of to a panel (saving on all that stuff, too.) The NCE controller has a simple to use app that let's you program different combinations of turnouts. Each track, 1 to 7, has a Macro with that number as the primary one. It throws the switches at both ends of the track so a train can run through. I punch the Macro button, enter the track I need, then hit enter. The turnouts all align through the entire throat at each end, because the macro you programmed basically told it to memorize which ones goes which way to get to the numbered track, as the NCE command stationchoreographs the whole thing for you. Simple, neat, and easy to use.
With more traffic, I've found the need to have a train arriving at the same time another is departing. To handle this, I programmed in two more sets of macros that align the turnouts at one end of the staging yard only. One end is 11 to 17. The other end is 21 to 27. This allows more flexible, independent control of the trains.
So a very simple to use system. The cost is not unreasonable, once you add up all of what you need to spend for hardwiring everything with discrete swicthes, power supplies, etc. And if you're wireless or at least have walkaround control with DCC, you can easily control the whole thing from elsewhere on the layout and don't have to be tethered to the control panel to use it.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Being a Digitrax user, I use DS-64s and programed routes.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Vet Being a Digitrax user, I use DS-64s and programed routes.
Dave,
Good to know what the alternative flavor is for comparison purposes.
I operate in DCC with an NCE PH-Pro 5 amp system.
For my 10 track passenger station, I use pushbuttons mounted on a control panel with bi-polar LEDs to light the routes and show the direction of the turnouts.
I use NCE Switch-8 and a Switch-It to act as stationary decoders for the 10 turnouts. The interface between the pushbuttons and the stationary decoders is an NCE Mini Panel which provides the programming source.
Rich
Alton Junction