crisco1 My friend's layout has a yard identification panel with toggle switches on the facia to help identify, and operate the switches. In my opinion, its a little confusing. I would like suggestions on how to make it less confusing. I suggested that he put number pens in the yard that would corelate to the control panel. Thanks, Chris
My friend's layout has a yard identification panel with toggle switches on the facia to help identify, and operate the switches. In my opinion, its a little confusing. I would like suggestions on how to make it less confusing. I suggested that he put number pens in the yard that would corelate to the control panel.
Thanks,
Chris
It sounds like your friend has chosen what is a fairly common way of doing things, and after a while familiarity will make things less confusing. Adding lights to indicate the chosen route might help clarify things considerably. The lights would be on the yard schematic. Many switch machines and motors have added contacts for energizing such lights.
Touched on in some of the other replies are other ways of doing the same thing. One is to have the yard drawing or schematic on the fascia use small push buttons for the turnout routing rather than toggle switches -- that is, one push button for going straight, one for the diverging route. That can involve a lot of button pushing depending on how the yard is set up. There are diode matrixes you can make under which you push two buttons, one for where you are the other for where you seek to be and the matrix takes car of energizing the various switch motors or machines for the route. You may need a special power supply (capacitor discharge unit) to energize all those switch machines or motors at the same time.
One method that was popular years ago but has lost favor since -- a series of brass screws where the turnout routes are (so one screw for straight, one for the diverging route) and a sort of "pen" on a flexible wire that touches the screws for the desires route. The end of the "pen" is energized so touching the screw completes a circuit and throws the switch machine. Basically you follow the route on the yard schematic with this "pen" and as it hits the brass screw it throws the switches. It may sound a bit goofy but it works and can actually be fun.
Dave Nelson
Mike,
Both panel and diagram are numbered for the yard. I have 4 A/D tracks that will get lettered markers as they're separate from both ladders. It's a 2 sided ladder and you can enter/exit from either side of both entrances and if someone is moving cars in one ladder you can run around them on the other ladder. Works great and adds a lot of interest when you're the yardmaster.
Neal
Neal,
And I bet it seems like a really big, miles-long yard, too...
Just kidding, because whatever works for you is all good. The key is having both the panel/turnout throw and the turnout marked with the same number. I've found that it confuses people even when there's a clear diagram without the corresponding labels on the turnouts.
The milepost thing is a great idea, as they're premade. It's also possible that they could be cut off to half-height to distinguish them from actual mile markers if someone had an issue with them looking the same.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Hello,
I have a yard that has numerous ladder tracks. My control panel is push buttons with a diagram. Recently I added markers next to the tracks so the yard operator can identify each track. I used Tichy Train Group mile post markers in the yards. They’re numbered, visible to all and easy to install.
You can make a manipulation chart and post it near your control panel.. The NYCTA had these charts on a board on top of every interlocking machine to help towermen route the trains to their proper track. It listed the track number, the switches the train would pass over, whether they had to be normal or reverse and the signals that had to be cleared. Most experianced towermen did this by memory without looking at the chart. An example would look like this.
TRACK SWITCH SIGNAL FROM / TO LEAD Y7 to TRK-1 13, 14, 15, 17, (19) (12L) LEAD Y7 to TRK-2 13, 14, 15,(17) (12L) Lead Y7 to Lead Y6 (13), 41, (43) (13L), (38L) The switches and signals needed reverse are in parenthisis. all others are normal.. Most of the tracks and switches couldn't be seen from the towers anyway.
Sorry the layout I typed in is not coming up in the right order that want it to inspite of my editing several times.
There are two recent threads on this in the Layouts forum. The first was a general discussion of the issue.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/250330.aspx
The second was on my system, which I was just getting around to writing up when the previous discussion began. Here's how I do it.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/250382.aspx
Track diagrams on a panel with embedded controls helps, but for those with visual learning styles these don't work well for, having the tirnouts labeled to match the controls on the panel is a great help.
Most peeps use a diagram mounted to sheet metal, I use hand thrown TO's.