Hi Reggie! I think you could use regular light switches? They are really cheap - you can get a box of 10 for just a couple dollars. They'll handle 15 amps at 120 volts, which would be well above any kind of spike I guess? Maybe Roy or one of the other electro-wizards will pop in here, but you might want to make a new thread for just this question to get people's attention.
Glad to hear things are going well - wow, Germany for work! Very cool! When she comes back, if she asks how things are going, just say Alles Gutte, Liebchen!
RIP Chewy - best dog I ever had.
how's it going guys. get to do a little work on the layout this week. for i had to take off work for a week to take of the little girl, as my wife had to go to germany for work. so its me, the little one, and her grandma. looks like i will get to finish control panal.
? what power rating toggle switch should i get and use to cut the power to a track. i know about the handles on the zw, and via tmcc but i want to have the extra on the panal. i have some of the mini toggle switches spst 10 amp rated, but i dont think they are strong enough. if they are could someone let me know that way i don't have to go to home depot. also if any of you have pics of your control panal and wiring could you please post some pics to give me ideas of how they are suppossed to look.
Reggie, Did you get the wiring for your hidden track figured out? I came across the article in OGR that has it and can send it to you if you would like. Email me privately so I don't miss your reply.
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
I would not use the heat gun. It would be more likely to make the tape warp and lose any stick that it has. You may be better served with some type of glue. If you can get it to stay long enough, you could just lay the plexiglass over it and that should hold the tape in place.
right now the control panel is down stairs in the sitting area where it is kept cool. i left for a couple days came back and small sections of the tape had came up. i just pressed it back down it sayed for a day or two and came back up again. i was wondering whether to get one of those heat guns to try and melt it down then put the plexiglass on top of it, but i dont want to do that and mess it up. have any of you guys done it this way, and if so how did it turn out. this is really what i'm leaning towards, but don't want to do it and it doesnt turn out right. that would be time wasted in my book if you know what i mean.
Reggie, not sure what will make the architectural tape stay better. Is the room kept on the warm side when you are away? Reason I ask is perhaps that is adding to the problem and could determine how you fix this. If you can pick up some thin plexiglass as you mentioned, I would tend towards this and also pick up a grease pencil so that you can mark the plexiglass if you have any issues you need to address. Then, when you have tackled those issues, you can simply wash off the plexiglass. I would put the plexiglass right over the taped layout plan. Another thing you could do is to use some paint with a thin brush and paint your track plan on the white board that you have.
Let me know if you want to do it this way, or if not, perhaps we can come up with a few more ideas.
I am sending you an email through the forum, I tried your old address and it didn't work. Perhaps that was full.
i haven't done any work since i posted the last pics as i have been very busy driving trucks, and delivering products to family dollar stores all over the southeast. then whenever i get home i'm pretty worn out. plus the wifey and daughter want their time. so that means the layout is put on the back burner, but i do do alot of thinking about waht i'm going to do next once i get a chance to do some work. i'm still working on the control panel as i have to find a way to keep the architect tape from peeling off the panel. i don't like to start another project until i finish the one i'm working on. as you will have alot of unfinished projects just laying around and none of them finished. other than that all is well with me and the family.
p.s. happy fathers day to all. my prayers go out to all.
hey reggie,
just wondering if you had any updates. i am learing alot from your posts here. well hope everything is going good.
Reggie,
Looking good. Make sure the surface you stick the tape to is really clean (it looks like plastic so use some Windex or something similar).
You can use an ink jet printer and some standard stick on labels to create clean lettering for your control panel. In Microsoft Word - go to TOOLS, and then "Letters and Mailings" - and then Envelopes and Labels - this gets you the label window. In this window you can pick Options and this takes you to the list of canned layout templates for all the labels available from Avery. This makes it very easy to make nice labels for your panel. You can get the blank Avery (or Avery style equivalents) stick on labels at an Office Supply store. Find the smallest ones and then you chose that label number from the options list. You will have to experiment to get the labels the way you want and you can also cut them to final size.
The label program in MS Word is set up for you to manually feed the label sheet into the printer.
You can just print the labels you want and not have to chew up an entire sheet. The "Print" field in the Envelopes and Labels window allows you to pick a specific row and column if you just wish to print one label. Do this and then peel off the label you want and you can use the sheet again and again until each label is gone.
Re the tape itself, I used pinstriping tape for model cars and airplanes from the local RC hobby store and most of it has held for several years now. You can try the plexiglass overlay (I have considered this idea but was put off bu the nimber of holes I would have to drill on the already assembled panel I have. You could try a clear spray (but this may not work with my labels idea - so put the labels on after spraying). I suggest you do a test panel and see what works best.
Regards, Roy
hows it going guys. all is well on this end. i got back home last night and looked at my control panal, and some of the architect tape peeled off. i put it back on to see it stick for a couple of seconds, and peel off again. my question is. is there something that you can put over it to make it stay, or can i use one of those heating guns to melt it a little to make it stick, or do i need to just lay a piece of plexiglass over it and case it in as you said dwiemer. here are the pics as of now its not finished as i'm waiting on the spdt switches to get here from radio shack.
hope you like
thatboy37 wrote: i thought i had that book but i dont. i'm almost finished with my control panal. all i need is the spdt switches which should be here wednesday. i have photos but dont have time to post , but i will post them when i get back from work on tuesday. have a great weekend all.
i thought i had that book but i dont. i'm almost finished with my control panal. all i need is the spdt switches which should be here wednesday. i have photos but dont have time to post , but i will post them when i get back from work on tuesday. have a great weekend all.
Reggie, in the book, the spdt switches fit right into the holes of the peg board. He also takes 3/4" wood and makes a frame around the outside of the pegboard control panel. This acts like a recess so that the switches don't protrude out too far. You can also add small indicator lights to let you know when a switch it thrown.
Reggie, I have the "Tips and Tricks" book that goes into building a control panel. They use Peg board and cover it with shelf liner. They mount some switches and push buttons right in the holes on the panel. In some cases, they would use thin, colored tape like architechs use. then, they would do a map of the layout on the control panel.
Hey Reggie,
You may want to wire the outside rails both for Common/ground. Then wire the center rail for power/positive. The reason for wire to both outside rails is for the TMCC signal strength. If you do end up having accessories that require activation by outside rail, just isolate that section. One thing to keep in mind, if you are using any metal bridges or have any points where the elevations cross over or run next to lower rails, you should set up a ground to earth wire at these points and connected to any metal structures the tracks go over/through. Again, this is a signal issue, and you can just have the one earth ground wire that completely goes through the whole layout. This ground is NOT connected to the same as the common from the TMCC or the transformer. Instead, you can either wire it to a metal plumbing fixture if you have access, or to the ground/common of a separate outlet ( the third "rounded" plug in the wall outlet).
Good Luck,
Center rail is hot; outside rails are ground. Most do not wire both outside rails, especially if you will be using any accessories or signals that require insulating one outside rail from the other so that the wheels complete the circuit as they travel over the track.
- Terry
First off, I would get a copy of the Kalmback book on Command Control that discusses block wiring and everything else you need. As to wiring the hidden tracks, if you were to run the power feed through a toggle switch to the center rail, this would be how you could kill the line with a train in "storage", yet, because the outer "common" rails are intact, you still maintain the TMCC signal. You could isolate one side of the outer rails and run a light indicator off that to show an occupied rail, but they mention some other ideas too.
Really looks great.
Ed
now time to wire this up. i know how to wire this up using a buss wire. to get the best results how and which way do i need to wire and i'm using lionel tmcc. i see on some other topics they mention something about block wiring. how is that done,what does it do, and what is it.
Reggie, I will look for the information on identifying occupied track, but for the hidden track method, they just use a switch to lead one descending line down to a sub level. From there, you can have several switches with dead end lines under the layout. You can then load up several different trains on different tracks. Use toggle switches to kill power to the lines and this will allow you to store trains below. Then, you can bring any train up on line any time you want. The only issue may be if you use DCS, the engines may nead to be addressed again. The reason for having a method of knowing occupied tracks is to prevent trying to move a train on to a occupied line as it will be out of your view.
I would be interested in seeing how you blend in the rest of the scenary with the man fishing under the bridge diaroma.
George
I like Roy's suggestion. If you want to have more scenery, yet still have the tracks for car storage, etc., one way you could go is have a descending line that goes to a hidden "yard" under the layout. You would be able to store whole trains (consist and all) under the main level of the layout. Then you would be able to assemble trains as you like and then bring them up. I know the guys in OGR talk about this. I have heard where they will use LEDs or even a video camera to indicate which hidden tracks are occupied. If you do want them up and are not too worried about room for scenery, Roy's got the best idea ( less scenery with access to the trains for working ).
PS: both of mine can usually be found playing with the boxes under the layout. It is great to keep them involved.
I went back and looked at your track plan. You might consider a couple of sidings off the mainline on the opposite side of the layout from your yard so you have a place for some industries to set and pick up cars. Could be a place for some operating accessories such as the saw mill or various coal loaders/unloaders.
thanks for the compliments.
dwiemer: yeah i get it. i have a 3 year subscription. i will go with the service track. ? for you do you see anywhere on the layout that i might beable to put these switches other than where i want to put them. ohh she's up there alot with me.
wrmcclellon: do you see any other possible spots of interest for the rest of the switches.
Way to go! A suggestion for scenery - foam. As a base for a layout as large as you are building, collect all the foam you can find from packaging for TV sets, PCs, etc, and cut into blocks that you can use to rough out the scenery forms. Then use a hot wire foam cutter to shape it further. I glued mine together with Liquid Nails for Foam, but it takes a while to set, so I used toothpicks to stabilize it until the adhesive set. I have not tried this myself, but a friend recommended auto upholstery glue which is foam compatible and sets quickly. I have seen the spray kind in an auto supply store where they sell trim and paint supplies. I think it comes in gallon cans also.
Tie your maint track into the layout so you can easily move trains to and from the maint track. Make it a siding with minimal scenery so you can work on the trains.
Hey Reggie, It is really coming along. Need to get your little girl in there (start her off in the hobby at a tender young age). As to your question, I like the idea of a maintenance track, but you could still do some scenery around it. One suggestion, if you get CTT, they have the new offering on building a yard on the cover jacket of the magazine. You may want to check this out and see some options. Keep up the great work. PS: hope you like the new job.
God Bless,
Heck, it's taken me several months to run a SHELF around my spare room! Very nice layout..
I'm dying to see the scenary myself. I've just about finished with my trackage..Momma is gonna tackle the scenary..we'll see
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month