Fingers.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I control my turnouts the old fashioned way. I use an old DC powerpack to control turnouts, lights, and other accessories. Some of my turnouts are manual. I know I could use stationary decoders to power the turnouts but it seems like an unnecessary expense. I've rigged the throttle of the DC powerpack to power my turntable and use the direction switch to control the direction of rotation.
Most of my turnouts are Atlas and use Atlas controls recess mounted on the fascia. I don't have lights to indicate the routing. I just wire the turnouts so if the slide switch is to the left, the turnout is set to the straight route and if it is to the right, the turnout is set to the diverging route. I have a few Tortoise turnouts controlled with toggle switches, again left/straight, right/diverging.
wrench567 All my turnouts are manual. No signal system or other layout control
Ditto.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I also have a switching layout. All my turnouts are manual. No signal system or other layout control.
Pete.
I have never had a DCC system in my life. My dad showed me how simple DC circuits were wired over 60 yrs ago so I have always thought in that manner. Having read a number of posts here I am trying to find out how others do certain things.
If you are a DCC user how do you do these things:
1) How do you control your turnout direction?
2) Do you have any means of indication of which way the turnout is set other than by looking at it?
3) Do you have track signals? What operates the lights in the signals if you do?
4) What do you use to detect track occupancy?
I have just a small switching yard, "Lots of Switching, Small Space", Model RR Planning 2005, but hope to do something bigger some day. Just trying to get ideas of how things can be done in a field I am very unfamiliar with.
RM