I’m in the process of making a second control panel (approx. 1’ x 3’) for the Freight yard and servicing facility of my RR. I was going to make it out of lexan/plexiglas but after pricing the material and scraps at that, I found the prices and colours limited.
I’m now considering options and wouldn’t mind some feedback as to alternatives along with pros and cons.
Fergie
I’m planning to use 1/4 inch Masonite with a white plastic face. Places like Home Depot sell this stuff for lining the insides of bathtub stalls and showers. It’s stiff, easy to work, relatively light and pretty cheap, too. It comes in 4x8 sheets, and it’s available in any color Martha Stewart would every conceive of.
What do you consider too pricey? I built my panel using a lexan sheet that cost about $10.00 at Lowes.
There was enough lexan to make two panels this size, so I just used a double layer. The graphic is in between layers, so I can change it any time I need to do so without having to re-build the entire panel.
masonite works well allso.1/8 is the best[:)]
JIM
I built mine exactly the same way as Mark. Since I was using 2 layers, I didn’t need to use as thinck stock as a single layer panel would have to be, which cut the cost considerably. I bought a piece and had them cut it into 4 identical pieces, enough for 2 panels, before I even took it home. The whole piece was maybe $7-$8. The pieces are held together by the toggles being bolted through both sheets.
I sprayed my back piece flat black and then centered my paper (I used some heavy cardstock) over that so there’d be a slight border around the edges. All in all, I think it came out quite nice for a first attempt.
–Randy
I built mine out of 1/8" masonite, mounted on a 1x2 frame. I have it attached to a 1x4 box frame with piano hinge material. It is painted a dark grey gloss, and I used Dymo label tape for the track diagrams. I have 3 of these panels, and they have been in use since 1991. They are presently being removed as I convert the entire railroad to DCC.
Jim Bernier
There was an article in Classic Toy Trains where the control panel was built out of that peg board with all the holes. It was convineint because all the switches were inserted through the holes and the unused holes were covered. I will have to check which issue it was… It is in the October 2004 issue. All you need is peg board, heavy paper, rubber cement, and laminating sheets. (1 Draw or use flxible artist tape to create an image of your track plan on tthe paper. (2 Cement the paper to the pegboard.( 3 Put the laminating sheets on the paper over your track plan to protect it from scratches. (4 Find the hole closest to where your turnout or electrical block is and cut through the paper with a knife to expose the hole. (5 Insert the switch or push button. (6 Insert all of the switches by using the same process in steps 4 and 5 (7 Next wire them. Now you can mount it to your layout.[:D]
At my club, we’re using 1/4" MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). It’s much better than Masonite, as it has a high glue content that makes it more resistant to water moisture while also not dulling your tools as badly. All MDF boards are smooth on both sides (unlike Masonite), making the labeling of the rear of the panel easy. It tales paint well, and gives a real professional-looking appearance if using Krylon spray paint.
For striping, we’re painting the line color first (white, yellow, orange, etc.), then placing 1/4" masking tape over the colors. Then we spray the black and peel off the tape leaving a finished panel.
About the only thing you can’t do with MDF is screw into the end/side grain…
Paul A. Cutler III
Weather Or No Go New Haven
I consider that reasonable! The quote I was given was $20 to $30 for a 3/16" x 1’ x 2 1/2’.[}:)]
BTW how did you do your embossing? Impressive, very impressive!
Hi,
I have some ideas for you. First, I used 1/8" Masonite as some others have suggested and I also bought thin white plastic which I laminated onto the Masonite. By using thin plastic, I was able to fit my switches on the panel and screw them in place (in other words, the total thickness wasn’t bad).
To make your diagrams, I would suggest “Chart Tape”, available at art supply stores…it comes in rolls like masking tape but is only 1/4" wide and is fairly inexpensive. I use the black but it comes in various other colors. The nice thing about tape, rather than painting your diagrams, is it’s easy to change or add to the diagram by simply moving the tape around or adding more. For instance, I just decided to add another turnout on my layout and it was easy to add more tape to my control panel to represent the additional siding.
Last, I have one more suggestion. To draw your diagram on the white plastic panel, don’t use a pencil or pen…rather, use a pen with disappearing ink (they are plentiful at sewing centers and places like Joanne’s Fabric). Believe it or not, my wife uses these pens for writing on fabric when she’s doing some sewing. It goes on purple but disappears after it dries. It’s great for doing the panel because if you make a mistake, it disappears. Also, it is a felt-tipped pen and doesn’t mess up the plastic with scratches. I simply draw out my diagram and if I’m happy with it, I apply pieces of the chart tape over my lines. If I don’t like it, I let it dry or wipe it off and redo the section. It does take a while for the ink to disappear, giving you plenty of time to add the chart tape.
Hope this helps.
Mondo
I find 1/8" white masonite paneling with wood framing ideal. A ‘Forstner’ bit makes clean holes for switch and block toggles. Self adhesive auto- striping, colored DYMO tape, or painting your track diagram on it work’s.
Since my current layout uses modular Domono’s, every module has a ‘Walk along’ full-length control panel which also serve’s as a facia. Control’s, accordingly, are mounted where they are needed, not centralized. Mainline is automated. rest are hand throws.
I’ve had real good luck with 1/8" masonite and I’ve got a number of local control panels. I made one with a styrene (.020) overlay and, after some aging, it started to warp, crack, and generally deteriorate. The Chart Tape mentioned above sounds like a good way to go but I gave it a couple of coats of Kilz (a white, oil based primer) and then used cut masking tape to lay out the track pattern and then sprayed on a color coat(Tuscan Red in my case since I had more than I’ll need). I make a box with 1" (nominal) lumber having a 45degree slope at the front and used drywall screws and finish washers to attach it. Looks good and is easily removable for maintainance.
I use 1/4" mini-toggles and you only need a 1/4" hole and they’ll self tap in the masonite.
As a final advantage, you can frequently find a hardware/building supply store that will sell cut pieces (2’X4’ seems to be a standard size).
Thanks for the kind words, Fergus.
Man, you’re getting ripped on the cost of the lexan! But your quote is for a much thicker panel, too. I used 1/8, I think, and sandwiched the graphic sheet between two layers of that. The threaded stem of the toggle switches is just long enough to add the nut when installed.
If the embossing you refer to is the panel graphics, that’s just an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper with the graphics printed on it from a computer. I took a bitmap of that part of my track plan and reworked it with Photoshop to add text and adjust the track lines to fit the toggles. The frame is just scrap 1X8s (actually, old stair treads that led from the basement to outdoors) trimmed to make a sloping panel and grooved to support the panel face. If you’d like, send me an e-mail and I’ll reply with a copy of the graphics - I think I still have it in Photoshops format - so you can take it apart and see how I made it.
The graphics took a few hours to put together, but all-in-all I’m pleased with how it came out.
The panel sits on one of those castered chromed-wire kitchen carts, so I can roll it around a few feet (the limit of extra wire attaching the panel to the layout. That’s turned out to be very convenient. The cart also has two shelves on which I keep my wireless throttle, turnout power supply - an old MRC power pack - and some other stuff. I can also set the panel on the floor and use t
I’ve used 1/8" masonite for control panels and it works well. But I discovered something better (at least I think so) at the local Home Depot. I don’t know what it’s called because there was no label on the shelf. It’s 1/8" thick and appears almost to be made of compacted paper and has a white surface on one side, the other is tan coloured. It’s a very hard dense material like masonite, but glassy smooth on both sides. It drills and cuts just like masonite. I suspect it is some form of masonite. They had it in 4’X4’ sheets–easy to take home in the car. I’ve used it for other things than control panels. The nice thing about this material is that one side is already white, so I just have to lay out the track lines with tape, paint over it with a darker colour, peel off the tape and I’ve got the white lines with only one coat of paint. If anybody is familiar with this material, I wouldn’t mind knowing what it’s called.
i would make it out of Masonite. Maybe you could try some of that Gatorboard like tthey said in MR. its worth a try. My club made all the Control pannels out of Masonite. we have one lexan one too. THey all work great. our main CTC panel is Sheet metal
I just wanted to thank everyone for their input. I went to Kent (Home Depot’s competition) and went looking for masonite, which they had. They also had 1/8" oak!. I put the first coat of stain on (deep cherry) and I think it will look pretty good.
Once again thanks for the input
Fergie
LOL, from lexan to OAK. Nice!
Although, if my layout were not in the basement, I would certainly consider framing out the front in nice cabinet-grade wood to make it look like a piece of furniture. Hmm, maybe that small N scale idea for up inmy office isn’t a bad idea, I can claim it’s a bookshelf…
–Randy