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:
How do you control your turnout direction?
Do you have any means of indication of which way the turnout is set other than by looking at it?
Do you have track signals? What operates the lights in the signals if you do?
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.
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.
I mostly use DC toggle switches on a control panel to operate turnouts. For a few subway tunouts i have indicator lights on the panel. there are a few signals on the layout wired to show turnout position.
i have a few stationary decoders to control a few turnouts. After a while, i realized I should have used toggles for those, too.
Plus one here. I can run either DC or DCC. When I run DCC the turnouts operate the same way as when I run DC. Most are Tortoises on an old DC power pack thrown with DPDT switches. Some are Atlas push-button switches, some are Caboose hand throws, and some are “hot Willies.” If I had to wrestle and argue with my Power Cab to operate my turnouts I would never go anywhere but in a simple loop.
I adopted a Digitrax system back in 2005 and have been adding on to the system ever since.
Early on I thought I’d never want to control turnouts from the throttle. i thought it would be a hassle to have to enter an address just to throw one switch, then switch back to the cab number of the train I was running.
Later, I was intrigued by “route control” available with using DS 64 stationary decoders incorporated into one little box that plugs in to the Loconet network. I picked one up about a year ago to see what it could do. I wired it to a yard ladder so that I could use pushbutton control OR select a route from a throttle.
Here is the temporary setup while I was playing around with the options:
Originally I had a panel here with toggle switches to line the route. It was still a little confusing to make sure every turnout was lined, even with LED indicators. Now all I have to do is push one of those colored buttons OR select the route from the throttle. Absolutely a great advantage for operational control.
I still have LED indicators that tell me which yard track is selected. I can either press a few buttons on the throttle or use the panel-mounted push buttons and all the Tortoise switch machines respond as needed to alighn the route.
With the latest version of the Digitrax throttles it is a breeze yo push the “turnout” button, press one button for the route you want, then press the turnout button again to escape from the selection screen. Meanwhile you still have control over your train since the throttle screen shows what is going on with your train. I’m convinced this is a convenient and use
I run my layout in DCC, but I control my turnouts and siginals using a DC power pack. I use Atlas Custom Line turnouts that are controlled by Circuitron Tortoise switch machines, which is pretty common among model railroaders. A wire protruding up from the Tortoise which is mounted under the layout provides the control to move the points.
The Tortoise is powered by two wires from the DC power pack. I have control panels on my layout on which I have installed DPDT switches and bipolar (red/green) LEDs. Again, this is a common technique among model railroaders. By flipping the DPDT switch up or down, the Tortoise moves the points straight through or divergent, and the LED on the control panel turns green (straight through) or red (divergent) to indicate the route. I also use trackside signals that are controlled by the Tortoise. Once again, the signal turns green (straight through) or red (divergent) to indicate the route.
Lately, on my new layout, I have been using Peco turnouts which I operate manually without the use of Tortoises. h Peco turnouts are spring loaded, so I can flip the points with my finger. I also use trackside signals that are controlled by wiring directly connected to the Peco turnouts.
For track occupancy purposes, I use Circuitron Opti-Sensors which sit between ties on track before and after grade crossings and “blocks”. As the train passes over the Opti-Sensor, the signals are activated, and as the last car of the train passes over the next Opti-Sensor the signals are deactivated.
tortoise machines require as much power as an LED. the polarity of a 12V supply can be reversed using a DPDT switch or +12 and -12V supplies can be selected using a SPDT switch
there are stationary DCC decoder (e.g. DS74) that can be controlled from DCC handsets
panel LEDs can be put in series with a Tortoise machine or one of 2 SPDT contact on the machine used to power LEDs. Caboose Hobbies has ground throws with electrical contacts that can be used to drive LEDs but may be necessary to power frogs
signals can indicate switch position, but would more realistically indicate whether the next block is occupied (see below)
more conventional block detectors monitor the current drawn in the block by the loco, a lighted passenger car or caboose or rolling stock with resistors across their wheels.
there is are a variety of NMRA circuits as well as pulse t
All the turnouts on my layout are Tortoise powered and controlled with DPDT “mini” toggles on local track diagram panels, using a separate 12v DC source.
For most of the panels the “leaning” of the toggle lever indicates the turnout direction.
The exceptions are the turnouts in the lower deck staging area. These can be controlled from either one of the twin panels located across the peninsula from each other. These panels share pairs of DPDT toggles wired in series with red/green LEDs indicating direction. This installation made my insulated wire vendor very happy as it reminds me of a telephone switching room.
I don’t have track signals or occupancy detection.
For my hidden staging yard I’ll use Tortoise machines thrown with old-school real toggle switches on a real control panel, something like this one, which is from an earlier layout:
I’m a DCC user. At home, I have analog, Peco solenoid-driven turnouts for those away from easy reach. No lights to indicate direction. I also have some Caboose industries driven turnouts, for those really close to the edge of the layout. The Pecos work fine, and I kinda like having to switch things manually for the Caboose ones. I should add that my layout is smallish (shelf layout in a 7X11 room). I run DCC using my cell phone. I typically run about 3 locos at a time, so the phone is already very cluttered with dials for locos, so I did not even try to add a turnout function on that.
I do admit that a large layout changes things. At our local club, our electrical wiz installed directional lights for our peco turnouts. Running locos with about 50 turnouts is so much simpler with the mainline being indicated by a set of green lights on the turnout controls. I was dubious when he started installing them (OK, I hate installing wires, I admit it) but I soon recognized how useful it is to have them.
I thought I’d mention that I have 3-track reversing loops at either end of my layout. Trains always go through the reversing loops in a counterclockwise direction. On the exit end of the loops, I have Atlas #6 turnouts with no turnout control. The loco will throw the points as it leaves the loops so turnout control is not necessary. I realized early on that having switch machines on the exit side of the loop is totally unnecessary and removed them. I have had no problems with this method.
John, I don’t grok this. Are you saying that an exiting loco pushes open the turnout and it stays open while its train goes through, but you have a switch machine to make sure the turnout is later set the proper way for the next incoming loco?
