I decided upon and drilled holes to mount my toggles on my panel in a straight row without a track diagram due to space constrictions. I intended numbering the individual dwarfs by placing numbered or lettered signs adjacent to them on the layout and just putting a corresponding number/letter next to each toggle.
I was naive about how small the dwarfs really are until I saw them. Any suggestions for how to visually recognize which t.o. is which on the layout itself? Even a thumbtack head sized sign/post would be huge compared to the dwarfs themselves.
I will reconsider a track diagram, possibly above the backdrop but hate to. The aisle is very narrow here and I think a diagram on the panel would interfere too much with mainline engineer traffic. (radio control/walkaround/U shaped layout.)
I’ve looked at RR signage on posts in the Walther’s catalog but they’ll be too small to read from a distance.
How many dwarfs are you trying to identify? If ten or less, just paint each a solid color matching the wire color code (BBROYGBVGW) and put a dab of paint above each toggle matching the dwarf. If more than ten, go two color. If you have more than 100…
Granted that it’s not very typical, but who says it isn’t correct? Unless you are following some prototype’s exact practices, it meets the basic test - it works (and it doesn’t look anywhere near as bad as a multicolored manhole cover on a boxcar roof.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with chart tape track schematics on panels)
When you look at an old Armstrong US&S tower, or at a Model-2 or 5 GRS type tower such as I have built, the outside devices (right and left) control the signals (if any on your layout) and the middle devices control the turnouts, derails, crossing gates etc.
Trains running from the left to right are controlled by the signal levers to the left of your row of switches. Trains running from right to left are controlled by levers on the right.
In the middle are your switches that control the turnouts themselves.
LION would after a fashion, have the levers for the turnouts with the points facing left to the left of the levers controlling turnouts with their points facing trains approaching from the right.
The LION will also tell you that you will very quickly get the hang of the lever system that you built so that operating it would become second nature to you.
Furthermore: ALL LEVERS (switches) should be pointed DOWN when the device is in its NORMAL position.On a GRS machine levers in the REVERSE position are pulled out, the direction of the handles is irrelevant, but alternate up and down so that the operator will not mash his hand on an adjoining lever.
For signals this means that when the lever is DOWN, the signal is RED.
For turnouts this means that the points are aligned for the MAINLINE or normal routing position for that switch. A glance at the row of leaver will tell you that everything is in its NORMAL position.
When a train approaches you align the switch levers as required and then give the approaching train a GREEN signal.
Additionally, levers controlling signals are usually painted RED, switch levers are usually painted BLACK, on my machine the convention is
SIGNAL levers are painted red
MAINLINE REVENUE switches are painted green
MAINLINE Non-Revenue Switches are painted black (trains without passengers to
neat switch panel! If I remember correctly you had a couple of tortoise switches - so are these electrical switches? What is the mechanism you use?
If you have a shelf layout and the turnouts are space along it, you could just put a much larger number on the fascia so that it would be easy to read.
Yes all switch motors are Tortoise. One side connects to GROUND, the other to the control panel. The big fancy levers just actuate the cheapest SPDT micro switches I could find. The common from the micro-switch connects to the Tortoise, the other legs are (-)12 vdc (normal position), or (+) 12 vdc (reverse position). The control wire will also operate indicator lights on the machine, home signals on the railroad, the switch motor, and in some cases extra relays used for track or signal logic.
But getting back to the original poster… If he was simulating hand throws albeit via a tortoise and just wanted to know what switch went with which turnout, then emulating the BNSF might yield a switch stand with a BROOM mounted upside down on a bracket near the switch. This has to be used by the conductor to remove debris, snow or ballast from the switch points. If they were iced up a more persuasive implement would have to be obtained from the locomotive (since there are no more cabooses here). Anyway the switch number could be marked on the broom. 
ROAR