The new Decoder for Tortoises is really going to be a hit!! It can sense oncoming train and if turnout is in the wrong direction automatically switch over. The decoder mounts right to the socket on the tortoise making wiring much simpler, the Decoder is called…what else the Hare. This is going to be one hot item guys. Tony’s Train Xchange has a nice write up on it also, check it out.
Nice, but a bit too expensive for my tastes. You can get one NCE Switch-It that controls two Tortoise machines for less than the cost of one Hare. I can see where it would be great for a big layout with a lot of automated control, but for a solo operation like mine I think the NCE is fine.
Agree, I also use Switch-It decoders and think they are great. And they work well connected to the CTC signalling system.
Yeah that’s my only beef, Tortoises are expensive enough, but then to triple the costs per turnout by using the hare… too rich for my blood.
Switch-Its and the CVP AD4-MC (since the AD4-LC seems to have been discontinued) offer the best bang for the buck for controlling Tortoises, less than the price of the Tortoise itself for each one (about $9 per, the Switch-It runs 2 and the AD4 runs 4). I believe Team Digital has one that is even cheaper, but does not include an option for local control, which is a must for me.
–Randy
What’s wrong with being a heads up modeler?? I run a switch the wrong way about twice a year - it’s called “being an engineer”
The Digitrax beeps to let me know that I’ve been a JERK!
I like the idea but with 60 turnouts on my layout it would cost a fortune to switch out now. Even if I was just starting I doubt I could afford the additional expense. Maybe the price will come down eventually (does that ever happen???). 99% of my derailments are from leaving a switch in the wrong position. Soon I will have signals installed to let me know what position the switches are in at a glance so derailments should decline dramatically. I sometimes wonder what great new inovations will be coming down in the next several years. Just in the four years I have been MRR I have seen some really great products that enhance the RR expierience.
Terry