Now I know I must be insane...

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Earlier I’ve posted how I wasn’t a fan of turnout control using a pushbutton that ‘toggled’ the turnout position - eg: push one, turnout moves to reversed position. Press again, turnout moves back to normal position.
Well…

Now that I have a few NCE Switch-It stationary decoders (which work either way - single button ‘toggle’ mode OR two buttons, one for normal, one for reverse) I’m starting to think the one-button method may have merit, especially for a crossover.
My panel will have LEDs to indicate alignments. For the yard it’s a no-brainer, I’m NOT putting to pushbuttons at every track in the ladder, there will be one button per track with an LED that indicates the particular track is selected, and a matrix arrangement to align the required turnouts (the yard will not have stationary decoders, a much cheaper circuit will be used, since there’s no reason for a yard to be dispatcher controlled). Individual sidings off the main is a toss-up - one button on each leg, with an indicator LED, or one button centered on the turnout with an LED on each leg? And then there’s the crossover. On the panel I built with toggles, there is an LED in the straight leg of each turnout, plus one centered in the crossover portion - total of 3 LEDs, either the 2 straight ones are on or the middle one is on, depending if the crossover is set for straight through or for crossing over. The switch sits off to the side. To do this with pushbuttons - I COULD just put a pushbutton set to ‘toggle’ mode where the toggle switch was, OR put 2 or more pushbuttons…where?

See, I told you I was insane. All I’m trying to do is make everything consistent. Oh, and don’t worry about the existing panel. It came out looking real nice, and I temporatily attached it to the layotu so I could operate some fo the turnouts, but since it ended up hanging well below the edge of the benchwork - I STILL haven’t gotten a fascia installed - it got bumped and now has a big crack around the mounting screw holes. So it need

2

There is nothing insane about using a better system. I don’t know if you remember, but when I wired mine I used a dptp switch with a MOMs and two different colored LEDs with each turnout.

For my basement layout, I plan to use hand throws.

3

Good plan, I’ve seen so many people spend a fortune on decoders for yard track “just because they can” when a simple diode matrix works just as well.

Do you want to be able to change the turnout without looking, ie by feel. If so you need the two buttons. If not the one button would be cheaper and have fewer parts to fail.

AND you could make the two “straight” LEDs green and the crossover LED red.

Does anyone make LED pushbuttons?
Or just put the buttons on either side, adopt some convention like the west button is always cross and the east button is straight.

4

Randy,

Insane? Hardly. Sometimes the most innocent looking question is the one that takes the most time to ponder. I’ve often heard that the satisfaction one gets from a decicision is oftentimes directly proportional to the amount of thought that went in it. Of course I have also had many occassions to ponder something for the longest time just to go with my first option. I have to get back now to deciding the best color to use on the window frames of the structure I’m building . . . green? gray? hmmmmmmmmm.