If I have parallel tracks with a pair of turnouts to create a crossover from one track to the other, is there any reason not to have both turnouts connected to a single switch with one settings for both parallel and the other for the crossover?
Sounds good. That way you won’t accidently run through one of them.
That is the way it is done. One toggle/push button controls both switch machines at once. If You were running DC, You would have to use two insulated joiners, if You were using cab control to isolate both turnouts and track, but DCC, You don’t have to insulate the joiners.
Take Care! [:D]
Frank
Even in the towers that had manual “armstrong” levers the crossovers were rigged with bell cranks so both sets of points would throw at the same time. Never a need to just throw one. You have to throw all your body weight into that lever to move that!
I have 2 or 3 places on my layout that aren’t exactly crossovers but do have a pair of turnouts about 18 or 20 inches apart and I throw them with one toggle. Now I just have to remember to re-align the route once the train is through! [banghead]
Ed
On an last, temporary layout I had I had two oval loops. One side had two crossovers and the other side had one. Each pair of turnouts was wired to one electrical switch. As mentioned above, as long as you use two insulated joiners at each crossover, it should be no problem. I could have trains running in the same or opposite directions, just had to be sure all the electrical switches for the blocks were all set correctly when changing loops.
Have fun,
Richard
If your railroad was using a GRS interlocking machine, there would be just one lever for the pair of turnouts, but it would still occupy two slots in the GRS frame. On a GRS machine, you pull the handle, it will only move half way. during this time it locks all levers that would conflict with the new route, and it would move the switch points. Once the points have moved and are locked, the switch machine sends back a signal to the GRS machine confirming that the route is lines and locked, then the lever can be pulled the rest of the way out which releases any levers that are no longer in conflict with the reversed lever.
If the lever cannot be pulled all of the way, it means that the points did not lock and the tower operator would need to go down to the tracks to see why they did not lock. Ballast or Ice is the usual suspect, followed by damaged equipment.
In the case of the Armstrong levers, I suppose they could be doubled as described, but I think usually not, especially if any distance is involved. Two levers are required to move one switch. First you remove the lock, then you bend the points, and then you lock it up again. The adjsutment of your rods would have to be perfect for two turnouts to work in tandem, but then I have never been in an operating armstrong tower.
But to answer your question, yes it is normal to control a crossover with one device. LION has used one SPDT switch to control a double cross over: Center position is normal; up moves trains south to north; down moves trains from north to south. Him had a bunch of relays down by the tracks to route the power accordingly.
The interlocking plant in the January MR looks real sweat. Mine looks like a hack job in comparision, although his was of an armstrong machine, while I am modeling a GRS machine, and the Model-5 has all of the personality of a metal box.
Here is the GRS machine at the Court Street Station in Brooklyn, the Transit Museum. The end levers (painted red) control the signals, The three midd
How are you planning to drive the turnouts? Since you’re throwing two at once, you need to consider the power implications. For Tortoise machines, you can pretty much wire them in parallel and they’ll work fine. But, if you’re using twin-coil machines like Atlas or Peco, you will in all likelihood need a Capacitive Discharge circuit. That circuit stores power and releases it all at once, to give the throw more kick and, in your case, provide enough power to throw two turnouts at once.
A CD circuit is highly recommended even if you are only throwing single turnouts. It will eliminate the problem of weak throws at the end of long wire runs, and will (most important, perhaps) protect your switch machines in case a toggle sticks in the ON position.
You can buy a CD circuit like the Snapper from Circuitron, or build one up yourself from diagrams available on the web. One of these will usually suffice for a home layout.
If you go to an R/C shop, not only can you find bellcranks but also threaded rods to use with them, so you can fine tune your pushrods when doing two turnouts with one motor.
I am planning on using Tortoise motors, wired in parallel from a single DPDT switch. Glad to hear it work. I will be isolating the crossover track and running a pair of feeders to it.
Richard,
If You look at my dirty control panel, ( havn’t cleaned it in awhile, working on whole east section) the lower left, You will see one crossover, controlled by two normally open push buttons, when pushed, both turnouts work at the same time and a route direction lights up and stays on until changed. This is one of three control panels on my layout. All the blocks You can see separated by a space in the white line, all blocks are control for cab assignment by the DPDT center off toggles that You see on the white lines. This is a all DC cab control layout with MRC CM 20’s hand held tethered controls. I do run DCC W/sound also. The switch machines are Atlas under-table with relays, with a dedicated 18volt power supply 4amp.
Take Care! [:D]
Frank
I’ve done that on my previous layout, and have it 8 times on my current HO layout. Its easy to wire and is extremely reliable.
I use Atlas code 100 trackage and have 4 crossovers using #8 turnouts. I soon found out these need a relay (for the dead frogs) and was able to wire one relay for both turnouts as well.
ENJOY!
Yes, there are situations where having them wired together isn’t optimal. I have several spots on the layout where a siding terminates in a switch that will take you either back onto the main or straight ahead into a spur. These I do not wire together. It’s kind of a short siding, so getting onto the turnout itself is sometimes useful to squeezing your train all the way in. If it was tied to the mainline turnout it connects to, this usually doesn’t work, you get a short if the train in the sidingis on the last turnout before the main.
Otherwise, in most cases tying them together isn’t going to create problems, just you should be aware there can be a few situations where it really isn’t a good idea.
I have been in an armstrong interlocking tower, and yes, one lever does throw both crossover switches together. The operator would put his foot on an adjacent lever and throw all his weight into it. I tried it myself, but couldn’t do it; I was just a skinny 14 year old at the time.
I am building a large Armstrong lever plant (40 levers with signals, derails (dummies), lock levers and switches) for my HO layout. From my research with signalmen and tower operators, (I was fortunate to visit a few Armstrong equipped towers when I was a kid), Armstrong controlled crossovers came in both flavors, one lever for both switches and one lever for each switch. I have all my levers (Hump Yards Purveyance brand) in for the switches and they work and now have to build the rest of the levers to attach to the signals and dummy levers. (I need to paint the levers the appropriate colors but they are made from a slippery plastic, so may need to experiment with that.)
I am building a full size model board, working indictor lights and a interlocking diagram with matrices that hangs from the ceiling. A scratchbuilt model of the large brick interlocking tower is almost complete. The track is all in for the three railroads and a fully functioning wye, and all the yards that feed the interlocking except one.
I’ve attached my levers to slide switches with music wire to control the turnouts and signals with the extra contacts on the tortoise switch machines to be connected to computer software to do the interlocking rather than build tappets, etc. like in the Model Railroader article. I have already two home semaphore signals built but will probably use memory wire to control them all. (The savings with memory wire is not space but rather $$$.)
I have a cantelever signal bridge with semphores to build too but think I can still build it to scale in HO and make it work! Unfortunately, I write RR books for a living now and my time on the layout is hit and miss.
Victor A. Baird
Fort Wayne, Indiana