I’m just starting out, but pretty soon I plan to do a layout. I’m thinking of doing a coal miners town, and I was wondering if you have a wiring diagram for a switch board, I think it would be better looking than a prefab swtich and accesory control, also cheaper. Any advice would be great as well. And I have an HO set with EZ-track.
Hi and welcome to the hobby!
A control panel or board is usually a unique design that fits your own needs. Before going much farther, I’d recommend you get a copy of some books on wiring from your local hobby shop. There are some good ones like: “Basic Wiring for Model Railroaders” published by Kalmbach that should be available almost everywhere you can get model RR supplies. Using them as reference, you will be able to plot out exactly what wires go where, and how you want to control them. Wiring doesn’t have to be scary-complicated, but you need to have a pretty good idea of your final layout plan before you invest in the time to build the panel.
Let us know how you make out, it’s a fun hobby. George
My own HO layout grew from a simple double dogbone, to a DC L shaped layout with 12 switches.Then to a( 24’x24’ layout with 37 switches, (where it was still feasible to use a single switch control board.) Finally, I ended up with 96 electrically controlled switches, with 6 reverse loops and 3 wyes. If you plan to go to DCC,(with a small number of switches), it would be good to invest in Tortoise switch motors that are remotely controlled by individual code numbers, from a throttle. The enclosed picture shows one of the four control panels. With fewer than 24 switches, I recommend that (if you are going DCC), that you “remote control” the switches. Radio control, is a little more expensive, but is worth considering
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w78/ROBTAHahn/?action=view¤t=001_Untitled01.jpg
The absolutely, positively simplest/cheapest way of controlling twin-coil switch machines is with a hot probe and stud system. The control panel has to have a track diagram with every track marked. At each turnout, drill the panel and insert two round head machine screws, one in the straight route and one in the diverging route. Attach the coil wires of the switch machine (through extension wires and terminal strips as appropriate, remembering that it is all a single wire from machine to panel) to the screws, behind the panel. The common wires from the machines go to one AC accessory terminal on your DC power pack. The other AC terminal is connected to a flexible wire with a test probe or stereo plug at the end. To throw a set of points, touch the hot probe to the appropriate screwhead to complete the circuit. Viola! Points move, and operation can continue.
The above is vastly oversimplified, but it is the basic foundation on which you can build as your understanding of the circuitry increases.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with hot probe turnout control)
Let me make one clarification to Chuck’s “hot probe turnout control” explanation. Refer to the layout diagram on my Reply (preceding Chuck’s). Originally, I had the two outside wires on the turnout lead to the two screw studs, on the diagran of the entire layout. The “common” wire to the central terminal on the switch machine, is a short (#20)“feeder wire”, that is soldered to the bare (#14)common wire bus, (that is the only wire attached to one terminal on the DC power pack’s AC Accessory Terminal). The “hot probe” fexible wire is attached to the other terminal. Thus, by touching either of the studs, you complete the circuit to one, or the other, solenoids on the switch machine. This still requires that you run two “long” wires from the switch machine to the two studs. By all means,“number and bundle these wires” ( or you will have difficulty in locating (which wires are which), if you must trouble shoot. With the vast distances involved to a central switch control panel,(on my layout), I opted for four control panels, with localized numbered switches and a numbered stud terminal plate,(each powered with it’s own small DC power pack). Localized power districts are especially important (resistance heat-wise)when using Tortoise (slow motion) switch machines, instead of the momentary surge of current with solenoid switch machines. Bob
ok I was also told that I should use some kind of foam between my table and my layout, why is that and what kind should I get.
The purpose of the foam is to reduce noise, and if you use 2" thick foam, it can be gouged out for gulleys beside your trackage. Since my layout is composed of mountains and ravines, I opted to use only cork ballast beneath my flex track, to reduce noise. If you choose to use foam, you can buy it in 4’x8’ sheets, in any thickness that you desire.( 1/2" - 2" ) One other advantage of using foam is for the placement of trees, in holes drilled into the foam. Some modelers use stacks of foam to build hills. It can be carved easily with a rough router, or a “hot wire” electric cutter. It can be painted quite easily, and shrubs and grass can be easily glued to it.
The kind of foam you want is insulation foam, NOT the white beadboard foam. You’ll know why the first time you cut or shape it–those little white balls stick to everything by the millions. Insulating foam is either pink or blue, depending on the manufacturer, and comes in thicknesses up to 2" It is usually sold in 2’ X 8’ sheets and you can get it at a hardware or home building supply store. If you live in a part of the country that’s warm all year 'round, you may have trouble finding it though.