I’m coming to a portion of my layout build where I’ll need to use switch motors (so far, everything has been in reach and I’ve used Peco turnouts for the manual “snap” action they provide.
For this new section of the layout, I’ll have about 11x turnouts in an urban switching area where they are buried in concrete/asphalt. I decided to go with Tortoise switch motors. I’d like to throw them with toggle switches and have LED indications on the fascia (using a schematic on the fascia as well for clarity).
I planned on using my old MRC Tech II 1400 poer pack to run the switches. So far I’ve come across the Circuitron Application Node (AN) 6000-07 as well as the following link: http://www.sierrascalemodels.com/Art_Lighted.htm
Just wondering if anyone else that has tackled this task has any adivce and/or if I’m heading down the right road.
Thanks for your help.
Mike
Mike, someone recently asked me how I did my control panel and I’ll add below my reply (kinda long). I’ll then add a photo.
I built my main control panel basis the Jan 2012 MR article “How to build & wire a turnout control panel” by Pelle Seeborg. It was a fun project early in my layout development. In case you don’t have the article, I’ll describe the approach I used, with perhaps some minor differences.
As background, I’m retired and build 2 layouts long ago and then got into building a small one for my grandson, which allowed me to get familiar again with HO trains. In 2012 I started the 5x10’ or so layout you’ve seen. I used Walthers- Shinohara code 83 turnouts with Atlas flextrack. I have 20+ turnouts. They are powered by Tortoises, very popular and which I can highly recommend. The Tortoises are controlled by 12v DC, from a Circuitron 12v regulated power supply, via the DPDT switches you see in the control panel. I have NCE DCC running the trains but had no interest in throwing turnouts on this smallish layout via DCC. It seemed so much simpler to me to simply reach down and throw the desired DPDT on the control panel than to dial up on the DCC throttle a turnout number and then tell it what to do.(more than one step).
The control panel is made of a custom ordered 5/64" piece of sheet aluminum as Pelle suggests. It cost about $30 as I recall (I just googled an internet supplier) plus shipping but I wanted to take the suggested approach. First of course I needed to know what size. While some use PC software to draw their diagrams, I used 11x14 graph paper to draw the needed schematic. Note I simply used 45-degree angles for curves and turnouts, easy to draw on graph paper. Once I had my drawing, I knew the size piece I needed for the aluminum sheet and ordered it.
When I had the aluminum sheet in hand, I taped the pap
There are a number of ways to do this. How do you want the indicators to work? Do you want a green indicator for one path, and a red for the other, or would you prefer to have a pair of indicators showing green for the active path and red for the other?
Either way, the easiest way to do it is to take a two-lead red-green LED and simply wire it in series with the Tortoise motor. The motor itself provides enough resistance that you don’t need an actual resistor to limit current in the circuit. If you want two lights, wire the second in parallel with the first but with the leads reversed.
LION is specialist in Tortoise and in LED. LION very much advocates a single wire system to move the switch motors. That is one side of the switch motor goes to ground and the other side to your SPDT switch. The center tap from the switch goes to the Tortoise, and selects between either +12v DC or - 12v DC.
From that single wire you can enervate your panel lights and any and all signal masts you wish to install out on the layout. As a note, the toggles in your switch tower should all be DOWN when the points (or signals) are lined in their NORMAL position and should be UP to reverse the switch points.
My wiring diagrams and other tricks with tortoises are found here.
LIONS are serious about their interlocking towers!
This is what a simple setup might look like if built by GRS
Levers for signals are at the ends of the row and are painted red, levers for switch points are painted black. The levers on the left control all signals for trains moving from left to right through the plant, the levers on the right control all signals for trains moving from right to left.
ROAR
Simple wiring for control of a Tortoise. Put the switch and LEDs on the control panel. The LEDs can be any color you want, typically Red, Yellow, or Green. Only one LED will come on at a time.
I wired mine like Elmer’s diagram using two color (red/green) LED’s, one each for the two routes leading from the control panel diagrammed turnouts. Both are on all the time, one red, the other green. Throw the turnout points and they switch colors. The active route is always shown green and the other red.
To further explain for the OP: There are devices called bi-color LEDs, which have 2 LEDs in them wired like the two shown in Elmer’s diagram. Usual colors are red and gree, but others are available these days. There are two kinds - some have 3 wires, and some have 2 wires. You want the ones with 2 wires. If you take Elmer’s diagream and put a circle around the diodes, with two wires sticking out to the sides, this is what you have. The LED will be red when the Tortoise is in one direction, green when in the other. What you do is simply take a second one of these, and wire it in series between the LEDs shown and the Tortoise machine. If they both end up red at the same time, flip the wires on one of the LEDs. Now one will be green, and the other red. If the red and green point to the wrong direction, reverse the two wires going to the Tortoise. Flip the toggle and change the Tortoise, and the one that was red will now be green, and the green one will now show red. This is the simplest way to hook up LEDs to a Tortoise, no resistors are needed, just the LEDs. Another benfit is that the Tortoise will run quieter. While they are spec’d for 12 volts, they are a bit noisy on a full 12 volts. The LEDs in series will drop a few volts each, so the Tortoise will see more like 8 volts. Still plenty powerful, but much quieter. All the wiring is in your panel, and only 2 wires need run to the Tortoise. Only one power supply is needed, and it runs both the Tortoises and the LEDs. Super easy.
–Randy
I use the same schematic for my turnout indicators, but mine are at the turnout as shown in the photos. I just made some stryene housings for the red/green LED and it looks like a turnout lantern. I plan to add an LED to my panel as well but haven’t gotten to that yet. Just another way to show track direction.
-Bob
Thanks for all the info and replies … putting together a plan now that incorporates a little bit of everything that you guys came up with.
Much appreciated.
Mike