I’m in the process of changing control of my turnouts from manual hand thrown to DCC operation with Tortoise machines. I have a narrow, shelf type switching layout, with many turnouts close together.
Operating the stationary decoders is simple with the NCE utility throttles, but I don’t know how to visually identify them with two digits.
Anyone have this problem?
Thanks
Ken
The club I was in used a routing control panel, non-dcc.
Push a button and several turnouts line up.
Otherwise make a track diagram like any tower might use and put your numbers on it.
That’s the #2 reason I don’t like operating turnouts from the DCC system. How to identify the turnout. “oh yeah, that siding over there is #321!”
#1 is, it’s awkward to do, at least on the systems where I’ve read the manuals - Digitrax, NCE, Lenz, and Easy-DCC.
Best I can come up with is having the schematic on the fascia like many walkaround layouts, but instead of toggles or pushbuttons, you’d just label each turnout with the ID.
–Randy
I’d go with what Randy suggested too, even turnouts on the main line anywhere I’d have to stop and think, whats the number for that one?
If it’s on a fascia panel in front of you, you can’t go wrong.
Ken.
One of the layouts that I operate on, we use thumb tacks (not push pins) with the turnout number on the head. The thumb tack is between the rails and the number is written with a perminate pen and then covered with dullcoat to protect it from the centerline track cleaner.
Bob
that’s also what i do, number the turnouts on the fascia control panel, or count the number of tracks from the bottom to the top of the control panel fascia diagram until i get to the one i want to use and throw the turnouts from the trains origin leading to that particular track…chuck