Layout Control Panel Preferences


How do you control your layout?

  • Physical control panel, trains are DC

    Votes: 1 2.9%

  • Physical control panel, trains are DCC

    Votes: 16 47.1%

  • Computer-based control panel, trains are DCC

    Votes: 5 14.7%

  • No control panel, layout controlled directly through DCC controller

    Votes: 9 26.5%

  • Other

    Votes: 3 8.8%
  • Total voters
    34
T

TrinityJayOne

N gauge fan
After some recent posts in Cmaceeepc's layout thread I thought it would be interesting to see what people are using for their layout control (as in turnouts, detection, etc, not for controlling trains). To quote myself-

TrinityJayOne said:
I definitely want JMRI on my layout, but I'm still undecided on exactly how much of a role it will play. Anyone who's used it will agree it's invaluable for programming locos, but I may end up leaving its usage at that. Automation such as signals and block detection is grand and certainly cool to watch in action, but there is also something to be said for the physical throwing of switches. You can still electrify & motorize your layout without removing the need for human interaction. That's probably where I'll start off, and then if I feel the need to automate it later all I need to do is add the brains.
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I'm sure size comes into the equation as well. A physical control panel would be fine for my layout as it only has 17 turnouts, most of which are in yards. As layout size increases and you have more mainline I can imagine that being able to set automated routes becomes more & more desirable.

Back in the day on my childhood HO layout my dad built a control panel with a very rudimentary switching system - no switches, no LEDs, and probably no safety. :p The turnouts were hooked up to twin coil solenoids and their terminals connected to some brass bolts screwed into the control panel, two bolts per turnout. All the common wires ran direct to the power supply, and connected to the other end of the power supply was one those probes from a multimeter. When you wanted to switch a turnout you would touch the probe to the brass bolt corresponding with the desired turnout and position, completing an electrical circuit and making it happen. :D Not very pretty but it did the job.

For my N layout I'll be starting off with a physical control panel, DPDTs for tortoises and probably some push button switches for scenery lighting (houses, street lights, etc). I've been eyeing off these babies in the bi-colour variant for controlling the turnouts. A bit pricey at $11 each but they sure are pretty, and I like the thicker lever that those cheap generic Chinese switches on ebay don't seem to have.

What do you guys use/plan to use? Post pics if you can!
 
TrinityJayOne said:
I've been eyeing off these babies in the bi-colour variant for controlling the turnouts. A bit pricey at $11 each but they sure are pretty, and I like the thicker lever that those cheap generic Chinese switches on ebay don't seem to have.
Click to expand...
Those toggle switches are nice with the green/red LED's on the end of the lever. Your control panel would look awesome with about twenty or more of those......with the room lights dimmed a bit. I put that page in my favorites.


Mike
 
Physical control panel for me as well w/ DC for now. Will upgrade to DCC but with a panel for turnouts, signals and DCC plugs around the layout. Thats what I am shooting for now, but it may change
 
There are no motor thrown turnouts on my layout. Its like a typical line in the 1940's, that is out in the small town, rural area that is modeled, there is no "dispatcher controlled" turnouts needed. All turnouts are manually thrown. Since there is only TO/TT operations, signals aren't used either.

So, no "control panel" needed.
 
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Waltr- Lots to go through so will have to give it a proper read later, but I did see your oldschool switch controls. :D Pretty cool way of doing things.

Mike- I'll end up having an LED-littered control panel anyway, but those switches would keep everything very neat. Looking at the numbers I don't think it would actually be that much cheaper to use non-LED ones, as those nice NKK ones look to be around the $5-6ea mark (they make quite a few...), then you have the small cost of the LEDs and some sort of mount/bezel to put them in. I think I'd prefer to pay that little bit more for quality components and save some space to boot.
 
Trinityjayone

Whilst I am going to automation, my layout (http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=296107) is currently controlled by momentary push buttons (rescued from my old layout) and before I had the push buttons I had the old button and probe system, so going to auto for me is a natural progression. Even now I will manually throw the switches just to ensure the route chosen is free.
As with most layouts with computer control there is usually a choice to operate manually if wanted, some have both.

Really isnt a computer just another type of control Panel where you use your mouse instead of your finger the operate the toggle switch

Using your layout how you want to is what MRR is all about :D

cmaceeepc
Craig
 
My DCC layout has a few small switch panels in areas that contain tortoise-powered turnouts in hard-to-reach places, another for controlling my manually-operated signals, plus one near my command station for toggling power districts on/off.
 
I use DPDT slide switches for all my turnouts now. I used to have Caboose Hobbies ground throws but they were always troublesome to get my finger nail under the throw to actuate them.
The DPDT is easy to operate when ya really need to throw that turnout at the last moment and the adjustment is by just twisting the paperclip link to the track.
It can be used for powered turnouts, i.e. mainline cross overs so that both turnouts change at the same time or unpowered on sidings. The DPDT also provides for power connections to power the frog and run signals.
Once the scenery is applied, the switches won't stand out so much.

IMG_5917.png


IMG_5918.png
 
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I run the mains on the layout with a DT400 and NCE switch8's, there is an overhead panel to display routes but no toggles.
There will be local panels at the switching areas.
 
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