Good evening everyone,
Time to update on the 'goings on ' on the layout, first a few small new scenic additions - a bench behind the loco shed, parcels platform weighing machine, chocolate machine for the passenger platforms, oh and some guy sitting on a bench with his hand on the stations wall!.....Not very interesting but this leads us on to..

The main subject which is the alteration of the existing layout wiring to allow for the installation of a Woodlands Scenics 'tidytrack' wheel - cleaner, and an additional powered track for testing and (eventually) a Bacchrus 'rolling road.'  This project has been 'on the drawing board' for a couple of months, and was awaiting a suitable enclosure to fit the new switches that I already had.
The purchase recently of the above scenic items from Hattons provided a suitable unit.....
I had already worked out the wiring alterations, and written down a progress diagram for the stagework (green ticks mean wire run or step completed and tested.)This is the diagram used for the job.

Some time ago at a model railway exhibition I had purchased on impulse, a pack of two subminiature dpdt slide swiches made by 'Radio Shack' from a trader, thinking to myself "these will come in useful" - and so it was to prove...

These were mounted inside the plastic box which usefully had a hinged lid, with apertures cut for the sliders, a thin metal plate from the scrap bin was found, existing holes filed to shape for the switches to pass through, then the plate was sprayed matt black (Humbrol) to improve its appearance...and fitted to the outside - Yellow electrical tape being used to make areas suitable for labels. All was held together with the supplied four small machine screws inserted into the threaded portions of the switches . So far so good! A hole for the wires to pass through was drilled in what was now the bottom of the box.

The unit was fixed/screwed into position vertically next to the remote controller (B) which is on the hidden sidings side of the layout. Due to the design it would be impossible for the operator to use any of these new functions from the main control panel side of Sproston as he would have no view of them.

New wiring was installed by 'breaking -in' to the existing wiring using the (positive) feed 5 for the hidden sidings, and taking new wires via a choc-block to the switches which were connected via an
internal wire and then further wires taken again via another choc- block to the test - track + and wheel -cleaner+.
The negative path was created by adding another Terminal (T6) to the layouts common return 12v dc (controlled) bussbar (next to the main control panel on the other side of layout), and running it to yet another choc-block fixed onto the new 'test bench' - that I acquired from next door recently and saved from the rubbish tip.....from here the wires were run to the respective negative side of the two test devices.

Splitting the wiring up using chock - blocks allows me some flexibility to disconnect and move the test bench.(Especially useful when some small item from a loco goes "ping" - ask me how I know...
The switches were then labelled - it's far easier to look at the pictures than explain!

Finally this was all tested and the wiring tidied - and it indeed does work as I hoped - I just need to buy that rolling road now!!

Comments are always appreciated,
Regards
SIGTECH.
(Steve)