On 17/03/2020 at 08:28, Pete the Elaner said:

That's tidy looking wiring & woodworking.

The important thing is the schematic on the panel looks nice & clear.

 

I think similarly to you: The throttle is for driving the trains & the panel is the signalman's job so why shouldn't they be separate?

 

Did you consider controlling the points with DC & using a control panel module to generate the DCC control signals from physical switches? DCC Concepts & MERG provide products for this. Such a system provides the ability to move the control panel & even have multiple panels.

I am not saying that is better than controlling by traditional wiring, just different.

Thank you for your kind comments.

I’ve not heard of such a module, but then again I haven’t gone looking for one :-)

I missed out most of the history here to keep the blog post simple, but when I wired up the layout (track feeds as well as point motors) I had only analogue locos and they were all 00. I wanted to try DCC one day but I knew the layout had room for only two or three locos at a time and would be pleasant to operate with only one engine in steam. So I included a few isolating sections – one on the main baseboard and two in the fiddle yard. I wired up the rest of the track for DCC, meaning I put in extra isolating joints and track feeds so I could run trains without having to set the points to apply power to the desired track. All the track is live all the time.

During the next three years I started to buy and build H0 locos, and sold on most of the 00. One day I bought a Bachmann H0 ballast tamper, and bought the factory-fitted DCC version by mistake. I realised, I could afford to convert a dozen or so H0 locos and it was only then I started out with DCC.

I installed a simple changeover switch so the entire layout runs from either DCC (for H0) or analogue (for 00). Both sets of models run perfectly happily on the layout but visually they won’t mix together, so this is a nice compromise for me. There is no benefit in DCC for the 00 locos because I only run them for enjoyment as individual models, not for any formalised operations.

In these circumstances, I can switch off the DCC controller if I am running my 00 trains. There isn’t any obvious merit in using mechanical switches to control an interface board to tell a DCC controller to instruct points to move, and having accessory decoders for the points, especially when nine lengths of wire will do the same thing.

So I have “traditional” control of the point motors (toggle switches, wire and a couple of linear power regulators), and this is a common feature of the layout whichever controller I’m using.

My next layout will probably have a strictly H0 loading gauge, unable to accept much of my 00 stock. For this, the use of DCC throughout would have more appeal, but only if I’m using servos or some other motor which needs a driver circuit beyond switches and wires.

Before then, it would be good if this baseboard could have some level of scenic detailing. I find this extremely difficult for a freelance location and I still haven't decided where to take my cues. It would also be good if it wasn't another five years in gestation.

- Richard.