02-07-2012, 10:16 AM
I use mostly Tortoises, with some legacy twin-coils on the part of the layout that was moved from an older place, and a few oddball situations like a Peco double slip with Peco twin-coils. Since I use a lot of Shinoharas (the older, non-DCC style) with live frogs, and Atlas code 83s with isolated frogs that I power, I like the electrical reliability of routing power to the frogs from the DPDT contacts on the switch machines. I also control additional relays for signals from some of the contacts.
Here is a typical yard panel:
I'm on straight DC, so there are three types of switches on my yard panels: block switches (the large center-off DPDT switches), switch switches (the medium, flat handle SPDT switches that control the Tortoises through steering diodes), and the smallest, SPST switches that isolate particular pieces of track. If I were on DCC, only the flat handle ones would apply.
I've found it's hard to have electrical reliability on Shinohara/Walthers switches if you don't route power from the switch machines. Powering Atlas isolated frogs also makes things that little bit more reliable. I'm also in favor of anything that keeps hands out of the scenery, since it's easy to knock down figures, snap telephone poles, knock details off structures, knock equipment off the track, etc etc. Thus I like remote operation of switches even if they're right in front of you -- for the same reason, I like uncoupling magnets under the track.
Here is a typical yard panel:
I've found it's hard to have electrical reliability on Shinohara/Walthers switches if you don't route power from the switch machines. Powering Atlas isolated frogs also makes things that little bit more reliable. I'm also in favor of anything that keeps hands out of the scenery, since it's easy to knock down figures, snap telephone poles, knock details off structures, knock equipment off the track, etc etc. Thus I like remote operation of switches even if they're right in front of you -- for the same reason, I like uncoupling magnets under the track.