East Staging -- Turnout Controls and Track Diagram

One of the items on my list to get trains running, probably the most complicated, was to set up the East Staging module with wiring and control panels. While I did the DCC wiring first, this first post will discuss the turnout controls.

East Staging track diagram and turnout control panel supports
are in place but the glue is not dry yet.

While I had the module built and Tortoise turnouts installed, the module had no wiring. I intended to set it up with the ability to turn the power off and on to individual tracks. Initially the plan was to have one control panel for controlling track power and turnouts, but drilling the plexiglass was intimidating to me, and I didn't want to buy special drill bits. I saw an advertisement for touch toggles in a recent Railroad Model Craftsman magazine and after looking at Berritt Hill's website, went ahead and ordered the parts to control the two turnouts. As the turnout control panel would be mounted on the fascia, I also cut and mounted a hardboard fascia to the staging module. Part of my rationale is to try out this touch toggle and track diagram system and potentially use it later for the seven turnouts on the other side of the layout. When it is time to tackle the Willow Springs side of the layout, I will order DC extension cables as well as another base unit and additional touch toggles. My understanding is that I will be able to daisy chain out from this initial set-up.

For this staging module, I initially ordered a 12 volt power supply, a 2 output direct base, and a pair of one-light-red-green touch toggles.

Installation was fairly straight forward. The two wires from each switch machine screw into the blue connector seen at the top of the base unit, which I mounted to the fascia with #6 x 3/4 screws. The toggles also plug into the base unit, as does the power supply. Then the toggles just tape in place behind a printed control panel mounted in an inexpensive frame. If the red-green LED does not initially coordinate with the track plan, it is easy to switch the two wires in the appropriate blue connector.

While writing this post, the glue has dried, so I will go paint the supports that I cut out of scrap plywood. When the paint has dried and I have mounted the frame, I will have a labeled track diagram with snazzy color-coded touch toggles.