I am considering using tortoise switch machines to control my Atlas turnouts. I was wondering if someone could give some advice on how to install these after I have tacked my track and turnouts down? Are toggle switches the best way to wire the control? Any and all information concerning these switch machines would be helpfull. I had thought about going with caboose throws but I don't have the room in some places. Blue points were my other considerations. Did I miss any others?
Toggle switches should be fine. The instruction sheet that comes with the Tortoise shows some options. Since the turnouts are already down, drilling up from below to the center of the throwbar can be risky. You might consider a small hole next to the outside end of the throwbar and using a music wire lever to the Tortoise below. As to other actuators, these look kinda fun: http://www.humpyard.com/
To answer your first question- Carefully with the Tortoise. Unless someone has a better way, you are going to hve to drill from the bottom up and you will have to be exact in the hole placement relative to the throw on the turnout to be able to get the rod through the throw. For installation of the Tortoise, follow the instructions that came with it precisely. The template is really helpful. The other way is to use the Tortoise remote assembly, which will allow installation where there is no room for a traditional installation. What track are you using? The Tortoise instruction sheet gives you two ways to wire it up. One is AC and the other is DC. I am using Atlas Selectors for the "toggles". I looked at the price of four separate switches and the extra wiring and realized that the Atlas Selectors were exactly what was being described in the Tortoise instructions and each is cheaper than four separate switches. If you don't know which the Selector is, it is the one with the four green toggles on the front. Most people use them for block control in DC operation. I like simple and neat. I am a simple guy and not very neat, so I went with the Selector, which, IIRC, is four DPDT switches. You can use the Caboose groundthrows depending on the length of your arms and the distance away from the rest of the controls, like the throttles. The same applies to the other manual throws. If you want a central location for throw activation, the manuals are not going to work for you. I can not opine on the other commercial throws since I have not used them. Be careful of the thickness of your base, including foam and however the track is raised, if you are going to be using Atlas under the table throws. The pin may not be long enough to reach the turnout.
I used some caboose ground throws on switches that can't be reached from the aisle by running a steel wire in a plastic tube from the throw mounted near the edge under the layout to the switch.
Carve a slot in the foam and use foam safe adhesive to secure the tube with the wire in it. Glue in a thin piece of wood where you would mount the throw and screw it down with #2 X 1/4" screws.
I use a number of tortoise switch machines and when I recently upgraded my layout from DC to DCC, I added a "Switch8" turnout controller from NCE. I found the Switch8 to be very easy to install and hook up to my existing tortoise machines. Once installed, the turnouts can be 'thrown' from the DCC controller. You can also program 'macros' to control multiple turnouts / routes. NCE has recently released another product called "Mini Panel" which will allow you to add push button controls... I may look at this in the future. Good luck with your choice.
Have you condsidered servo control? Tam Valley Depot makes both DCC and non DCC servo drivers that pencile out to less then the cost of the tortoise alone. http://www.youtube.com/v/8oerWG-G2so
I'm using servos with the Tam Valley Depot decoder/driver boards. Here are my early impressions of the system: Tam Valley Servo Decoder Mini-Review - TrainBoard.com It's very cost effective, and the servos will fit in places that are much too small for a Tortoise or a Blue Point. Thats what attracted me in the first place. - Jeff
