With winter fast approaching and all of the upper deck sub-roadbed complete it will very soon be time to begin laying track. With that in mind I turned my attention back to the Tortoise switch machine control. Recall, many posts ago I was attempting to devise a means of controlling my switch machines with a momentary push button switch instead of the traditional bat handle toggle switch that is commonly used. I like the tactile feel of a soft touch momentary switch over the clack of a toggle. Additionally, push buttons don’t extend as far out from the fascia so there should be much less snagging of clothing and other similar accidents. The other factor at play is I want all of the controls on the railroad to match. Trivial detail I know, but it is what I want and rule #1 states “It’s my railroad and I’ll do what I want!”
Refer to this post for detail regarding the Tortoise control. There is a follow-up post with further refinements here.
I managed to get a reproducible production model assembled and working well. Feeling a bit creative today, I made a little flick to demonstrate how it works. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of full browser window HD playback then click here.
As seen in Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine.
