Then, a year ago I attended the Amherst Train Show in Springfield, Massachusetts, where among hundreds of vendors, I ran across a display of electronic modular controls by Berrett Hill. (Use this link for more information: http://www.berretthill.com/controls/ ) The system is based on small devices called Touch Toggles, which have a red/green LED and a touch activated switch in a small square plastic unit. These Touch Toggles can be plugged into base units, running on 12 volts DC, which in turn power a Tortoise or similar switch machine. Base units come in 2, 4 and 8 switch options.
I thought about the Touch Toggles for a year, but put off doing anything until recently, when I attended the National Narrow Gauge Convention in Augusta, Maine, and discovered Berrett Hill among the vendors. After a long conversation, I decided to buy several base units and toggles and try them out on my East Broad Top Railroad.
The system is simple and easy to install. Here I have a 4-input base unit not yet connected to switch machines. The blue terminal blocks on the left side of the base unit are where you connect the wires to the switch machines. At the bottom of the base is a plug from a "wall wart" baseboard transformer.
The neat thing about the Touch Toggles is that they switch polarity and color simply by touch. Berrett Hill suggests several ways of mounting the components to make a simple and easy to use control panel. At their suggestion I bought several 6x8 picture frames from a nearby craft store. The frames are about 1 1/2 inches deep. Using Windows Power point, I made a simple track diagram roughly the same size as the picture frame. After printing the diagram, I took the glass from the picture frame as a guide and used a hobby knife to cut out the track diagram, which I then placed in the frame.
Above you see the Robertsdale interlocking plant in the picture frame. In this photo the Touch Toggle switches have already been installed and powered up. The toggles are installed on the back of the track diagram using double sided Scotch Magic Tape to hold them in place. The 1 1/2 inch frame is deep enough for everything to fit neatly. I cut a piece out of the bottom of the frame for the wires. Here is the back of a panel with the toggles taped in place. The black and white wires attached to the blue terminal blocks go to four switch machines.
After the electronics are in place, I needed something to hold everything in position and press the toggles against the back of the track diagram and picture glass. I opted for polyester batting, used in making quilts. I picked up a large roll from a fabric store for less than $10. Batting is easy to work with and you can simply stuff it into place and close up the panel with a piece of cardboard. Here I have covered the toggles on the left with batting. I haven't yet stuffed the side with the base unit.
Once the batting was in place, I covered the back of the assembly with the cardboard that came with the picture frame, and pressed it down.
My layout has a Masonite fascia to which I planned to mount the control panel. I bored a hole in the fascia with a hole saw, and secured the back to the picture frame with double sided carpet tape.
After testing to make sure everything was working properly (and that the switch positions corresponded correctly to the panel lights) I simply pressed the doubled sided tape onto the fascia. Here is a similar four switch panel for the Robertsdale wye and the upper end of the yard.
Touch Toggles are a simple and elegant way to install fingertip control for your Tortoiose and similar switch machines. Berrett Hill has a complete line of supporting devices for the system. It is not particularly cheap. The cost works out to about $10 per toggle, assuming you provide your own 12 volt power supply. A large yard would cost close to $100 to convert. But I like the touch control and indicator lighting. I have two panels in place and a third one ready to mount, which will control four turnouts for a double crossover.
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