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…...............--- Sawmill Turnout Install -- Pt. 2 ---======================================

There are 15 turnouts and a crossing in the sawmill scene. I debated with myself on how to control them. I ended up going with servo control like what I've used on the layout to this point. The total cost per turnout for the servo, servo bracket, servo controller and a switch box to control all of that is less than $10 per turnout and works well. You can easily adjust the throw of the points so as to not overpower them against the stock rails and you don't need a computer or any other hardware. There is some soldering to build the switch box and to modify the servo controller but all of that is easy to do and fast work. More about this turnout control option ( HERE ).

Up to this point the switch boxes to control the servo at the turnout have been located by the turnout they control. That was an option here but decided to try making a control panel and move the toggle switch, button switch and LED's to the control panel. We will see if this is a good move or not.

I started....

..... by drawing a sketch of the track plan to close-to the size I wanted the final panel to be. I scanned what I had drawn with the printer and saved it as a .jpg file. I then opened the free version of Fusion I use and inserted that image onto one of the work planes (top part of image above). Next I calibrated it to true size using the 5 inch scale that had been made on the drawing.

Next a component that would end up being the 3D printed panel top was made to the same size as the inserted image and extruded to .075" thick. Then used the image as a guide on top of the panel to create the track plan routes with line commands. They were then extruded up .125" higher than the panel's top surface (bottom part of image above). This all went pretty quick.

For printing purposes the control panel was created as 4 pieces. The top is two pieces and the holes were added for the toggle and button switches and for the LED's. It is designed to print flat on a filament print with the track plan up. The bottom was also designed as two pieces and has a top, sides and mounting tabs and is printed upside down like shown above on the build plate of the printer. This was a simple project to do in Fusion.

As mentioned above the panel had to be split up to fit on the build plate of the BamBu A1 which is 10"x10". The parts were designed to have overlay which helps with the strength along with the mounting tabs on the bottom. It could of been designed to work with the build plate on the resin printer but for a panel like this I feel the filament print is the better choice, stronger print and less likely to warp (love both types of printers though).

After adding hinges the next step will to be to wire this and there will be a lot of wires. With the control system I'm using for the servos you through the toggle.....the LED's will show the new route......push and hold the button switch....... the turnout throws.......release the button switch and the LED's stay lit but the servo is un-powered. I like this as you don't have power going to all the servos all the time and they hold position. Only the servo/servos that is being activated by the button switch is powered.

There will be a couple instances where throwing one turnout will also throw a complimentary one at the same time (cross-over situation and one route through the crossing). In those case the button switch and toggle will control two servos at the same like like what you see ( HERE ).

There are also 4 tracks where the power can be turned on/off. A loco/train can be parked on any of these and the power turned off.

Next up will be mounting the control panel with hinges as shown above and see if it is going to work as planned in that location. Then comes the wiring.

Also wiring turnouts and the crossing at the moment along with adding ties to them, the one job I like least.

Trim was added to hid the gap between the 1/2" plywood under the foam board and the 1x2 fascia above it. Also it was better to screw the hinges into this new fascia vs. the end grain of the 1/2" plywood. The trim is 1/4" plywood left over from building the camper where it was used for the interior walls.

The trim will end up going around the upper level in this area.

On the lower level I have a track bus and a 5v bus that are out on the fascia. I love the fact that I don't hardly ever have to go under the layout to wire the track drops to the bus. I solder the drops to the rails. Drop them under the layout.....reach under... pull them to the side.... and solder them to the buss ( HERE ). Works great especially at my age.

I'll be soldering all the track drops at the side of the layout. One, for convenience (not having to solder looking up) and because I can't get under it with the staging area there. There will be two solder pad panels that the track drops can be soldered. One on each side of the fascia by the sawmill complex. One set of solder pads (right side) will be for the drops off the main line which I will be able to switch between DCC and DC at any time with my throttle. The three sets of solder pads to the left will be for the sawmill track/turnout drops.

The solder pads will go to two different power districts on the DCC-EX command station that will have 8 districts total, throttle switchable between DCC, DCC Program and DC. I'll probably run the sawmill tracks at DCC most all the time. The main will be switched back and forth between DC and DCC depending on which type loco is running on it at the time.

The solder pads were cut from a small sheet of PCB that was very inexpensive on eBay. The panel was designed with Fusion in and hour or so and printed with the Bambu A1 in less than 2 hours. This is one of two that will be used. One on each side of the sawmill scene to keep the track drops short. The layout is 6 feet wide here.

Another panel will go on the other side about 6 feet away.

The panel above will handle the track drops on this side of the scene.

Finished the panel for the north side and also the trim on both sides back to where other trim will cover the sides of the tunnel scenery.

To be continued and a link to this whole build ( HERE ).

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