Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page
From manual ground throws to DCC decoders, there are countless options for controlling how turnouts are thrown on your layout. In this video, Gerry Leone shares how to assemble and install a simple touch-sensitive button to swing those switch points! For additional information, also see a related article in the December 2015 issue of Model Railroader magazine.
James — I don’t recall exactly what I said, but one of the cautions from Kevin at Berrett Hill was to keep the Touch Toggle wiring away from big pieces of metal, like air conditioning/heating ducts. Honestly, I’ve got 50-some-odd Touch Toggles on my layout, and when you look at the wiring underneath the layout, the Touch Toggle wiring crosses over and under and around the DCC wiring and the 12v structure wiring, and I’ve not had any problems with any of them. I think the point may be, don’t run the Touch Toggle wiring directly alongside long runs of your DCC bus. I haven’t done that, so I can’t verify if it’s a problem or not. Hope that helps!
Gerry, this is so cool! And timely for me because I’m in the process of wiring my railroad, installing SMAILs (DCC versions of Tortoises), etc. You said something about keeping the Berrett Hill components away from electromagnetic interference, and you mentioned isolating it from DCC wires. Can you elaborate a bit on how that might be accomplished, given how many DCC wires will be installed beneath, for example, a freight yard?
Slick as can be!
Will they work with Atlas switch motors?
Thanks for the info, Randy! They sound so cool I’m almost ready to design something into my layout that forces me to use one!
Hi again Gerry. I emailed Kevin and he informed me they make a Multi-Input Adapter that allows 3 touch toggles to operate one device. All of them will change color if one is touched for operation. Pretty neat. They are behind production, but I went ahead and ordered some and they are easy to install even after doing all the wiring with one toggle. Thanks for the article and this video about touch toggles.
Thank you all again!
Randy — Off the top of my head, I’d say it IS possible to do that sort of wiring with Touch Toggles, but I’m not absolutely certain. The best thing to do would be to call or email Kevin Hunter at Barrett Hill and ask him — he may know some tricks or shortcuts to doing that. It’s possible to wire two (or more) Tortoise machines to one Touch Toggle switch — and I’ve done it — but I realize that’s not what you’re asking. Talk to Kevin.
Hi Gerry, I am in the process of replacing my old Atlas under the table switches with Tortoise motors. A couple of the Atlas switches were wired up to two different toggle controls around the layout – to control one turnout from two different places on the turnout. Is this wiring possible with the Touch Toggles?
Gerry, you are positively an outstanding addition to MR Video +. Your presentation is really, really good and I thoroughly enjoy your tips.
Gerry, You are a great teacher and always look forward to your videos. Thanks
Jerry Cummings: It was our pleasure! Thanks for a great tip! (For those of you who haven’t seen Episode 13 of “Off the Rails / The Big Birthday Bash” take a look — it’s filled with over 18 tips, one of which is the award winner by Jerry Cummings!)
As always, excellent information and tips. Also, this is the first chance I have had to thank you for the”off the Rails” Mug you sent me for my curved turnout nail polish tip! Had coffee from it this morning..
Can’t wait to research this. Our club layout uses magnetic alarm “gizmos” for switching the switch machines, which I’ve observed to be a tricky installation. If these touch toggles are within the PCRwy’s budget, I’m going with them!
Thanks, everyone! Sounds like a lot of you have heard of Touch Toggles! I still love mine, and they really did help keep my fascia clean looking. Kevin told me that his mini-cup was inspired by my bottlecaps. Someday I may have to go back and retro-fit all of mine to the mini-cups.
I mount my toggle switches on the fascia opposite (or as near as possible) to the switch points of the turnout. Also handy to make a simple drilling jig for the fascia holes, so all the toggles can be neatly lined up the same distance from the bottom of the fascia.
I talked to Kevin yesterday. Yes, the mini-cup toggle would eliminate the bottle caps. They weren’t available when the video was shot.
That is so cool! It looks like the Berrett Hill Shop Mini-Cup Toggle eliminates the need for the bottle cap installation. Am I wrong??
I have 18 touch toggles on my layout and I love them. Instead of the bottle cap, I used 2 5×7 cheap black frames and 1 4×6 black frame and drew my track plan with holes for the toggles. That way you have a control panel as you see fit. Also, Barrett sells a tortoise adaptor that keeps you from having to solder the wires. This is also handy if you are going to power the frog.
Just one question, Jerry; did you get the wires to the Tortoise right the first time? Guess I must have been asleep during that portion.
By the way, the ICC has ruled your layout is too short to qualify as a short line.
Thank you again for good instructions and good humor. I notice that you solder the wires to the Tortoise switch machines. Living in Norway, I have ordered “Snaps” from AccuLites in USA to allow all wires to be connected to the Tortoises. The challenge is now that I have used my other MRV favorite David
Popp´s toggle swithches (from MRV Plus´best ever series – Thin Branch) in the facia on my developing Point to point (Norwegian H0) layout, and now may have to replace all this toggled with the simple system that you have presented, David.
This is truly an excellent control system for the turnouts on your layout. As Lynn Dobbs pointed out Berrett Hill also sells a plug in connector for the Tortoise switch motor which allows you to wire everything at your work bench. They also sell a black fascia plate in single, dual, or three toggle sections which again allows you the ability to prep everything at the bench then install it. I find that anytime I can limit the time spent on my back under the layout it is appreciated by the rest of my body.
The lower level of my layout has these for all mainline turn out already and I plan to expand the system this fall when I begin construction of the upper level. They allow me to see at a glance the position of the turnout. Really cool product.
You can also connect these to micro controllers such as arduinos, raspberry pi, and a host of other I/O connector systems.
Another great tip from Gerry. I love the bottle tops idea – looks great and costs nothing.
P.S. The blue things are called terminal blocks.
Thanks for another informative video, Gerry!
Great video! Gerry’s sense of humor adds tremendously to the viewing enjoyment of his videos. I really laughed at the “shortline” comment!