Taking Control

One goal with this layout was to independently control two trains. This greatly complicated the wiring, but will be worth it in the end.

The control panel uses large LED's to indicate turnout position. Each turnout has a SPDT switch mounted to the underside of the solenoid. This allows the bi-color LED's to indicate position. The smaller LED's are also red/green, but they indicate which power pack is controlling each block of track. If the LED is off, the track is not powered. I used two momentary pushbutton switches per turnout and one Triple pole, double throw, center off toggle switch for each block of track. Two poles control the track wiring, and the other one controls the indicator LED's.

Wiring this beast took several days and a lot of patience. I found some perf boards to mount resistors in so I would not fry the LED's. The wires are bundled and grouped in an effort to reduce clutter, but the compartment turned out like a rat's nest anyway. Next layout: bigger space for wiring!

To make sure that we could remove the control drawer if necessary, I used terminal strips on the back as a connection between the drawer and the layout. Plugs would have allowed faster removal, but they were more expensive. This is the back of the drawer under the layout. The black plastic tubing should protect the wiring from pinches and cats.

Bridging the Gaps

Trains can't climb mountains like cars do, so they need bridges and trestles. Here is how I crossed the chasms of my layout.

The bird's eye view gives a great feel for the layout and where the gaps exist. A curved trestle has already been placed in the upper right corner. The bottom center will be bridged with a truss bridge.

Placing the trestle realistically required some fancy shaping for the footings that will look like concrete in the end. Here, they are just Styrofoam to be covered an painted later.

Most major components for my truss bridge are complete here. The tracks have been attached the the deck and the trusses assembled. Next, I will add guard rails between the regular rails and build the sway braces that will cross between trusses above the trains.


Bridge abutments were finished prior to installation of the bridge. I simply shaped plaster to look like concrete abutments. Paint will be added later.

My assembled bridge! The final step before installation will be to paint it and remove the masking tape from the rails.

With the canyon taking form, the bridges look more like they belong on the layout.