How To Build A Model Railroad Control Panel

Building a Command Panel

There isn't any one particular way to build a control panel nor is there any one particular cloth to build one out of. Control panels tin be very plain or ornate, depending on the wants and desires of the person who is building the panel. Here is a description of a relatively easy control panel to build and some techniques to follow in edifice it.

The first thing you volition need to do is make up one's mind how large of a panel you need to build so that it volition be understandable and hold all of the electrical switches and/or indicator lights you may need to put on it. If your layout is small, one command panel may exist all you need. If you layout is large, you lot will want to build a control panel for each boondocks/area of the railroad. My layout is large, and I have eleven control panels around the layout. You don't desire the panel to be and so pocket-size that every affair is pushed together and you can't understand it, nor do you want it to be as well large. This decision is upwards to you lot.

One time you have decided on the size, get a piece of newspaper the size of the control panel and depict a schematic of your layout on information technology and mark the schematic equally to where all of the holes for the switches etc. volition be placed. A schematic is a drawing that represents the track work of the layout and does non need to include curves nor the verbal shape of the layout. For the basic beginners layout nosotros talk virtually here, the schematic can be drawn as a unmarried line with the sidings coming off that line, as long as yous remember the spot on the layout where both ends of this line actually bring together together. You could also draw the schematic every bit a rectangle, representing the oval, with the sidings shown in roughly their existent world position and the block boundaries indicated where they actually are.

When you lot have your schematic fatigued to your satisfaction to the size of control panel you want, build a frame to mount the command panel to in the location y'all want the console. About frames are built out of 1 inch thick wood, so y'all will need to make your control console about ane½ inches wider on each side and so you lot can fasten it to the wood frame and so none of the electrical switches strike the wooden frame.

At present buy a canvas of sheet metallic, the type used for heating ducts, cut to the size you need for the finished control panel to fit over the mounting frame. File off any precipitous edges and slightly round the corners with the file then you don't take whatever spots where yous could cut yourself on the finished console. Lay your schematic on pinnacle of the canvas metallic and drill all of the holes for the electric switches right through the paper cartoon so they will be in the proper place. Wash the panel in hot soapy water and permit dry completely. So pigment the panel the colour you want the rails representation to be, yellow is used quite often. You lot may demand to pigment information technology with two coats.

When the base color paint has had a couple of days to dry completely place ¼ inch wide masking tape on the console in the same place every bit the lines of your schematic cartoon.. And so repaint the unabridged panel with a flat black pigment. You lot will probably need to apply two coats of black paint to completely cover the lighter color yous chose for the track color. 1 the final glaze of black pigment is dry out, remove the masking tape and your schematic volition show up very nicely. Flat black paint will not glare or reflect lite from any overhead lights you may accept. Of course you lot can use any color of flat pigment yous desire also.

Other materials other than canvass metal can be used, just you must be certain information technology isn't so thick that the mountings for the electric switches to pass through and enough length left for the washer and locking nut to fit. For example, you tin employ 1/eight inch plexiglas (not the existent flimsy version), paint it black (or colour of your option) and employ chart tape available at office supply stores for the lines. This isn't quite as permanent equally the above method but does offer the possibility of making changes without repainting the entire panel.

Now mount all of the electrical apparatus to the panel, practise your wiring and install the finished console on to the frame you built. Over again equally an case, mini switches such as those should be Radio Shack are very good for ability control and reversing. Both metal and plexiglas both will handle the mini switches and small push buttons with ease.

Another method is to utilise either cloth and mount a computer printed template over the supporting panel. Then cover information technology with a sparse articulate plastic. All holes and mounts would be made right through the entire panel.

That's it, you now have a control console for your model railroad.