Switches and Buttons

[Teamanglerx]

A few months ago I asked about push button switches for my turnouts.  I was told that if I wanted to change to a pushbutton switch it had to be a SPDT momentary switch.  Yesterday I went and purchased a few from Radioshack and when I tried them they did not work right.  When I push the button the frog switches over but when I release the button it goes back to its orginally position.

Do the switches need to be mommentary switches or can I use regular SPDT switches?  Also, can I use Atlas switch to replace the turnout switch box that comes with the Bachman switches?

[Jim Banner]

A few months ago I asked about push button switches for my turnouts.  I was told that if I wanted to change to a pushbutton switch it had to be a SPDT momentary switch.

That is not quite right.  If you want to use a toggle switch then it has to be SPDT-CO momentary contact both ways.  (CO=centre off.)  If you want to use push buttons then you need pairs (two for each switch motor) of NO push buttons.  (NO=normally open,i.e. no contact unless you push it.)  The whole point being that you cannot run current continuously through dual solenoid turnout motors, like Bachmann uses.  Momentary currents, lasting for a few seconds, are fine. 

If you were using another brand of turnout motors, the wiring may or may not be the same.  Certain turnout motors can be operated with a regular SPDT switch.  Tortoise motors come to mind.  But Bachmann turnouts cannot.  You can use the Atlas turnout controls in place of the Bachmann ones, but unless you have either a very small layout with very few turnouts or an exceptionally good memory, it is much easier to relate push buttons or other suitable switches mounted on a track plan of your layout to the turnout they control than it is to relate numbered controls to their turnouts.  For an example, the photo of a control panel that operates six turnouts and an electromagnetic uncoupler in one of the towns on my home layout.