A Layout Area Packed with Track Switches

That's impressive! How are they activated?

Bill

Thanks for asking.  I have two active track diagram control panels with mini push button switches on the track diagram that activate the track switches.  Following the track diagram is only way to quickly find and activate the track switch desired.  There is a total of 31 Marx 1590 track switches.  Mine slide switches are used to control the track blocks (white is ON and black is Off), and all track is blocked except for the Marx switches which are allows Hot.

Picture of Main control Panel

Picture of Main control panel with transformers and $10 homemade turntables control red knob at left

Picture of New train board control panel and transformers

I have an 8 page OGR topic on all the details on how I built my 44 year old conventional 027 layout, link below with table of contents on page 1.

https://ogrforum.com/...ra-027-layout?page=1

Charlie

Charlie, your layout and its track plan have been an inspiration to me!  In my experience, your style of track plan and operating philosophy don't get enough coverage in the press, on Web forums, at train shows, etc.

My brother and I also shared a 4x8, and then two joined in an 'L'.  Not everyone here started the way we did, but sometimes I think a lot of us have forgotten our roots, and the joy that brought us into the hobby in the first place.  There's much untapped potential, and a LOT of fun to be had.  Bravo for documenting your creation so thoroughly on the Forum!

Memories...my brother and l had two train boards, l, one less than 4x8, made to fit set's and extra track added with Marx O'27, my brother's a 4x8, with set's and extra track, that abutted, end to end.   I wanted to connect them with two switches, for much longer running time and did, but my brother preferred to run his alone, and got his wish after a trial of the connection and much sibling squabbling.  Mine was structured with Plasticville, his with Marx Western playsets. The connection was just the two switches and much simpler than that, which l would have much envied at the time

Ted and colorado

Thank you for the kind words on my layout.  As the old title of my layout building topic title, the layout just evolved into an L shape.   I was fortunate that the original plan was up gradable as an L shape was not on the radar at the start.  Much operation is still on the Main board with the oval and figure 8 and turntable but the New board has gotten lots running especially with young operators and the milk platform.  I like the ability to operate a train traversing the outside loop on both boards and still being able to operate the middle of the Main TB.

I think someone just getting into trains at a low cost, especially if they have kids, have two choices to start, one, a new cheap set or two, go with postwar and MPC for better selection and a lower cost.  But now days most adults, new to the model railroad hobby, gyrate towards the new more scale like remote operated trains, which are hard to pass over.  I tend to go with low cost and do it your self for most of my hobbies that have included boating and water skiing, tools and repairable vintage audio.

Charlie

Postwar and MPC-era diesels are a bit "tamer" than the steam locomotives.  They give good enough low-speed control for switching, spotting cars at accessories, etc.  Maybe it's because they're what I grew up with, but the older trains seem to have a direct feel that makes them very rewarding to run, in a way that a lot of the modern speed-controlled trains are not.  I'm pretty sure if someone gave me a $100 budget at York, Allentown, or any other big meet, I would come home with an MPC diesel, a pair of Marx 1590 switches, and a little blue 50-watt transformer just like the one I started with.  I'm still messing with O gauge 50 yrs later, so with this combination my parents must have been onto something!

Ted

I left my childhood Christmas Marx trains in the 1950s for model U control airplanes and tube radio control boats.  I got back into the trains in 1978 to build my young children a Christmas time layout.  I have spent a few winter months with train running, layout improvements and a few train shows but never overdoing it.  Trains have been a part time hobby ever since 1978.  The layout was portable and down on the den floor from early Dec to the start of March and moved to 5 houses with job changes.  In 2011, I had a two car, two story garage build (we do not have basements in south Louisiana) and the trains share the upstairs with several vintage audio systems, actually two wall of receives, TT and speakers.  So the train fun continues.

Charlie

A maze of 11 switches requires a Switch Tower.  Mine is a Plasticville Switch Tower and a interior light was added along with a paint job.  Real Switch Towers probably did not use bright interior lights at night.

Below is a picture of my Lionel 445 Operating Switch Tower near the turntable and a good place to observe many switches and TT operation.

Charlie

@Choo Choo Charlie:

That is no doubt, a very impressive layout with lots of switches. However, since Marx track and even Lionel 027 track is no longer made, have you ever considered updating to more modern track? 🤔

Vern

Thanks for the view and comment.  O27 track is still very easy to find and I have at least as much track stored as there is on the layout, some 034 and some 3 ft sections too.  All my track and switches are post war and were made in huge quantities.   I will never up grade the track or Marx 1590 switches as no other switches would fit in their space and they work now, better than 44 years ago.  I have many Marx locos that will not work with other switches.

Charlie

Choo Choo Charlie....Thanks for sharing. What a wonderful layout. I'm sure it took many hours to tweak all those switches and get everything functioning properly. Switches have always been a thorn in my side (layout!).

We had Marx 1590s on our layout growing up, and they gave fewer derailments than any vintage of Lionel's O27 switches (1121, 5121, etc.)  And they appear so simple by comparison!  It's almost like Lionel, MTH, etc. were overthinking it in an effort to conform to the prototype.  The fact that they DON'T have a built-in non-derailing feature is a good thing, because they can easily be converted to accessory power.  Then, if you leave a train parked on them for any length of time, it won't burn out the coils!

LT1Poncho

Thanks for the comments.  The Marx 1590 have been problem free for Marx locos forever.  Initially I modified a 12 vac transformer to be 14 vac by removing some primary coil wire and the switches snap into position even the five sets that operate as pairs or two at one time.

Lionel locos and cars with pickups had issues which had to be addressed.  The first was some Lionel Pickup rollers got hung up in gaps.  There is a reason Marx used sliding pickups besides the lower cost.  The long known cure was installing track pins or nails in the center rails, which close the gaps,  as shown below.

More recently, with some more modern Lionel cars with roller pickups, the pickups roller got caught on the end of the Marx switch inside rail points.  See picture below for my first cure, which was crushing down the top end of the center rail.  This helped on most Lionel cars pickups.

On a few of the Lionel cars the crushing of the center rails, like the above fix, did not work.  I then added a small piece of nail with a round by file tip worked better and now my cure of choice as seen below.

The best thing to improve the layout operation was to apply NO OX ID special A conducting grease as a track treatment.  Slow train operation, with conventional operation that has about a 6 volt minimum, has improved greatly and track cleaning has not been required since over a year.

Charlie

Like you, Charlie, I have an accessory laden switching layout with many switches, but mine is a Lionel Postwar tubular track layout with 022 switches and many sidings. Everything is interconnected and independently powered with electrical blocks, and the transformers are phased.

It's difficult for me to take and share photos of my track configuration because my layout is long and narrow, but if I can do so, I will. Arnold