Anyone with experience with an under layout drawer for TIU, AIU, terminal blocks, etc?

@Pat Shediack

I use homemade drawers for power and toggle switches - I didn’t want to waste precious real estate on controls.

Same concept will apply for electronics - minimize the amount that the wires bend when opening and closing the drawer.  (Create a 4-6” loop and let it coil and uncoil like a helix collapsing on itself.)

I also use small recessed panels where appropriate.

I repurposed a couple of lower cherry cabinets from an office renovation to support each side of a 6’ opening in the layout to accommodate a removable bridge that gives access to the layout interior.

One cabinet has fairly shallow drawers that now hold my coal hoppers.  The other side I ended up modifying the two drawer file cabinet for all the electronics. I cut and trimmed the drawer front top to allow airflow and minimize interference with signals.  On the top of the side walls of the drawer, I cut a shelf to fit between the metal rails that used to hold hanging files.  That allows the shelf to slide.  It holds my TIU and AIU.  The bottom of the drawer holds my 180 bricks and Base3.  I cut and trimmed out a hole in the drawer front to see the power indicator lights and airflow.  The second drawer on the cabinet holds manuals and magazines. Back of the cabinet has a hole for wires and where the LCS modules are hanging.  The sides of the cabinets hold the switch controllers, remotes, and most importantly the arches that support the removable bridge.

Last steps are to build display shelves that mount to the opposite sides of the cabinets that follows the layout’s curved edge. Then I need to install the cherry fascia to give it a more finished appearance, along with cleaning up the mess.

@Hannibal-St Joseph RR posted:

@Pat Shediack

I use homemade drawers for power and toggle switches - I didn’t want to waste precious real estate on controls.

Same concept will apply for electronics - minimize the amount that the wires bend when opening and closing the drawer.  (Create a 4-6” loop and let it coil and uncoil like a helix collapsing on itself.)

I also use small recessed panels where appropriate.

@Hannibal-St Joseph RR

Thank you for the info and photos.  I share your thoughts on conserving layout "real estate".  I mounted my last layout's control panel in a vertical configuration for that very reason!

Your wire coiling idea is a new one I haven't encountered before.  I'll probably adopt that approach when I get to the layout wiring task.

@jstraw124 posted:

I repurposed a couple of lower cherry cabinets from an office renovation to support each side of a 6’ opening in the layout to accommodate a removable bridge that gives access to the layout interior.

One cabinet has fairly shallow drawers that now hold my coal hoppers.  The other side I ended up modifying the two drawer file cabinet for all the electronics. I cut and trimmed the drawer front top to allow airflow and minimize interference with signals.  On the top of the side walls of the drawer, I cut a shelf to fit between the metal rails that used to hold hanging files.  That allows the shelf to slide.  It holds my TIU and AIU.  The bottom of the drawer holds my 180 bricks and Base3.  I cut and trimmed out a hole in the drawer front to see the power indicator lights and airflow.  The second drawer on the cabinet holds manuals and magazines. Back of the cabinet has a hole for wires and where the LCS modules are hanging.  The sides of the cabinets hold the switch controllers, remotes, and most importantly the arches that support the removable bridge.

Last steps are to build display shelves that mount to the opposite sides of the cabinets that follows the layout’s curved edge. Then I need to install the cherry fascia to give it a more finished appearance, along with cleaning up the mess.

@jstraw124

Thank you for the helpful info and photos.

Did you fasten your TIU and AIU down to the bottom of the drawer or are they just laying in there?

@Pat Shediack posted:

@jstraw124

Thank you for the helpful info and photos.

Did you fasten your TIU and AIU down to the bottom of the drawer or are they just laying in there?

They are just sitting on the shelf.  The design requires leaving slack in the wires to be able to open the drawer.  Leaving them unsecured prevents wires from being pulled out if any of the wires get hung up.

See the roll out Power and Control carts in my large Run Room.

See "how to"and more at Co-Installed Conventional and Remote Controls

I repurposed a printer cabinet. The Z-4000 and ZW are screwed into the top where the printer would go. All my DCS and TMCC components go in a 2 shelf area enclosed by doors.

It's not perfect but it works and keeps basement dust off the electronic components.

Steve !  Your printer-cabinet idea is great !

Have a beer on me !

Rich