Let's see your "Kill Switches"!

#5 kills the whole layout, #'s 1 thru 4 kill individual transformers.  I have four identical remotes so I can scatter them around and have one in my pocket.

No fair John.

You know I only run conventional.  :-)

(But, you did manage to drag me out of the PostWar Hogs and into the 1990s can motors!)

Mannyrock

This rig works just fine for conventional, it's just an RF outlet control setup.  Less than $30 on Amazon.

My Layout Power Control Scheme

I had a master power switch on the wall of the train room. Flip the switch down, and the entire layout was DEAD!

Hi all,  I have a surge protector under my control panel and it has served me well.  More often than not I've had to cut power just before a pending disaster!

I run conventional. All transformers and stuff plug into a master control switch board my grandfather built in the 40s. My dad rewired it last year while I was wiring the layout.  Since I like to set the throttles and walk around the layout and watch this junk run, we made an extension cord the master box plugs into. It has 3 common light switches in boxes wired in series. These are screwed to 3 sides of the layout away from the control panel. Turning off any of them shuts the whole ball of wax down in case the trains come off the road or any other disaster haha!

Since I have multiple transmitters, I put one in my pocket.  That way I have control of the power anywhere in the room, and I can cut power to an individual track or the whole layout.

I got one of the remotes for Christmas Lights.   The Green thing in the first picture.  The second picture is the Fob with the on/off switch on my control panel.    Nice thing is I can keep the Fob handy where ever I am, so if I'm working on the North Loop, I can hit the off quickly should I need to.

Steve

I met with the electrician yesterday.......The 2 floor outlets in the attic, dedicated to the train layout, will be attached to an on/off switch at top of the stairwell.

Peter

On a related note, I also advocate unplugging the transformers when not in use.

A couple of years ago, I had a lightening strike or power surge (not sure which).  Turns out that my main ground was not making good contact (now fixed).  The strike / surge went through the rest of the house seeking a ground - fried a cable box, small TV, garbage disposer, and the electronics in my table saw (turned off but plugged in).  Fortunately, nothing caught fire, the replacement cost was not enough for an insurance claim, and the trains were unaffected because everything was unplugged.

I know it's a PITA, but I always unplug everything that I can.

Same concept as some of the others. I have individual plugs running into a good, high quality power strip which is plugged into one of the remotely controlled wall plugs. I keep the fob with me when I'm running trains so I can kill all power quickly.

@Putnam Division posted:

I met with the electrician yesterday.......The 2 floor outlets in the attic, dedicated to the train layout, will be attached to an on/off switch at top of the stairwell.

Peter

Peter, just my first thought when reading this: if you forget to hit that switch and walk down the stairs you will have to walk back up the stairs to turn off the layout power or let's say you walk downstairs for something thinking you are coming right back so you leave the power on but something suddenly comes up and you have to do something else now you have to climb the stairs to turn off the layout power. I would add another switch at the bottom of the stairs but that's just me.

A lot of good ideas in this thread.

Oh, wait.  ;^,^

Mitch

What?  Keychain FOBS, remote controls, Christmas Tree relays?

Geez, I was thinking of something that looks more like this:

Oops,  I mean like this:

Let's really go "old school", this is on Amazon.

They had to get rid of all my "Kill" switches" because I kept on losing red shirts during training exercises.  Now we just have "Stun".  At least that's what the guy seated next to me in my avatar said.

Built a control panel to hide wiring and included a RED illuminated master rocker switch in the top left.   Wanted to make controls fool proof for the grandkids,.

My E-Stop...

I surprised nobody uses the "Clapper". The kill switch are your hands, you don't need to hold anything, and you can operate it from anywhere in the room!

Is the "one step, dive, and slap the ZW handle" method consider a kill switch?

@H1000 posted:

I surprised nobody uses the "Clapper". The kill switch are your hands, you don't need to hold anything, and you can operate it from anywhere in the room!

That sounds like a problem just waiting to bite you.  I'm surprised anyone would suggest using the Clapper.

One of these will work for me; plus, it should carry the load:

I plug my transformers into a power strip that is  plugged into a smart outlet that is paired with Alexa.   Any Issues I Say Alexa, Shut Down......that easy

-Pete

@BFI66 posted:

I plug my transformers into a power strip that is  plugged into a smart outlet that is paired with Alexa.   Any Issues I Say Alexa, Shut Down......that easy

-Pete

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

That sounds like a problem just waiting to bite you.  I'm surprised anyone would suggest using the Clapper.

I kind of agree hence the terrible suggestion!! I think that once the Mrs. figures out what makes it tick, she would have a lot fun aggravating a railroad operator!! I do believe they make version that requires a sequence of claps sort of like a code but that defeats the idea of a kill switch while you clap in weird patterns trying to prevent your trains from crashing!

I have one key switch at the top corner of my control panel that activates three contactors that kills or activates the 6 -  20 amp lines that feed the train room.  The only thing active when I leave the train room is one small 12 volt transformer the fires the contactors.  This was a requirement from the boss.   JP

Is this what you old-fogeys are going on about?       

Asking for a friend. 

George

PRRMP54,

I ask to see Kill Switches, and you show me an electric humming bird feeder????

Similar to others, all my power goes through the two switches on the left.  These are located pretty much in the center of the full layout when completed, and both are 20amp circuits.  The other two control lights.

These are located near the stairs and there is a large fire extinguisher below them.

Emergency Shut Down

I have & we use the emergency shutdown switch. I have three grandchildren and two are of model train age. Seven & six. I can leave them alone in the train room and I have taught them how and when to use the emergency switch.

I taught high school shop for 36 years and all the shop rooms had an emergency shutdown switch.

Hope this helps: Gary 🚂

Andre

I employ a high quality Monster brand home theater surge protector for both my Z-4000 and my lab grade DC switching mode power supply (0-30V, 0-3A) for my LGB. Its single on/off shuts all power down. Easy-peasy!

I have a master kill switch on the floor that can be quickly turned off with a very light tap of a shoe or toe.

It has saved the day many times.

Red triangle on the CAB-1, master switch on a multiple outlet strip, circuit breaker in the panel, and then the main 200A whole house breaker.

Now that I think of it, I bought this 'thing' for switching 120Vac 15A remotely,its basically a relay in a case that could pass UL,  its aimed at the Arduino crowd, I could do something with that.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

This rig works just fine for conventional, it's just an RF outlet control setup.  Less than $30 on Amazon.

My Layout Power Control Scheme

    

Thanks John.  I never knew about these.  Just ordered a set.

John

@Mannyrock posted:

PRRMP54,

I ask to see Kill Switches, and you show me an electric humming bird feeder????

One never knows when an electric humming bird will want food.

I use the "RED TRIANGLE" but most of the time the breaker on the brick beats me to it.

I have HO operation friends that have a wall light switch that has 3 light switches, one to kill the "hot wire" one to kill the "neutral wire" and one to kill the "ground wire" going to their layout electric power so to kill all 120 volt electric power to the layout. That way a power surge from lightning can not smoke the electronics.

I can't believe that some of you guys depend on Alexa.

Don't you  that she really doesn't really like you?   She's just being nice to you because its her job!

And one day, like all girl friends, .  . . she will turn on you!

  ("This is Alexa. . . .  I don't feel fulfilled.  What about MY needs?")

Mannyrock