Switch Machines or Manual?

On my layout, I chose Atlas switches, on the upper level I wired each switch, I am pleased/not thrilled with the switches.  That said, those are wired in because they are difficult to reach by hand.  Now on the lower level with the yard and three sidings for industry I have powered switches, but have chosen to leave them manual.  I also like the experience of walking the train to the switch and throwing it myself at the location.  If I had to do it over again, I would have saved a lot of money by choosing manual switches for the lower area.

I use caboose ground throws everywhere. I use the sprung version to keep derailments to a minimum. 

I had two reason to go this direction. Eliminate the big housing next to the turnout and it was cheaper. I also have a walk around layout so this fit with theme. 

However now I am running more trains I noticed It would be nice to do more staging.

Thus a few key switches would be nice to have powered and thrown via the legacy remote. I would like to see if any one has figured out how to mount the atlas / Z stuff switch machines under the layout and reliably throw the switch.

I have given this a lot of thought and have decided to use the Caboose Industries ground throws for the yard and industry switches but power the main/branch line switches.  The yard/industry switches are easy to get at and I agree it would be fun to be more directly involved with the action (plus less wiring).  For the main lines, several switches are a long reach plus I want the capability to set up routes using command control.  Additionally, the #6 and #8 switches need to be powered so I can power the lead rails allowing my engines to get through them without stalling.

Ron

I favor the Tortoise 12 VDC underneath mount powered by a 12VDC wall wart. On a prior layout with 28 Switches I used 7 ASC modules for Cab 1 operation of the turnouts. I use Gargraves flextrack and Ross turnouts.

But now with my little attic layout with only 17 switches, mostly in a Service Yard, I use on/on toggles mounted on a simplistic track schematic panel to control operation. The Tortoise will not burn out upon stalling and the position of the toggle handle leaning toward "thru" or "out" on the track schematic indicates the position of the switch at a glance.

It is handy to have switch machines on all the mainline switches.

and I think ground throws look neat and save money for the yards and sidings.

I also have Gargraves track and Ross switches.  Where the switches are in easy reach of the aisle, I've used Caboose Industries "208s" sprung ground throws.  These are a great match to the Ross switches.  I stay away from the "207r" rigid throws.  The levers on the ground throws are painted green for the "mainline" or "normal" route and red for the "siding" route.  See photos below.  When a crew is finished switching an area, it is easy to glance at it and make sure everything is green before leaving.

Where switches are not within easy reach of the aisle, I use powered machines.  Tortoises under the table work great.  The instructions that come with them show how to easily wire LED indicators into the circuit.  As with the manual throws, I use green for "through" and red for "siding."

In some areas where I was unsure what to use, I drilled holes in the roadbed for Tortoise machines (on the side of the track away from the aisle so the holes wouldn't be obvious) and installed ground throws.  If I decide later to power these switches, the hard part (drilling the holes) is already done.

What Bob, pennsyk4, and Dewey said