Control panels

The main control panel - general control

The upper part of the main control panel consists of the next parts (from left to right):

• Automation: the level of automation can be selected here (manual, block-secured, semi-automatic and computer-control. The streetcar can have automation too.
• Switching the auxiliary panel on or off (the 'Duvelle' fiddle-yard)
• Emergency button: to stop all train traffic
• Clock: with adjustable speed - to allow for a "fast day"
• Scenery switches for model lighting and animated scenery
• Cooling: the temperature of the power supply and amplifiers are watched here (I hope the instrument never shows a 'red-alert'!)
• Switch for the working lights under the layout (a series of fluorescent tubes)
• Mains switch: with a key switch all power is controlled.

The main control panel - traffic control

This main panel shows a schematic view of the layout: on the upper-left the hidden staging yard, connecting to the double-track triangle. The other 'corners' of this triangle connect to the main track towards the 'Duvelle' freight station, and to the second (larger) hidden staging yard. This yard connects further to the upper layer of "Boulroie" passenger station, and then over the 'dam'-bridge towards the lower part of "Boulroie".
The lower part of "Boulroie" has some blue-colored tracks: these are separately controlled by a speed-controller. The light-blue parts can be switched, and can be controlled by either the main track block system or the 'Boulroie'-controller.
The 'Duvelle' station is also controllable with the auxiliary panel (see below).
The pink part represents the streetcar tracks, connecting the 'Boulroie'-station with the city and the 'castle'. It has its own speed controller. The main panel is lit by a series of LED's. If you should take a look at the rear side of the panel, you would see about 10 000 soldered connections!

The auxiliary control panel

This panel is mounted near the fiddle-yards, and controls the 'Duvelle' freight station. As you noticed the controls can also be found on the main control panel. This panel can be switched on or off by means of a switch on the main panel. One or two persons can control the layout this way, or I can maneuver some trains while the others are on automatic control...

The grey part is partly controllable from this panel. The indicator LED's show passing traffic, the switches can be used to accept a train from the main track or shift it back in. The light blue part can be switched to manual control, the blue part is only manually controllable. I chose to have two speed-controllers here: one for the main tracks and industrial sidings (blue), the other (green) to control traffic on the fiddle-yard hill.

The auxiliary panel, like the main control panel, is lit by a series of LED's. If you should take a look at the rear side of the panel, you would see about 2000 soldered connections!