Model Railroad Train Control Basics

Now you're old enough to get involved in serious model railroading.
First, you get a decent quality set (not one of those $45 starter sets - your engine alone costs $150). You set it up and watch it go round and round in a circle...and around, and around, and around, and around .......
GREAT ! ! ! Now you have an expensive child's setup but you want more so you build some bench work and set up several loops (maybe with crossovers) but each train still goes in a circle - one direction - round and around still. To make it interesting, you need a direction reversing loop in your layout. That is, you need the capability to indiscreetly have your train loop around and return traveling in the opposite direction like a real operation.
One of the first big decisions I found in starting my layout was cab control. Cab control simply means that one or more power packs, of some kind, are used to control one or more sections of track. All the engines on a particular section of track are controlled together by the power pack, or cab, that is currently connected to that section. Often an elaborate switching system is wired to sequentially route power to sections of track such that an individual train remains controlled by a single power pack as it traverses many sections of track. Your typical starter set with a power pack and a circle of track is cab control in its least complicated form. Cab control has the advantage of simplicity and low cost. No fancy electronics are necessary to make it work and no modifications to locomotives are required. As a great bonus, troubleshooting is relatively easy.

First Choice CTC or DCC
I had to make up my mind to use either DCC control or a CTC panel when I started my layout. DCC is fine but it has many drawbacks. I wanted to have direction reversing loops to allow me to run a train in either direction as I switch along the route and DCC has never been wonderful at direction (and polarity) changes. At its best, the engine has some degree of 'lurching' as the circuit takes time to realize a direction change has occurred. When it 'lurches', you will typically discover EVEY coupler that is not perfectly aligned as they uncouple. Also, it's pretty expensive when you have a large complement of tractive power as I have. However, wiring a DCC layout is extremely easy.
On the other hand, a CTC panel gives you far more flexibility but is harder to install. Wiring of a CTC is really not complicated at all but it does require that you organize your thoughts and your wiring. The first item you need to know is that a CTC layout requires that you divide the track on your layout into sections. Each section has to be electrically isolated (disconnected) from all other sections. I found an easy way to do this is to simply lay my track normally then use a cut-off disc on my dremel tool to cut a 'gap' into the rails without cutting through the plastic ties on the flex track. Be sure you stagger these cuts a little for the left-right rails or the track can 'buckle' at the cut. The electrical power for each section will come from the switches on the CTC panel and each section of track requires control switches on the CTC panel. This means 2 wires must connect power from each direction switch on the CTC to each isolated section of track (it uses a LOT of wire).
I used rotary switches to select my cab controls (power packs) and can wire up to five cab controls stations. Presently, I have three wired up but, for simplicity, I use two for my examples here.
I used toggle switches to control my forward direction. You can get really fancy with indicator lights for each track sections showing which direction of travel is selected and which cab is controlling power but this adds another level of complicity. I have addressed it here but you may wish to leave it out to simplify the job but keep in the indicators make it MUCH easier to 'read' the CTC and know what's going on with a quick glance, thereby avoiding embarrassing running 'mistakes'.
I had a very limited space for my old CTC panel so I used miniature switches but this introduced a real challenge. These items can not handle much heat during soldering and some end up failing quickly. Add the condensed size and maintenance is not as simple as I would desire but it is manageable. I suggest larger switches if you have the room. I plan to be sure I have room for a lrager panel in the new train room.
Now on to the details. Click here to go to the next page and to start learning about CTC control.