I have so many things on the `long finger` (Irish round-tu it) - and that includes domestic type chores - that some days I can`t think straight. However a recent `phone call, inviting me to take the trailer to the Mayo Ploughing Event on the 19th of this month, rapidly focused my mind :
Last year, at Ballinamuck Fair Day, I experienced electrical problems. I had to link a couple of sections to keep trains running (the layout was being filmed for Irish TV as part of the fair).
When I got home, during the next couple of days, I did some repairs (faulty switches) but knew the controls needed a revamp. The rocker switches, ex-electric scooters, were not really suitable for the increase in current loadings but had served well enough for seven years. I guess now they were suffering from some sort of seven year itch
ebay was trawled for toggle switches and acquired for the upgrade. Winter intervenes, extremities of ones` digits don`t like low temps and the walk to the hayshed and then back to the workshop to pick up things I forgot also did not appeal. So a few weeks ago I pulled the trailer out and parked it out of the way on the drive.
The pictures are reasonably self explanatory (I hope).....
First, the track diagram circa 2010 .....
.... then the track as it is now. The shunt now forms a loop and the back straight has gained a shunt/siding (with two sections to hold two locos or one short train) ....
The controls are housed in the brick building .....
..... and my side of the building showing the controls as they were installed in 2008.
After stripping out the controls, I made a simple framework for my panel .....
..... new panel .......
..... with the wires tagged ....
..... mounted ready to connect up to the track feeds, etc.
As can be seen from the first diagram, there were eight sections (switch No.5 controlling sections 7,8 & 9). This had been an easy way (rather than adding directly to the box) of gaining more section feeds. Then the creation of the two (electrical) section shunt caused a further extrapolation of feeds relying on switch 5!).
So the ten sections are now controlled individually from the new panel. The bottom right switch is a changeover - from tethered control to remote (Train Engineer). The one immediately above kills all track feeds and there is a supplementary latched relay also.
The third switch in the vertical row is the polarity changer - needed with the tethered control. The latter is polarity sensitive (diode and Darlington transistor) so only the ouput can be reversed.
Some track feeds have also been rewired, after which all sections were metered to ensure that all were singing from the same (polarity) hymn sheet. Then the track was cleaned and an Aristo Centre-cab operated in both modes (remote control and tethered). Success!
I did put part of the original control back for the tethered mode because I just couldn`t fathom out all the wiring!
If I had time I should meter it all out and then the the whole ensemble might look a bit neater!
And Ross, I know you'll understand when I say it's all done on a wing and a prayer 
