Model Train Control Panel - Check out this really cool control panel on my model railroad!

/ trainwild1
Come check out this really cool floating control panel that I custom built for my model railroad, featuring Lionel trains!
About this Channel - My name is George, and I would like to welcome you to my O Scale Layout! I am a Model Train Enthusiast, Scale Modeler, Builder.
This channel is dedicated to sharing my fine scale layout, and Lionel O Gauge Trains with you. I designed & built this complex layout with the purpose of simultaneously running as many trains as possible as well as realistic train operations.
Fun Fact: I was part of the construction management team during the construction of a train platform, adjoining train tracks and switches in real life. I share this experience in one of my videos!
I enjoy operating the layout and making really cool train videos to share with you.
Please Subscribe to my channel to view all of the upcoming videos!

[@joeystrains.9316]

George, that's high quality O scale control. One of the BEST layouts on KZbin!

[@trainwild]

Thank you Joey! That's so awesome, really appreciate it my friend!

[@rcon8017]

I love how you explain everything simple for us newbies. 👍👍👍

[@trainwild]

Glad to help! Thank you for your comments and for subscribing to my channel. Glad you like my videos!

[@veganjen5420]

George!!! Good to have you back! What an excellent video!! You explained everything so well! You are a genius! I don’t think anyone with a train layout has a control panel like yours. I’m so impressed! Great job explaining how you navigate your layout! Thanks for sharing. We can learn ALOT from you.

[@trainwild]

Jen!!!! I JUST SAW THIS POST! for some strange reason this comment went to the spam folder. I just checked it and saw your comment. I had to approve it so it can show up here. I'm really glad you liked it!!! Thank you for the wonderful comments!!!😀🤗

[@veganjen5420]

@@trainwild That’s so weird. Maybe I did something on my end that messsed things up. 🤷‍♀

[@jamesmelchin2873]

Very nicely done. Easy to see and navigate. Thanks George

[@trainwild]

Thank you James, I appreciate your nice comments

[@averageguy7136]

You have put an Impressive amount of work on this control panel.

[@trainwild]

Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

[@keithjackson9141]

Thanks again working on my control terminal and wiring

[@trainwild]

That's great to hear, good luck with your control terminal! 😀

[@kevinernst2897]

Very well thought out . Your entire layout is most impressive.

[@trainwild]

Thank you very much Kevin!

[@scottyrocktrains5649]

Thanks for sharing George! That was very interesting and ( I assume) a lot of work when building. Wow you b a smart cookie lol! Enjoyed 👋👍🏻✌️🇺🇸🤩

[@trainwild]

Hey Scotty! Thank you very much my friend! 😀

[@Porschedude8]

Well done! I like your control panel.. 👏😊

[@trainwild]

Thank you very much, I really appreciate it! 😀

[@allisoncaldwell5311]

Hello I really enjoyed learning about the track

[@trainwild]

Hi Allison, glad you liked it! Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it! 😀 - George

[@robertcampbell6349]

Excellent tutorial on control systems.

[@trainwild]

Hi Robert, Thank you very much. I really appreciate it!!

[@derailroad]

great work , i like the leds on the right for quick view

[@trainwild]

Thank you very much. Yes it definitely helps identify what's open with a quick glance. Thank you again! 😀

[@raysrails2164]

Thats great !The layout looks really impressive.

[@trainwild]

Thanks Ray! Really appreciate it my friend 😀

[@jodypresti94]

Mind blown. Well done

[@trainwild]

Hi Jody, thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

[@walteranderson5090]

On the crossovers. Wouldn't it be easier to have one switch that controls both switches? From one line to the other, they're automatically set correctly.

[@trainwild]

I agree that one switch can control both switches, and it just comes down to a matter of preference. For my layout, I chose to wire them individually as this made it easier to troubleshoot and isolate each switch in case of failures. Thanks

[@RotatingToroids]

George all you videos are Great!! Your layout is outstanding!! One question, what do you have in the tracks by your turn outs? It looks like clay? Does it help the trains through the switch on the main lines from derailing? Thanks!

[@trainwild]

Thank you very much Keith, I really appreciate your comments! Yes, there is clay at my turnouts to avoid derailments. I will make a video of this very soon also to explain it in greater detail. Thanks again for watching my videos Keith and for subscribing to my channel! 😀👍

[@garyforestier1118]

That is so cool and impressive

[@trainwild]

Thank you very much, im glad you like it! 👍

[@BigLugT]

Very educational George. I want to build a co tell panel like yours. Where did you get the double pole double throw switches, the single switches and the led lights? Thank you in advance

[@trainwild]

Thank you very much! I purchased the switches and the LED lights from a website called LED BRITE. The gentleman who was running the site was very good and he had great products. However, when I made my last purchase a few years ago, he mentioned that he was retiring and shutting down the website. At this point, I don't think it's still up and running but you can try. Also, I think that you should be able to find these parts online from another site and they should be readily available. Good luck with your panel build, I hope it comes out great!

[@4wheelwarrior]

That's pretty freakin awesome 👍

[@trainwild]

Thank you, I really appreciate it!

[@MedicYoda]

That is really cool.

[@trainwild]

HI Michael! Thank you very much, I'm glad you like it! Also, thank you for watching and subscribing to my channel, I really appreciate it!! - George

[@jimmytrains]

I love this. I am going to do a control panel like the bridge on the enterprise.... I am working on an animation board now. What sort of electronics are you using. Did you design it yourself.

[@trainwild]

Hi Jimmy, thank you. Ha! That would be awesome if you can make your control panel like the bridge on the Enterprise! way cool my friend😎 Yes, I designed and built the control panel myself. I am using DPDT (double pole double throw) toggle switches, and bi-color LED's as indicator lights. Good luck with your control panel, let me know when you complete it! Also, thank you for watching and subscribing to my channel, I really appreciate it!!

[@danny117hd]

Im considering center off switches.

[@trainwild]

Hey Danny, Center off switches work great 👍

[@dasanus]

Can you please mention which bicolor LED's you used in this build.

[@trainwild]

Hi Dave, I used Red/Green bi-color LED's from Bright LED's Central. I am not sure if they are still available online. I purchased them a while ago, and I have not seen them advertised in a while. hope this helps!

[@dasanus]

@trainwild Didn't find that company. Are you running AC or DC power through your panel? Have you found that you must get the lights rated for AC or are they still compatible at DC

[@tomschlitter1594]

Hey George! Great video, my friend. How long did it take you to wire it and how much was trial and error or was it all carefully planned? With me, I modify and re-do things as I go. Bad habit, I know, plus wasteful in time and materials. What did you use to actually depict the tracks? I've said before that yours is one of the nicest layouts I've seen. Glad you posted another video. Keep 'em coming!

[@trainwild]

Hi Tom! so nice to hear from you. I actually did a lot of careful planning and design to build this control panel. I wanted to be able to control the entire layout including all 44 turnouts from one control station. This includes all sidings, whisker tracks, main lines, turntables, signs, lights, sounds, etc. Although control of the actual trains is done remotely (I will make a separate video regarding control) it is still wired through the control panel, so it has to be figured into the wiring. There is a tremendous amount of wiring running through the panel as all 6000' feet of layout wiring has to tie back to the panel at multiple points. The design has to include track layout, turnout location & LED lights, layout of the switches and wiring and room for expansion. Although it is very complex, I wanted to keep it as sleek and simple as possible. To me, simplicity is key. Otherwise, it would have been too bulky and taken up a lot of unnecessary space. As much as I try to carefully think things through with every possible scenario, there is always trial and error. Unforeseen issues seem to always arise during the building of the layout. It might work today, but as things develop and expand, it no longer works. There definitely was a significant amount of troubleshooting, and I tried to mitigate it as much as I could, based on thorough research and past experiences. Thank you for commenting, it really helps inspire me to keep making videos, and thank you for watching. I really appreciate it! 😀

[@gwsjr1]

How come you have two separate switches for your crossovers?

[@trainwild]

Just preference. I decided to wire each motor separately to each switch on the control panel. Ultimately this makes it easier for me to troubleshoot each switch component when it decides to stop working. This is the main reason why I chose to do it this way. There are several different ways to wire the switches and crossovers, and this just works best for my application. Hope this answers your question, Thanks!