This article will describe how I install Tortoise machines and the Switch-It decoder so that I can control turnouts from the same DCC hand held controller that I use to control the engines.

The switch machine moves the switch turnout by level action through the roadbed with piano wire. The first step is to mark where the 5/16″ hole should be drilled. Then move the turnout and drill the hole.

The next step is to assemble the actual Tortoise machine according to instructions. I do replace the light piano wire that comes with the machine with a heavier .034 gauge wire due to the thickness of my roadbed. Cutout the template from the instructions in order to help with drilling the mounting holes. At this time I also solder the leads onto the PC board. The two outside leads will connect to the decoder and the three inner ones are used to power route the frog. I use red for the frog wire because I always forget which one is the frog lead of the three.

The next step is to use the drilling template to drill the mounting holes that will later be used to screw the machine to the underside of the roadbed. I drop a pencil into the previously drilled 5/16″ hole in order to properly align the template. I then tape the template to the underside and drill the holes. I will use 1/2″ #6 pan head screws to mount the machine so I use a 1/16″ drill for the pilot holes.

Now comes the fun part that also requires some preparation and manual dexterity. Make sure your #1 phillips screwdriver and screws are within easy reach. Connect the turnout to the adjacent track using rail joiners and spike the turnout down to prevent movement. Next starts the fun. Feed the control lever through the roadbed and thread it through the hole in the turnout throw bar. Hopefully you ensured that the hole in the throw bar is big enough for the piano wire. With some wiggling and try and error it can be done. Once you get it, don’t lose it. Holding on to the machine with one hand, use your other free hand to screw in the first screw. With the right screwdriver I use the tip of my finger to hold the screw on the point while I position the screw in the hole and start turning. It takes a little practice and a few dropped screws to get it right.

The hard part is done! Now we just need to wire up the decoder and do something with all of these dangling wires. Before doing that, use a Dremel with cut-off wheel to trim the piano wire that is sticking up through the throw bar. I won’t go into the details of the decoder wiring as the NCE directions are plenty clear. The two outer control wires will go into either set of control terminals (Switch A or Switch B) as one Switch-It controls two motors. Two wires go from the bus wires to the track terminals on the Switch-It. Finally, we need to deal with the frog power routing. Solder the frog lead wire to the frog. Manually align the switch machine and use the voltmeter to confirm polarity of the other two frog leads from position 2 and 3 on the Tortoise PC board. Once confirmed, connect those two leads to the bus using suitcase connectors.

All that is left now is to test. Make sure the switch machine can freely move left and right without binding. If it binds then adjust the switch machine or the turnout until it doesn’t. By default the Switch-It is accessory decoder #1 and #2. They can be programmed differently but I’ll save that for another blog post. Fire up the DCC system and cycle the switch. That’s it! You now can control another element of your miniature world without leaving your comfy stool.