3
3. Switches on the author’s layout are operated using
these brass switch stands mounted on shelves.
Engraved labels indicate which track switch each
stand controls.
turnout and are robust enough to take a direct hit from falling
acorns or high-speed critters.
I wondered if I could use these as switch controls for a tradi-
tional indoor model railway. I talked to my friend Chris Abbott,
and we decided a switch stand could be mounted on a small
shelf on a layout’s fascia. But we weren’t sure how to translate
the stand’s motion to a turnout mounted on the layout.
BullFrogs to the rescue
Then Fast Tracks provided the answer, with the BullFrog
manual switch machine. This nifty device is
easy to build, install, and is operated by plastic control rods
