Don,
If you've proven that the switches work as they should when the original button is also connected, a simple solution might be to just connect those supplied buttons as well. You can then have the switch panel at the control station and place the buttons along the layout near each switch. I've seen folks mount the buttons right on the layout near the switch, or on the sides nearby. This would also open up control a bit because you could throw the switch from the control panel, from the TMCC remote, or from the button at trackside.
JGL
