Anyone know of an alternative to these?
I cannot locate any:
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Those HD selectors are overpriced for the capacity of each switch. Yes, they make for a neat control panel, but I prefer individual SPDT toggle or rocker switches. They are cheaper when bought in bulk---
What are you switching? Atlas's website doesn't show an actual amp rating on these that I could find, but it seems uncommon for folks to supply power to any given track with more than 10 amps, and continuous current is much lower than that. so, any of the thousands of 10 amp toggle switches seem like they would work just fine to toggle track blocks. I was always fond of the old radio-shack DPDT-center-Off type to toggle blocks between two transformers. If you like slide switches those are out there pretty cheap as well. Also if you just really like the atlas style switches you could use the standard low current sort to switch a high current relay for track power.
Since my transformer commons are all tied together I use single pole double throw center off toggles to switch the variable voltage posts of the two train running transformers to each block and to turn off a block; specifically the K103 toggle at this LINK. No reason to use double pole switches unless you want to use the second pole to power block indicator lights.
Pete
Texas Pete, thats a good deal on those switches. I only mentioned the DPDT sort because that was the only center off option offered at radio shack, back in the day. and as it turns out, I did use the other pole for indicator lights. Been a while since I've built a block control... the one I made 20 years ago is still working just fine.
Call Mainline Hobby in Blue Ridge Summit Pa. They should have them.
Rod Miller
