Control Station
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Setting up the railroad for operation is sometime a problem. So much equipment has to be moved from inside storage to the garden railroad.  Well my wife was shopping at a local mega store again and found a gardening cart that looked promising. After installing a couple of extra shelves it made a great place to keep the small figures, animals and also the control station for the railroad. I will be adding the capability of storing some of the motive power on the cart also.

Now all we have to do is roll the cart out and start setting up, saves a lot of walking.  

As you also see my railroad is computer controlled.  I do not have to modify the motive power as the unit works on conventional DC.  I am considering going to DCC, but have not seen enough DCC automation to go that way.  My old computer control system is called Railistic, now retired, it is a Windows base system.  It was first introduced in 1994 at the NMRA Portland Convention.  The only draw back for Largescale garden railroading is the maximum block power is 2 amps.  I am now evaluating a new system that will handle Largescale trains up to 4 amps per block, I am beta testing the software. The program and control board also can operate the turnouts, and soon the signals and crossing lights.  It is very versatile. The interface is RS-232.  I am have completed the cable interface between the cart and the garden railroad.