Placing and connecting turnouts

A turnout in the track plan is, to begin with, only a drawing. For LoDi-Aura to actually set it, each turnout needs a connection to the device its drive is wired to. After that, a click sets the turnout, and the automation lays routes across it.

Step 1: Place a turnout in the track plan

1. EditSwitch the track plan to edit mode with “✎ Edit”.
2. Open the paletteOn the left, expand “Tracks” and, inside it, “Turnouts”. There you will find “Left turnout”, “Right turnout”, the two curved turnouts, the “Three-way turnout” and the “Y turnout”. Double slips and single slips are under “Crossings & accessories”.
3. AttachDrag the turnout from the palette to a free track end – it snaps into place when you let go. Or select the track it should join first, then click the turnout in the palette: it attaches itself to the first free end.
4. Keep buildingAdd more track to both exits of the turnout. If an open end only looks connected, close it with “Connect ends” from “Block & insulated joint”.

The turnouts in the palette

Fitting a turnout into an existing line: Delete a piece of straight track there (select it and click “🗑 Delete” or press the Delete key) and put the turnout in the gap. If there is already a parallel track next to the line, it is quicker: select the turnout and click “⇋ Crossover” in the toolbar – LoDi-Aura adds the opposite turnout in the neighbouring track at the same time.

Step 2: Connect the turnout to its device

In edit mode, click the turnout. At the top of the inspector on the right is the “Name” – give the turnout one you will recognise, such as “W1 Einfahrt” (station entry). Below that, in the “Switching” section, choose the “Switching command station”: the device the turnout drive is wired to. The fields underneath look different depending on the device.

Turnout on the LoDi-Shift-Commander

Choose the LoDi-Shift-Commander as “Switching command station” and then, under “Command (item)”, the entry from its command list, such as “W1 Einfahrt · Addr 1”. The list comes straight from the device, so the Shift-Commander has to be online.

Instead of choosing from the list, you can also drag a “Turnout cable (drive)” from “Cables · function” from an operator's output to the turnout. LoDi-Aura then fills in the operator, output and address itself.

If there is no command on the output yet, the inspector offers “Create turnout in the Shift-Commander”. How to set up operators and commands on the device is explained in Setting up LoDi operators.

Turnout on the LoDi-Shift-Commander

Turnout on a DCC or Motorola command station

If an accessory decoder on the command station sets the turnout – for example on the LoDi-Rektor, a Z21 or a CS3 –, choose that command station and enter the decoder's “Address” the way you count it: starting at 1. Under “Protocol”, choose “DCC” or “Motorola”.

“Travel time (s)” is the time the drive needs to throw. For solenoid drives, leave the field empty; the general value for all turnouts then applies. Slow motor drives and servos need a few seconds – a train only sets off once its turnouts have finished moving.

Turnout on the LoDi-Rektor with DCC address 14

A double slip, single slip or three-way turnout usually has two drives and then needs two addresses. How to assign the positions there is explained in Turnouts and signals.

Step 3: Test

1. In the inspectorAt the bottom of the “Switching” section, press “Switch”. The turnout should move on the layout.
2. In operationSwitch to operation with “▶ Track plan” and click the turnout. Each click throws it; in the track plan, the bright leg shows which way it is set. While the drive is moving, dashes run across the blade.
3. Check the positionIf the track plan shows “straight”, the straight leg must be the open one on the layout too. If it is the other way round, tick “Connection swapped (straight ↔ diverging)” in the inspector – you don't need to swap any wires.

Good to know

All the settings of a turnout, turnout numbering on the LoDi-Rektor and the Accessories window are explained in Turnouts and signals.