Thought I would share a face plate I made for a NCE mini panel.

My railroad has all the wiring hidden behind a fascia, out of site, out of reach.  The NCE mini panel has a programming jumper and a setup port that needs to be used for programming.  Instead of burring the panel under the layout I decided to make a face plate and mount it to the front of the layout. It is the same height as the PCP panel face but wider of course.

I was going to use a Digitrax system for DCC from the beginning. However, I am on a tight budget right now. I almost have the track to build my first layout in N scale using Unitrack, but don't yet have a powerpack or DCC system. I do have to say that Dave Vollmer's blog post on his experiences with Digitrax customer service was very influential in my initial decision.

Qyestion for Bruce, et al: I understand resistors connect to the long lead on LED's. My ignorance is shown in my question...Is there a preferred polarity direction on a resistor? In other words, does polarity matter when connecting the resistor to LED and common (blue wire) or does the resistor go to the white or yellow wire? John Colley, Sonoma, CA

With the swing gate mechanically completed today I installed the two micro-switches to protect trains by killing track power when the gate is open.  I cut gaps in the track a foot from the gate on either side and then installed micro-switches on each side of the gate to kill track power to the approach track to the gate.  If the gate is opened even 1/8" on the side opposite the hinge it opens the circuit.  The micro-switch arms can be bent to be adjusted if things change over time.

This is the switch on the end opposite the hinge.