Tortoise Switch Machines:

These items are very easy to install and to wire up. I have installed over 80 tortoises on the club DCC layout without any problems. All tortoises have route indication LEDS that go back to the dispatches  panel and all power route selective through the switch frogs [live frogs].

The good thing about tortoises you can wire them up in a manner of ways and don't get into trouble.. I have installed tortoises on a friends layout approx 1 meter from  points running brass rod through brass tube and not have any problems.

Tortoises have many uses other than switch control, and are great for semaphore signals.. You can connect tortoises through a current track detector [or IR detector] for signal operation.  Connect  a tortoise to a Arduino for power control and you have a multiple of accessories. 

Tip for their construction — after you have installed the machine and have the wire fulcrum in correct position add a small dob of glue to secure the fulcrum as over time and constant use the fulcrum will move either up/down and come out of its slide.

If you have a very little knowledge of dc power you can wire a tortoise. Over the years of operation [10 plus] there has not been one failure of these machines, they are very robust.

Before we installed Tortoises we operated the layout using solenoid switch machines [ex telephone equipment]  and after a few years of operation there was malfunctions.

Don't be afraid to use a Tortoise.

MRH: Reformatted the “solid gray wall of text” into something more readable by adding paragraph breaks.