Where three or more tracks join at a point,
they form a throwable switch. Green lights indicate the open route
through the switch; reds indicate closed tracks. A train doesn't
necessarily crash if it attempts to pass through a red light; it can roll right
on through, or throw the switch automatically, depending on preference settings.
To throw a switch: position the cursor over the "frog" -- the point where the tracks join -- so you see a blue highlight, then click. The lights change to show which route is now open.
If there are more than two routes through a switch, then each throw cycles to the next available open route. For example, here are the results of repeated clicks at a four-way junction:
A switch will not open a route which requires a sharp turn. If a route through a switch forms too sharp an angle, then throwing the switch will not open that route. For more about this, see Switch Options.
If you prefer, you can have only the green lights show, or only the red, or you can change to different colors; see Display Options.
Throw by keyboard: press the space bar to throw the next switch the selected train will cross.
The
Switch Window provides a close-up of the area around a switch. The chosen
switch is shown in the center of the window, zoomed in, without background, so that you can easily see its
current state.
To bring up the window, choose Window > Switch Window. The window is a drawer attached to the right of the layout window.
When the switch window is on display, and you position the cursor over a switch on the layout, the window zooms in on that switch.
By default, the window automatically updates every time the train goes across a switch, so that it shows the next switch in the direction of travel. (This feature can be disabled; see below.)
When the switch window is visible, then a double red square is drawn around the switch currently on display, both in the window and on the layout. This lets you see at a glance what area the switch window is showing.
The switch window is for display only -- it does not highlight or allow you to throw switches.
As you drive, the program knows what switch is coming up next along your direction of travel, whether an inch or a mile away, and makes it easy to see and throw.
When the switch window is on display, it automatically shows a closeup of the upcoming switch, while a red double frame highlights it on the layout, as shown here:
To throw the upcoming switch, press the space bar. This works whether or not the switch window is on display. The upcoming switch changes whenever the train (a) passes over a switch or (b) reverses direction.
To turn off automatic window updating, uncheck "Switch window
shows next switch automatically" in the Settings tab of the Preferences dialog. You can still throw the upcoming
switch with the space bar, even when auto tracking in the switch window is
disabled.