I’m continuing to capture little projects on the layout as I think about them. I bought a “spare” Digitrax UT4D utility throttle recently and was reminded of the modification I’ve done to all my UT4s to make them more user friendly. I use the UT4D 2-way radio throttles because they’re light, very easy to use, and the wireless makes them very convenient to use anywhere on the layout. Despite this convenience, there’s still one major problem with the UT4 (or any walk-around throttle for that matter)–where do you set it when you’re not using it? This is not a problem when you’re done with your train as I’ve got plenty of throttle pockets along the fascia in which to stash them and plug them in to keep the batteries from draining. But what do you do with the throttle when you need your hands for other chores like uncoupling and paperwork? This is a major consideration for a switching oriented layout like the St Charles Branch.

On my last layout, I came up with the idea of attaching a simple anchor for a clip-style lanyard. It does require drilling a couple holes into your throttle, but it’s only through a narrow part of the plastic casing and into the battery compartment, so it’s not a threat to the throttle’s electronics. The anchor is made from .025″ steel music wire which you can pick up at most hobby stores. Lanyards come in many styles, but I use the lanyards with the “bulldog clip” that doesn’t swivel and provides a very easy pinch mechanism to attach and release the throttle such as the ones in this link (yes, I get a little commission if you use this link, and it doesn’t cost you anything extra to use this link–thank you).

Here are the rest of the steps:

1. REMOVE THE 9V BATTERY FROM THE UT4!!!
2. Cut a piece of .025″ steel wire about 2″ long
3. Bend into a squared-off “U” with the bottom about 1/2″ wide (just wide enough for the lanyard clip with about 1/32″ of slack) and each side about 3/4″ long
4. Mark the bottom of the UT4 throttle case for drill holes–make them the width of the U and centered within the “groove” of the plastic
5. Drill 2 holes into the case–use a drill bit that’s slightly oversized so the wire slides freely without rattling
6. Insert the wire “U” into the case and attach a lanyard to the bottom of the “U”
7. Push the “U” into the case as far as it will go and then back off just slightly (“U” extends approximately 1/8″ from bottom of throttle case)
8. Bend the ends of the “U” that are inside the case outward to mark where the bends need to be
9. Remove the lanyard, push the “U” as far as it will go into the case and bend the ends inside the case with needle-nosed pliers until they are parallel with the case bottom
10. Extend the “U” outside the case then reinsert 9V battery, pushing it up against the top (antenna side) of the throttle as far as it will go

You should now have a clip anchor that retracts into the little groove when the throttle is set down on top of it that extends just enough to allow a lanyard to attach when picked up. It doesn’t get in the way of anything if an operator chooses not to use a lanyard, and it provides a secure way to let the throttle dangle when not needed. I’ve been using these mechanisms for years and have never had a catastrophic throttle drop (your results may vary ;-). Similar techniques may work on other throttles as well, though I’ve only tried it on the UT4D.