In defense of Atlas switch machines on top and under table.

Hi, I will catch a lot of flack for this!

I had noticed a lot of messages in this group slamming Atlas switch machines. I have a fairly large layout with over fifty turnouts, Some Peco and some Atlas. Looking back I wish I had used all Atlas because I do have DCC and at that time I was advised to use Peco electrofrogs which are power routing. Atlas #6 and #4 switches are straight thru so both legs just continue the power with an insulated frog. I now know that Peco insufrogs do the same.

When I started I decided I was too old and lazy to fool with under table switch machines and ruled out Tortise right away because of their price and size. I tried a couple of the older Peco units and they took too much current and of course had to mount thru a big hole or under table.

A lot of the messages implied that the Atlas machines didn't have enough steam to throw switches. This is true if you power them with AC as Atlas instructs. You MUST use cap discharge or a controller like with DCC that limit the pulse to .125 second with DC, about 18 volts. The short pulse prevents you from leaning over a panel and holding down a button which could burn out machines. If you havn't , you will!

I power Peco turnouts with *modified* Atlas under table machines mounted on top by cutting off the plastic actuator that normally sticks thru the table and substituting a roughly horizontal .012 wire spring. I remove the Peco over-center springs on the turnouts. I even have one under the table Atlas powering a Peco switch with no mods except removing the over-center spring.

Note my wanting most of my switch machines on the top of the table even though they look lousy. I am not a prototype tracker so don't care.

The other reason for going with Atlas was $$$. I also don't use Atlas snap relays at way too much $$. I use low-cost 5-volt latching relays in parallel with the switch machines where I need a steady-state output to power a frog (I don't) or to light LEDs for indicators at the turnout (I do). With DCC my panels have DCC Team Digital SRC8s that connect to LED push buttons to show closed/thrown and send a command to the system to actuate the actual switch machine drivers that in turn send the short pulses to the machines.

Most of my Atlas machines are over three years old and going strong.

Larry in Colorado

Yep, the Atlas machines do work well for throwing turnouts with pivoted points. Their only problem is that they are just strong enough to do the job. Also they are delicate in the current department. You can't power them for very long or they do burn up, a lot faster than larger switch machines but if you use a capicator discharge system suitable for them,, they will work very well for a long time.without problems. The larger machines were originally made back in the old days and they are a lot more suitable for hamfisted operators pushing a button for a longer period of time. Tortise type switch machines and other motor type switch machines are another route towards the control but they suffer from the problem that operating the machine from several different locations becomes an exercise in frustration and some electonics to work as the switch no longer indicates the turnout position.

-- Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?