Peco switch motor question

Peco point motors used to come with a short rod - and a piece of tubing plus a piece of rod! I don't know the diameters as I always seem to have more tube and rod extensions in my box than point motors. Take a point motor to your local K@S dealer and try them for size. (the Peco supplied extensions always seem to be too lose so I Araldite them on)

Regards, Greg.P.

Greg Procter wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@ihug.co.nz:

Thanks Greg.

I am just getting back into the hobby after about a dozen year layoff. I remember the type of extention you describe.

The ones I bought must be newer because there was one with a long rod and it was solid. The must be making them this way now and letting you trim off the exess rather than the other way.

I was just worried that any old piece of rod wouldnt have the stiffness to throw the points.

Thanks again. Duncan

There are now three different versions in the catalogue:

- Normal with short rod.

- Normal with long rod.

- Low current version with short rod.

Naturally, the version I need is the low current with long rod!

I make my baseboards with 1/2" softboard over 1/2" particle board and I have no problems with extending the rod so long as I get rid of any slop between rod/tube/rod. The way the Peco motor works is that the solenoid moves only as far as the turnout and rod allows, so you need to mount the motor so that the movement is equal in each direction and the unused solenoid movement is equal at both ends. Otherwise you get a powerful throw one way and a weak throw the other. If the rod is springy (within reason) you just get the solenoid travelling a bit further in the motor housing.

Regards, Greg.P.

FWIW, a cheap dial caliper is available from Harbor Freight for only a few bucks. They also carry some cheap micrometers that will be quite useful. Those are two tools that the modeler should have for measuring things more accurately than a tape measure.

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