Suggestions for turnout control?

Jim, If you have no clearance problems under the switches, go for the tortoise motors. The wiring is simpler than using a twin coil, and the hole for the throw wire is only a quarter inch. For easy installs, I have been able to place and wire 6 motors in about 3 hours. That does not include the prep work on the switch control panel.

If you are worried about breaking toggle handles, you can recess them by drilling a hole in the facia large enough for your finger and mount the toggle on a piece of masonite and screw it to the inside of the facia.

I use 15 volt 1000miliamp wall wart transformers for my motors and wire it to terminal strips and the DPDT toggles.

Over the last year I believe that I have installed close to a hundred motors at the Gratiot Valley club. Many of them near the edge, by my self. The rest, away from the edge, I had help to let me know that the points seated firmly against the stock rails.

To install themotors, I first soldered a length of wire to reach from under the switch to where the control panel would be. Then I put two pieces of double face foam tape on top of the motor. I went under the layout and sighted up the hole and put the throw wire through the throw bar, pushing the motor firmly against the layout. Then I tested the throw and adjusted as necessary. After the throw was good, I put in screws and tested the throw again. Once that was done, I wired it to a barrier strip that was set up before I started motorizing an area.

I did it this way so it would not disrupt operating sessions. Each motor was working before I went to the next one.

If you are in the Mt. Celmens, Michigan, area on a monday night, come to the club and take a look.

There's always the old DPDT slide switch method. A lot cheaper than Tortoise and, unlike the ground throws, provides power routing for the frog and for indicator lights.

Yes, I know you can buy ground throws with contacts, but they're really ugly :-).

Of course, if you put the slide switch on top, it's kinda' ugly too :-). Here's an example:

Essentially a ground throw with hidden contacts. And the metal part of the slide switch can be disguised pretty well.

But normally the slide switch is mounted under the layout and a wire run up through the roadbed. If you're as clumsy as I am, rig up an adjustable mount so you don't have to get it precisely right on the first try :-).

There's these remote throw levers, which were reviewed in the June MR.

A bit on the pricey side IMO, and possibly prone to breakage on a layout that is to be moved around. The web site does have many pictures showing possible ways of recessing the controls so damage could be kept to a minimum.

OK, I guess this idea falls into the "any" category. I've done some experiments on a wee, short little test track using music wire push rods. I was looking for cheap and simple, and not in need of power routing. The disclaimer is that I haven't built any into a permanent layout yet. I'll give the description my best shot with ascii art.

Materials needed:

1. music wire small enough to fit through the throw bar hole.

1. a second larger size of music wire stiff enough to hold its shape on the way to the fascia.

2. scraps of brass or plastic tube

1. epoxy putty from Home Depot's plumbing section.

Construction:

1. cut a short piece of throw bar music wire.
2. Bend it into an "L".

| | |

+--------

1. slip on a short piece of tube for a hinge

1. put in another bend to make a sideways "Z" | | |

+====+ | | |

You now have an actuator!

1. mix a tiny dab of epoxy putty, put one end of the actuator up through the benchwork through the throw bar hole. Smack the hinge tube onto the bottom of the benwork using the putty (Ohh... I forgot to mention that it looks ugly under the benchwork :-)

1. Now make a pushrod. Bend a ring into the end of some of the larger music wire @-----

2. bend ring up perpendicular to pushrod. |------ too fascia |

--+

In the past I've used an over-center spring under the baseboard directly under the turnout. This allows the turnout to be set simply by flicking across the point blades. It also allows a train to trail through a turnout accidentally without derailling, which is a useful feature when operating a layout while talking to viewers!

The "overcenter spring" consists of four parts:

- a rigid wire in the tiebar going through the baseboard.

- a nail or screw under the centerline of the point pivots.

- a piece of steel wire looped around the nail as a pivot and extending past the tiebar wire.

- a small spring looped between the tiebar wire and the loose end of the pivoting wire. Both the tiebar wire and the pivoting wire need a kink to hold the spring.

If you want to operate from the front or the back at different times (eg home vs exhibition) then the bowden cable/steel wire scheme is good.

If you want route control then electric point motors are easiest.

snipped-for-privacy@arrl.net (Dave Curtis) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

Jim, I have pictures on my web site that shows how I built my manual turnout controls with a simple DPDT slide switch and some coat hangar wire for pusrods. It is real simple, provides for power routing if you need it, and it is cheap.

I can't access your site, Kelly.

I get this message; Locked The requested resource is currently locked. The lock must be released or proper identification given before the method can be applied.

I get the home page OK, but then get the locked message when I click on any of the top bar buttons.

I'm using Netscape if that matters.

I'm using Mozilla Thunderbird and it looked fine just now.

Consider the simple music wire toggle spring that was used for the Model Railroader Alkali Central project layout (December 1995 page 105 figure 8, with correction shown February 1996 p. 34)?

It was used to hold "manual" turnouts in place -- i.e the turnouts were moved by pushing the throw bar with your finger. The spring was intended to snap to either the left or right, keeping the stock rail and point rail in contact. The bent wire (kind of an inverted "U") extends just above the top of the ties, with the legs of the inverted "U" sticking into 1) the moveable throw bar and 2) into a stationary tie next to the throw baar. Nothing extends below the baseboard.

I've used that. They are easy to install (no under table crawling) , cheap, and invisible. You just flick the points to the desired direction with a finger and it's done. The points serve to route power, which works for me.

David J. Starr

I REALLY appreciate all of the suggestions! Even though I'm not thrilled about having to reach into the layout, I must admit that the simple music wire toggle seems the most tempting, especially on seldom used sidings.

The slide switch method is pretty neat too and could work for me.

A friend mentioned a fairly simple way to throw electric switch motors. I think it's used by the Midwest Mod-U-Trak group (or however they spell it). Instead of having a control panel with a track plan and switches, they simply install a sub-miniature toggle switch on the layout near the turnout. It's smaller than a Caboose ground throw and can be flicked with a finger. What appeals to me is that you could probably hide the switch behind a shrub or even behind a small structure. Of course, it still entails installing and wiring more motors than I would like.

Since I'm not clever enough to invent something completely new, I'll likely use one of the methods that all of you suggested. Thanks again! (and feel free to keep adding any ideas not already mentioned!)

Jim Sacco

Yes - you were very clear about not reaching -- especially consider the height of your layout, if it's anything like your current display. And the music wire toggles do require that. So I threw the idea out to r.m.r with a question mark after it.

"Brian Smith" wrote in news:SixGc.22375

It seems to be a broblem with verizon web server. Most of the time it works, but somtimes it gives that message.

I have contacted Verizon about it, but you know what good that does!

"Brian Smith" wrote in news:SixGc.22375 $ snipped-for-privacy@nnrp1.uunet.ca:

One other thing, I forgot to tell everyone that the pictures are locaed under the "follow my progress" page in the December

14th section.

Boy, are you right! I tried again and got a 404 on your index page, but then it loaded right below the 404.

2nd try: 404 only

3rd try: locked message

4th try: it worked

I'd look for a new ISP :-).

I was able to access your site this morning. But, when trying to view the photos, I get the Locked Message. A little bit every couple of days is better than nothing at all .