Tortoise over foam MR article

I think his method makes sense, because you should locate the turnouts before laying the rest of the track in any case. So locating the Tortoise at the same time as you locate the turnout should work just fine.

-- Wolf

"Don't believe everything you think." (Maxine)

same time as you locate the turnout should work just fine.

in article snipped-for-privacy@s48g2000cws.googlegroups.com, PeteC at snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote on 3/3/07 7:13 AM:

...stuff deleted.

Right you are: I installed mine over foam, but using a 1/2" wooden block as the stable piece onto which the Tortoise was mounted. The perf board is a good ideal if it is rigid enough that the Tortoise doesn't move or flex while moving the turnout rails. I especially like that the Tortoise spring wire will be shorter, hence stiffer.

But any changes to the motor, the spring wire, etc. require that the turnout be removed since everything is hidden below the foam and scenery , etc. With some more thought (not by me, mine is done) there may be a way of installing these in such a way as to provide a "quick release" of the machine from above and have it removed from below via a hole cut in the layout structure from below. Mine are two-sided-foam taped on, so it is a problem for me, even where I cut a hole for clearance.