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Cheap 'n' cheerful point control


AndyB

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I think it was the recent Model Rail which did a feature on N-gauge layout design.

 

Rule 1: No turnouts on bridges - there's nowhere to put the point motor.

 

blogentry-4299-086268200 1290368584_thumb.jpg

 

Here's a work around. And it's cheap and seems reliable enough.

 

Components: Short length of plastic rod, 1 x track pin, 2 x cable tie stick feet. Elastoplast.

 

1. Drill a hole underneath the point in line with the tie bar.

2. Drop a track pin through the hole in the tie-bar.

3. Thread a plastic rod through the 2 sticky feet.

4. Pierce the plastic rod with the protruding track pin. Apply Elastoplast to your finger where the track pin enters. <_<

5. Peel off the backing on the sticky feet and align them such that the rod moves smoothly. Note, the track pin swivels in the tie bar, so it doesn't have to be perfect.

 

NB: A blob of superglue between the stick feet and the bottom of the baseboard will make it rock solid. Lets be honest we want this to last and sticky feet are peelable.

 

6. The stick feet are slim so easily disguised with the normal side-plating used on a bridge.

 

blogentry-4299-038971100 1290368754_thumb.jpg

 

On "Roding Reach" the white plastic rods will push through holes in the backscene which will further add strength and hopefully prevent accidental damage.

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That's a clever little idea, is this a 2mm or a 4mm layout. As an alternative to plastic rodding you could use some scrap rail as it is stronger and being thin will pass through the gap on the stickypad quite easily. I've done this on my layout (in 4mm scale and not using stickpads) and providing you support the rail every 10 inches or so it works fine. You'll need to drill a hole in the end of the rail for the trackpin, but you shouldn't need the elastoplast !!!

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That's a clever little idea, is this a 2mm or a 4mm layout.

 

Hi, macgeordie. The layout is 2mm.

 

I'd certainly agree that a short length of rail would be more robust. Folk might like to play around with other options than sticky feet. I thought about a bent piece of sheet metal with 2 holes drilled and a couple of screws through. But then the sticky feet fell out of a scraps tin in front of me at the crucial moment....

 

Andy

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so this method is similar to using point motors in that you drill the hole the same?

 

been struggling for a way of doing rod in tube (and this might allow me to fit my point on my viaduct!) due to distance between point and back of layout.

 

I'll have to have another play now!

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