Low profile locking turnout actuation

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi,

 

Our new small 4mm lockdown project will use PCB turnouts and they will need self-locking actuators, preferably electrical rather than purely mechanical. The only critical issue is depth under the board, the undercroft is just 50mm which removes the use of Tortoise etc.

 

We are still in the ‘stone age’ in terms of current knowledge but we are aware of the use of aeromodelling servos and Peco may be offering a new self-locking motor.

 

Guidance is desperately needed, thank you.

 

STAY SAFE

 

[Grovenor]

Try this

and

 

[KingEdwardII]

Seek out MTB MP1s:

 

https://www.dcctrainautomation.co.uk/mtb-mp1-point-motor-6-pack.html

 

Small, neat and the clever design means they lock at the end of travel. Certainly fit in less than 50mm under the board.

 

They can be operated with DC, but I have 30+ driven via DCC using Digikeijs DR4018 units - and now displayed and controlled on a touch screen via JMRI software running on a Raspberry Pi.

 

Yours, Mike.

 

PS They have a built-in switch which can be used to handle frog polarity etc.

Edited February 8, 2021 by KingEdwardII

[Guest Jack Benson]

Thanks,

 

Two important related events, MR April '19 has just dropped through the letter box and I have spent the last hour marvelling at Rob's (NHY 581) effort. Just spotted his use of code 75 streamline, a practice that I vowed to avoid but many years ago I was equally impressed by Ralph Burrow's Wanhurst in MRJ 174 published in early 2007 which used a combination of streamline turnouts and RTP plain BH track.

 

 

A pragmatic choice would be to use Ralph's idea, which would also allow me to recycle my stock of Peco solenoid turnout actuators with added microswitches thus solving the problem of lack of depth under the baseboards.