Connecting handmade turnouts to Point Motor

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

I have been connecting my switch blades with .7mm dropper into tube fixed into Exactoscale Tortoise operating units, these are connected by "Z" wire to Fulgurex. I notice that the switch blade seems to be rising.

 

Have any other members used this or similar method. I have converted one turnout to a moving copperclad sleeper soldered to switch blades which has cured the lifting switch.

 

How do you transfer movement from point motor to Turnout, pictures would be handy.

 

Edited to remove "welded" and replace with soldered (don't know where welded came from???) and to add copperclad before sleeper

[Gordon A]

Welding your switch blades to a moving sleeper not onlt creates greater resistance, but will probably lead to a failure in the soldered joint.

My preference is to connect the switch blade to the stretcher bar or moving sleeper with a piece of 10 thou guitar string. This allow flexibilty in movement and reduces resistance in the operation.

I put some pictures on the previous RM Web. If required and I have time tomorrow night I will try to find them.

 

To stop the switch blade riding up, the switch blade should be a touching fit to the stretcher bar or sleeper, that are long enough that both sides protrude under the stock rails, no matter what position.

 

Gordon A

Bristol

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

Be interested to hear how you connect the switch blade to sleeper with guitar string

[Gordon A]

About5mm length, bent twice through 90 degrees. Solde one end to switch blade, other end to stretcher bar / sleeper.

 

Gordon A

 

 

[Grovenor]

I have been connecting my switch blades with .7mm dropper into tube fixed into Exactoscale Tortoise operating units, these are connected by "Z" wire to Fulgurex. I notice that the switch blade seems to be rising.

The droppers to the exactoscale tortoise adapter should be bent so they fit under the stock rail and prevent the blades rising. See the exactoscale instructions for the details. Works fine for me.

TOu instructions

The important part is that the tubes are spaced wider apart than the blades and the droppers are inverted L shape so they are under the stock rails.

Regards

Keith

[Bryn]

This is the solution I used in 2FS, but it should be easy enough to scale up.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/blog/233/entry-1794-turnout-control/

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/blog/233/entry-1908-tou-installation/

[jamie92208]

If you can access the Gauge O Guild Gazette in the last 6 months. There was a very good article by Derek Mundy about a sytstem that he uses. I have followed the instructions with excellent results. in the past I ahve used the copperclad strip method, but as pointed out abov e these eventually fail as there is a very small angular movement needed between the tie bar and the blade. Derek's method has a pivot in it that allows for this. The article is well illustrated with step by step photos about how to make the tie bars.

 

 

Jamie

[meil]

I suggest you consider the method used by Normon Solomon. It's tried and tested.

[Gordon A]

As requested pictures of my method of connecting the switch rails to the stretcher bar or moving sleeper, using 10 thou guitar string

Pictures of 18.83mm gauge track.

The red lines in the picture above shows the 10 thou guitar string connections.

The stretcher bars are made from 0.6mm doublie sided copper clad (Supplied by C&L) cut into thin strips.

Note the drive connection using 10 thou guitar string and a square omega loop.

Also slide chairs not yet fitted.

 

Side on shot of the 10 thou guitar string connections.

 

Three quarter end view of 10 thou connections.

Sorry the assembly was not been cleaned up befor photographing.

 

This assembly has proven to be easey to use, and structurally stress free as the guitar string has enough flex to allow the blades to move side to side easily.

Also low visibilty.

 

If you are building loose healed switches then you can use the guitar string to attach the switch blades to the closure rails, stopping the moving in a heel / toe direction.

 

As all the connections are above baseboard I have found this system easey to adjust.

 

Gordon A

Bristol

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

Gordon, Thanks for your help thats an interesting method.

 

I might try a version of that on my next turnout. I have sorted out the turnouts on the End board and the first train has passed over the engine release crossover under its own "steam"

[John_Hughes]

My own solution is in the topic Dead easy and cheap point stretchers further down in this forum - sorry, couldn't get a link to work!

 

I've done a few more since this first one and it works every time!

[PWSlack]

The Cv9.25 flatbottom junction trailing into the up slow line at Twyford station; the Marlow branch is on the curve and the up slow from Reading is along the straight. This one is driven electrically, with electromechanical detection and locking - three detector bars lead to the detection machine from each of the two switch rails and the central detector bar. Note the second mechanical drive leading from the first to the third switch stretcher tiebar on these heavy, long switch rails. Fitted with switch heaters to maintain operation during periods of snow and icy weather.

 

The bullhead junction forming the loco release at Blunsdon station, Swindon - Cricklade Railway. This one is driven mechanically, and the dink plate covers the facing point lock mechanism - not needed for loco release purposes though the plan is to develop passenger working southwards over it in the future. The switches are certainly a B from the photograph; the crossing is probably an 8 though a closer inspection would be needed to confirm.

 

Most prototype switch stretcher first tiebars are longer than the track gauge, particularly on mechanically-worked switches, partly to provide a drive position for the switches that falls in the 6ft and partly to stop the switches rising up under the effects of passing traffic.

 

Soldering model switches to a movable copperclad sleeper is simple, however, owing to the rigidity of this component the assembly is prone to failure and cannot be recommended for layouts where reliability is paramount. Appearance leaves something to be desired.

 

One simple solution in 4mm involves the Millholme Models switch stretcher tiebar [MM] <usual disclaimer>. These tiebars have brass rivets that are a running fit in two holes in the fibreglass member that forms the tiebar. Solder the switches to a piece of wire bent to shape, and solder this wire into the centre of the rivet. When the switch blades move, the rivets rotate slightly within the tiebar and failure is unlikely. Correctly positioned, the underside of the switch rails and the underside of the stock rails can be held in register, and lifting of the switches becomes unlikely.

 

The MM solution is functional and reliable, though inelegant and unprototypical. A much better solution, that is both prototypical and reliable, is the AmBis version <usual disclaimer>, which gives an accurate, functional and reliable solution, that is likely to satisfy the most demanding exhibition layout owner. The tiebar, though soldered to the switches, flexes in the same way as the prototype; being a strip that is held vertically in cross-section, the strip bends slightly when the switches are moved, and the length of the stretcher is sufficient to ensure that no part of the assembly is overstressed to the point of failure. Reliability and prototypical appearance are thus assured.

 

A third solution involves the creating of under-baseboard turnout operating units [TOU], where the drive to each switch rail is carried through the baseboard so that the vertical position of the blades is held in register with some substantial sliding assembly on the underside of the board. While working reliably, the TOU in itself fails to address the required prototypical appearance on the upper side of the board, meaning that some form of switch stretcher tiebar is still needed. Adding an AmBis one above the board, however, renders the need for an under-board TOU superfluous.

 

As always, the modeller's choice in these matters prevails.

[Taz]

Regarding the Norman Solomon method which was mentioned earlier.

I have been slowly building some track to his methods:

 

http://www.rmweb.co....195#entry216195

 

Here are some photos of the tiebar lifted from that thread:

 

 

You use a copperclad tie bar as normal but thread two brass lace pins through it where the switch rails would normally be soldered.

The lace pins are then bent through 90 degrees and trimmed to length. The switch rails are then soldered to the brass pins like so:

 

[dajt]

Regarding the Norman Solomon method which was mentioned earlier.

I have been slowly building some track to his methods:

 

http://www.rmweb.co....195#entry216195

 

...

 

You use a copperclad tie bar as normal but thread two brass lace pins through it where the switch rails would normally be soldered.

The lace pins are then bent through 90 degrees and trimmed to length. The switch rails are then soldered to the brass pins like so:

 

I decided to try building a turnout the other day and did something similar to this. Rather than threading the pins up through the moving tie bar/sleeper I filed their heads flat and soldered these to the bottom of the switches, then bent the bottom of the pins over underneath the moving tie bar/sleeper. This results in an invisible attachment and also prevents the switch rails rising, while not flexing the soldered joint as much. But it probably isn't as strong as Norman's method - I was wondering how to make it stronger and might try his method next time.

 

Regards,

David Taylor.