Fixed voltage 027 track switches

[Anonymous]

My husband is doing the change over for the fixed voltage on 027 track switches and he is following the directions that Ray L. Plummer had put in the Feb. issue of Classic toy trains on page 61.what he did was drill out the pivits on F-Gand H, and along with the casting stud rivit as directions showed on the page,the question is how do you reconnect the frog point once the rivit has been drilled out,Please help us
Thank You
Celeste
you may contact me at my e-mail at [e-mail]

[lionelsoni]

I drill and tap the frog all the way through, then put in a flathead screw from the bottom.

[waltrapp]

Bob,

When I saw that article in CTT I REALLY regretted sending 'our' article to the other mag! Look how many threads there's been recently on O27 switches.

I doubt that the 'other' mag will publish it now so as to not look like a copy-cat.

- walt

[wrmcclellan]

There is a rather serious omission in the Feb article in that it ignores the frog rivet!

HEY - GET IT - FROG RIVET [:D]

[lionelsoni]

I have read the CTT article now and have found several problems with it:

The text says, "you need only to unsolder the leads from the center-rail connection and attach it to an appropriate fixed-voltage post on any transformer than is connected in phase (it shares the same "ground" or return wire) with your track-power transformer." Being in phase and sharing a return are two different things. The former is unnecessary and the latter is all that matters.

In fact, the concept of being in phase does not even exist if you power your switches from DC. But why would you do that? Because, with AC power always on, as it will be after you modify the switch according to the article, it is very easy to ruin a switch by parking a train on one of the anti-derailing control rails and activating the solenoid continuously. The one thing that might save the switch is the annoying buzz that it will make, if you can hear it above the other sounds of your trains. This is not a problem with 022 and K-Line switches because they disconnect the solenoid as they throw the switch.

The advantage of DC is that the energy to throw the switch can be stored in an electrolytic capacitor. It throws the switch and then is gone. The capacitor is recharged over several seconds through a series resistor. I recommend a 35-volt 5000-microfarad capacitor and a 10-watt 100-ohm resistor. The small amount of DC power needed can be gotten with a 1N4001 diode and another 5000-microfarad capacitor from an AC accessory voltage, or even from the track voltage, since the capacitors will store the charge for many hours.

The article did not describe replacing rivet "A". A 2-56 screw works perfectly here, with a 3/16-inch nut on top fitting into the channel in the plastic top. The screw must be short enough not to protrude above the nut, to avoid fouling the switch-throwing lever.

As has been observed, there are no instructions for replacing the frog. As I said, I drill and tap it, for a 6-32 flathead screw. The end of the screw is flush or almost flush with the top of the frog. I have had trouble with a post that retained too much of the metal on the riveted end. When I put the screw in, it lifted the frog above the other rails. The fix is obviously to file a little off the end of the post.

I do not replace the larger rivets, which are useful for mounting the switch on the layout. Lionel has over the years omitted various of these in fact.

The bottom of the ground terminal is not always threaded. It may also be riveted, in which case you may have to replace it with a screw. Unfortunately, Lionel used several unusual threads for their terminals, like 4-48 for older switches and a similarly odd metric thread on newer ones. So you probably won't be able to put the knurled nut back on.

Finally, it is sometimes possible to fish enough of the solenoid wires out through the holes in the plastic top that you don't have to open the switch up at all. After you identify the two common wires, just cut them off as close to the hole as you can and resolder them to the "new wire". Remember that they are enameled magnet wire and that you must scrape that insulation off before you can solder them.

[waltrapp]

The solution that I used to wire it for external power didn't disturb the frog. I cut an opening in the bottom, snipped the power wire going to the coils, and then pulled it up thru the top. This gave me a little extra wiggle room to work with in regards to the wire.

- walt