I have recently acquired a box of HO odds and ends. In the box were a couple of Life-Like turnouts - new in the original packaging, and they look to be of recent vintage. I was looking them over the other day and I noticed what looks very much like a staple wedged in between the rails at 2 different places on each turnout. What's up with that? Is this some low-tech means of power distribution? I wish I had a picture as this is difficult to explain. Is anybody willing to fess up to owning a set of these and solving the mystery for me? I don't have a use for them right now, but I may use them later as I get desperate (no need to flame LL turnouts at this juncture - I'm aware of their reputation). I am inclined to pop the "staple" out if and when I decide to use the - any reason not to?
Thanks
Richard
RG:
I'm not sure about staples, but my LL switches have flat metal pieces connecting stock rails and closure rails (rails from frog to point). These power the closure rails and, I think, the point as well. Removing these metal pieces has been done, as in THE HO RAILROAD THAT GROWS, to convert the switch to selective routing. Of course, in doing this you depend on the contact between point and stock rail to conduct power, unless you add contacts.
I'd just leave the metal pieces in.
Autobus Prime wrote: RG:I'm not sure about staples, but my LL switches have flat metal pieces connecting stock rails and closure rails (rails from frog to point). These power the closure rails and, I think, the point as well. Removing these metal pieces has been done, as in THE HO RAILROAD THAT GROWS, to convert the switch to selective routing. Of course, in doing this you depend on the contact between point and stock rail to conduct power, unless you add contacts.I'd just leave the metal pieces in.
Thanks for responding. I assume they are there for a reason, so I'll leave them intact. They just look like such an afterthought - literally like somebody dropped a staple between the rails (the "staple" looks just like anoy other that lands on your desk - horizontal orientation) Perhaps this has something ot do with LL's poor reputation.
I think fleischmann has the most descriptive picture so i took the liberty of linking it.
However on the comment about DCC i guess this messes DCC up somewhat since power is disrupted on one track as part of the "thinking" feature. Plain DC layouts could benefit from having them removed but you have to think before you do it and on which turnout its useful to remove them. Also track feeder has to be on the "outside" of the turnout to be able to have the turnout perform this "thinking" feature.
One example would be a multi-tracked dead end station with the help of the "thinking" turnout feature you could efficiently manage what track that would be powered, thus saving lots of wiring and removing the need for switches for track power etc.
Greetings Hans from Sweden