Sometime ago I purchased a small number of these brass turnout links. I did not know what I really had until recently while doing an google image search I ran into a few links on ebay that were selling some. These are very nicely made, and look more versatile than I first imagined.
Does anyone on this forum have some history of these items, and/or personal experiences with them??
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
They look like this,..
Search back issues of MR, they've been around for a long time. A bit bulky by today's standards though - you can accomplish the same sort of thing by bending piano wire and running it with a Tortoise or servo. The nice thing about using a servo is it already imparts the twisting needed to swing the above the table part side to side.
A little explanation. That piece of wire in the center of the turnout going to the throwbar, is basically bent in a J shape, with a small hook on the end to go into the hole in the middle of the throwbar. It goes throught he layout in a hole I stuck a piece of brass tubing in. It's the same sort of hole you've have under the throwbar for a regular Tortoise or servo connection, just smaller. It connects to the servo under the layout exactly the same way a 'conventional' installation connects - there is no additional linkage. As the servo swing side to side, the wire doesn;t move much because it's a small hole, lined with the tube. But int he process of swinging side to side, it also twists. That twist is amplified by the lever arm going down to the throwbar, swinging it side to side.
I could have made the above layout part a lot shorter - I needed to clear a crossbrace under that turnout. It's still easier to hook them up for the usual "tick tock" motion, which is how every other one was set up, just this one turnout had the bad luck to be right over a crossmember of my standard section, leaving no room even for the tiny servo.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
members of the club make their own linkage with a bent piece of piano wire soldered into a brass tube and a lower arm held on with a set screw
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Wow, this one really takes me back. I tried one on my previous layout and it worked well but the top piece between the point rails was kind of big. A little black paint made this blend in. Frankly, I continued to use piano wire for the rest of my switch machines.
I have 21 of these installed on my O gauge layout. They are connecting Gargraves turnouts to "Gandy Dancer" pneumatic switch motors mounted under the layout. Entire layout(@350') is Gargraves track nailed to 1/2 plywood. Air pressure supplied by intermediate 10 gallon tank filtered/regulated to 45 psi for operation. Compressed air is piped into train room. These have been in service for 25+ years . Installation as I recall was pretty straight forward following instructions included. No issues to date.
If I recall right, the Eschelman turnout linkages were originally made by Arvid Anderson who was a sort of "basement manufacturer" of the 1960s - there were many such back then, guys who had some good ideas and went into production and had some success back when 1) advertising was cheaper than it is now in MR and RMC and 2) MR would review and thus publicize products that were not just big ticket items, rolling stock and such, but would also review a new detail part or a small tool. Arvid Anderson had a few products, inclhuding some in O.
This older thread suggests I have my chronology wrong: that Arvid Anderson acquired the tooling from Earl Eschelman.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/85942.aspx
In any event if you want more of these, try searching under for Arvid Anderson turnout linkages in addition to Eschelman's name.
It may be that what Arvid Anderson or Eschelman made was actually just following an older MR article that I cannot seem to find. It would seem fairly easy to make your own particularly if you had a bit of skill as a solderer.
At some point someone on the MR staff had the idea of bending a paper clip in a particular way to in essence make every turnout a sprung turnout the way Pecos' turnouts are.
Dave Nelson
dknelsonAt some point someone on the MR staff had the idea of bending a paper clip in a particular way to in essence make every turnout a sprung turnout the way Pecos' turnouts are.
I would post more info here that I've collected, but the extra work involved with photo posting just doesn't compute.
Is anyone familar with Windsor fixtures,...very similar to the ones under discussion, but different. i was sent a photo by a gentleman who has used them.
I was also sent a copy of a older RMC article about a modification to the Eschelman ones under discussion.
A friend, Dick McEvoy wrote an article in RMC August 1996 on how to make one very similar to them. His mechanism was used with a Tortoise motor but I have used the mechanism for hand-thrown switches and even used them to trip micro switches for powering frogs and position detection. Dick passed a few years ago but I have permission to reprint his article . I have attached it to this email for your use if you want . I have literally used it to throw 2 and 4 switch crossovers at one time. The advantage is that using the square brass rod, you can customize the length and even the torque, depending on the length of the arm. Brass tube and rod is very cheap and you can make a lot of them for a few bucks. The adjustable linkage is pretty stout and is easy to make.
gregc members of the club make their own linkage with a bent piece of piano wire soldered into a brass tube and a lower arm held on with a set screw
I'm confused by that photo. Are their 2 vertical shafts connected to the square bar of brass? And exactly what is that set screw set againts??
railandsailI'm confused by that photo. Are their 2 vertical shafts connected to the square bar of brass? And exactly what is that set screw set againts??
the photo would be better at a different angle
the wire from the tortise is connected to the near side of an aluminum bar (1/4x1/4x1.5") that is parrallel to the benchwork.
a brass tube coming down from above the track goes thru the far side of the bar, held in place with a set screw.
a "J" shaped piece of piano wire is soldered into the top of the brass tube above the benchwork similar to the image below.
unlike the image below, which appears to have a 2nd piece of piano wire soldered into the bottom of the brass tube, the angle the aluminum bar is attached to the brass tube is adjustable. the tortoise machine can be connected to multiple turnout linkages when appropriately aligned
the detachable bar also allows the bar to be detached so that the brass tube can be pulled out. a common problem is the end of the "J" wire going into the throw bar can be too long and catches on whatever is underneath the throw bar. it needs to be filed shorter
there's nothing holding the brass linkage down except gravity and perhaps the angle of the wire from the tortoise.
someone cuts, bends and assembles the brass tube J linkages on a bench. someone in the club machines the aluminum bars, a hole for the brass tube and a threaded holes for 2 set screws or simple a hole for the wire from the tortoise