Has anyone seen these or used them,How well do they perform? Im thinking of buying several,can you tell me the pros and cons...
I've used a couple of the ones designed for N scale code 55. They're okay with a little tweaking. What I do is add a plastic fulcrom to make the throw more firm, and it also increases the "margin of error" for placement.
For a couple more bucks you can get a Tortoise, which I can recommend highly as being superior to and more reliable than the Atlas machine.
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
Them Atlas switch machines, I tried using the code 83 machines, well some guys love'em and some guys hate'em. I'm one that don't like'em, to me they were temperamental, sometimes they work, sometimes not. I quit, bought a dozen tortoise, took awhile to do the first one, piece of cake after that, especially when I operated my first one, it was like I died and went to heaven. I have 48 of them tortoise installed and smile every time I think of the frustrations I had with Atlas!
I gave up on Atlas switch machines, altogether. That thousand megaton <CLACK> don't do the Atlas rivets much good after a few hundred uses. I second the Tortoise motion.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Hi!
I used 7 on my recently demo'd HO layout (code 100 Atlas trackage) and they worked perfectly for the 14 year duration of the layout.
Installing them under the layout (or anything else for that matter) can be a bear if you can't get to the area easily. But, once you align them and secure to the plywood, they are outstanding. I used them on the lower level staging/storage tracks and in a tunnel area where I could not get to an above layout machine if repairs were ever needed.
One pointer....once they are installed and you are happy with them, secure the wires really well so an accidental tug on them won't attempt to pull the machine out of alignment.
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
These units have a 1-inch throwbar. They are designed to be mounted on 3/4 inch plywood with a 1/4 inch roadbed. If your layout, like mine, uses 2-inch foam as a base, they will not work out of the box. Some people have reported trying to extend the throwbar, but I don't recall anyone saying it worked very well.
If you are using Atlas above-table machines now, and you occasionally like to throw the turnouts manually, you will have to reach under the layout to do it. Other than that, you will have to throw the turnouts electrically. Of course, Tortoise machines are the same way.
These machines will not work with Peco turnouts unless you remove the springs. They don't have enough force to flip the Peco against the spring tension.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
tortise switch machines are good. take some time to get them lined up perfect. the extra contacts are a nice feature.
check out the switch master for turnout control. easier to install than the tortise, same basic operating principals, but lacks the DPDT contact (can be added if needed). generous with the fine tuning adjustments.
http://www.builders-in-scale.com/bis/sm-home.html
I take it then that the throw bar on neither the Atlas nor the Tortoise machines can be extended. I use the 2" foam base also.
the tortise comes with a piece of music wire long enough for a 1" base. thicker and longer wire can be used for a deeper base for minimal cost.
I had them on my last layout and by the time you get them aligned, you'll be old enough to be a "Tortoise",thus the reason i'm installing the slow walking shelled creature machines on my new layout.
Rix are another one to consider. You can find them for $8-$9/each and they have contacts for powering your frogs.