Richard
Yes you can use Tortoise motors on a N 3 way Peco switch, just because I do it for me on my Maclau River in Nscale.
They need to be faced each one and the best way to accomplish it is to put the switch temporarely in is future place, mark the place where the action wire need to be to move the trowbar and the axe of the trowbar.
Remove the turnout and drill the two small holes in the roabed.
Check again the holes whith the turnout in his place.
If you have the tortoise motor on hand, put the motor and the action wire in the drilled hole; I mean put the motor above the roadbed not under and trace the place of the fixing screws on the roadbed. You do the same whith the secondmotor and check clearance
Take of the motor and drill the screws holes (two in a cross arrangement are enough) trough the roadbed from above.
Place the turnout in his place definitively and go under the roadbed, put the action wire trough the trowbar and fix the Tortoise whith the already drilled holes.
Good luck
richhotrain I just happen to have two spare Tortoises with the piano wire already installed through the fulcrums. Placing them on the work bench facing each other, the two piano wires are 5/16" apart. So, now the question is, how far apart are the centers of the two throwbars on an N scale 3-way turnout. Rich
I just happen to have two spare Tortoises with the piano wire already installed through the fulcrums. Placing them on the work bench facing each other, the two piano wires are 5/16" apart. So, now the question is, how far apart are the centers of the two throwbars on an N scale 3-way turnout.
Rich
And the answer is about 1.25" according to the template. It should work...
Alton Junction
On the RTM, I thought it was a good buy. My difficulty was in getting the part near the throwbar installed in between two levels so it was hard to drill holes, screw screws in between levels. An example of poor planning (installing a turnout without looking underneath first re: Tortoise locations). If you have clear access below they are not hard to install and adjust.
Having said that, I would lean towards just putting the two Tortoises under the throwbars as I believe they will readily fit if installed with the fulcrums facing each other. Simpler, faster, cheaper. Once you get into the Tortoise install routine with standard turnouts, it's a reasonably straightforward process to install them.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
cacole . . .It would probably be easier to place the Tortoise motors away from the turnout with one on either side, and use the Remote Tortoise Mount (RTM) shown on their web site. . .
. . .It would probably be easier to place the Tortoise motors away from the turnout with one on either side, and use the Remote Tortoise Mount (RTM) shown on their web site. . .
A bit of a thread jack, but it is my thread so I hopefully I can take the liberty. I saw the RTM, but being relatively new to the hobby, have not had the need get. I have heard that the Tortoise are bullet-proof; what experience do others have with the remote mounts?
LION is master of Tortoises... Tortoise is very forgiving and can be mounted anywhere.
HERE is website of LION and TORTOISE. Several ideas for remote mounting of Tortoise. I *know* you can make something work.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
I've done it in HO but you got me curious. You can access a pdf of the Peco N code 55 here and it looks like about 1-1/8" or so between the two throwbars. I don't see a code 80 listed (on another Peco page).
http://www.peco-uk.com/page.asp?id=tempc55
I looked under my table at my Tortoises and it appears that they can be put quite close together if turned so the fulcrums/throw wires face each other. I'd say the extension past the throw wire (throwbar centerline) is less than 1/4" so you likely could place two fulcrum sides facing each other at about 1" or so, unless I'm missing something.
If worse comes to worse, one can be thrown with the Tortoise remote mount device, which costs maybe $15 but I used one elsewhere (where insufficient room for a Tortoise because a track was beneath it) rather than electing to handmake such a scheme.
I don't do N-scale but we have a couple of the Peco 3-way turnouts on our HO scale club layout.
Knowing how close the throwbars are on an HO turnout, I seriously doubt that two Tortoise motors can be placed face to face for an N-scale turnout because of the distance that the fulcrum sticks out from the front of the machine and the closeness of the throwbars on the turnout.
You may be able to get by with a Z-shaped bend in the Tortoise activating wires so they can be placed further away from the turnout throwbar, and you're probably going to have to fabricate your own activation wire instead of using the one that comes with the Tortoise, but keeping such a wire from twisting in the Tortoise will be very difficult.
It would probably be easier to place the Tortoise motors away from the turnout with one on either side, and use the Remote Tortoise Mount (RTM) shown on their web site.
http://www.circuitron.com/index_files/Tortoise.htm
A couple of comments and observations about Tortoises from a guy who has a lot of them.
They are highly reliable, most now over 10 years old, and never a failure.
Once installed, I have never had to remove any except to relocate them elsewhere on the layout as I redesigned portions of my layout.
richhotrain RideOnRoad richhotrain First off, I have no experience with Tortoises on N scale turnouts, just HO scale turnouts. But I can tell you this. The operating wire is on the front end of the Tortoise, so on a 3-way you set it up so that the Tortoises face each other. At least in HO scale, there would be plenty of room. I suspect that the same would be true for N scale turnouts. Rich That's what I figured, but I wonder if there would be enough room to get in between the motors if necessary. Rich
RideOnRoad richhotrain First off, I have no experience with Tortoises on N scale turnouts, just HO scale turnouts. But I can tell you this. The operating wire is on the front end of the Tortoise, so on a 3-way you set it up so that the Tortoises face each other. At least in HO scale, there would be plenty of room. I suspect that the same would be true for N scale turnouts. Rich That's what I figured, but I wonder if there would be enough room to get in between the motors if necessary.
richhotrain First off, I have no experience with Tortoises on N scale turnouts, just HO scale turnouts. But I can tell you this. The operating wire is on the front end of the Tortoise, so on a 3-way you set it up so that the Tortoises face each other. At least in HO scale, there would be plenty of room. I suspect that the same would be true for N scale turnouts. Rich
First off, I have no experience with Tortoises on N scale turnouts, just HO scale turnouts.
But I can tell you this. The operating wire is on the front end of the Tortoise, so on a 3-way you set it up so that the Tortoises face each other. At least in HO scale, there would be plenty of room. I suspect that the same would be true for N scale turnouts.
That's what I figured, but I wonder if there would be enough room to get in between the motors if necessary.
Not sure, really. Mostly the anxiety of a noobie.
(Btw, it is really tough to edit out all of the blank line of a quoted post.)
You could always devise a horizontal mount and make a special piano wire that goes to each of the points, you will probably be able to fit them. That having been said, 3-ways are complicated beasts, even though they appear very simple. Make sure you provide order of operations instructions for yourself and your operators (operate this switch first, then this one).
Does anyone have experience using Tortoise Switch Motors with an N-Scale Peco 3-Way Turnout? The real question is there enough room for both motors directly under the turnout?