Thank you very much for your detailed reply. It gave me what I needed to go back and properly insert the machines onto the turnouts x18. I wish Atlas had provided a couple of diagrams along with their instructions to illustrate the alignment. Anyway, I got it now. Like riding a bike, I won't forget. Seriously, I really appreciate your taking the time to reply. Now I need to do a diode matrix and add capacitor discharge to provide route selection from one button each route and I am done with staging turnouts. These discussion groups are a real resource to an individual hobbiest. Cheers to you.
Thank you. I appreciate your response. I have checked and double checked that I have the correct units to mate. I will try your angle suggestion, but I am sure I tried it myself already. But I must be doing something wrong for it to be this hard.
It shouldn't take much force to get them into place. First make sure it's lined up correctly. The side of the turnout with the throwbar has two notches milled out of the ends of the ties. Those notches are where the tabs on the side of the switch machine go. Just line them up and gently wiggle the machine in. Try having the switch machine at a slight upwards angle as it first goes in, then flatten out once it starts going in.
This probably goes without saying but make sure you're using the correct machine for the turnout... left or right should be printed on the bottom of the machine. A left diverging turnout needs a left switch machine, and same for right. And the switch machine toggle switch has to be oriented upwards.
Does anyone have experience with this? I have followed the Atlas instruction, but it does not snap into place and now there are stress fractures on the tiny snap ears. I am afraid to break them. I have many to do and this is a real stopper to my progress.
Thank you