ATLAS turnout BAD DESIGN?

[claycts]

read before you scream!!!
To power a frog on and ATLAS CODE 83 Custom line turnout YOU MUST purchase there ATLAS #66 Under table Conroller to GET THE BUS BAR and SCREW that allows you to power the frog.
If there is a way to actualy solder to the frog on a MARK III or Custom Line I am all ears. I have tried, resistance and normal with flux and NO GOOD.
Their SUPER SWITCH is the same design.
If I wanted to be a jewler and dril and tap for EYE GLASS size screws I would have been one.
The fact that you must power frogs in the age of DCC is a new one on me but so be it. Have 120 to do so HELP!!
Tried another deal of a brass screw with a not, Not what I want

[hminky]

The hole in the frog of the regular 83 will tap out to 2-56. The hole should be enlarge a bit to prevent the casting from splitting. Then put a 2-56 flathead brass screw in the hole and solder to that.

Just at thought
Harold

[rrinker]

I've tried that - drilling and tapping. No good, the casting breaks too easily. The existing hole is a tad too large for 1-80, and not big enough for 2-56. I tried drilling it out by hand, with a pin vise - and I'm steady enough to be able to drill out thin plastic frieght cars without busting the hole - and it still cracked when I followed with the tap. My guess is the hole is some odd metric size, and I don;t have much in the way of metric drills and taps.
It's enough to make me want to go back to the older versions, those you could soder to, but then I'd have to scrap the Code 83.

--Randy

[claycts]

Guys, the ATLAS #66 HAS a TAPPED bus bar that you put the SCREW from the top INTO the brass bus bar. This works, BUT then it is 9.90 PER turnout for a pice of brass and a screw that fits PLUS a tortise plus a hair. YOu are at $50.00 per trunout PLUS the turnout. Thta is a bit much with 125 of them to do.
Thinking of dumping all the Atlas and buying all Walthers 83 at least I have THAT FROG JUMPING.
I have 40 Atlas in house now with 60 more on order.

[davekelly]

If the hole is a little bit large for the 1-80, could you perhaps fill it with metal epoxy (forget what the stuff is really called) and then tap it out to 1-80, or is the putty stuff non conductive?

[claycts]

Randy, what about the 1-80 screw into a tapped brass strip? Screw from top into brass, solder wire to brass?
Would have to clean the hole in the frog for contact.

[Anonymous]

George,

I am not generally fond of Atlas turnouts. (Some guys swear by them, so I must be missing something). You are talking about a lot of modifications here. I realize that you now will have to figure a fix for this, given the number of switches you have ordered.

Perhaps the conductive epoxy you were talking about will work on the castings. I have used it before to glue feeders to nickel silver and it worked well. Very expensive, but no melted ties.....Look at an electronics store that sells parts for computer and electronics guys. Make sure it is still fresh ( I bought one package that had dried out). If it makes you feel better there are not too many dirt simple ways to power a dead frog that don't involve decent soldering skills and some risk of tie melting.


Quick rundown of my experiences:

In the process of building my new layout, I bought one or more of every brand of turnout that I could get my hands on inculding: Walthers/Shinohara, Atlas (all lines), Micro Engineering, Peco, Railway Engineering, Central Valley, Darr, BK Enterprises.

Didn't use the Atlas, Central Valley for various reasons. Won't use any more Peco Code 83.

Peco is the only Code 83 DCC friendly switch that has pre-soldered leads for powering the frog. While the switches look great and may be better than some brands, I am fairly disappointed in the quality of the point rails. They are thin and will roll over slightly when a large loco rolls through. IMHO not as high quality as their bullet proof code 100 line. Have lots of the code 100 turnouts on the layout in staging, one of the code 83 which may come out due to unreliability.

Micro Engineering has a metal bushing underneath the frog to solder a feeder.....Difficulty is about a 7 (scale 1-10). Tight space, hard to get a clean joint because you have to scrape away plastic to get at the bushing. Great looking smooth operating switches. Am using lots of these.

I have soldered to frogs on Walthers Shinohara from underneath....Difficulty 8. Tight space, no bushing to solder to. Pretty good looking, smooth operating switches. Have some of these on the layout.

Have soldered to the outside of frogs from Darr Models and Railway engineering spike down turnouts. Difficulty is a 4. Good looking, smooth operating switches. Have a few of these on the layout.

Hopefully you will find a good solution somewhere along the line for the Atlas. Remember, It is not too late to cancel the rest of the order if you don't like the Atlas There is no rule that says you have to use the same turnout brand throughout the layout.. You could even sell excess on Ebay or to guys on this list who like Atlas Switches and start over with something else.

[Anonymous]

Just an idea, solder a wire to a "hairpin clip" and then compress it, put it in the hole, and allow it to expand. If corrosion is a concern use a bit of that connector grease. Both the hairpin clip and grease are automotive parts. While I never done this fix to a frog, I have done it to stripped screw connectors on RC cars without problems. Fred
Picture of hairpin clip

[claycts]

QUOTE: Originally posted by flee307

Just an idea, solder a wire to a "hairpin clip" and then compress it, put it in the hole, and allow it to expand. If corrosion is a concern use a bit of that connector grease. Both the hairpin clip and grease are automotive parts. While I never done this fix to a frog, I have done it to stripped screw connectors on RC cars without problems. Fred
Picture of hairpin clip

I have tons of them in my shop for my other hobby. will check it out
Thank you

[rrinker]

Duplicating the Atlas method is probably the way - use a smaller screw, and thread it into something on the other side rather than thread it intot he hole int he frog. A small nut and screw with a ring terminal (one of those small solder type - not those monster crimp type) is probably the easiest. I might even be able to do that now, with the turnouts already installed. And the big benefit is even a ham-handed solderer can do this without melting anything - just solder the ring terminal to the feeder wire first, THEN bolt it together.

--Randy

[claycts]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrinker

Duplicating the Atlas method is probably the way - use a smaller screw, and thread it into something on the other side rather than thread it intot he hole int he frog. A small nut and screw with a ring terminal (one of those small solder type - not those monster crimp type) is probably the easiest. I might even be able to do that now, with the turnouts already installed. And the big benefit is even a ham-handed solderer can do this without melting anything - just solder the ring terminal to the feeder wire first, THEN bolt it together.

--Randy

Going to store in quest of all of this!!!
We will get this perfect with out FRYING ties!!![:D]