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DCC controlled turnout switches above ground

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  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Morristown, NJ
  • 808 posts
Posted by nealknows on Monday, August 3, 2020 7:41 AM

Steffen1601

Thanks for your suggestion. I already have PECO tracks and turnouts, so I was hoping to not to buy other brand's switches, but I may need to do that if there is nothing else around. Generally speaking, I noticed that a lot of accessories are soled out, signals, for example. I was looking for a 2-track cantilever bridge from Atlas and it seems nobody has those in stock.

 

PECO makes top mount switches for their turnouts. PL11 is the model # I use tham as well...

Neal

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Sunday, August 2, 2020 8:46 PM

 Servos aren't very difficult to rig up on the table top, they are inexpensive, and you can get controllers that accept DCC commands. No need to change turnouts. Peco actually has an above table mount for their motors as well, even though the usual method for them is to clip them on underneath the turnout.

                                 --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    July 2020
  • 28 posts
Posted by Steffen1601 on Sunday, August 2, 2020 8:38 PM

Thanks for your suggestion. I already have PECO tracks and turnouts, so I was hoping to not to buy other brand's switches, but I may need to do that if there is nothing else around. Generally speaking, I noticed that a lot of accessories are soled out, signals, for example. I was looking for a 2-track cantilever bridge from Atlas and it seems nobody has those in stock.

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Sunday, August 2, 2020 7:56 PM

Have you already decided on what turnouts you will be using?  Are these "throwaway" machines you don't plan to re-use after this experiment?

Atlas snap switches or customlines can be equipped with Atlas machines.  These are twin -coil machines so you will need that kind of DCC stationary decoder as well.  They are completely above the surface.

They certainly aren't as nice as slow motion machines, but they work fine.

Slow motion machine linkages can also be done above the surface, but they're a bit more work.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    July 2020
  • 28 posts
DCC controlled turnout switches above ground
Posted by Steffen1601 on Sunday, August 2, 2020 5:50 PM

Hi All,

i am planning to set up a simple little test layout with just a couple of switches on a simple board to test DCC, occupancy detection and computer based switchboard. do you have any recommendations what turnout switch machines I could use? Nothing fancy, but I want to control it using Digitrax and it has to be above ground, not under mount since it's only on a board. 

Thanks!!

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