Tortoise Technical Question/tips

[FJ and G]

Bought a 6-pak & thinking of making a 3-way turnout. Can tortoise be used and if so, how could it be set for 3 positions?

I don't have any other questions but if you have any tortoise tips and tricks, please give them out.

I know one fellow who used them to power a drawbridge and open and close doors in his locomotive shed, among other usages.

Thx in advance.

Dave Vergun

[jwmurrayjr]

Dave,

Here's some Tortoise info that came up a few days ago:

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17754

[FJ and G]

Thx JWM,

Read it and it doesn't anwer my question but does provide some interesting tips. WHich leads me to yet another question. The "edge connector" referred to in the post was, in fact, recommended by Tortoise in their instructions. My guess is the advantage of not having a wire break on the supplied tortoise terminal which is ridiculously small.

dav

[jwmurrayjr]

Dave,

Sorry, I don't have any experience with 3-way turnouts.

The mounting method mentioned by Ken (The MR article) seems like a good idea since the whole assembly can be removed for maintenance.

I like the edge-connector solution but I think that they are pretty pricey. Not sure about that and I guess "pricey" is a very relative term.

[:)]

[mondotrains]

Hi,
I've found a trick for mounting the Tortoise machines that I'd like to share. The instructions suggest drilling a 1/4" hole and then lining up the paper template that's provided with the machine and marking the spots for the screws to hold the machine in place. I believe I've come up with a better way.

I traced the paper template onto a piece of thin plastic (Evergreen .020 plastic available in hobby shops) so it would be more durable and "permanent". I then used a nail to punch a hole in the plastic where the 4 positions for the screw mountings are indicated. I also cut a 1/2" hole in the center of the template. I spoke with Steve at Circuitron, the manufacturer of the tortoise machines, and he suggested drilling a 1/2" hole in both the roadbed and the template. A 1/4" hole (as suggested in the directions) is too small.

It's very important that the tortoise be mounted so that the throw is equal in each direction. If you don't do this, the points of your turnout may still make contact with one side while the internal polarity of the tortoise is already "switched" to the other side, thus causing a small spark and thus a short. We don't want shorts.

What I do before I get under the layout is move the switch points of the turnouts such that they are in the very middle of the throw. In other words, the points are equidistant from each side of the turnout's stock rail. After I've assembled each tortoise and soldered feed wires to them, and while I'm still at my workbench, I hook up a power pack to the tortoise machines using alligator clips and move the throwbar of each tortoise until the "throw wire" is exactly vertical. It takes only a little practice to turn off the power on the power pack just in time to get the throw to the middle. Be sure to use the DC on the power pack and turn the throttle to a slow setting so you can adjust the throwbar easily. It it goes past the middle, simple throw the direction switch on your power pack to move the throwbar in the other direction. With a little practice, this step only takes a few seconds.

With the throw wires set vertically and the throwbars of your turnouts in the middle, get under the layout with your template, black marker, screws, screwdriver, and an awl (or any starter punch) to make starter holes for the screws. Take the template made of plastic and look up through the 1/2" hole in the middle and line up the center of the hole with the center of your turnout's throwbar. You will note sometimes that even though you thought your 1/2" hole in the benchwork was centered, it wasn't, and thus you need to move the template to the left or right to line it up. Use your black marker to mark the screw holes by simply touching the marker to the 4 holes in your template. Then punch 2 starter holes and use 2 screws to mount the tortoise. I've found that using one button head screw on each side of the tortoise works fine. Just be sure to mount them diagonally, in other words, in opposite corners. If you've mounted the tortoise correctly, the throwbar of your turnout should still be in the middle rather than thrown to either side.

It's a good idea to run an engine near the turnouts you've mounted and try throwing the turnouts in each direction several times while the engine is moving. If you get a short, it will shut down your engine. Try to see which side the short occurs on, in other words, which side of the turnout do the points seem to stay against too long (implying that the tortoise isn't mounted exaxtly in the center). Then, all you need to do is get back under the layout and move one screw a little (maybe a 1/4") to the opposite side. The reason I like using only 2 screws to mount the tortoise is that after some adjusting, if I can't get it right because the screw holes are messed up, I can start over using screws in the opposite corners of the tortoises.

I know this sounds complicated but believe me, after following the original instructions and having problems, this method proved great for the remaining 60 tortoises I installed. I got to the point that I could successfully install around 12 machines in an hour which is about 5 minutes each and best of all, I didn't get any shorts because they were lined up perfectly the first time. If you have questions, email me.

Mondo

[ClinchValleySD40]

I still say mounting a Tortoise directly to the benchwork is the hardest way to do it. First thing I do when I open a box is throw away the template - not necessary. When laying track, mark where the center of the throw bar is and drill the hole (yes, 1/2 works better). I also put a piece of masking tape over the hole then lay the track. I mount the Tortoise to a scarp piece of plywood (1/2 or 3/4 works well) with enough over hang for a couple of dry wall screws. Hold the Tortoise where you want it and drive the two drywall screws home. I can mount a dozen of them in less than an hour.

I don't use edge connectors. I use an eight place terminal strip for the wires soldered directly to the Tortoise. I leave the wire about 10" long or so and after mounting the Tortoise attach it somewhere convenient.

As an aside, unless you're only buying one or two, do not shop at Radio Shack - way too expensive. On line suppliers like Mouser are the place to shop. They are very quick and very inexpensive.

[jwmurrayjr]

Do you folks have any tips on mounting Tortoises under existing switches. I have 8 that I would rather not pull up if possible. Fortunately (I think) they are mounted on cork and 1/2" of blue foam on top of the plywood. Hopefully I can drill a hole in the plywood and then use a knife to gently remove the foam and cork beneath the throw bar.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

[Don Gibson]

I think you'll find that it takes 2 switch machines to operate a 3 way switch. Electrical wiring is far more complicated. Do you want a 3 throw (rotory) control? Power routing??

I have some Shinohara 3 ways. After ending up talking to myself, I wrote the importer on 'how to wire'. I'm glad I did.

[ClinchValleySD40]

Originally posted by jwmurrayjr

Do you folks have any tips on mounting Tortoises under existing switches. I have 8 that I would rather not pull up if possible. Fortunately (I think) they are mounted on cork and 1/2" of blue foam on top of the plywood. Hopefully I can drill a hole in the plywood and then use a knife to gently remove the foam and cork beneath the throw bar.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

I had one in the same situation, mine was on cork on 3/4" plywood. I drilled a small hole between the ties alongside the throwbar. This gave me a reference point under the layout. I used a RotoZip with the bit set just slightly less than the thickness. Work slow and carefully and cut the hole out. Worked pretty good.

Larry

http://www.youtube.com/user/ClinchValleySD40

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52481330@N05/

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/page/1/ppuser/8745/sl/c

 

 

 

 

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