N scale: Installing ground throws with Atlas turno

[Anonymous]

Jacob, you may have to cut a small piece of credit card, like a used up phone minutes card, and drill two holes to fit the pegs on your ground throw. Then drill a smaller hole just beyond the end of the ground throw bar, that is the same size as the slot in the turnout's bar. You can then insert a small flat headed nail up through the slot and through the hole in the credit card. Place a drop of glue on the nail above the credit card and let it harden. (You may have to wipe the glue around the nail shank with a tooth pic). Use diagonal wire cutter pliers to snip off the excess nail body above the glue dot. Of course you do not want any glue to go between the card and get into the slot. Then lay the turnout down on your layout where it will go, align it with the rails. Throw the turnout to one side or the other, then make sure you throw the ground throw the same way, then temporarily hold the ground throw in place, and test it. Operate the ground throw to see it it will shift the turnout's rail points far enough, or too far to work. If all works well, mount the ground throw in place, and repeat this process on all the others. If you wi***o discuss it before you try this and can attach a photo of the pegs beside the turnout slot and e-mail me, there may be other ways also. [[e-mail]] (Sometimes you can simply lay the parts on your scanner as if it were a photo, and scan directly. It works surprisingly well, try it before you go to the trouble of photographing it, might save you some film, see?)

[jhugart]

How do I connect the ground throw to the turnout? Here's the background:

I have six, N-scale Atlas turnouts that have had their original machines removed, so there's just the tab of the plastic which switches the points.

I acquired six of the spring-loaded Caboose Industries ground throws in N-scale.

There doesn't seem to be a sensible way to connect the bar from the ground throw mechanism to the turnout's bar. The turnout's bar has a groove perpendicular to the bar's motion. The ground throw's bar has two pegs pointing downward.

Should I be drilling holes in the turnout's bar? The pegs in the ground throw's bar seem larger than the width of the turnout's bar.

I could probably post pictures to my web site if it will clarify matters.

Jacob