Basically I like the KISS principle. I like the idea of manual control for my turnouts where possible, particularly with Peco sprung turnouts.
I'm looking for as many ideas as possible for flexible 'cable control' of turnouts.
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
The staging level shelf (deck) is outlined in the black mark. It fits along the edge of the room and then projects out towards the center of the back wall via that unusual form (horn?). It all sits 8" under the main deck shelf that is represented by the larger brown paper form (with its aisle).
I'm hoping to rig up some 'fixtures' mounted on that strip of shelf just outside of the turnouts that will allow a cable type manual operation of the individual turnouts, ie, wire within a plastic tube that would come up to a small panel mounted of the front face of the main deck's edge at the front of the aisle.As you can see some of those turnouts get pretty far up under the main deck, particularly the very first ones the train reaches as it comes in from the helix area. And the turnouts that control the peninsula staging are rather un-accessable for finger-flicking. but a little wire-within-a-tube type cable could work well. I think model airplane guys use such items.
Anyone with ideas (links) to that subject matter??
https://ppw-aline.com/collections/flex-link
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
bullfrog turnout control
google search for turnout control
the club uses the following type of linkage with a toggle switch (which provide spring loading)
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
I think I remember that article, greg ...
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
I plan to use cable/sleeve system a lot on my layout especially anywhere there is a mounting issue. I flew model airplanes for years and never had an issue with cable control. R/C shops will also have a wide selection of bellcranks and other doodads to make hookup even easier.
I think the modern sleeve is made out of PVC. If you can find a supplier for that other than the R/C shop your cost will come down. Tubing and cable are something I would likely get direct from China and it would be dirt cheap. Bell cranks and other hardware could likely all be found from China. It is made there anyway so why not.
Last year I lost all my R/C planes when our crawlspace flooded. I was able to salvage a bunch of cable and hardware I had forgotten I even had, along with a ton of balsa and hardwoods including about three dozen lengths of dowel.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I saw a layout where the guy had a small shelf at the edge where he mounted standard Caboose Hobbies ground throws. He linked them to the throw rods with piano wire, and routed that through telescopic brass tubing--this all being a straight run--no curves. The tubing was mounted on the top of the layout, and was to be later covered with scenery. The ends of the piano wire were bent at 90 degrees for attachment.
The track was mounted on cork roadbed, so there was vertical room for the bent end under the throw rod.
Because the brass tube was (usually) sitting on top of the plywood, it was easy to support and to tie down.
Aside from being comparatively inexpensive, this system was also on the top of the layout, so it was easy to install. And adjust. Very simple, too.
Also, since the throws are "off the layout", there's less chance of ding-ing something "on the layout".
If I were to ever again do manual throw switches on a layout, I'd do it this way.
Ed
In R/C aircraft I was taught not to put piano wire through a metal tube as it could cause radio noise when moving and interfere with the signal from the ground. I don't know if it would affect a DCC signal or not, I am only smart enough to know to ask.
I would be interested in reading about this R/C problem.
The layout I observed was DCC and operated flawlessly.
And the music from the radio was also flawless, so I doubt there were any radio emissions.
7j43kI would be interested in reading about this R/C problem.
When I flew the radios were analog, I wonder if the issue no longer exists now everything is digital? Like I said I am only smart enough to know I need to ask.
railandsailflexible 'cable control' of turnouts.
don't overlook wooden dowels
gregcdon't overlook wooden dowels
I had several setups using dowels, knobs and slide switches. Very reliable.
IMG_1333 by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_1328 by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_1323 by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_1314 by Edmund, on Flickr
Good Luck, Ed
We would also use dowels with piano wire at each end in our planes, depending on how much room we had. We would put a ninety in the wire and into a hole drilled into the dowel, then wrapped the piano wire to the dowel with thread and cover the thread with 5 min epoxy When my planes came out of our flooded crawl space I purposely looked at how those connections stood up after fifty years and they were as good as the day I did them. Then it was off to the dumpster with them.
Have you considered choke cables from an auto parts dealer. Not sure how they compare pricewise.
Good luck,
Richard
That's what I was thinking, Richard, along with generic lawn mower throttle cables, found in hardware stores that sell misc. lawn mower parts, or an outdoor power parts dealer.
Mike.
My You Tube
Our Home Depot sell cable of many different gauges and sometimes (not always) they have PVC tubing the appropriate size. It is hit and miss. If $$$ are a concern, you are unlikely to do better than direct from China.
Here's the "choke cable" you want - RC airplane product called Gold-N-Rod. It's been around for years. Like anything that's been around a long time, you can find some disgruntled users, but most problems come from picking too small a size for the size and speed of the airplane.
http://sullivanproducts.com/product-category/Control-rods/
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
...from another forum by Michael
Old pressure gauges were connected with a 1/8" nylon tubing sold in auto parts stores by the roll. Just cut this to the length required. As for the wire... you can buy, like 18ga. silver, non insulated wire on a spool that is used around the shop for all kinds of stuff. It is not ridged at all, but it doesn't need to be because it will be inside the tubing. Get the tubing first and then find the wire to fit it.
Hump Yard Purveyance makes levers and cable assemblies.
You can get linkages from Circuitron as well.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
hon30critter Hi Brian, I just did a Google search for remote manual turnout control and got all sorts of ideas: https://ca.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=Model+railroad+remote+manual+turnout+control&fr=&type=rogers_pc_homerun_portal&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-rogers_001&hspart=rogers Dave
Hi Brian,
I just did a Google search for remote manual turnout control and got all sorts of ideas:
https://ca.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=Model+railroad+remote+manual+turnout+control&fr=&type=rogers_pc_homerun_portal&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-rogers_001&hspart=rogers
Dave
A gentleman from Canada sent me this internet search he performed from up there,...
Looks like he utilized Yahoo to do a search for "Model railroad remote manual turnout control"
Certainly turned out to be a much more 'productive search' for good sites than I get with a google search here in the USA?????
I have deleted a post that was a complete copy-and-paste from another website that's clearly marked as being copyrighted. Posting copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder is both illegal and against the rules of this Forum. Please do not post copyrighted material on this Forum again.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Sorry about that posting. I did not take notice of that.
Cheap Methods for Manual Turnout Control
So here is how they said to make reference to that discussion,...<a href="https://www.model-railroad-infoguy.com/manual-turnout-control.html">Manual Turnout Control For Model Railroad Layouts</a>
Is that correct? I did it as they instructed.
Or like this?
https://www.model-railroad-infoguy.com/manual-turnout-control.html
http://sullivanproducts.com/about/
A 36" (.032") Metal Cable Gold-N-Rod Push Rod System from Sullivan. Key Features Stranded stainless steel cables combine high strength with maximum flexibility Cables are plated for easy soldering to connectors Made to tight tolerances to insure smooth operation with minimum friction Excellent for throttle control - all control surfaces on small to medium size aircraft
Stranded stainless steel cables combine high strength with maximum flexibility. Cables are plated for easy soldering to connectors. Each brass plated Gold-N-Clevis is constructed of tempered steel with an interlocking collar, welded pin and an exclusive steel retaining clip to prevent accidental opening. Excellent for throttle control, all control surfaces on small to medium size aircraft, retracts and double cable installations. Good for medium duty control systems in cars, boats and helicopters Detailed installation instructions. Used to connect servo arms in the model to the model's control surfaces. Made to tight tolerances to insure smooth operation with minimum friction. Comes complete with Gold-N-Clevises and other installation hardware in standard thread sizes.
1 Pushcable 1 Pushrod Cover All Necessary Hardware
Length: 36" (914mm) Min. Radius: 1-1/2" (38mm) Cable Size: .032" (0.81mm) Color: Yellow Thread Size: 2-56
*******************************************************************
This is a Lightweight Pushrod by Sullivan. This is a Lightweight Pushrod by Sullivan. FEATURES: Semiflexible High Strength Music Wire Yellow Nylon Tube Designed for Gliders, Electric and 1/2A Models
Semiflexible High Strength Music Wire Yellow Nylon Tube Designed for Gliders, Electric and 1/2A Models
One 0.025" Wire One Yellow Nylon tube
Linages and Pliers
Length: 914mm (36") Wire Diameter: 0.635mm (0.025") Tube Diameter: 1.6mm (0.0625")
***************************
Another Sullivan description...
Sulivan Flexible Pushrods with Golden Clevis s are made from a Special Compound to Reduce Thermal Expansion. Features These Pushrods are Light, Strong, and Flexible. Inner Rod Spline construction reduces Friction and Binding. Gold-N-Rods are easy to Instal and Adjust and will last the Life of the Model. Gold-N-Rods are Non-Metallic and Fuel Proof Includes Two Red Sheaths Two Yellow Rods
I'm assuming the additional red sheath is for fuel proofing?
Bullfrog Control Rod Kit
Appears as though their source for the control rod is Sulivan's
https://www.handlaidtrack.com/bf-0017
Clickable link:
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
what linkage do you plan on using between the cable and throw bars?
can the push/pull cable/rod reach that linkage at any angle? if so, may be little need for anything flexible
Dave: I still have problems making the link text 'linkable'. Software on this forum just works opposite of intuition.
GregC: I'm hoping to just line up the wire/tube-within-a-tube with one end of the throwbar of the turnout, anchor that end of the cable in place, and have the inner wire/tube slide in and out,....all at 'ground level' rather than under the deck. Then use ground cover to camouflage the cable.The reason I am thinking of 'ground level' control is to avoid all that under deck apparatus that many of the different control shemes want to utilize,...but all that apparatus interferes with underdeck storage, and is suseptible to damage.If I am going to utilize such a cable system in my freight yard, then it likely needs to be flexible enough to snake thru a number of different tracks to reach those turnouts on-the-far-side.
Those turnouts in the peninsula area of staging will likely need some sort of 90 degree device such as a 'bellcrank' to operate those turnout throwbars via a cable running back to head of the aisle-way on the right hand side of the layout.
railandsailDave: I still have problems making the link text 'linkable'. Software on this forum just works opposite of intuition.
To make the link to a website outside of the forums work, all I do is highlight the link address that you posted and right click on it. Then click on the 'Go to...' option in the pop up box. That takes me to the website where I copy the address. Next, I start a new post and paste the address into the post. So far so good, but there is one little step that isn't obvious. After pasting you must hit the enter button to go to the next line down. Otherwise the link won't work.
If you are linking to a thread inside the forums, you must add ' [ url ] ' before the link and '[ /url ]' after the link. No spaces, no apostrophies.
I made the link to this thread clickable on your other thread too.
Brian, If you're going to use surface level tubes, it pretty much rules out the use of sheet cork for roadbed, and you'll need to use standard height roadbed everywhere.
I assume you'll have leave gaps in the roadbed so the tubes will slide under adjacent track, then cover the tubes with a fairly tall layer of ground cover.
- Douglas
railandsailThe reason I am thinking of 'ground level' control is to avoid all that under deck apparatus that many of the different control shemes want to utilize,...but all that apparatus interferes with underdeck storage, and is suseptible to damage.
the linkage in the diagram I posted earlier can be made just the thickness of the benchwork and would require no more than the thickness of a cable housing stapled to the underside of the benchwork or 1/16 wooden dowel with just a couple guides.
part of putting this stuff under the benchwork is to avoid all the above deck apparatus, allowing trackwork and control to be independently located.