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Turnout control methods?

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  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 9:44 AM

 There are even commercial versions of that method now - that's really all the Bluepoint and the Bullfrog are, slide switches with one rod that comes back to the fascia for control and a piano wire that goes up to the throwbar of the turnout. Certainly effective, you have contacts for frog power or whatever, and it's cheap. Only real downside is in a crowded area you will have an awful lot of knobs and it could get confusing what knob controls what turnout, but out on the main it's very obvious. And with things that pull out, in the aisle - there's a compromise on aisle space, plus easy to bump one back in.

 I've seen another that uses a regular household light switch - those are certainly cheap enough. But rather large. Even before the slide switch method, there were choke cable controls - no contacts with those, and then also just where do you get such obsolete items, as even most lawn mowers these days no longer have a throttle on the handle, let alone a manual choke that is remotely controlled.

                                    --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
    August 2006
  • 1,519 posts
Posted by trainnut1250 on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 12:18 PM

rrinker

 

 You can get the complete setup, with the servo, already in a mount that installs like a Tortoise, with a switch for frog polarity, and the control circuit with both pushbuttons for local operation and a DCC decoder built in, for the cost of a bare Tortoise.

                                      --Randy

 

 

 

Randy,

 

Curious - Do you have a link?

 

Guy

see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • 1,950 posts
Posted by NVSRR on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 2:39 PM

The caboose ground throws have a relatively new version that has a frog contacting system.    You can always make a contact system for the frog too.     Did you look at hump yard purveyance and thier armstrong levers  using cables and links?  Easy to add in a way to make a frog contact

 

Wolfie

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 4:47 PM

trainnut1250

 

 
rrinker

 

 You can get the complete setup, with the servo, already in a mount that installs like a Tortoise, with a switch for frog polarity, and the control circuit with both pushbuttons for local operation and a DCC decoder built in, for the cost of a bare Tortoise.

                                      --Randy

 

 

 

 

 

Randy,

 

Curious - Do you have a link?

 

Guy

 

 The stuff I used before all came from Tam Valley Depot

http://tamvalleydepot.com/home.html

There are others. I haven't looked recently but it appears some of the prices have gone up. But the Micro Singlet II in 6 unit quantities couple with less than $2 each servos in 6 unit quantits comes out to like $15. The 'kit' version saves more, but don;t be scared by 'kit' - you solder on 2 LEDs and 2 pushbuttons! 

                                 --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 2006
  • From: North Dakota
  • 9,592 posts
Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, October 31, 2017 10:08 AM

LIONS like not electronic things on little pc boards. Him knows not what they do.

Him likes relays that snap with a click and him can see what they are doing.

Here is turnout control of LION and its associated relay room. Relays also manage block signals. (Home signals are of course operated directly by the levers.)

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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