switches

[Rick Bradley]

I have recently aquired from ebay about 25 of these no 6 switches. are these assembled on the layout or before. I know these are obsolete but i get what i can with my limited budget and i am not afraid of some work, helps me apreciate what i have. So with that being said, can anyone who has dealt with these steer me around the shortcomings of these switches.Is there any modifications to the frogs that need doing or are they pretty much "plug and play"

[loathar]

Interesting. They almost look like CVMW switch kits. I've built a few of these. I built them on my work bench useing CA and then spiked them down to my layout.

[Rick Bradley]

So they are ok to use, i had the ebay bug and saw no 6 so i had to have them, s o build them and the trains will run?

[loathar]

Make sure you keep the rails in gauge. It looks like the kit comes with a gauge tool. It looks like the rails are brass. NOT the best conductor, but if it's all you can afford,oh well? Just take your time. They're not hard, but they're not the easiest thing either.
Do the ties have molded spike plates in them? Some thing that would keep your spaceing correct?

[Budliner]

I never did a kit like this, heck I have not even powered my 8 - 10 switches yet
its been 3 years ... soon though
these look like a cool project

have fun

[nedthomas]

Are the ties plastic or fiber (pressed cardboard like material)? If fiber they will warp if they get wet as in applying ballast. If the rail is brass enough has been said about that in the past.

[Anonymous]

If the ties are fibre and not up to standard you could get printed circuit board ties to replace them (e mail me for supplier... cos I don't recall their name off hand).
Are there instructions with the parts... if not tell us here and we will either tll you how or point you to previous threads.

The important thing about hand laying track is to go steady, use your gauges and check and re-check as you go. (It's much easier to correct one error and maybe a subsequent out-of-true than a cumultative string of errors). provided you do this hand laying track isn't particularly difficult. Working on the bench is usually more comfortable.

If you need to solder (and don't know it already) start with the right heat (you'll find that by practice)... practice a bit first. then make sure everything is clean.

Have fun.

[Rick Bradley]

Yes they are fibre board and they have a track gauge. Could i put wooden ties down instead? I was worried about the frog does it need to be insulted somehow, wouldn't i short out crossing it? and i thought that brass is a better conducter than nickel silver.

[Don Gibson]

LOOKS LIKE old Atlas kits with metal frogs. If so, they are spiked down to fibre ties.

1. they're brass (OK)
2. they're 'Power Routing' design (not for DCC)
3. you spike them in place.

Since you are spiking them in perfect guage, they will produce less derailment's than conventional Atlas' mass produced one's. IE: better.

The only downside is if you run DCC they would require modification - as would any 'power routing' type, such as Shinohara.

[Anonymous]

You can get wood ties from Walthers... [:I][:-^]

[Rick Bradley]

would this switch be alright with code 100? and what about painting the fibre board to keep it from warping?

[Anonymous]

If the're old, I would be reasonably sure the're code 100. I not sure when Code 83 started being used tho'.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rick Bradley

would this switch be alright with code 100? and what about painting the fibre board to keep it from warping?

So long as all the rail in a switch is the same code there is no problem. You can have a different code immediately next to the switch on any route or all routes so long as you either insert conversion lengths of track (Walthers et-al sell short converter lengths) OR pack up the shorter rail so that rail head is constant throughout.

A complication is that code 100 track may have thinner ties than code 83 track...so you have to do some practical checking

You DO NOT want to mix rail sizes on the same tie.

The two things you must have are correct gauge and constant rail head height.

As far as preserving fibre ties you might be better looking at a thinned varni***hat can soak into the fibre and harden. The problem with any fibre is usually delamination. The only cure for that is to reinforce the bond between the fibres before they seperate. A suitable varnish MIGHT do this. You would have to run tests... unless someone here knows the answer.

Hope this helps

[:p]

[loathar]

Hi again Rick! My best advise for you is to take 1 or 2 of these switches and set up a diarama on a peice of scrap wood. (you can always scenic it later IF it works out.). Use some CHEAP flex track for the staight aways. Run your trains back and forth for a while to see if your happy with it. I did this with the CVMW.com stuff before I started my layout.
I decided that I would go with the Atlas NS code 83 because it was less work.
Just my [2c]. Cheaper is NOT always better, but we ALL have a budget to live by.....

[Rick Bradley]

Thank you for all you tips and advice, and i have enough switches to try all your suggestions Thanks again

[Don Gibson]

Stuinstra and David are right.

These were code 100 with fibre ties - which allow gauging. Only caveat might be water when ballasting with white glue. Ballasting, is better with a mild form of rubber cement such as MATTE MEDIUM. Less is more! Rock Ballast can get in the way of moving switchpoints - as many modelers have found out.

The are Power Routing switches, which means 1. you power from the points. 2. use insulated rail joiners on the inner (frog) rails. These have powered frogs - unlike DCC types.

[Rick Bradley]

were do i put the insulators- on the smaller part or the longer part of the frog?

[Rick Bradley]

The are Power Routing switches, which means 1. you power from the points. 2. use insulated rail joiners on the inner (frog) rails. These have powered frogs - unlike DCC types. -Don Gibson

were is it that i put the insulators, on the small track side or the longer track side of the frog, have the day off so i want to try and build one today

[Anonymous]

Rick, take a look at this link and see if it helps http://www.wiringfordcc.com/switches.htm#pwr_rt

[Rick Bradley]

Thankyou gsetter that has gone to my favorites to be read several times later, the whole site looks to be a newbie's wet "electrical how to" dream[:D]

[Anonymous]

Rick, I also recommend having Joe Fugate's web site on your favorites also. In another thread, he posted a link to his video that better explains using automotive tail light bulbs to short proof the layout.
Here's the link for the video http://mymemoirs.net/preview.php