I have a spot where a three way switch would be perfect. Can you use a tortoise on these and are they reliable. I will be able to reach it okay but not without walking 25’ around the layout so “opinions please”. Thanks.
Brent
Three Way turnouts can be as reliable as how good you install them. There are two sets of movable points, so you will need two Tortoise machines to throw them. I have seen both the Shinohara code 100 and Peco code 100 versions and they both operate fine.
Jim
I am currently building a single ended staging yard wlth the lead in anchord be a Peco 3 Way. I will have 4 storage tracks with the lead track and bypass track ending at a turntable. The width of the yard is 14 inches and the tracks are on 2 inch centers. All turnouts are Peco insulfrog selective and I can easily reach them so with the Peco spring loaded points all of them can be thrown by hand which makes them very reliable. I have been using Peco’s for many years now including HOe’s ( HOn30) on my narrow gauge. The cost of Peco turnouts is very high expensive but I consider reliable tackage to be a priority and IMO, Pecos are the best. This is my first 3 way and I have been doing a lot of testing. All of my results have been excellent with tests including a BWL AC-5’s, A Joe Works 0-4-0, a Bashed Tyco 4-8-0, A NWSL verticle boiler Shay, Spectrum 2-8-0, 3 truck Shay, 4-4-0, 4-6-0, Climax and a Rivorossi Heisler. Peter Smith, Memphis
I’ve got a pair of Peco 3-ways. I’ve powered both of them with Peco machines. They are solid and reliable.
The three way switches on my layout are powered by twin coil machines, but could have just as easily been powered by Tortoi if I had been willing to spend the extra 5 bucks per. They could also have been powered by my manual fishing line linkages if they weren’t located on removable sub-modules.
As for reliability, I haven’t had an iota of problem with any of them, even though they are non-standard designs (either two routes curved left and one straight, or all three routes left…) Of course, I built them up from raw rail on-site, so they are kink-free and perfectly in gauge.
A three way switch is simply two standard turnouts set atop one another. There are two separate throwbars, requiring two motors. If you lay your track plan out in schematic form, this becomes more obvious.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on flex track with hand-laid specialwork)
Keep in mind that the back to back frogs can be an issue with small footprinted locos.
David B
Addendum to my post above. Those hand-laid three-ways have hot frogs - no issue at all with the miniscule wheelbase of MU cars that only pick up from one short-wheelbase truck per rail.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I was going too install one one time on my layout but it would have to go in a place that was hard to get to and visually challenging to see the point positions. I could tell right away that it would be hard to get a visual on the switch position without a lot of practice determining the position of the toggle switches I would use to operate the turnout and could tell right away that i would probably go up the wrong track real easily. I opted to give it away to a fellow modeler and used 2 #4 turnouts in it’s place. On examination of the points it did look easy to install tortoise machines as long as the throw rod mechanisms on the tortoise were facing each other…chuck
Chuck, I think you “chickened out.” A 3-way turnout is no more complicated than two two turnouts with the addition of an extra frog or two.
I had originally planned three 3-ways in my plan, but I eliminated them because it wasn’t consistent with a rural setting (if one doesn’t count narrow gauge stub turnouts.) And the same for double-slip turnouts and double cross-overs as those aren’t rural residents either.
Mark