Atlas Screws

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi all,

I recently purchased a dozen or so atlas control buttons for remote snap switches but they didn’t come with any screws. What is the size of these screws and where can I order a small bag of them??

Thanks in advance

2

There should have been 2 types of screws included with the switch control buttons. Atlas usually supplies brass wood screws for mounting the control button to a panel. They also supply a brass screw for connecting your wires to the control button and connecting the buttons together in a strip.

The wood screw possibly could be gotten from a local hardware store, a number 6, 1/2 inch long screw might work.

The other screw will be a bit harder to find. Some ideas you might try. Take a control button to a hobby shop and see if they carry the screws. Or check their model airplane dept. they might have miscellaneous screws and something there might work. Check around at local swap meets.

If nothing turns up, Call Atlas and let them know what you need. You will need 5 screws for each control button, plus wood screws if you can’t find any at a hardware store.

3

I would take a guess and say that a number 6 wood screw will be just a bit to big for the mounting holes. Maybe a #4 wood screw there. The other screws are a machine screw but I am not sure exactly what size and thread profile they used. Maybe something from a computer would be close? I have some screws here that came with the snap switches I just bought. I’ll see what I can figure out from those.

4

Ok, as expected the #6 wood screw will not even begin to fit the mounting holes on the switch controls. The machine screws are a #3-48 screw and are available from Atlas, here.

I did find some computer screws that would start in the threaded holes but they were obviously not the correct thread and they were too long so they would bottom out before the wire was snug.

edit: These screws are also available from a number of other sources. Google 3-48 screw to get results. Here is one of the top ones I found.

3-48 screw

5

Ye cats! It sure looks like Atlas is going to charge $1.50 EACH for those screws. I’d think 25 or 50 for $1.50 would be more like it.

BTW, those computer screws are most likely METRIC thread, which is totally unlike American standard diameters and threads per inch…

6

Yes. The second link I posted offers 25 for $1.35

7

Yeah, I tried computer screws. I used to do computer work and building them and stuff like that and I have a whole tupperware bowl full of screws and I thought for sure I’d have at least a few in there that would fit but all I had in the right size were fine threaded ones and they didn’t work. I’m still searching.

8

Thanks blue hills, I found them on Atlas’s site but I’m hoping they come in some kind of package of several. From this link it looks like they’re a $1.50 a piece and that ain’t gonna fly in my book. :wink: I’ll check the google thing too.

9

Hey Altoona, glad to help.

I threw a link in my post where I linked to the Atlas site. The link is just “3-48”. It will take you to a site that has the screws 25 for $1.35 or more for even less per screw.