On my third layout, I am using Atlas flex track, with customline manual switches, #6 and #8 turnouts.
I am using caboose industries 206S throws.
The caboose throws have two pins on one side, I’ve always used the outter pin On the other side there is no pin but a hole, that conceivably be used for connecting to the track, this would be much closer to the rails.
My rolling stock consistes of GP-40s and an SW1500, and 65 foot SAtlas passenger stock as well as 40-60’ freight stock.
My question is would it be possible to use the two holes of the throw bar where the pins rre located, or can the other side be used too?
I found the Caboose Industries ground throws very useful, but later decide to remove them and substitute a piece of bent piano wire in the turnout, allowing similar control via fingertip.
I have 42 of the regular ones, and another two with three long-ish metal pins, likely for controlling some sort of electrical stuff.
If anybody is interested in them, feel free to make me an offer.
I’ve replaced them with bent piano wire to control the turnouts via fingertip…
It is called an over center spring for manual controled turnouts. It must be the correct diameter, length (hole to hole) with the correct angle. PECO turnouts use an over center spring.
When the points are centered the spring will compress/bend slightly, then when the points are against the rail the spring goes to it’s normal tension.
On the customline switch you have a throw bar with a ‘T’ shape and three holes on that end, that would be the throw bar end to use. The other end of the throw bar is very short. You would not want the 206s Caboose Ind. throw to be too close to the rail where rolling stock may hit it and derail.
If you want/need the Caboose Ind. #206s on the throw bar’s short end, you would want to add a short piece of stiff wire with a ‘dogleg like a Z’ on one end from the throw bar hole to a hole in the short throw bar. This would move the C.I.'s #206s throw a little farther away from the rail.
I would want to use the ‘T’ end of the throw bar.
Just a thought…with the way Manufactures are getting ‘universal’ with items, is there a way to remove the throw bar and reverse it in the turnout making the ‘T’ with the holes on the diverging track. We could remove the throw bar on other Atlas turnouts by gently lifting the plastic cover at the point and slipping the point’s ‘catch’ out from under that plastic cover.
I will post to save then edit/update till I am done because I really hate that “forbiden” message. I can never remember what I wrote the first time to re-do it.[:(!]
BEGIN- Some people have trouble with the ground throw’s what I will call the counter weight/handel (cw/h) getting pushed down on the ballast/ground and have trouble to get the cw/h back off the ground.
You can just poke a finger on the center drum and the cw/h will pop back up to where it should be.
I have driven a small nail in the ballast/ground on either side of the ground throw where the cw/h should stop. The cw/h should be at rest on the nail head. You can hide the nails with a small vine/weed or long static grass.
I first paint the counter weight (cw) white (the green and red color will show up better), then when dry, painted the cw red for the diverging route on one side and green for the mainline on the other side. Now from a distance I can look and see how the turnout is set. Which ever color is up, that is the way the points are set. -DONE
I have used them before, I ran piano wire under the benchwork to the “dispatch station”, and used HO scale throw levers to control the turnouts from the DS. The HO leverrs were much easier to work as they were larger. I painted the throw levers red and green and being on the DS station, it was very easy to read if the turnout was set for main or diverging.
When we were kids on the farm we had, the WM used to haul coal trains along the creek at the south end of the farm, and the crews used to have to stop and manually set the turnouts. So the caboose throws seemed to be more prototypical, with a lot less wiring!
