Much obliged to everyone for all the tips and suggestions and the ‘how I did it’. I always learn a lot from everybody. I’m using Peco turnouts and they, of course, have the built in spring that keeps the point rails (I call them) up against the stock (?) rail. Many of my turnouts, like everyones, are close to the side and I don’t need remote help. Thinking about it, all my turnouts are in fairly easy reach, except one and it definitely needs remote help. The main reason I wanted remote help is for those turnouts that I can still reach but will be reaching over a low structure, or trees, or cars on a near track. I’ve found that, in the winter especially, visitors (and myself!) with long sleeved shirts or jackets, can reek havoc on scenery trying to flip a turnout that really isn’t that far away.
Anyway, I look forward to hearing all the ideas… things I’d never thought of.
I don’t stop. When I run out of special words, I make up my own and keep right on going, until the pain in the thumb subsides enough to pick the hammer back up. [tup]
A variation of the choke cable concept…actually just fine tuned a bit I guess. Many older peices of construction equipment that was driven by a small gas engine used a twist-lock throttle. 1/4 turn to the left unlocked the locking cam and allowed you to push/pull the handle, 1/4 turn back locked it in postion.
Some years back I had built a sectional layout that had such mechanical linkages. I used standard slide switches mounted to the underside of the layout. I drilled two holes in the plastic switch toggle. One to pass a thin and flexible wire up through the roadbed to connect with the turnout throw, and the other at cross-angle for the heavy inflexible wire that runs out to the fascia and acts as the throw rod. I found that by bending the end of the control wire I could operate turnouts that were offset even up to 45 degrees out of parallel with the front of the layout. For any angle that was sharper you would need to employ a bell crank. The slide switch provides the tension that holds the turnout’s point rails in position. The slide switch was screwed on to an L-shaped piece of brass that was itself screwed to the underside of the plywood table top. See the attached admittedly crude drawing…
Thanks for the drawing. I think I’ve heard of this method before, using slide switches from Radio Shack. Can probably buy them other places also. I’d like to try this method.
You might go to Da Shack for ONE slide switch for proof-of-concept testing, but, if you have any significant number of turnouts, the on-line electronics houses can beat their prices all hollow. (DPDT slide switches, 4 for a buck, less in quantity, is typical. The only problem is shipping cost - flat rate $7.50 per order is a deal-killer for four switches, but not for forty - or if combined with other items you might need.)
I have used quite a few different methods to operate turnouts manually.
however the easiest I have used for peco turnouts was made with a bamboo skewer and a paper clip.
the paper clip was passed through a hole in the skewer and bent back along the length and attached with some thin wire wrapped around it and the skewer.
the paper clip went up through the roadbed via an 1/4" hole and through the hole in the turnout.
the skewer went through an 1/8" hole in the fascia.
the control was fitted through the fascia then the paper clip up to the turnout and the end was turned over so it didn`t fall out.