Before I go burnout some servos trying to throw one of these 3 way lap switches (not the stub type) and not wanting to loosten the spring tension on them in case servos don`t work and I am forced to use another method of control like Pecos switch motor which after thrown would leave the points loose without the spring tension is there anyone out there who has a n answer to this problem? The problem being that on a Peco unlike a Walthers Shinohara 3 way at times you are actually forcing one set of points to throw a second set of points to get a straight route or a diverging route. There are times when you only have to throw one set of points to get the route you want if the other set of points are already thrown to compliment the first set. My question is how do you throw the points on your Peco C100 3 way switches without removing the springs? Tortoises are out of the mix as I do not have enough headroom as there is a drawer for the signal computer 1 1/2" below the subroadbed where the 3 ways are located. I am thinking that the strain of throwing 2 sets of points with the same servo may be too much. So in summation how do you do yours? Right now I am doing it manually.
Your guys may be cheap, but they are also practical. If you can reach them, I find that manually throwing Peco turnouts works just fine. And, it seems so prototypical.
If they are the same as mine, you may need two switch machines. I use Peco machines, as they are the best match to the turnouts. My 3-way turnouts are simply two turnouts mounted on the same base, very close to each other. One switch machine does not “throw” the second set of points.
Peco machines definitely need a capacitive discharge circuit to drive them, by the way.
Gidday Rich, saving on point motors, means that more can be spent on turnouts, [swg], though I can understand the modellers that want to be "Signalmen’ and “set the road” by throwing “levers” from a signal box. (Hope my New Zealand terminology translates).
Reminds me of the first time I participated in operating session, 2 of us were assigned to a freight, myself as engineer, the other guy as conductor/brakeman. After our first set out/ pick up and gaining the correct authority he manually set the turnout to let us back on to the main to continue to our next assignment. When I got there, he was still standing back at the last turnout. I hadn’t stopped the train to pick him up [:$]