Are switch motors always required regardless of how you plan on controlling your turnouts? I’m either going to use DCC or toggle switches to control mine.
Also it seems that the Peco insulfrogs would be the easiest to use?
Thanks,
Aaron
There are several types of manual turnout controls that do not use a switch motor. I have had good luck with the ones made at www.humpyard.com/ If you are going to use DCC to control the turnout, then you will have to use a switch motor. As far as what type of turnout to use, that has been discussed in detail several times, do a search and you will come up with all sorts of opinions on the subject.
Peco turnouts are the easiest to use manually, the built in spring holds the point rails tight against the stock rail without any motor or hand control.
I’m using Peco with a rod control to the fascia, my layout depth is only 2’ ish.
Ken.
Thanks for answering my questions about the switch motor guys. I was reading about the peco insulfrogs on wiringfordcc.com and thought their write-up made it seem really easy to use.
I am also a fan of Humpyard, though I have good results with Caboose in my yards where access is convienient. Hand thrown turnouts in a yard with a yardman helper is very prototypical, as are the humpyard levers where someone sits in the “Tower” and throws turnouts as needed.
I use Atlas Custom Line turnouts on my DCC layout with no modifications, and with no problems.
You can also convert them to motorless “snap-action” by bending a small spring out of piano wire and drilling a single hole. It takes about 30 seconds per turnout and can be done after they’re installed. I can’t seem to find a link to pictures of how it’s done, but hopefully someone has one and will post it.
HTH,
Steve
In don’t mean to hijack the thread but since the subject of controlling turnouts is here I have a couple of questions.
I am using the NCE Power Pro DCC system for my layout. I will have about 30 Atlas turnouts in all. Will I have to buy a decoder for every turnout and a turnout motor for all of them which will end up being very expensive, or can I use the traditional push button for switching? Also how do I power the switching machines? Should I use the AC from an old DC power pack or can the switch be powered by the NCE booster? What is the best way to operate the turnouts?
Bill
Bill, as you can tell I know about as much as you and probably less. From what reading I’ve been doing you can get the Lenz LS150 and control up to 6 turnouts with that decoder. I’ve also read that you should control the turnouts with a seperate booster. Somebody here can confrim this. I’m just looking for an easy way to control mine and I like the remote control of DCC better than hand thrown. If you haven’t been to www.wiringfordcc.com I highly suggest it!
Any twin-coil switch machine should have a power supply (DCC booster, otherwise almost anything that turns out 12-16 volts, AC or DC) that is independent from the power for train propulsion and signal/structure lighting. Each time a coil is activated it draws a spike of high amperage that will result in blinking lights and bucking locos if everything is powered from the same source.
Many people will recommend a capacitor discharge circuit for twin coil machines. It is useful if one pushbutton operates several machines, but isn’t necessary if only one is thrown at a time. I personally use a toy train power pack (part of a yard sale purchase) as a dedicated power supply, and have had no hassles with insufficient power.
Chuck.
On this note, have you ever burned out a twin coil just using a power pack? I know the CDU should prevent this.
Never in HO, all the time in N, until I built a CDU. Those Atlas powered turnouts from 30 years ago were VERY sensitive to holding the button down too long, luckily it was easy to replace the motors. The CDU stopped all that.
–Randy
Bill54
There is no need to convert your turnouts to DCC operation unless you want to. You can also convert those you wish and leave the rest with traditional push buttons or even manual throws. Most stationary decoders will control more than one switch machine. There are different types of stationary decoders for the different types of switch machines - twin coil (Atlas, Peco, NJ, etc) and stall type (Tortoise).
Fred W
I have a related question- will the LS150 operate with Prodigy Express and can a standard Bachmann Spectrum power supply be used instead of an Atlas Generator (recommended)?
Atlas snap switches run on AC. I power a 18v Ac power transformer from Radio shack to power mine. They also need momentary switch (NO for Normally Open) not toggle switch (NC for Normally Closed) A CDU might be able to do this same thing using DC but I have played around with these to know for sure.
Any twin coil switch machine operates on either AC or DC; some will work fine with 12V, others need 16V. They are actually more efficient on DC because it is a non-varying magnetic field to move the iron slug. If using a CD unit, you can use most any old power pack you have laying around. Without a CD unit, you would need a heftier power pack or transformer - at least 18VA.
It is best to avoid using the same power supply for both switch machines and track because of the intermittent heavy loading the switch machines place on the power supply.
yours in wiring
Fred W
I run 18v A/C from an old Lionel SW transformer. It has no trouble powering 2 Atlas switches simultaneously.
Jim
Believe it or not, I am still using Atlas switch motors that must be close to 50 years old now. As a practicing Scotsman, I pulled them off my brass track and found I could mount them on 21st century NS Snap switches. I think in all my teenage wonder years I only toasted one of these, and that was a defective control button.
That said, I now have a home-made CDU and I love it. I find it a requirement for my Peco switch motors, although all those ancient Atlas motors worked like a charm without it (after a couple of drops of oil in their old joints. I felt like Dorothy sprucing up the Tin Woodsman.)
I bought some cheap DC relays, which also like the CDU, for signal control. They didn’t work at all with the old AC power supply.
Finally, I hate the look of the Atlas switch motors. All my new turnouts will be Peco, and at some point I will be retrofitting turnouts that right now are less than a year old. Oh, well.
Hey me too anything I can recycle all the better!![:D]
Ken.