What do you guys think about this way to mount a tortoise under spline roadbed? The idea is to cut the spline roadbed and screw a 3 mm thick metal plate on the top of the splines. Then you fasten the tortoise under that plate. You will get around 6 mm distance (including the cork roadbed) between the tortoise and the turnout. Is it a good or bad idea?
Looks like a lot of work to me, also a chicken and egg situation, and could generate problems right where you don’t want them.
You’d want perfect milling in the notch under the spline, both in depth and uniformity to avoid bumps in the grade centered on the points.
Once the spline is glued in place, getting the plate, screws and tortise in place would be problematic.
The arc swung by the tip of the point actuator is partially a function of the moment arm’s length. Seems to me that mounting the mechanism under the subroadbed would increase this length, increase the throw distance, and in general, be easier all around.
Do you think this is a better idea?
Yes. But I would move the fulcurm slide up so it is halfway between the turnout and the Tortoise throw screw. If you need more pressure on the turnout, then move it down.
Yikes ! is that really the size of an apparatus that’s used to move a simple switch??? it looks like it could be used on the Panama Canal to open the locks, surely there are smaller motor devices to open and close a switch, that thing is massive.
Electro:
You can drill a 1/2" hole through the spline where the wire on the tortoise needs to go, install the turnout above the hole, then mount the tortoise underneath, running the wire through a hole in the throwbar. I replace the tortoise wire with 0.040" music wire, and don’t have a problem (you will have to redrill a few holes in the tortoise to be large enough to take the wire. It is also advisable to move the fulcrum slide up closer to the top of the tortiose.
I use mostly manual turnout controls on my layout (2" doorbolts). However I do use a tortoise here and there for turnout control and the thickness of the spline is not a problem. You just need to build something to make it easy to attach the tortoise to the bottom of the spline.
I generally just hot-glue some 3/4" x 3/4" scraps on both sides of the spline, then mark and drill pilot screw holes in the wood and then screw the tortoise in place. Rick Fortin (well-known bay area modeler with a large Santa Fe layout) doesn’t even do that – he just hot glues the tortoise to the bottom of the roadbed!
Point is, don’t over-engineer or over complicate your tortoise installation. Just drill a half-inch hole in the spline and attach the tortoise underneath – and you’re done.
Tatans
I sure agree with you, it is “Massive” . Good thing that is is installed under the layout. Most switch machines are not scale, but Tortoise must be the biggest on the market
Richard