Ground throw to use for Peco and Shinohara turnouts?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I’m going to be DCC controlling most of my yard’s turnouts, but all of the other turnouts on my layout will be manual throws for both cost and simplicity’s sake.

I have all Peco snap type switches except for a single Walthers/Shinohara #8R curved turnout… HO scale code 83.

Does anyone have any recommendation to what ground throws they have used and what matches up to these?

Thanks!

-Denny

2

The one that I have narrowed it down to is the Caboose industries CAB202S… but needless to say there is some reservation without much deeper research.

Thanks for any inputs!

-Denny

3

Denny…

Caboose Industries ground throws will lash to most anything with a little tinkering. There are two types: one is a straight up a ground throw, and the other looks essentially the same but has electrical contacts.

Depending on the age of your turnouts you may need to power the frog thus requiring the use of the electrical version of the ground throw. Also if you are using short wheel base Diesel or light steam locomotives you will almost have to power the frog. Don’t depend on switch points for contact, it is not positive enough over a long period of time

see ya

Bob

4

Thanks, Bob!

These are all new (within the past year and a half) turnouts, and are Peco Insulfrog with a single Shinohara DCC friendly turnout. So, with that said… that is good news.

I’ll be doing some switching sides with the extended ties on a few turnouts, which I assume won’t be much of an issue, and there won’t be any funky electrical work since I purposefully kept away from any sort of power routing turnouts or reverse loops.

5

Then simple Caboose Hobbies ground throws otta get it.

see ya

Bob

6

If you can reach the Peco turnouts to throw them by hand, you don’t need a ground throw.

7

As mentioned above Peco turnouts do not need a ground throw, they have a spring to hold the rails in place. Just snap them over with your uncoupling pick or similar tool. If you want to use a ground throw for looks or other reason, you do not need to buy the sprung (S) type, the ridgid ones will work and I think they are a little less expensive. Not sure if the Walthers/Shinohara turnout needs sprung ground throws or not. Atlas definitely needs the sprung type.

Good luck,

Richard

8

Well, I bought a batch of them… I think it will look more realistic, and I wasted some money, haha.

The shinohara turnout looks like it needs the spring since it’s free floating and doesn’t lock in place.

Than

9

Yes, the W/S turnouts need a sprung throw. You can use a Caboose throw with spring or make a simple spring-like device from paper clip wire. There was a published pic and article about how to do this, but at the moment I can’t recall where. Perhaps someone else can remember the source.

Dante