I am adding a staging yard to facilitate operations on my layout. Due to bracing issues at a couple of mandatory turnout locations, I ordered two Circuitron Remote Tortoise Mount kits *800-6100). These come with a remote mounting plate assembly that translates the motion of the Tortoise into a cable that controls a low profile actuator assembly, which then links to the throwbar with a stiff wire. This is a bit different way to drive the throwbar than the usual Tortoise mounting, as it uses a L-connection that is next to the throwbar, rather than penetrating form underneath to drive the throwbar. This allows you to install a Tortoise from below to drive a turnout already in place without having to take the risk of drilling from below.
The actuator assembly requires much less space than a Tortoise would. It has a link wire that goes through the road bed, then it forms a L-angle to connect to the throwbar. I could probably squeeze this actuator under the roadbed, but it actually seems more convenient to top mount the whole thing and just hook up to the hole in the end of the throwbar throw on the Walthers/Shinohara turnouts I’m using. What I want to do to install the whole thing on top of the roadbed at two locations due to benchwork restrictions, since it is a hidden yard anyway.
From sizing things up, the best approach looks to be to keep the actuator, but put it on top of the roadbed next to the throwbar end. Then I’ll connect the actuator with a “funny bend” to the throwbar. This seems to be the best approach to me for this particular situation.
Does anyone have any experience with this – or better yet – a photo of a similar set-up?
Thanks,
If am I understanding you correctly, there was an article in MR maybe a year or so ago that showed something similar. If this is a hidden staging area, can you not perhaps mount the Tortoise on top of the benchwork? This was what was done in the article I mentioned. Gouge a small pit or drill a hole under the Tortoise which will be mounted with the edge connector up int he air on the top side - use a spacer to raise it up a bit. Take a piece of wire and attach it to the throwbar, and on the other end make a loop. Stick the normal Tortoise actuator wire into the loop (the hole of trench gives room for the free end of the actuator to move without binding). Run the wire through a brass tube. If necessary, put a small collar on the actuator wire to keep the horizontal wire from slipping up instead of pulling/pushing the throwbar.
–Randy
Randy,
Thanks for the reply. Once I started looking at what I had more closely, a plan emerged. The instruction sheet is what threw me a little. It lists 40 steps!
What you basically get is a pack of parts that will allow you to mount a Tortoise is every Rube Goldberg way you could possibly imagine. I simplified things considerably, but this kit allows you to deal with a myriad of special, tricky Tortoise mounting problems.
All I needed was the main mount. Then I cut one of those red spray nozzle tubes that come with various and diverse products packaged in a spray can. I clamped this in the mount for the tubing that comes with the kit after opening up the clamp a bit so that it would hold the larger, red spray tube, instead of the tiny kit tubing.
Then I used some spring wire I had on hand about the size of or a bit larger than that included with the Tortoise to fashion a linkage. I used the pivot hole setting on the mount’s lever arm with the least movement (1/8") for one turnout and the second pivot hole (.150") movement setting for the throw of the 28"/32" curved turnout.
Both machines were mounted on custom mounting blocks made out of wood that I attached to the benchwork. The reason I needed these special mounts is that I added a staging yard throat to a rather complicated area of trackwork and benchwork that passes into and back out of my utility room. There’s a standard gauge main and siding, then inside of that narrowgauge main, then inside of that is nested a narrowgauge helix down to staging at a lower lever. All of this is on a curve and pierces an L-shaped wall crowded into a very small space. Too complicated to redesign already, the Tortoise Remote Mounts allowed me to shoehorn in the throat to my staging yard.
I know the article you’re talking about. In fact, I have two turnouts with exactly that arrangement that work well and are very reliable, once they’re tuned. In this case, I wanted somethin