A friend recently died and left me some of his model railroad stuff.
Inherited several "GB Electronics, Box 705, Broomfield , CO. Electronic turnout motors. " Very nice quality units with a DC motor mounted on a pc board with a sliding plate moving across the solder traces for switching purposes. Alass!
NO instructions or spec sheet included. Can anyone help me figure out the operation??? A tag on the back of the slider says…
aug 15th 1977 !!! Looks as if it is able to switch at least 4 circuits.
HELP… would not like these to go in the scrap bin
Art W3KHZ
If you could post really close-up pictures of the top and bottom of this unit (assuming there might be circuitry on the underside) then somebody might be able to trace through the circuit and tell you how to wire it.
These operate on a cut-out principle, not stall like a Tortoise, so if you trace the wiring you should see which contacts to use. The extrtas are for the usual - frog power switching, indicator lights, signals, etc. But at least one set of the contacts will be used to stop the machine when it reaches the end of the throw. They run on DC, and I’m pretty sure you reverse polarity to throw int he opposite directon - in other words, use a DPDT switch wired just like a Tortoise. The label should be GSB Electronics, Mann-Made has a similar machine (maybe the same one?).
–Randy
Yes, our club used these we probably have close to 300 installed. I definitely have the wiring diagram and instructions on file. I will find a copy scan it in and get them to you. Please e-mail me to remind me, as I am booked and won’t be able to get to the club until a week from Friday.
Are there two transistors with heat sinks on the units you have or is there just the motor and slider? There were three variations of this particular drive. I can probably figure it out by the date when I get the directions. BTW - we use AC power cut to half wave DC via diodes to drive them so normally they only need a SPDT.
I will say that they don’t work well if two motors are wired together in a turnout crossover arrangement. To state it simply the power feeds back funny through the second motor. DPDT switch has to be used so each turnout gets an isolated circuit on the switch.
It was always our plan to use the extra contacts to “randomly” turn lights in the structures on and off. We never got that implemented.
Does anyone still supply these?
Thanks 
Oh, that brought back memories! I had some of them back in the 70’s but they got lost somewhere along the line. I’ve always wished I still had them and had more. They came in kit form, but easy to assemble. Nice protorypical slow action.
The last ones we purchased were from:
B K Enterprises
12874 County Road 314B
Buena Vista, Colorado 81211-9708
They call it a “2 Position - Electronic Turnout Motor” part number “EC-2”
Texas Zepher. Still have not heard from you. Have you been getting my e-mails?
Sure could use those schematics.
Please reply.
Art W3KHZ@juno.com