How long is the extended pin on the PL-10E? Loy’s Toy’s says only about an inch above the below-layout mounting plate so this only leaves room for about 1/2" of foam under the tracks? Does this make sense? I want to use at least 1"-1.5" of foam. Is this possible with the “extended pin”…is it long enough? help needed…John
I think Loy’s Toys is about right. The standard mounting of Peco machines on Peco turnouts is directly to the underside of the turnout, with tabs on the machines fitting neatly into the pre-drilled mounting holes on the turnouts. This does require a cutout below the turnout about an inch long and almost the full width of the roadbed.
I did use the 10E for a couple of old brass Shinohara turnouts, which I mounted using a fairly large hole which I intended to back-fill with foam once things were working right. I never got them to work well, mostly because, well, they were old and brass. However, I did notice that even with a relatively close mount, the points did not hold very well. The Peco machines are really designed for the Peco turnouts, which have spring-loaded points to keep them tightly against the rails. Without spring-loaded points, the Peco machines, which are twin-coil and thus not normally powered, will allow the points to move off the rails, causing lack of power-routing and sometimes derailments. Once I replaced the Shinoharas with Peco turnouts, I was a happy camper once again.
I got my last batch of Peco stuff from http://www.modelrailwaypo.com in New Jersey. They have the best prices I’ve seen on Peco stuff. They have an ad in Railroad Model Craftsman.
This post:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=57775
has a nice tutorial on a simple cover-over for the Peco machines so you don’t see the large holes in the roadbed.
I use mine with 1/2" of Homasote between the machine and the track, and I just screw the machine into the Homasote. I wouldn’t want to go much beyond this, unless I added a bit of roadbed. The pin is tricky to get into the hole in the Peco tiebar and the longer it is, the better. It’s a lot harder after you cut it off. It might be easier for you to carve a hole in the foam and mount the motor directly to the turnout.
I have started using Peco switches on my layout too. The switch machines are mounted to the switches using the tabs provided. Of course I have to cut a rectangular hole beneathe the switch for the machine. This can be unrealistic and unsightly. Does anyone have a good idea how to prevent the hole from showing under the switch? Thanks Joe
The Peco machine should mount well with a thin sheet of something (preferably water-resistant) between it and the underside of the turnout. Someone suggested duct tape, sticky side up (so ballast would stick to it.)
I haven’t tried this, but Mr Spock thinks it should work. My own (assembled from raw rail) turnouts are powered from the edge of the roadbed by huge twin-coil antiques with built-in tension springs.
Good ideas. Thanks for the info. I’ll give duct tape a try. Most of mine are already installed, so I will have to develop a way to raise the switch machine a little to get the tape underneath. Thanks
There was a nice photo-essay a couple of weeks back about using a sheet of thin cardboard covered with duct tape. I tried one and it worked. It’s not glued down or ballasted yet, so I decided to first paint the duct tape with cheap acrylic so that it matched the ballast color without adding much ballast at all. That’s an easy way to slip the cover under an existing switch, but you may need to make two pieces and put the two halves in from each side.
I could use some of those wedges like carpenters use to center doors, etc. This would get the switch up just enough to work the tape under it. Since most duct tape is already grey it will be close to ballast color. Thanks for all the ideas. Joe