I have learned so much on this forum so I want to give something back. This is maybe not that usefull for everyone. But maybe someone can get some help from it.
If you like me is building your layout on 2 inch foam and want to use tortoise switch machines, there is one thing that can give you trouble. A tortoise is higher then 2 inch so if you try to mount it, don’t forget where you have your benchwork.
If you place your turnouts like A in the picture, everything is fine.
But what if you place them like B in the picture. You have a problem. A simple solution is to draw a line with your pen on the foam and mark where the benchwork is. Then you can place the turnouts in a very simple way.
Look at C in the picture, that is one solution. What solution you use is not importent. The importent thing is to remember that there is benchwork under the foam that can make things hard if you don’t think about it before cutting the foam.
Yep, I learned the hard way too. Those pesky benchwork supports always seem to be in the way. I have also many times drilled holes down through the benchwork to add track feeders only to go under the table to find that there were no holes. I had drilled right down through the 1" x 4". Always a good idea to measure twice and cut once, as they say. [:D]
Once when I was working as a summer hire for the phone comany, I had to drill a 2" hole through a concrete floor to put in wiring for a multible line phone network at a school. I checked in the basement to see where I was drilling and carefully measured everything to be sure I came out where the concrete was thinest, about 4". After measuring upstairs in the office, marking the spot, double checking everything, I spent 45 minutes drillng the hole. Finally came out right in the middle of the support beam 18" thick. I was not a happy camper! Seems the walls didn’t match up like they should have. “You know what” happens, and will probably continue to happen… LOL
Guess I’m just lucky - even though I drew int he supporting benchwork inmy track plan, I didn;t really adjust any turnout positions. When it came to building the actual layout, I found ONE that would interfere with a crossbrace (out of 24), and that was resolved imply by facing the Tortoise the other way (I usually locate the Tortise directly under the turnout - under the closure rail area. On this one I had to flip the Tortoise around so it was more under the adjacent track). In situations with clustered turnouts, I sometimes have to swap the Tortoise to face the opposite way as well, to clear the one on the next track over.
I have a question on the tortoise,I model by my self,so have a little problem installing the tortoise switch,my layout is 42" wide,so is hard to put the tortoise up through the board(a little problem with reach)how does everyone ulse do this???/
JIM
Position the turnout. Drill a small hole down from the top. This gives you a location to drill the larger hole up from the bottom. A forstner bit will allow you to drill blind flat bottom holes - if you put a stop collar on the bit, you can do this without drilling up throught he track above, or just remove the turnout after making the pilot hole and use any old drill bit and don’t worry about it. It’s then easier to line the Tortoise if you mount it on a small block of wood first, and then use a pair of drywall screws to fasten the block to the underside of the benchwork - put in one screw but not tight, so you can move the tortoise to final alignment, then drive in the second screw.
That’s the usually recommended method with traditional plywood/homosote roadbed, and foam with a layer of plywood underneath.
