I am installing a tortise/hare. However the rod that comes with the tortise is too short. Ok here is the measurements.
Total length is 6 inches. 1/2" benchwork (MDF); 2 1/2" foam base; 2" riser, 1" from tortise to benwork base. total 6".
Now the rod that comes with the tortise is too short… What to do?
Thank you in advance.
you might be able to stretch the rod with a torch use two needle nose plierson the ends
Many people replace the stock rod with a heavier rod, so you could relace it with a longer rod and should have no problem.
Only my feeling here…6 inches is a very long way for any type of rod to throw a turnout reliably in my modest opinion.Too much risk of rod bending which may not move your TO with enough authority.
If I had this problem,I’d first drill a small hole as vertical as possible from top to bottom to locate the Tortoise position.You may not have a small drill bit 6 in. long as they aren’t common but it can still be done with a little patience.Using your layout’s outer boundaries,measure your actuating rod location then reproduce these measurements underneath as precisely as possible.Then drill a hole in your top (foam&risers) as deep as possible,first the drill bit then a heated piece of rod will go through your foam like butter to reach your MDF base.
Then there’s the critical drilling but should be a piece of cake if your measurements are accurate.Use a bigger drill bit to cut a hole from underneath to join your surface drilling.Once this is done,cut a square pit in the MDF-foam combo base to locate the Tortoise.It is possible to recess the Tortoise close to three inches deep from the bottom without anything showing on the top with a simple L shaped bracket screwed to the bottom and reduce your actuating rod length by nearly half.
I hope you can reach this area by underneath,which I don’t know,but if you can it’s not very difficult to do and would be worthed the extra effort.My two cents…
Have to agree with Jacktal, that’s just too far even with a heavier gauge wire. Another way to go it to mount the Tortoise on its side. A J shaped wire goes through the benchwork (inside a slightly larger brass tube, usually) to move the turnout throwbar. Underneath, it gets bent and a loop formed into which the Tortoise wire sticks. As the Tortoise moves side to side, it rotates the vertical wire and operates the turnout. This will work through very large thicknesses of benchwork if needed. Another benefit is that the Tortoise won;t hang down as far underneath. The downside is there might not be enough room to mount the Hare in thatposition - downside of a device that attaches directly to the Tortoise.
If it was ONLY going through the 1/2" mdf and 2" foam, using a heavier wire would be fine.
–Randy
I use a wire bru***o hollow out an area in the foam. Then, I drill a hole in a piece of 1/8" piece of paneling type wood that’s 3"x3". Test fit it several times to make sure that it’s parallel to the turnout. Using a stiff piece of wire, I poke it through the center hole in the moving rails strap (the piece that the moving rails are attached to). I make a 3/8" hole using the hole that I poked through foam as the center. Drill a 1/2" hole in the piece of paneling and center it on the hole in the foam and attach it to the bottom of the foam in the hole that you made in the foam with the wire brush with Liquid Nails for Projects. Use duct tape or masking tape to hold the paneling in place until the Liquid Nails is dry. When it’s dry, carefully remove the tape. Using a hot glue gun, glue some Vel-cro to the paneling. This is what you’ll use to attach the switch machine to the paneling with. Attach the mating piece of Vel-cro to the switch machine. When the glue sets up, align the wire in the center hole of the turnout and press the switch machine into place. Your throw wire should fit without being too long and the Vel-Cro will hold the switch machine in place. If the alignment is off, it’s just a matter of moving the switch machine until it’s aligned.
In the case of the Walthers double crossover that I have on my layout, I make the paneling piece big enough to mount all of the switch machines to the one piece of wood. It’s simple enough to wire so that the pairs of the turnouts align with each other with a single throw of a switch. When one curves, they all curve and vice-versa.