Does anyone have a Peco Double Slip and does it have a spring to hold the points in position. I am having trouble with mine the, the points seem to float. The switch machine doesn’t hold them and I can not see where there was any spring to hold the points like their regular turnouts. When I operate them the points move, but after a few times with a train going through them, the points are not up against the stock rails and they cause derailmemts. Any one have one to look at and check wheather/how/if they are spring loaded?
We have two of the Peco HO scale double-slip switches on our club layout. Yes, they have the springs in them just like the other Peco turnouts.
What type of switch motor are you using? If it’s not a Peco, it probably isn’t strong enough to overcome the resistance of the Peco spring. In my experience, if you’re going to try using a Tortoise or similar motor with a Peco turnout, you should remove the spring from the turnout.
In my experience all Peco switches come with that tiny spring that holds the over-centre action on one side or the other. This works with their kick-over solenoids which have no holding current. (Give them a holding curremt and they fry).
For a slip you would need a peco solenoid at each set of blades. If you are using another (single) motor it would need to be large enough to kick over the two springs.
Are you having trouble with just one end, different ends or several?
It’s possible that you have lost a spring somehow. If it’s a new swicth take it back. If it’s an old one i believe that you can get replacement springs… try their website…
I forgot to mention that if you have a Peco turnout with the spring removed you can’t use any type of solenoid, not even a Peco, that doesn’t have its own spring to hold the points in position. That’s possibly why your double-slip switch is not holding its position.
Thanks for the replys. I am using the peco switch machines. I am having trouble with both ends, and I also have other regular peco turnouts. The Slip doesn’t look like the others. I can’t see where there would be a spring to hold them. It is a relatively new slip switch. I have had it for a little while but just getting around to installing it. Bought it new during the summer.
All PECO designs have a sping that makes them snap shut and requires a switch motor that will give an instant throw. The spring keeps the switch in the position selected. If the spring disappears then the switch will not work. To get the switch to work when the spring has gone you will need a switch motor such as a tortoise to keep the postion constantly in place.
It would seem odd that your PECO switch is not spring loaded. I would suggest removing your switch machines, and throw the turnout by hand to determine if the points are free floating, or loaded. Perhaps the over center spring is out of spec. It may also be possible that your switch machine was imporperly lined with the center point, causing the switch to hang up on the switch machine (not completely throwing all the way) in ONE direction only on either/both ends of the slip, or the true allignment of the machines ‘pin’ is on a bind itself with the center point. (Double check if the hole your switch machine rod passes through is wide enough to allow the machine to throw all the way!) If the turnout spring is out of spec, you can gently pry the two metal tabs that hold the spring enclosure, up and push the enclosure toward the center point, and then push the tabs back down. I usualy take a tack hammer to the end of a metal screwdriver against the tab, and give a gentle securing blow. If your turnouts are not loaded, I would suggest installing a Tortoise.
EDIT: I just thought of one other possiblity… if your track nails holding the turnout are hammered down too tight, this may also cause the points to bind.
Thanks for all the replys. This switch, does NOT have the little box, with the tabs to pry up and take the spring out, like on the regular turnouts. If it was spring loaded, it was done in a different way, and the springs came out, for some reason, I did not remove them. This switch has given me trouble since I installed it but I didn’t find the problem until now. It would work OK for a while and after a few Trains would go through it, it would Derail all the cars from the first one to derail until the train was stopped. when I finally found the problem, after several derails in a row, I found that the switch was not Sprung like the other Pecos. It did not bind on anything, the Peco Machine was mounted on the bottom of the switch with the tabs provided. Upon examination I discovered that it does not LOOK like the regular spring lock.
My original question was if anyone had one of these switches, could they look at it and see where/how/if it had a spring lock on it.
I have fixed the problem now, by installing different Switch Machines, 2 Lambert Associates, which work fine. They also have contacts on them so I can hook up route lights.
If anyone is interested, I have a diode matrix circuit, for this switch that uses 4 momentary (electrical)switches, one for each of the 4 routes through the switch. It has to use a CD unit to operate them.