It’s Bookshelf Guy again. I’m interested in hearing from people who have fitted or tried these nice looking switch levers; the good, the bad and the ugly.
I’m trying different manual switching techniques and so far have the Atlas manual switches (not exactly pretty) and Atlas custom line switches with a Caboose manual throw.
One design consideration I have is that my young son should be able to use it easily without destroying it. I’m not all hung up on “prototypical”. It’s an enjoyable experience I’m after so function is uppermost. The layout is an industrial yard with about 10 switches on it. I may even mix it up a little with ground throws and levers to get some action all over the yard.
this was discussed here a while ago and the one or two people who have used them liked them a lot , both for the way they worked and the way they were built . hopefully we’ll hear from them firsthand . maybe knowing how old your son is would help . it might also be helpful if we heard from people who have experience with caboose industries ground throws and young children .
Another option is the “speedometer cable” connection, which uses a flexible cable connection out to the side of the layout. One or two companies make nice mechanical switch levers that mount on the fascia. Sorry, I don’t remember who makes these - I use remote switch machines for everything.
This maintains the all-mechanical, hand-operated aspect, but you don’t have to reach across the layout to throw the lever. For younger kids, that can be a big advantage.
I have four of them and love them. I have since redesigned the yard and moved three of them and they moved really easy. One new application was really ackward and I don’t know what else I could have used. They also seem sturdy, the gkids have not broken any of them. They look also cool in the display.
I do use Caboose ground throws in the yards that are easy to reach. It helps me feel like the “brakeman” on an old steamer.
Yes, I did some searching and found a few comments that said they were great, but not a lot of detail. I wondering how difficult they were to assemble and get working properly (the site owner admits some fiddling is necessary); how they’ve stood up to everyday use; how well they held the points and so forth.
I have yet to see any negative commentary on them except (a) they are expensive ($7-$8 doesn’t sound too bad considering what I’ve seen thus far in the hobby. Then again, if I had to buy 10…) (b) they’re size leaves them outside the realm of prototypical switches, not a big problem for me in that regard. Besides, they look way cool! [:D]
One local layout uses them and we are forever hanging up our shirtsleeves in them or impaling our forearms on the handles when uncoupling with picks. Very inconvenient.
They do look nice, but I think were a bit fussy to get working.
I use them extensively on my layout. I installed the last one about 6 months ago. I had a bit of fiddeling getting them mounted because some of my turnouts are on foam, which in several places is 4" deep. Once I had that settled they went together well. I had tortoise machines on a previous layout, and these are easier to put in than those were. I reccomend them.
You need something we call in the auto industry, built proof. Considering that, I would recommend that you keep what you have until your son is a little older and is able to be careful. You probably would be doing a lot of fiddling around if the boy gets a little heavy handed. Heck, when I was little, I snapped bolts while learning to work on cars since the age of five. It took a while to get the “feel”.
I’ve heard that the Caboose Ind. throws can break, but they’re inexpensive to replace. As ugly as they are, the Atlas manual throws are your best bet for the time being.
In the mean time, if you do want the humpyard throws, you I highly recommend getting them while you can and install them in the future. Things have a way of being “No Longer Available” in this hobby, especially with little cottage industries.
