What’s a compatible and recommended manual switch machine for an Atlas Code 83 Custom Line switch? I see Caboose Industries makes several, with various throws.
My choices for the turnouts are Peco switches, electrofrog strongly recommended by an experienced modeler who grew up on DC and now uses DCC, vs Atlas. I know the Atlas switches are insulated frog, non power-routing. The Peco’s have built-in switch machines, but I’d need to buy separate ones for the Atlas.
With that long throw rod, the Atlas custom-line turnout will accept just about any kind of above- or under-table throw mechanism: manual, electrical solenoid or stall motor, commercial or homemade. The only thing required is a little ingenuity and something that will hold the points against the stock rail dependably.
Atlas makes twin coil electromagnets that mount to their rurnouts, topside. Peco makes twin coil electromagnets that are mounted underneath their turnouts.
All Twin Coil types require AC or DC power and ‘momentary’ switch contacts.
[b] Tortoise are ‘stall motor’ types that run on DC only and don’t reqiuire momentary contacts.They mount underneath, and have basically have slower movement.
MOST all of us stated out with Atlas turnouts & switch machines, and ‘stepped up’ with subsequent layouts. It’s a ‘Realism’ vs. ‘cost’ thing.
Thanks for the info. Took a trip to the LHS today in hopes of purchasing one Atlas custom line #4 turnout, one Peco #5 electrofrog, a couple lengths each of atlas and peco flex track, and a caboose industries switch machine. I couldn’t get the peco stuff I wanted, so I came home with 2 Atlas turnouts, 5 sections of Atlas flex, and 2 Caboose Industries 202S ground throws.
The ground throws are a challenge to mount. I am not working with a permanent setup, so I cut and glued a styrene sheet under the track. It sticks out enough that I could stick the ground throw to it with double-sided tape. I needed to enlarge/clean-out the hole in the turnout lever to accept the ground throw pin. On a pemanent setup, planning homosote over plywood, I suspect the track and the throw will both be pinned to the homosote - no need for the styrene to maintain rigid spacing between the two.
The throw has more than enough travel for the points. It’s supposed to be sprung, bit I don’t detect much spring. I supsect there is plenty of force between the closed point and rail - hopefully not too much.
This is my first experience with code 83 track and flex track. I set up one switch with the ground throw and flextrack off each direction. Atlas code 100 rail joiners seem to work fine, and look pretty much like the joiners that came with the switches. I cut one tie off the end of the flex track to make the connections.
Checking the switch over with the NMRA gauge (some parts of which I don’t really know how to use) showed good spacing between points and rails over the entire switch. I didn’t find any problem areas.
I ran one of each type of engine I have over the switch at slow motion in both directions. I have only diesels - a couple small switchers, An RS11, and A GP30. All have all-wheel drive and pick-up, so I expected no problems. I observed no hesitation or blinking lights over the insulated frog. I DID discover that my Proto 2k RS11 has one of 3 wheelsets