Tortoise Switch Machines

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Has anyone actually fried a Tortoise machine or had it fail for some reason? If so, were you able to figure out what caused the failure? Also, in the time you have been using them, how many have failed? I’m wondering if it’s worth getting 8/16 pin card edge connectors.
Bob Hayes

2

Tortoises fail usually becuase of poor wiring to the machine. I use crimp pins fitted into housings and then solder headers to the tortoise. I prefer to crimp wires on site, stick them into a 8 pin housing then stick it into the tortoise.

The advantage is less soldering under the layout.

3

I have been using tortise machines since 1995,and have yet to have a failure.A noteable thing is that they are run by a bi-polar power source and are powered all the time.The only time that they have been off is when we have a occasional storm related power failure

4

The Tortoise is a fantastic piece of machinery. The only metal inside that green plastic box is the motor. Everything else is plastic and that is good since the 18 motors we use on our modular layout are stored on the modules in my unheated garage. The only failures we have had were due to too small guage wire robbing the system of needed power. The motors would not respond as selected with the toggle switch. Went to 18 guage and all the problems went away. You might think 18 guage is overkill but when you figure all the motors have power all the time, you need adequate wiring.

Use the tortoise with confidence!

5

I’ve had 2 with a plastic defect. There is a green plastic slider that adjusts the tension on the wire to the turnout. Both sliders discolored and warped (but still worked) on different Torti. Don’t know why and the Circuitron didn’t have an answer. If this part were metal and locakable, I think these switch machines would be perfected.

6

TBat 55
Once I had the Tortoises working right,I just placed a dab of chaulk to hold the fulcum in the correct position

7

Yes, I have had to replace one Tortoise that started smoking, and I really don’t know why, but for $15 I threw it in the trash and installed a new one.