Tortoise switch motors - Mounting?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

HO 8X12 layout (about 14 turnouts) I was thinking today (I know thats trouble for me) lol But I was ready to screw them to the PC board and bury them in my 3 inches of foam while I was laying the track on my new layout. and everything that entails, Cutting the holes, messing with the roadbed etc etc.

About 6 of those turnouts are hidden under the second level city (can’t be seen) so why go thru all that trouble to hide them when you can’t see them anyway. Why not mount them on a PC board, then epoxy (very strong bond) a small wing or tab on the center of the PC board on the bottom about an inch and a half long. cut a slit in the foam beside the turnout where you want to mount it and then force the wing down into the slit. You could also clue the board down to the foam for some over kill also, I guess. Then run a rod from the Tortoise to the turn out. Sound feasible?

Also thinking where the turnouts are visible, I could also use the same method to mount the Tortoises under removable Trackside structures. Run a short rod ground level. Don’t think it would be too noticable.

Would appreciate anyones thoughts on this, especially those who are using Tortoises now.

Thanks, DON (River Rat Junction RR)

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So what you’re saying is put the Tortoise upside-down a short distance from the turnout, and have a little trench for the linkage? No reason why that shouldn;t work, as long as you have buildings to hide the Tortoise in, or they are in hidden areas you can’t see anyway. There was an MR article recently on doing that for a staging yard. The downside for visible areas is you need a pretty tall building, a Tortoise stands about 30 feet tall in HO scale, so the old trick of using a handcar shed or watchman’s shanty is kind of out.
You either have to raise the base of the Tortoise off the tabletop, or dig a little trench for the linkage. A trench you can cover over and then scenic on top.

–Randy

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Thanks Randy. Yes, a little trench would be no problem and then like you say, scenic over it. If one ever goes bad, it would be real easy to replace without tearing up anything!

DON