I’m on the last leg of laying my track on my HO layout and need suggestions/recommendations for using my Tortise switches on my Shonohara double crossover. How do I use one switch to work two tracks simultaneously?
Thanks.
Jim
My Shinohara double crossover has four Tortoises and they all are wired to one double pole, double throw toggle switch. I also have a bipolar LED to indicate normal or reverse in series with one leg coming off the switch.
Just temporarily touch each pair of 1 — 8 wires to your electrical switch to be sure you have the orientation you want before you make your final wiring.
You can control any number of Tortoises from a single electrical switch since their current draw is so low.
You can scroll toward the middle of this page and see some examples:
http://www.wiringfordcc.com/sw_ctl.htm
Some, I feel, are needlessly complicated.
Good Luck, Ed
A Double Crossover would typically be controlled by two switches. You could put all four on one, but that is just not done. In the real world there would be SIX levers to control one cross over. Levers 1 and 2 controlled the signals approaching from the left, levers 3 and 4 controlled the switch points, and levers 5 and 6 controlled the signals approaching from the right.
You would not, in the real world use a single lever for a double cross over (or a slip switch) since that would establish a conflicting movement where a collision would occur.
LION wires the Tortoii of him with a single wire system using SPDT switches. In the normal positon the lever (electrical switch) supplies +12v to the Switch motors, in the reverse positon it supplies -12v to the motors and reverses the points. From this single wire you can run any number of Tortoise, Signals, control lamps, relays, and such.
You will find the whole story on my Turttle Page. Click on the wiring diagrams to read them more clearly.
ROAR
Circuitron makes a #6100 remote mount for the Tortoise machine
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/800-6100
add to this a #6101 extra cable and mount
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/800-6101
and you can control 2 legs of the double crossover with one machine.
They are a bit finicy to install, but once in and adjusted, they work well. We have a few double crossoverson the Boohtbay Railway Viallage layout set up this way and they work well
Hi Jim
I have a double crossover operating from one Tortoise. I see no need to use more than one switch machine for operating a double crossover. I used RC aircraft bell cranks and pushrods to move all four switch points simultaneously with one Tortoise. It has worked flawlessly for three years. I did a post on my blog of the construction of my double crossover. I had tried five different manufactured double crossovers with out success so I made my own from Atlas #6 Custom Line turnouts and a 19° Atlas crossover.
Checkout my blog to see how I did it.
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-25-2012-my-double-crossover.html
It works perfectly 100%! I’ve never had any type of problem after the final tweaking in June 2012.
Yes, very true. We could install all sorts of complex safeguards and controls.
For the sake of operating simplicity the points can be aligned for only two routes, normal—both paralell tracks aligned, or reverse— both cross over routes aligned.
Conflicting route? Well if you want to try to run two trains through the same double crossover you’re going to be in trouble no matter if a PAIR of points are thrown or both pair of points are thrown.
The Circuitron remote actuator is $13. MB Klein presently has Tortoises on sale at $15. in a six pack. For the extra $2. is it worth fussing with the remote actuator? Maybe — maybe not?
Good Luck, Ed