Hello to all,
I am looking for an under mount, powered switch machine but, not the tortoise. I don’t know who the manufacture is but, the one I am looking for is Black, cylinder in shape, and has two wire leads coming out the bottom. That’s about the most I can tell about it. Maybe someone knows what SM I am asking about. A Web. site would really be great I greatly appreciate any help
Thanks to all,
Sam.
PS
I tried to Google, powered switch machines but, came up empty.
I think i remember seeing an add for some in the December 2011 model railroader magazine. Might start their if you get the magazin. If not I’m at work right now i would say i could look but their all at home at the moment.
Sorry
http://www.builders-in-scale.com/bis/sm-home.html
This isnt it by chance??
Thank you very much, that is just what I am looking for’
Sam
Is there an advantage in these over the tortoise or the new ones from Australia (cant remember the company name right at the moment)?
Keith
The info in the link describes a real easy installation. I can see that the bellcrank design would be quite useful for those turnouts that are over a joist.
Sam,
Just curious.
Why the Switch Master over the Tortoise?
Rich
Hi Rich,
I’m not sure really, while I was out on the tour last wk end I met a guy who had both, the Tortoise & the Switch Master on his layout. I only use Atlas turnouts, and he said he uses SM for his Atlas turnouts and Tortoise for his Peco turnouts. He didn’t say why, And I didn’t get a chance to ask him. I will however do more research to find out what difference is. Maybe you or some here on the forum know. He did say they were very easy to install.
Sam
Sam,
Thanks for that additional info.
I have no experience with the Switch Master.
I initially used Atlas under table switches and hated them so I moved to Tortoises as soon as I found out about them.
It is curious that the fella you met on the tour distinguished between SM for Atlas and Tortoise for Peco.
I use Tortoises exclusively on my layout with Atlas turnouts and, in a few instances, Walthers Shinohara turnouts.
I can say that Tortoises are easy to mount once you are familiar with the process, and they work flawlessly.
I would be interested in whether the Switch Master is easier to install than the Tortoise.
Rich
i have over 50 switch masters on my layout very easy to install just drill a small hole by the switch and bend the wire
jeff m
We used SwitchMasters on our HO scale club layout when it was first built and are still using them 15 years later. The only problem we have encountered is that the brass tubing they use for the actuating rod sometimes twists off, and will tend to slip out of the motor shaft if not soldered in place.
When we purchased ours they were noted as being military surplus servo motors that were sold by two different companies in the same town and under two different names – SwitchMaster and TorqueMaster, with both at the same price.
Rich,
If you haven’t all ready, check out the builders in scale web site that Goodness 181 provided above.
They do seem very easy to in stall. I checked out the price difference and there is only a lose change difference, not that much to be of concern. I think it has to do with something about the electrofrog turnouts. Not sure.
Sam
That may be the main reason – the SwitchMaster (aka TorqueMaster) does not have auxiliary contacts like those with the Tortoise.
LION uses Tortoise switch machines. Him just looked at the other machines per their website above and exclaimed “Oh Yuck!”. LION’S Tortoise is much easier to install, and Tortoise soup is not bad either.
LION’S instructions for mounting Tortoise machines:
Discard instruction papers and templates. (use them in the canary’s cage)
Drill a hole, maybe 3/8" inch, maybe bigger, directly under the throw bar on the turnout.
Manually center the Tortoise actuator.
Slop a Glop of Silicone Glue to the face of the Tortoise.
Poke the actuator up through the hole in the sub road bed and thread the hole on the throw bar.
Adjust the position of the Tortoise so that it is aligned properly to the track AND the switch points are in a neutral position half-way between either stock rail.
It may be necessary to prop the machine up while the silicone sets.
It is done, and it works, and it is easily removed and used in a different location when you change things around.
The LION uses a single ground wire that is everywhere under the layout. Him also uses a single conductor to connect the Tortoise to the control console. +12v dc drives the machine to the NORMAL position and -12v dc drives the machine to the REVERSE position. The same conductor controls signals, panel indication, and any extra relays required for frog and or power routing and for signal logic as required.
LION’S LIKE Simple. Wildebeests are also tasty.
ROAR
I like Tortoise. They have already two switches, one for frog polarity and one for other purposes.
The Switchmaster have no switch, you have to add or build your own. The Tortoises make a little bit more noise, I think.
But for manual turnouts I like Bluepoints.
Wolfgang
Is that really all there is? Looking at the SwitchMaster installation picture, I can see that there is a small wire that comes up through the roadbed. I would think that it would be desireous to insert a length ot brass/plastic tubing into that hole to provide some sort of bearing surface. Also what keeps the actuating wire from working its way up out of the hole in the throw bar? Is there something to control the upward thrust?
I also see from the Hankscraft website (http://www.hmimotors.com/New_Pages/3440.htm) )that the motor draws 40 ma. I believe this is about double what the Tortoise draws. Not a significant amount, unless you power the motor through a track powered accessory decoder.
If one needs auxiliary contacts, yes one may purchase them from B.I.S. However, the club I belong to has a number of an earlier version of a Hankscraft motor design (Electro-Plumbing, I believe) where we had to use separate contacts. These have been a pain due to the difficulty of keeping them in proper alignment with the throw mechanism.
And then there is this statement from the Builders in Scale website:
" And it has been reported that they may jam-up if left for long periods without operation. In that case, if you know you will not be operating your layout for an extended period, you might save yourself some grief by turning off the power and manually pushing your frogs, linkage and motor into the center neutral position."
Note that I’m not for or against either the SwitchMaster or the Tortoise. Just pointing out some of the things I see as different.
you have 2 bends in the crank wire to keep it from going up or down.i have had them on my layout for 12 years and have had no problems
jeff
Sam et al: I use the switchmaster almost exclusively. The main reason is that you do not have to drill a giant hole under the throwbar for the actuator. In my case, all the turnouts were already in, so drilling for the Tortoise is problematic at best.
The Switchmaster is easy to install as only a tiny (1/16th hole, i think) is required alongside the throwbar. If you have good under layout access, once you get the hang of the install, it’s easy, if a bit awkward at first.
If I had planned all the turnouts in advance, and could have drilled the holes in the proper spot, the advantage of the power routing of the Tortoise might have won the day, but in my case they did not. I’m using the Frog Juicer along with the Switchmaster (although SM does have a power routing method).
Joel
Ah yes the Swich Master. The first stall motor drive I ever installed was a Switch Master. I was amazed at the ease of installation. That was on the club layout in 1984 and as far as I know it has never caused a bit of trouble. As another has said they are much quiter than a Tortoise.
Ah yes, I even have a picture of it on my web site. It controls two turnouts via a pcb board connector.
Ah yes, very nice.
