The Very Last White River and Northern Railroad

[SAH]

Superb as usual David.  The pictures are great.  The commentary is even better.  Thanks for your extra effort.
Steve

[railnerd]

The point-to-throwbar connection was key, and I test-built a set of points as proof-of-concept. First, I ground ~0.080" of the head and web off the end of a piece of rail, leaving only the base. Then I ground the point taper, leaving a narrow slice of the base at the end. After bending the base down at 90°, I inserted it into a #75 hole drilled in a PC board throwbar (below left, top), then bent it up into a relief ground on the underside of the throwbar (below left, bottom) to form a Z-shape (below right). Finally, I clipped the very end flush with the side edge of the throwbar. The points easily slip in and out of the throwbar when held at a high angle, but can't be removed once they're horizontal.

   

The other end of the point would fit into a rail joiner cut in half and soldered to the end of the closure rail. I'd simply pop the points into the throwbar just before I soldered the closure rails on the ties, after which time all of the parts would be permanently locked in place.

Ooooh, this looks interesting.

-Dave

[nkalanaga]

Also commercially viable.  No reason the process couldn't be automated.

[DKS]

[CRL]

Kind sir… we have different interpretations of the word “simple”. I’ve only had 2 small cups of coffee this morning and although I see what you did, my little pea-brain can’t quite grasp how you came up with that. Kudos on your design.

Time to drink more coffee.

[kurmujjin]

So....  Where do you get those parts, how much do they cost?  Is the total cost less than a tortoise or similar?  Or is this a unique application where you HAD to make your own?  Pretty neat gadget!

[DKS]

So....  Where do you get those parts, how much do they cost?  Is the total cost less than a tortoise or similar?

The geared motors are stupid cheap on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/143869385324

Thousands of listings for similar motors.

Likewise for microswitches:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294170935020

So, total cost is ~$2-3 for parts, plus some plastic, a few screws, and your time.

Or is this a unique application where you HAD to make your own?

Nope, I'm just doing this to save money.

[glakedylan]

DKS ... i so enjoy seeing how your understanding of mechanical process and parts come together. this is truly well thought out and well made.


by chance, would you provide a schematic of the wiring to and from the micro switches. it would be very appreciated.


sincerely
Gary

[DKS]

Did a little modeling today. The open deck pony truss road bridge I'd built for the Mountain Vista layout was too large and modern for the current layout, so I scratchbashed a new one; it's also an open deck pony truss. The trusses are from Peco, shortened; the deck from an Atlas through plate girder bridge; the guardrail lattice is Micro Engineering with Evergreen channel stock. The deck will go on after painting.

[DKS]

by chance, would you provide a schematic of the wiring to and from the micro switches.

Sure, just give me a bit.

[robert3985]

Ahhh...I really like seeing your handlaid C40 turnouts!

As usual, lots of thought went into building them, and your "stress-free" point attachment protocol is pretty neat.

Truth is, they could have been soldered to your throwbars and still remained stress-free because of your rail joiner point rail heel hinges, which allow slippage, but I'm of the same school of thought and incorporate hinges both at the toes and heels...and with your design, there's no soldered joints to ever have to worry about at the switch...a big plus!

PLUS...no on-top-of-the-railfoot things to interfere with flanges! Very nice.

Also, I like the "monolithic" use of your flex, stripping away the ties to give room for turnout construction where possible.  I do this too, thinking it gives extra smoothness to the trackage, but using old Rail Craft C55 on my mainline trackage.

Looking forward to seeing your trackage after painting, weathering and ballasting...along with the rest of the layout of course. 

Cheerio!
Bob Gimore

[DKS]

@glakedylan here's the electrical schematic for the [not-so-simple] faux tortoise switch machine:

[DKS]

Ahhh...I really like seeing your handlaid C40 turnouts!

As usual, lots of thought went into building them, and your "stress-free" point attachment protocol is pretty neat.

Truth is, they could have been soldered to your throwbars and still remained stress-free because of your rail joiner point rail heel hinges, which allow slippage, but I'm of the same school of thought and incorporate hinges both at the toes and heels...and with your design, there's no soldered joints to ever have to worry about at the switch...a big plus!

PLUS...no on-top-of-the-railfoot things to interfere with flanges! Very nice.

Also, I like the "monolithic" use of your flex, stripping away the ties to give room for turnout construction where possible.  I do this too, thinking it gives extra smoothness to the trackage, but using old Rail Craft C55 on my mainline trackage.

Looking forward to seeing your trackage after painting, weathering and ballasting...along with the rest of the layout of course. 

Cheerio!
Bob Gimore

I'm glad you like the design, and thank you for the kudos.

With respect to the statement I've bolded above, this is technically true. However, when the points are especially short, an issue arises that has posed a problem for me in the past. In the illustration below, the movement of the switch assembly is greatly exaggerated to highlight the issue. The points on the left are soldered to the throwbar, and thus the switch assembly must pivot on one of the heel hinges; this in turn causes the throwbar to cock at an angle. The points on the right pivot on the throwbar, which allows the throwbar to remain parallel to the ties in either position.



For longer turnouts, the problem is diminished.

[OldEastRR]

Didn't know PECO made N bridges.

[glakedylan]

@glakedylan here's the electrical schematic for the [not-so-simple] faux tortoise switch machine:

DKS...thanks! with all the info you have provided I might be able to craft a few myself. It is appreciated!

sincerely
Gary