Unmodified Peco turnouts on the Red Oak

[mark dance]

Here are Steve Stark's results from using Peco hand thrown switches on his recently departed E&N.  They appear to basically mirror my own. The C&W's experience is for a combined 1000 "turnout-years" operating monthly.  Steve's E&N experience is from over 8000 "turnout-years" operating  more frequently than monthly.

From our experience the manually thrown Peco points are reliable mechanically and electrically without need of additional electrical or mechanical devices. 

md

"Hi Mark,
 
I used 58 Peco Code 55 turnouts for 10 years on my Esquimalt & Nanaimo Ry. with no mechanical problems from fairly heavy usage (monthly operating sessions, sometimes two or three per month, plus operating on my own).  There was the occasional electrical contact issue from dust or scenery applications, but easily fixed and non-recurring.  I also had 25 plus years operating 90 Peco code 80 turnouts and 15 years operating another 26 code 80 turnouts with only two mechanical failures and one with iffy contact issues  plus the same  occasional electrical contact issue with the same heavy usage over the last 10 years and lighter usage before that. 
 
The iffy contact issue in Wellcox yard was a spring problem, while the two mechanical issues, one in Courtenay and the other in Bellingham yard were points becoming separated from the throw bar as a result of operators using the points to throw the turnout rather than the throw bar. The Bellingham turnout was used upwards of 30 times per operating session.  It probably was thrown over 7,000 times before it failed.  Even then, I was able to repair it using a soldering iron on the plastic throw bar.
 
I have not used any other turnouts since 1975 except for one Micro Engineering turnout.  It was located on a lightly used (maybe 4 times a year for 15 years) Milwaukee branch line and did not give me any problems.
 
See you on Saturday.
 
Steve"

[mrhedley]

Erik I have two particular older PECO turnouts that the spring action is not as solid as the rest.  This pair is probably at least 25 years old, and were bought as part of a lot of used turnouts.  The problem appears to be spring related, as the "springs" appear to have more play when thrown in one direction than the other.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to fix the problem and to make sure there wasn't something else in play but it is clearly related to the lack of tension in the spring.  I added a Caboose Industries sprung manual ground throw and this is that was needed to fix the problem.  Mark, thanks for the feedback and for the most part I fully agree.  I have at least 30 other PECO turnouts laid and except for this pair they are the most problem free turnouts on the layout.  (Excluding the 'what would you call it' raised plastic block in the center of the throwbar that likes to catch Accumate's dummy trip pins, but I suppose this is more a problem with the accumate since it doesn't catch a properly gauged MT trip pin). So while it may be rare, it does happen.

[mark dance]

I think it is worth noting as well that other point throw and conductivity mechanisms you could use with the Peco electrofrogs also have their issues. 

When I put the first 1/2 dozen Peco electrofrogs into the layout they were located in hidden trackage and so I used Tortoises to throw them after removing the switch toggle spring.  I initially thought that the force of the Tortoise holding the points closed would prove adequate to assure good electrical contact.  That wasn't the case and I often found the frogs were un-powered and that conductivity performance, at least in my application, was far, far inferior to the stock Peco toggle spring thrown by hand.  After that I bit the bullet and the Tortoise all route power to the frog/point areas of their turnouts through the Tortoise contacts often through a pair of redundant feeders soldered to the frog. 

On my layout this arrangement does introduce 4 more soldered joints (two feeders and two to the connector which hooks up to the Tortoise) as well as four mechanical connections (two in the contacts inside the Tortoise and two more on the edge connectors).  I have had occasional problems with a bad solder joint and intermittent connections inside the edge connectors.  So even with the additional time, effort, space and cost, even the Tortoise approach requires maintenance and will experience failures. 

In light of their relatively low maintenance, high reliability, very high robustness, extreme simplicity of use and the flexibility to put turnouts anywhere even in the most congested yard throat, I think the Peco solution is pretty good.  (end paid political announcement! )

md

[rickb773]

I have around 50 Peco code 80 turnouts (95% Electrofrog) on my PRSL. Most date back to the early 1970s and have gone through 3 layouts (being re-ballasted each time). Most have been spray painted a tie brown color with small pieces of painters tape protecting the points. Other than occasionally having to clean the point areas I have had no problems.

(This week I thought I had an issue with one but it turned out that some ballast outside the throwbar leading to a very close secondary track had crept in and was preventing the turnout from throwing all the way over. Once it was pushed out, electrical conductivity returned when the points closed all the way.)

[Baronjutter]

Just chiming in like others to say I've never had any problems with conductivity on my peco turnouts.  Sometimes after doing scenery work in an area and not masking my turnouts I have to clean the points a little extra, but otherwise perfect.  Very robust too, you don't have to be super paranoid when ballasting around them.  The turnout can get quite soaked in glue, but so long as no ballast jams things up it pops the glue after it dries and works fine. 

[superchief]

I have over 200 insul-frog Peco turnouts on my Santa Fe-All the way layout and some of these turnouts are 35 years old and have been on 3 layouts!!!! cleaning the points with a paper towel with either 90% alcohol or atlas conduct-a-lube fixes any contact problem. The "other" problem that I have had is a wearing down of the plastic frog then a short if an older metal wheel (stock 70's atlas wheels on unit trains) at the point where the two inner rails meet. A bottle of clear nail polish, put a dot where the rails meet, "tap" it down with your finger so there is no "bump" and that will last 6-8 months depending on how often I run my track cleaning cars. But at $25 each, I look for used replacements at train shows for 10 or less. Gordon.................And the nail polish 20 years later Still looks full!!!!!!!

[Chris1274]

I wonder if the fact that they're made in England has something to do with their reliability.