IT'S EASY ENOUGH TO MATCH THE APPEARANCE OF A RAILROAD SWITCH BUT FAR MORE FUN TO OPERATE IT BY REMOTE CONTROL.
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The track switches that are used most model railroads are almost identical, in both performance and operation, to those on the real railroads -- there are, after all, only so many ways you can divert the path of the car's and locomotjve's flanged wheels from a straight track to curve out to a siding. There are, however, many different ways of actuating the model switch. Some of the ready-to-Iay switches have a small lever beside the rail that you have to throw by hand to divert the rails from the main line to the siding. Others have a small plastic box beside the rails that contains a solenoid that has to be actuated electrically by pushing a button on a switch control panel that is (usually) furnished with the switch. Both of these systems are fine for a first layout and their instructions are adequately illustrated and detailed to allow you to connect them to the rest of your trackage and, in the case of the remote controlled switch, to your control panel. The appearance of both types of switches, in either HO or 0 scales, leaves something to be desired. Brands like Tyco, AHM, Atlas, or TruScale are designed to get your railroad operating as quickly as possible with as great a degree of realism as can be encorporated in a ready-to-work switch. The more experienced model railroaders usually prefer to lay their own rail; spiking it to individual wood ties, or to use the track components supplied by Lambert Associates for HO scale. These modelers are then able to have rail and ties that are far closer to what the prototype rail would look like if scaled down to HO or 0 scale dimensions - the rail on most other brands is about 50 percent oversize and the ties are often spaced a bit further a part than they should be. The problem with using hand-laid ties and rail or the Lambert-brand pre-fabricated track is that there is no provision whatsoever for actuating the track's switches; either manually or for remote con trolled electrical operation. The black plastic boxes beside the Atlas, Tyco , AHM, and TruScale brands of ready-to-lay track perform the same function as the ConCor unit shown in the photos; both are called "switch machines" because they are the machines that actuate the track switches. Units similar to the ConCor switch machine are available from Lambert, TruScale, Balboa, Walthers, and PFM. They range in price from $2.00 to $3.00 and all include (or have optional) electrical contacts that are moved with the track switch movement for operating signals or to be connected to the rails so the contacts, rather the points of the track switch, carry the electrical current to the rails beyond the track switch.
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You can purchase the switch machines for the Atlas, AHM, TruScale, or Tyco switches for considerably less money but the machines themselves don't have the power or reliability of the $3.00 items and they lack the separate electrical contacts. If you are using Lambert's scale rail plastic track or hand spiking rail to individual ties we would recommend using one of the ConCor, Lambert, TruScale, Balboa, Walthers, or PFM switch machines for remote control switch operation. Any of the six brands of quality switch machines can be mounted on top of the table beside the switch or, as shown in the photos, under the table and out of sight. One of the better reasons for using these switch machines in the first place is to be able to have the switch control hidden rather than sitting up beside each switch to mar the realism of your miniature railroad. The problem is, though, that none of these switch machines are furnished with the type of linkage you need to reach under the table. Most have a hairpin spring to transfer the power from the switch machine's lever to whatever linkage you can buy or devise - the hairpin spring will work just fine if the switch machine is mounted on the tabletop beside the track switch. Both Earl Eshleman and Kemtron have a type of link like that shown in the photos and most well-stocked model railroad shops carry one or both brands.
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You can obtain the Eshleman unit by mail from Earl at Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 17022. Send a stamped, self addressed envelope for his latest catalog and price list. The Eshleman and Kemtron turnout links are available in a variety of sizes to match the thick ness of the baseboard beneath your track; most sizes sell for a dollar or 30 more. The photos and captions describe the installation of the ConCor switch machine and the Eshleman link age but the procedure and general steps would be the same for any of the brands listed. The wires that lead from the switch machine should connect to the 16 volt A.C. posts on any standard model railroad power pack and to a pair of Kadee or similar doorbell-type pushbuttons at your control panel. The only advantage to using the Kadee pushbuttons is that they are about the smallest you can buy so they can be worked right into a track plan and switch diagram on the control panel for easy identification.
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Each of the switch machines is furnished with a wiring diagram to show just where each wire should be connected from the machine to the pushbuttons or power pack. Tri-Delt Electronics, Box 203 11, San Diego, Calif. 92120, and others offer a special capacitor discharge type of power supply that is perfect for actuating switch machines. With a normal power pack and push button, too long a pressure on the pushbutton can allow the switch ma chine to overheat and burnout. The Tri-Delt unit allows only a single snap of power to give positive throw to the switch machine no matter how long you lean on the pushbutton. The Tri-Delt unit sells for $12.00 and will operate any of the popular brands of switch machines and it can be used with Kadee or any other type of pushbutton.
Once you've installed an under-the-table switch machine you may want to provide some sort of simulated manual switch control to match the appearance of the switch stands that appear beside most of the full-size railroad's switches. All that is required is a duplicate of the switch stand standing on the two extended ties beside the switch's points. You can fabricate your own from brass or plastic scraps to match the style used by the rail roads in your area or to match one of the two styles shown in the photos. Your local model railroad dealer should be able to supply a Kemtron or Alexander-brand switch stand that is fully-detailed and ready to paint and glue or spike in place beside the track. Once you've gone to the trouble of providing hidden remote control switch actuation you might just as well make your switches look as realistic as the real thing.