Love your idea of remote operating turnouts with the tubing, the double bent piano wire and the tortoise in horizontal position. I’ve been looking for solution like this one to operate turnouts on elevated track. Obviously want the tortoise to be out of sight. Your method comes closest to what I came up with myself until now. Also, by mounting the tortoise horizontal and transferring the movement on the double bent piano wire, the kind of sweeping force from the switch motor is adjusted to a more straight and straightforward one. The loop of the piano wire doesn’t mind the kind of miniature sweeping, where the throw bar of the turnout definitely can run into lateral friction from the sweeping movement of the motor. Exactly that kind of movement is eliminated by this kind of mounting the tortoise. Be sure I’ll put this one on my hard drive. Thanks 🙏 for sharing.
Nice video Steve, thanks. I need to mount my tortoise about 6” beneath my peco turnout. I have 6” of foam on top of plywood. In one case I might have to offset the machine like you did. In your opinion, do you think I’ll have to replace the tortoise spring wire with a stiffer one like you did (.047” piano wire)? I’ve never installed one of these before. Thanks.
Did you remove the centre spring in the Peco Turnout? The Tortoise won't snap the spring, unless you really beef up the wire and it probably won't work from 6" away. If you remove the spring, you'll still have to beef up the spring for a 6" throw. The wire that comes with the Tortoise is pretty thin and is only good for about a 1" gap between the track and body.
hey, add an e"" string, from electric guitar, through a plastic tube,, this makes a flex cable, ( grease it !), solder a " l ", shaped end on it,, hook to turnout,, circuit board, faces front of layout, make changes, easier!,,
Love your idea of remote operating turnouts with the tubing, the double bent piano wire and the tortoise in horizontal position. I’ve been looking for solution like this one to operate turnouts on elevated track. Obviously want the tortoise to be out of sight. Your method comes closest to what I came up with myself until now.
Also, by mounting the tortoise horizontal and transferring the movement on the double bent piano wire, the kind of sweeping force from the switch motor is adjusted to a more straight and straightforward one. The loop of the piano wire doesn’t mind the kind of miniature sweeping, where the throw bar of the turnout definitely can run into lateral friction from the sweeping movement of the motor. Exactly that kind of movement is eliminated by this kind of mounting the tortoise.
Be sure I’ll put this one on my hard drive. Thanks 🙏 for sharing.
This is a good alternative solution to remote mounting of Tortoise and SMAIL switch machines
good video, mounting the tortoises, horizontal, near the front , makes wiring easier !
Ingenious, really good idea!
Nice video Steve, thanks. I need to mount my tortoise about 6” beneath my peco turnout. I have 6” of foam on top of plywood. In one case I might have to offset the machine like you did. In your opinion, do you think I’ll have to replace the tortoise spring wire with a stiffer one like you did (.047” piano wire)? I’ve never installed one of these before. Thanks.
Did you remove the centre spring in the Peco Turnout? The Tortoise won't snap the spring, unless you really beef up the wire and it probably won't work from 6" away. If you remove the spring, you'll still have to beef up the spring for a 6" throw. The wire that comes with the Tortoise is pretty thin and is only good for about a 1" gap between the track and body.
I'm only at 1:41 in....."these one's"?
Steve, a simple Z bend with a longer wire will do the job with MUCH less material.
hey, add an e"" string, from electric guitar, through a plastic tube,, this makes a flex cable, ( grease it !), solder a " l ", shaped end on it,, hook to turnout,, circuit board, faces front of layout, make changes, easier!,,