I'm going to be doing some at about 4.5 inches on a layout I'm starting. I've bench tested a few with some stacked up foam. I was having difficulty with my Peco's until I had a "duh" moment. Once I removed the tension spring from the Peco it worked much better - even with fairy thin wire.
On the RGW we use tortoise machines and they run consistently every time. Mounting is a combination of double stick carpet tape and two screws; after a week, it holds like cement. We also substitute the throw wire with a heavier gauge, I find that the fulcrum about half way works fine and the heavier rod holds the switch points against the rail perfectly. Here is a quick overview directly from the website: http://rgwrail.com/turnouts.htm Michael
I use the industrial strength Velcro brand strips to attach multiple Tortoises to my NTRAK yard modules. It has proven to be reliable, alignment adjustments are easy, and in the event that a Tortoise is bumped during setup/teardown it will release. A colleague who for many years has used screws to attach Tortoises to his modules has reported mounting flange damage when some of his Tortoises have been bumped. I attach the 2" wide hook side to the Tortoise base, and the loop fabric to the plywood. I apply Polyurethane to the plywood first to provide a better surface for the adhesive to adhere to. The package indicates that the adhesive reaches full strength after is has been attached for 24 hours.
