Hi, I bought 1 HO Peco #6 as an experiment on whether I will buy more in order to possibly replace Atlases.. (I actually think Atlas Custom Lines look better than Pecos). Still ,I keep putting off splicing one in because I'm not sure which, if any ground throws work with Pecos. The sprung, snap-action of Pecos has me wondering if Caboose throws marry well with this feature..What GTs, if any, go well with Peco switches ?..
Hi, I can't comment on HO Pecos, but I use N-Scale Pecos with Caboose Industries ground throws. I removed the springs from the switches that I have the ground throws attached. Caboose Industries recommends that the spring be removed from the switch. I contacted Caboose Industries via their website and they told me which ground throw to use for my application. Gary
Oh yeah, that makes sense..A little sad though as the spring is kind of nice..I remember ages ago praying to get the horn- hook HO couplers out altogether and get knuckles going..Well, that day certainly came and boy how sweet it is ! Now we all have the same wish about universal or unitized ground throws which look and act like couplers now (nearly) do..Caboose deserves some credit but I just wish someone,say Kadee would really sock it to us already already..scale sized delrin would bend I guess..Hows about aluminum or steel , not porous but strong like a brad (nail).Hey look at old clocks how tiny the action is/was..Oh yeah, I forgot.....the cost....I'd pay $10 for each if they were spot on...target turning ,nice stand, rod, polarity matched in frog, all in one ...I really think this is a week spot in the hobby, realism-wise. It's still not there yet, no? .......Mark
Hi Mark, As I said I have removed the springs on the switches that I have the ground throws (GT) on, but (yes there is that but) I have also used the sprung GT with the spring still installed in the Peco switch while I was testing some track to decide if I had put it where I wanted it. Leaving the spring in does give some resistance when first starting to flip the GT, and then it pulls on the GT. It for sure makes the switch point stay in place. For my N-Scale Peco's I believe that I used the #218S which is available in a 5 pack. You might need the #202S for HO depending on the amount of travel you need. Gary
Since we're on the subject of Pecos, if any of you in HO have used/do use Atlas custom-Lines and Peco Insulfrog, and since both are all-live with isolated frog, are there no or at least less stall-outs on Pecos than Atlas ? What's frustrating about Atlases is that there will be no stall-out with same engine at the very same switch 44 times. Then same does stall the 45th time..and always when showing layout to a non MRRer...Can anyone relate ? Can anyone explain what condition changed to make this occur ? I try to clean rails right up the the 4 gaps to the nth..just to try and get that microscopic last live-rail continuity .But it doesn't insure a thing..Of course I know problems are over if we just power the frog..But that's the rub for me, those so out of scale GTs. How liberating the universal change to knuckle couplers was..Universal proto ground throws would not be rocket science to conquer...Kadee seems like the perfect ones to do this..Or Caboose, if they accept their existing inventory as then obsolete....tens of thousands unsold... Maybe it's a matter of getting Hex Frog Juicers and adding dummy proto looking GTs, huh ? Oh, wait. juicer can't throw the points..guess juicer is best for wyes and loops...
Can I ask the dumb question here? Why do you want to put ground throws on a Peco switch? The whole point of that switch is you don't need a groundthrow. I like how caboose GTs works, but they are so out of scale, even worse so in N. The only reason to use them is for a more clear visual indication of how the switch is thrown. As for the turnouts themselves. Under heavy use such as yard ladders, I find that Peco puts up with more abuse. I've seen many a customline switch lose a point at the club and do not plan to use them at home.
There are several manufacturers who make switch stands that also have rotating targets, etc. but those usually only work with switch mechanisms mounted under the layout weather they are switch machines or manual mechanisms.
Sorry, but no one answered my question as to reliability continuity-wise between Peco and Atlas..Are there little to no stall outs on Peco ? One thing I don't care for on Peco is the larger space between stock rail and point rail than Atlas has when ( of course) switch is thrown away from same said rail...But they do function better; Pecos that is ?
Your question is sort of a trick one. If you used electro-frogs you would have no stalling. The stalling would likely be less with Peco as they make a better point connection than the Atlas (in general). You can NEVER go wrong with Peco and they last almost forever. As stated as well, why not just throw the points by hand with no ground throws? Thanks , Mike
