Years ago (before 1950) I saw a club layout where the switches (turnouts) were remotely controlled using something that looked like light weight automotive choke or throttle cables. I also think MR ran a piece on this technique around the same time. I would like to look into this technique to see if it can be done for less money than with electric machines. Unfortunately, all I can find at local auto stores are fully-assembled replacement choke and throttle cables, all of which are heavy and too expensive. A search of the Web turned up more of the same automotive assemblies ... all I had to do was enter the make, model, and year of my automobile, motorcycle, or (fill in the blank), and they would ship me a complete assembly. Does anybody know of a company that might handle light weight flexible control cables in 25-50-100 foot lengths? Thanks [ 16 January 2002: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
Right benny, I have used them (many years ago) and they work well Edit: Just remembered that I have also used a "wire in tube" method which was sold here in the UK especially for model railways, the first I got had copper tubing, but later the tube was nylon, which needed no lubrication. The tubes must have been about 1/8" OD, IIRC. Not sure if these are still around it must have been back in the late fifties/early sixties when I used them [ 16 January 2002: Message edited by: Alan ]
Try any hobby shop that caters to model airplanes. They use a nylon tube with a metal or plastic shaft running thru the inside to handle the control surfaces of the aircraft. They're sold in lengths probably around 2-4 feet long. If you needed a real long one, I'd suggest rigging up some sort of rigid pushrods and use bellcranks to get around corners.
Bill Denton of Kingsbury Branch fame uses this method along with a simple slide switch for positive rail closure. See his sight for more detail. The Kingsbury Branch I plan to use this method on my hard to reach turnouts but, the close ones will be operated with an over-center spring activated by my finger.
Thanks guys! I'll check out both ... there's a bike shop down the road, and the local train store is also big into RC planes, just never thought to ask him Plastic wire in Nylon tubing, neat ... but he probably wants an arm-n-leg for it ... it's HI-TECH [ 17 January 2002: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
On my final layout in HO scale, I used rigid steel rods, under the table, which ran in short sections of brass tube soldered to brass screws in the underside of the baseboard. I put a joggle in the rods, to activate the button on a microswitch, to change the frog polarity. This system worked flawlessly throughout several exhibition appearances.
Jon, I just bought a pack of two 3 foot sections of plastic RC rod/tube linkage for testing. It cost about 70 cents (US) per foot. Alan, your metal rod/tube assembly sounds like the best design for a mobile exhibition application. However, my application is a fixed layout, where the switch control linkages will fan out from three panels, so I think flexible plastic will be a less complex solution. The linkage consists of a flexible 1/8" Nylon(?) rod within a flexible Nylon(?) tube. I'm going to test it by drilling a small hole across the end of the rod to accept the switch control wire under the table. (The wire is bent 90 degrees, then runs up through the table via a brass tube to control the switch throw bar.) Then run the linkage back to a control panel, and use either a toggle or push/pull knob for control .... yet to be worked out Thanks for all the info
If you are working on a narrow shelf-type layout, I'd recommend bicycle wheel spokes, run through "chocolate-block" electrical connectors. Adjust the set-screws in the block to give enough pressure to make them slightly stiff. I use a bit of bent paperclip to route up through the baseboard into the tiebar as it's slightly springy. and I use one of the brass bits from the chocbloc to fix it to the spoke. Visit the craft shop for some wooden beads of a suitable size, epoxy them to the spoke nipple, and they can then be screwed off for module storage/transport.
ShortLiner, I hadn't considered spokes. Thanks My test this afternoon used piano wire passed through the table via a brass tube to connect the plastic rod linkage to the switch throw-bar. Piano wire is difficult to bend because of its strength and stiffness. A spoke may be more suitable because it's malleable. By the way, the airplane plastic control rod/tube works great! Alan & Jon, thanks for the suggestion! [ 19 January 2002: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]
I was a member of a club in Fla. that had a large yard that used pnuematic switch controls. Simply a medical syringe at each end with stiff tubing between them. The plunger at the switch was mounted to a spring connected to the switch throw rod and the control panel end had a T-bar arrangement to make pulling the plungers out easier. The T-bar had a small wire between it and the control panel to prevent pulling the plunger out too far. Once the system was bled to the right travel and the tubing glued to the syringes it worked fine.
That sounds like a good concept. My only concern is that, unless you have access to a bunch of used syringes, it could run into real money My test yesterday used 3 feet of rod/tube linkage which cost about US$2. I drilled a hole in the control panel, and glued the end of the tube into the hole. The rod sticks out about an inch for push/pull action. The plastic rod/tube linkage is very flexible, so alignment was a breeze
Ref:medical syringes: At the local farm supply, any size veterinary syringes are real cheap. Never use used ones. They have up to a couple hundred cc size here-for multiple injections on cows, horses, can buy with out the metal "business ends" if you don't need them. If you do, they are huge size, too, about a No. 35, but cost additional. I use a lot of them for glue, lubricant applications. They work great for that, too. I decided on manual throws for my new shelf layout, and I used the microswitch linked to a push-pull device mentioned above. Works good for me. [ 17 February 2002, 08:35: Message edited by: Graphite ]
