Keyboard Shortcuts
Likes
Search
Turnout point conductivity
|
AchimK
The relevant graphic from the above mentioned publication by Joe Fugate. Thanks Rob Morrison for the link! In essence, the further up on the list, the less polar = the better for track cleaning and prevention of microarcing/oxidation (the dreaded black stuff). On Mon, 7 Jun 2021 at 02:28, Robert Morrison via <robmorrison42=[email protected]> wrote: Gentlemen, |
|
AchimK
Sorry, I thought embedding a screenshot would work. Apologies, I don't know how to upload images to the group. On Mon, 7 Jun 2021 at 09:49, AchimK via <dr.micha.koenig=[email protected]> wrote:
|
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýDear bobI read his article which basically claims that wd40 contact cleaner and crc contact cleaner and protectant not only cleans the track but leaves a residue which helps conductivity and prevents or lowers arcing. ?He also pushes something call no-ox but indicates it damages rubber tires and since most of my dcc n scale diesels have tires it cant be used. I also read claims, i believe in mrh , that said not to use anything with water, silicone or petroleum products.? Yet both of the above mentioned products have isopropyl alcohol and petroleum products @ 44%. I know we are talking religion and not science but there seams to be a contradiction in the statements by mrh . Also does either wd40..... or crc........ damage plastic or rubber tires.? Many people sware by mineral spirits. So i cleaned my track and engine wheels with it. It did seam to solve some ?issues i had with engines stopping or pausing but a rubber tire did come off an engine. I dont know if its from the rubbing or the spirits damaged it. Tony On Jun 6, 2021, at 9:28 PM, Robert Morrison via groups.io <robmorrison42@...> wrote:
|
|
I started this thread looking for a good product? that would improve the point contact on turnouts.? It has gone beyond that and become as much about track cleaning products. This is a subject that certainly has its camps of preferred methods and product use. If there was the "perfect" track cleaning product the discussions would be limited. Over the years I have read so many posts about track cleaning products and methods. Sadly there is no one perfect product and certainly scale comes into play as well. I wish I had applied what I read on Alan Gartner's web site from the start. That is to put in the jumpers before I installed the turnouts. I considered it but I had read and was advised with Peco turnouts don't worry. I believe I created my problem by removing the springs from the Peco turnouts, to use switch tortoise switch machines. Had I not removed the springs I think I would be having less problems all around. I just did not think it through. I fell pray to the "it looks more realistic for points to move slow" and the fact it was recommended to remove the springs when using Tortoise. Hind site I would not do this again. Reliability is more important in this application that being realistic. Heck I found 2 more Tortoise machines that I had not modified with the stronger music wire and brass tube. Another "on the job learning" I though that was the cure.? Since I have already tried WD40 contact cleaner with very limited success. I am going to bite the bullet and add jumper wires to about 65 turnouts in place. FWIW I have also invested in a number of different cleaning cars throughout the years. The Atlas, Aztec, Centerline, CMX, and a kit that modifies a car and uses hardboard. My preferred cleaning train is to push the CMX with a loco, followed by the Centerline (dry wipe) and the Aztec car minus the roller just for the magnet and brush. This worked fine on my plywood pacific with Kato track in the past. So far I have only run 91% IPA in the CMX. I fear a stopped train will let too much Acetone or Mineral sprits flow onto the layout. And the lingering odor of each. It will be a time consuming project to wire all my turnouts.? Thanks for all the advice. Perry?? |
|
It really aint? that complicated. The frog has to be isolated, dremel or razor saw. Nothing else is reliable, trouble free, doesn't have to fooled with ever again. I admit I am in O scale. John Bishop?
On Monday, June 7, 2021, 07:20:18 AM PDT, Perry A Pollino <texasperry@...> wrote:
I started this thread looking for a good product? that would improve the point contact on turnouts.? It has gone beyond that and become as much about track cleaning products. This is a subject that certainly has its camps of preferred methods and product use. If there was the "perfect" track cleaning product the discussions would be limited. Over the years I have read so many posts about track cleaning products and methods. Sadly there is no one perfect product and certainly scale comes into play as well. I wish I had applied what I read on Alan Gartner's web site from the start. That is to put in the jumpers before I installed the turnouts. I considered it but I had read and was advised with Peco turnouts don't worry. I believe I created my problem by removing the springs from the Peco turnouts, to use switch tortoise switch machines. Had I not removed the springs I think I would be having less problems all around. I just did not think it through. I fell pray to the "it looks more realistic for points to move slow" and the fact it was recommended to remove the springs when using Tortoise. Hind site I would not do this again. Reliability is more important in this application that being realistic. Heck I found 2 more Tortoise machines that I had not modified with the stronger music wire and brass tube. Another "on the job learning" I though that was the cure.? Since I have already tried WD40 contact cleaner with very limited success. I am going to bite the bullet and add jumper wires to about 65 turnouts in place. FWIW I have also invested in a number of different cleaning cars throughout the years. The Atlas, Aztec, Centerline, CMX, and a kit that modifies a car and uses hardboard. My preferred cleaning train is to push the CMX with a loco, followed by the Centerline (dry wipe) and the Aztec car minus the roller just for the magnet and brush. This worked fine on my plywood pacific with Kato track in the past. So far I have only run 91% IPA in the CMX. I fear a stopped train will let too much Acetone or Mineral sprits flow onto the layout. And the lingering odor of each. It will be a time consuming project to wire all my turnouts.? Thanks for all the advice. Perry?? |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýPerry writes:?? ? ¡°It will be a time consuming project to wire all my turnouts.¡± ? It may appear a bit daunting at first, but your project can be broken down into easily completed tasks. ? ? My preferred method for this is to drill two holes for each point; one on the outside of the rail at the heel of the point, and one immediately across from it on the exterior of the stock rail.? If you are a really good solder, you can solder these on the side of the rail away from the viewer¡¯s normal position, thus hiding it entirely. ? You said you had 65 turnouts to do, at four holes per turnout that totals 260 holes.? I¡¯d start at one end/town on the layout and work my way around the layout.? If you want, break this up into logical groupings, towns/yards/scenes, etc. ? Determine the length of wire you will need from the solder point on one rail, through the roadbed, over, up the other hole and soldered to that rail. Don¡¯t skimp on that wire length, give yourself an extra inch or two when calculating the length. ? The next steps can be accomplished while sitting in front of the TV, watching sports if you choose, of while joining your significant other watching what they want to see <GRIN>: ? 1)??? Using the two colors of wire you use for your track bus, Cut 65 of each color to the necessary length (made even easier if you can set up some type of jig/fixture so you don¡¯t have to worry about the appropriate lengths), 2)??? Once that is done, start stripping both ends of each wire ¨C 3/4 ¡° to an inch, 3)??? When done stripping, form one end of the wire to the shape it needs to be to lie along the web of the rail (My method is vertical out of the hold, bend 90 degrees perpendicular to the rail, and another 90 degree bend so the tip of the wire will lie in the corner of the rail between the web and the base). ? Tin both ends of the wires. Probably best done in the shop or the train room, your significant other may not appreciate the fumes in their part of the household. ? Take your prepped wires and adjourn to the layout. Plug in that soldering iron and keep it hot.? Drop wires according to bus color down the pre-drilled holes. ? Now, start working your way across the layout in a logical pattern; tin the rail where each wire will be attached, then align and solder each wire. ? From the under side of the layout, take each wire, bend it and insert it into the other hole you drilled for this connection.? While you are down there, do an entire town, region, or other logical part of your layout. ? Back on top, bend the ends of the wire to properly lay on the web of the rail as discussed above. Then flux and tin that rail, followed by soldering the feeder to the rail. ? ? It sounds complicated, but if you break it down in to logical steps, and execute many of those steps in ¡°batch¡± fashion, the whole process will require less effort than you expect and will be done much sooner! ? Best regards, ? Steve ? Steve Haas Snoqualmie, WA ? ? ? |
|
Steve, Thanks. I did not think about going all the way through the layout base. But I do have 1 inch of foam plus 1/2 inch of ply. I did struggle a little with feeder wires. even with using a piece of brass tube as a guide. But I may give it a go. Perry
On Thursday, June 10, 2021, 05:31:31 PM CDT, Steve Haas <goatfisher2@...> wrote:
Perry writes:?? ? ¡°It will be a time consuming project to wire all my turnouts.¡± ? It may appear a bit daunting at first, but your project can be broken down into easily completed tasks. ? ? My preferred method for this is to drill two holes for each point; one on the outside of the rail at the heel of the point, and one immediately across from it on the exterior of the stock rail.? If you are a really good solder, you can solder these on the side of the rail away from the viewer¡¯s normal position, thus hiding it entirely. ? You said you had 65 turnouts to do, at four holes per turnout that totals 260 holes.? I¡¯d start at one end/town on the layout and work my way around the layout.? If you want, break this up into logical groupings, towns/yards/scenes, etc. ? Determine the length of wire you will need from the solder point on one rail, through the roadbed, over, up the other hole and soldered to that rail. Don¡¯t skimp on that wire length, give yourself an extra inch or two when calculating the length. ? The next steps can be accomplished while sitting in front of the TV, watching sports if you choose, of while joining your significant other watching what they want to see <GRIN>: ? 1)??? Using the two colors of wire you use for your track bus, Cut 65 of each color to the necessary length (made even easier if you can set up some type of jig/fixture so you don¡¯t have to worry about the appropriate lengths), 2) ??? Once that is done, start stripping both ends of each wire ¨C 3/4 ¡° to an inch,3)??? When done stripping, form one end of the wire to the shape it needs to be to lie along the web of the rail (My method is vertical out of the hold, bend 90 degrees perpendicular to the rail, and another 90 degree bend so the tip of the wire will lie in the corner of the rail between the web and the base). ? Tin both ends of the wires. Probably best done in the shop or the train room, your significant other may not appreciate the fumes in their part of the household. ? Take your prepped wires and adjourn to the layout. Plug in that soldering iron and keep it hot.? Drop wires according to bus color down the pre-drilled holes. ? Now, start working your way across the layout in a logical pattern; tin the rail where each wire will be attached, then align and solder each wire. ? From the under side of the layout, take each wire, bend it and insert it into the other hole you drilled for this connection.? While you are down there, do an entire town, region, or other logical part of your layout. ? Back on top, bend the ends of the wire to properly lay on the web of the rail as discussed above. Then flux and tin that rail, followed by soldering the feeder to the rail. ? ? It sounds complicated, but if you break it down in to logical steps, and execute many of those steps in ¡°batch¡± fashion, the whole process will require less effort than you expect and will be done much sooner! ? Best regards, ? Steve ? Steve Haas Snoqualmie, WA ? ? ? |
|
I have some 4 and 5 inch drill bits that are from 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. There are available but they sometimes melt foam with friction and mess up the bits. I have used pieces or steel wire chucked in a drill. Run it in and pull it right out while it is running. Try it on a piece of scrap first. Get some flux called ruby fluid from your hardware store, works good on clean brass and nickle silver rail.? It is a tedious job powering points but the results are worth it. jd
On Friday, June 11, 2021, 02:43:25 PM EDT, Perry A Pollino <texasperry@...> wrote:
Steve, Thanks. I did not think about going all the way through the layout base. But I do have 1 inch of foam plus 1/2 inch of ply. I did struggle a little with feeder wires. even with using a piece of brass tube as a guide. But I may give it a go. Perry
On Thursday, June 10, 2021, 05:31:31 PM CDT, Steve Haas <goatfisher2@...> wrote:
Perry writes:?? ? ¡°It will be a time consuming project to wire all my turnouts.¡± ? It may appear a bit daunting at first, but your project can be broken down into easily completed tasks. ? ? My preferred method for this is to drill two holes for each point; one on the outside of the rail at the heel of the point, and one immediately across from it on the exterior of the stock rail.? If you are a really good solder, you can solder these on the side of the rail away from the viewer¡¯s normal position, thus hiding it entirely. ? You said you had 65 turnouts to do, at four holes per turnout that totals 260 holes.? I¡¯d start at one end/town on the layout and work my way around the layout.? If you want, break this up into logical groupings, towns/yards/scenes, etc. ? Determine the length of wire you will need from the solder point on one rail, through the roadbed, over, up the other hole and soldered to that rail. Don¡¯t skimp on that wire length, give yourself an extra inch or two when calculating the length. ? The next steps can be accomplished while sitting in front of the TV, watching sports if you choose, of while joining your significant other watching what they want to see <GRIN>: ? 1)??? Using the two colors of wire you use for your track bus, Cut 65 of each color to the necessary length (made even easier if you can set up some type of jig/fixture so you don¡¯t have to worry about the appropriate lengths), 2) ??? Once that is done, start stripping both ends of each wire ¨C 3/4 ¡° to an inch,3)??? When done stripping, form one end of the wire to the shape it needs to be to lie along the web of the rail (My method is vertical out of the hold, bend 90 degrees perpendicular to the rail, and another 90 degree bend so the tip of the wire will lie in the corner of the rail between the web and the base). ? Tin both ends of the wires. Probably best done in the shop or the train room, your significant other may not appreciate the fumes in their part of the household. ? Take your prepped wires and adjourn to the layout. Plug in that soldering iron and keep it hot.? Drop wires according to bus color down the pre-drilled holes. ? Now, start working your way across the layout in a logical pattern; tin the rail where each wire will be attached, then align and solder each wire. ? From the under side of the layout, take each wire, bend it and insert it into the other hole you drilled for this connection.? While you are down there, do an entire town, region, or other logical part of your layout. ? Back on top, bend the ends of the wire to properly lay on the web of the rail as discussed above. Then flux and tin that rail, followed by soldering the feeder to the rail. ? ? It sounds complicated, but if you break it down in to logical steps, and execute many of those steps in ¡°batch¡± fashion, the whole process will require less effort than you expect and will be done much sooner! ? Best regards, ? Steve ? Steve Haas Snoqualmie, WA ? ? ? |