Having decades of experience of being tall, with low height baseboards in tight places, I have 4 suggested key requirements for well designed turnout actuators. Add getting old and or even sightly physically disabled to the aforementioned, makes them critical requirements.
1.Installation is simple and practical from the top surface of the baseboard
2. Alignment adjustments are simple practical from the top surface of the baseboard
3. Operating throw adjustments are simple and practical from the top surface of the baseboard
4. Power and control connections are simple and practical from the top surface of the baseboard
Further more, operation should be reliable and maintenance free for ever and similarly not cause any damage or maintenance issues with scale models of turnouts.
If anyone doubts such designs are possible, I refer to the work of your own John Wright from "up North" who produced the renown "Federal St." exhibition layout.
Andy
Designing turnout actuators
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Re: Designing turnout actuators
And must not have any non-scale parts visible in the scenic area.
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Re: Designing turnout actuators
Was that actuator written up anywhere other than the 2013 Model Railroader article?
Re: Designing turnout actuators
One advantage of using full scale thickness sleepers is that wire in tube is thin enough to be completely hidden in the ballast and can so pass through multiple tracks on the way to a turnout on the far side. Similarly, a hidden under ballast (or ground colour painted) half sleeper height sub base supporting scale point operating bars can work on the roadbed surface.
Andy
Andy
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