I use the other hole so I don't have to drill one. It works just fine.

Fix your crossover. The diverging rails in your video do not align.

Why try to fix a problem that doesnt exist..............POINTS have springs in them so whu put a paper clip in

Incredibly unsafe table saw procedures. You're lucky you didn't get kickback right into your gut

Seems like a good idea. Seems to work. But not for long. Pity.

I use PECO turnouts, I do have one or two Atlas and two Shinohara #8 curved ones as well. I find this video amusing because many modellers claim that one should remove the spring in the PECO turnout so they will work with a Tortoise machine, I leave the spring in and just use a thicker wire on the Tortoise. I made a spring turnout with a length of piano wire and some track nails, adjust the length of the wire so that your lightest rolling stock will push the points over without derailing.

Very nice!

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

thank you for this video! I am getting back into model trains after 40 years. Connecting my Kato track and power has been one of my biggest questions!

what is the link for the blueprints for the wooden trestles

well done my friend. I enjoyed watching twas very original DCR.

It must be Atlas track turnouts ,they are garbage !

Great idea. I'm going to try it.

Your track is mis aligned, As your trains traverse the outer turnout to mext inner one they bounce. You track does not follow the manufacturer's designed track geometry!

Please cut out the music, it is very annoying. We want to hear the click as the turnout changes over.

How does the paperclip fix derailments?

a piee of plastic between the moving and fixed tie is far easier and better

WHY THE MUSIC IT MADE THE HEARING WHAT YOU HAD TO SAY HARD TO HEAR

this would be watchable if it did not have that crap "music" - Way too loud - Adds nothing - Irritating.

Super. I did something similar, but without an overthrow spring. I straghten a smaller paperclip, put a small loop in one end, then I poke the paperclip through the point throw bar where the switch machine connects. I get four track spikes, and put two into the layout, facing each other, holding down the middle of the paperclip, like a pivot, with the loop facing up. Then I push the loop end of the paperclip sideways to move the points and add two track spikes by the loop end, about 1/2" apart, with their heads facing out to catch the loop end of the clip. To switch tracks, I grip the loop, slide sideways slightly to unhook the spike head, lift, and slide sideways, moving the switch points, then replace the loop end against the other spike head. I provide the point tension and lock the points in that direction manually, by having the clip bend slightly, without any point overthrow springs. These work great, and are a cheap, easy, and effective turnout control method to allow operation during track construction, and they allow you to operate with no switch machines or throws until you can add them, and I even put paper clips on two overthrow spring equipped turnouts just to have a handle to switch them with. I still have six of them in use on an unscenicked seven track staging yard, mostly because of sentiment, because the rest of the layout has electric switch machines or high or low ground throws. Hello from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N.

Turning off the annoying music would be a benefit.!

Dear DCR Rails, as so many commentators said before, Peco sells their turnouts with an over-centre spring installed. Also, Tim Warris from Fast Tracks Turnouts has made a great video on making your own over-centre springs out of piano wire. Great when the paperclip method works for the particular turnout on your layout. Nevertheless, it may be worth checking the video from Tim I mentioned, especially when the loop on the paperclip may show to be too wide to accommodate the appropriate spring action to put firmly the point rails in their positions on the stock rails. Just to close, I humbly think it’s instrumental to keep this possible tweak on our ‘hard drives.’ Therefore I very much appreciate your reminder! Cheerio

Painful to watch. It took you 14 seconds just to cut the paperclip! More importantly, WHAT does the paperclip do? Yes, I know, it acts as a spring, but why didn't you explain that?

I used too be in the hobby and loved splurging on railcars that I normally couldn't afford to look at not alone own. Knowing that the cars where a serious piece of craftsmanship, precise engineering and everything else that justified the manufacture's three digit price tag of some limited run car, I knew they were designed to run flawlessly but setting the car on a mainline rail on my layout and crossing over a turnout and jumping the rails E V E R Y single time - in both directions frustrated me to the point where I ended up redesigning the entire layout and eventually giving the hobby up for the sake of my sanity. I think your resolution to the problem I was having would have found me still running my layout to this very day. All I can say is PECO, Eat your heart out!!😏

Hi, that dam music! You don’t need it that loud, it should be soft. Cheers

Good tip my brother

🤠🖐🚂🫵

Instead of a paper clip, can this be done with a staple? IJA🤷🏿‍♂️

It is understandable why your trains are derailing there. You are using #4 turnouts where you should be using #6''s. Also, your tangent to curvature is off. If there is always just one car that is derailing there it is because the wheel gage is off. Just some constructive criticism!

Other brands of points maybe cost more, but they will be cheaper in the long run. Another idea is to not have curved track right next to points. Another idra to help would be if possible to use flexi track for curves and S curves.

0:10 Why do something !? Those sparks look awesome !😊

An old idea, but I've never had much luck implementing it due to bending straight wire into the proper shape and length. This demonstration is a few steps simpler and seems just as effective. Nice job!

Life Like Power Lock track and have fun setting up everyway you can imagine , always another way to lay track , about 3 or 4 months and it changes , get nickel silver

Someone mentioned it's an old idea. Others mentioned switching to A different brand. It's a old idea that I did not know. Someone else mentioned he did not explain how how or why this fixes the problem. Without the explanation, I had no idea what it was that he was doing to Improve the turn out. I'm in no position to buy new anything. Everything I get is used so if I end up with atlas so be it. But now If I have an issue, because of this video I know how to fix it for a about a penny instead of going out and paying twenty dollars to fifty dollars for a new turn out. One cent fix for a fifty dollar problem. Works for me and thanks for the video!

Or you give your cars the proper weight. Cars which are too light will always cause problems, in my experience, but nevermind me.

OK, nice trick, you made sure that the switch rails are kept as close as possible to their corresponding heel rails. More modern turnouts are spring loaded by design while older types left this task for the point motor mechanism. But what about the turnout you removed?

music to loud

Twisting motion on long wagons and carriages cause derailments. Needs a short straight to prevent the snaking effect as this produces two opposite forces...

Fun fact about paperclips, invented in Norway in 1899. Nice seeing you improve what you have but I would look into modern trackwork if you can before committing to much more scenic work, Hi from UK 👍

This is called an over-centre spring. Peco switches have them built in. The paperclip will be fine, but the key element is to make sure that the distance between the turnout''s existing hole and the one you drill in the next tie is just fractionally SMALLER than the distance between the two prongs of the trimmed paperclip. That's what makes the clip want to spring back to full extension. It works even better with really springy wire, like a guitat string, which will not soften and lose its springiness over the years like a paperclip.

This is a neat thing that I wish I had thought of. Instead, I gave up on Atlas switch tracks and went with Peco, which have these springs already installed.

Please don't try this at home. Use one of the 27 better ways to do this.

I would like to add a few words of advice if I may. Intermountain 33 inch metal wheels, kadee couplers, and cars weighted to NMRA standards. Also have all your couplers either body mounted or truck mounted but do not mix. A kadee coupler height gauge is a must. Thank you for the paperclip tip. 36 inch intermountain metal wheels for passenger cars.

great video

DCR; or at least I hope it is DCR; losing track a bit here. To maul a great American saying: 'Go round the walls, Young Man; not up them.' That's what I did. 1/ long runs. 2/ huge radii 3/ Large radii turnouts. 4/ All is on narrow shelves; that means you don't lose the use of the room/garage. Effectively NO footprint. A layout on a table in the middle of a room takes out the whole room. 5/ Golden Retriever's bedding can be put under what is really a shelf layout. That means you don't break your neck on it. 6/ That last point is partly in jest, but only partly. Arrange your support legs so you cannot trip over the feet. It takes ONLY ONE FALL!!!! See if you can cantilever them out or place the layout shelf on angles secured to the wall. 7/ My layout is in a water-logged garage. The fact it still works is a wonder. Only one side is2' wide; the other main side is about 12" wide. Not quite that simple, but that will do. Some caveats: 1/ When 'going around' a room, swing the entry door the other way so you cannot lock yourself in. If you have a heart attack access is needed from outside. 2/ A lift section is needed as what you have is effectively an island layout. Have a look at 'Scott Rail'. My lift section is light enough, but is too wide. If time ever allows me back to the layout again I will replace it with a 2 foot long x 6" wide segment. Don't make 'duck-unders! You see: IT IS REALLY SO MUCH SIMPLER THAN WE ALL THINK. It can also be cheaper. Don't forget that 'gmail'. Meanwhile kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIvNmmmnedGbZqM

I noticed some cars rocking very easily as if they have no weight🧐had similar issues and some of my issues were self induced like ballasting and couplers but the major one was weight of the cars! Most were underweight! Harbor freight has tire weights and I have a diagram I follow per length of rolling stock and add the necessary weight sometimes going over a bit on purpose. Now my trains can go several laps without derailing!

Something tells me that this trick is only necessary for use on certain makes of turnout.

Your first mistake is using Atlas turnouts! Peco is the only way to go. Also the radius is to tight.

Also if you want trains to run anything like smooth you are going to have to do something about that " turnout curve " piece the tracks have to join as smoothly as possible

2 things--- dont try to cram too many tunouts in a really small area, and ALWAYS ALWAYS check the track by eyeballing it for smooth flow when installing it! From all directions!!!