Making a Over Center Spring for Manual Turnout Control

[@ICUNA22]

Paper clip installation for me, too. I was skeptical, but it works great! Thanks for posting! Whether you use piano wire or paper clips, if your spring tends to come out of the holes, especially in plastic ties, put a VERY slight bend away from the center in both the downward facing stubs that fit into the drilled holes.

[@Tuckaway]

Amazing, I watched you make that, I never realised it would work as it's so simple.

[@the_BRD_sub_byDonHennessy]

I’m glad to see you did a build for Halloween this year, excellent, nice job on the zenos. Cheers

[@dodgezilla04]

Great video. I used 0.032" piano wire and converted 5 g scale turnouts that were already ground installed, while kneeling in snow. Took one 12" piece and 20 minutes. Thanks much

[@Hiazhunter]

I was wondering about G scale & you answered my question about it. Thanks.

[@patrickunderwood5662]

I have several Micro Engineering turnouts that have either lost their springs, or don’t hold position. This mechanism would have saved me a lot of money on my switching layout.

[@Hiazhunter]

Thank you for posting & sharing this video. 🚂🚃🚃🚃

[@ianturner2229]

Well Done, this is the first and only "coherent" description I have found of how to make your own over centre spring for points. Thank you so much.!

[@carmium]

I was helping out an guy who got into the deep end of the model rail pool doing a layout for a multi-millionaire, and was learning as he went. One day, the little hidden spring in one of the soldered-in, ballasted, and motored Peco switches broke as we were testing the track to the container terminal. In response to his deflated "Oh, no-o-o..." I grabbed a piece of light piano wire, a tiny drill in a pin vise, and tapped a replacement - as seen above - into the throw bar and a tie: Click. Clack. You should have seen his face! It's a nice trick to have in your back pocket!

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

@@carmium That's interesting, because I was under the impression that when you added a motor drive, like a Tortoise or even something like a bullfrog, you want to pull out the spring anyways. That's what I've done with my N scale turnouts. Nice story! Clutch, because regardless, it seems something wasn't working right, and then suddenly was.

[@carmium]

@@andrewlaverghetta715 Peco Motors are a simple double coil solenoid, and don't have any mechanism to hold the points over to either side, so they continue to rely on the tiny built-in spring.

[@helmutfuerstenberg729]

Built my first spring using a 0.038 paper clip on the first turnout I built using Fast Tracks fixture and it works like a charm!

[@rs6383]

Good video, quite informative. Nice work. I will give it a try. Thanks for sharing the video

[@uptownphotography]

Well done. I watched this video 5 months ago and will be putting it to use soon.......I Subscribed....

[@makeart5070]

Looks like that could work well as a spring switch

[@cprtrain]

Terrific. Thanks for showing this.

[@FlyingCrow]

Would you recommend using CA glue on the backside or does the wire need to rotate in the hole slightly? Thanks for the great video.

[@rjordans]

I expect you want to have the wire to rotate freely (hence also the loose fit in the hole mentioned)

[@nshanahanable]

What size wire would you recommend for an n scale fast tracks turnout? Does this size wire work the same?

[@uptownphotography]

Cool idea. Well done.

[@mysticrailroad]

brilliant video thank you.

[@stonybrooke4154]

What size wire and hole would you drill for the N Scale fast tracks turnout...?

[@nedmerrill5705]

Does the spring need to be between the rails? Could you extend the ties/throw bar and install the spring on the extensions?

[@ICUNA22]

Since the spring is working against the center line of the switchpoints and the switchpoint pivot, going outside the rails would probably be a problem. But what the heck!! Give it a try!

[@edeaglehouse2221]

In theory it should work fine either way, as long as the spring ends are in line parallel to the track centerline when the switch points are centered. That way the spring is at its highest compression when both its ends are in line with the center and wants to push the free end away from the centerline. The stock rails prevent the switch points from traveling any farther, so they lock into place on either side of center. Brilliant idea.

[@holry7778]

Install that on the underside

[@dad1ipms]

Yes that's exactly what I was thinking. You'll need a small spring void in the track bed into which the spring can sit and than all you have on the surface are a couple of almost flush cut spring ends.

[@Barney-hk3es]

you make it look easy. I just can't get it right. doing it on atlas switches

[@pearlyhumbucker9065]

@James Smith This doesnt work on every switch out there. It will not work with plastik ties, with rails that are nailed on the ties. To work properly it needs very hard ties, and they MUST be fixed to the rails - soldered or - maybe - glued with some kind of superglue (but I believe, glueing isnt strong enough). The u-wire works as a spring here, pushing the two ties apart, thus pressing the rails to the one side or to the other. Plastic ties and many wooden ties wont withstand the pressure, they will bow - and the effect of the springing wire is lost. Same goes for rails that arent solidly fixed to the ties - the ties will wander under the pressure of the springing wire, therefore the effect of the spring is lost then too. Conclusion: This solution only works with switches that are build like the fast track switch in the video. All other switches - especially them with plastic ties - need a spring mechanism that doesnt apply the force of the spring to the switch itelf or its components.

[@Barney-hk3es]

Thanks l!

[@spud7378]

Pearly Humbucker not true. Did over 30 atlas switches this same way. Works fine

[@edeaglehouse2221]

The spring ends when centered must be parallel to the track centerline. Too weak a spring won't apply enough pressure. Too strong a spring will deform the ties or rails. You only have half the distance from the point to the rail to play with to get the holes in the right places.

[@mantashakhatoon6666]

Like to banta hai bhai🤗🤗🤗

[@rohitkhanna]

I can't BELIEVE that you're advising folks to solder the two tracks together using strip of PCB. Haven't you heard of dead-shorts ? WHat on earth are you thinking ?!?!

[@mariov1743]

"FastTracks.. When you don't care about money or detail at all!"