I finally remembered to take the camera to the club. so there are more photos.
once again the photos loaded backward to the way I wanted them, so from the bottom up.
I'm test fitting a piece of PC board that will be the throw bar
I filled in the frog of the three existing switches with solder, I used tinning flux and lead free plumbing solder . which makes solid and hard joint.
after the frog is filled up with solder I use a mill file across the top to level up the top, and then use the special tool shown, a piece of hacksaw blade in a vice grip to file out the flangeway through the frog.
then there is the frog with the flange ways cut out being tested with a test truck.
and on the top is the test train, which after some extra filing and tweaking. was rolling through two of the switches without a problem ( I have to get some support under the bridge before I can test that switch with the long train.
note there are no guard rails yet. a well built switch will work without them, so they go on last, after the switch works well, cause the gaurdrails can mask some flaws it the switch geometry, so you get the whole thing working before they go in and then you know you have a good switch.
I brought home some of the blue point, under the roadbed manual switch controllers for me to study and pre-wire @ home so I can play with them to see how they will work. those , the trowbars , and some gaps to make them DCC friendly will be the next projects.
Bill Nelson
once again the photos loaded backward to the way I wanted them, so from the bottom up.
I'm test fitting a piece of PC board that will be the throw bar
I filled in the frog of the three existing switches with solder, I used tinning flux and lead free plumbing solder . which makes solid and hard joint.
after the frog is filled up with solder I use a mill file across the top to level up the top, and then use the special tool shown, a piece of hacksaw blade in a vice grip to file out the flangeway through the frog.
then there is the frog with the flange ways cut out being tested with a test truck.
and on the top is the test train, which after some extra filing and tweaking. was rolling through two of the switches without a problem ( I have to get some support under the bridge before I can test that switch with the long train.
note there are no guard rails yet. a well built switch will work without them, so they go on last, after the switch works well, cause the gaurdrails can mask some flaws it the switch geometry, so you get the whole thing working before they go in and then you know you have a good switch.
I brought home some of the blue point, under the roadbed manual switch controllers for me to study and pre-wire @ home so I can play with them to see how they will work. those , the trowbars , and some gaps to make them DCC friendly will be the next projects.
Bill Nelson
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