Hi Luke. This is a great video very clear and concise and uses all basic cheap to come by items... This is exactly how I will be doing my new layout but using different items in a similar manner as I used to run an RC model boat business and have lots of left over stock that I will now be using for my trains.. lots of push rod and control stuff for steering and thorottle control of yachts and boats and left over K&S metal tubing from the display rack.
A great idea, I have used micro irrigation tubing which is black with mig welding wire and some of them are about 6ft away from the switch which is used to change the polarity of the points, so far no problems, keep well and safe
What a useful video! One of the things delaying a layout is the cost of installing point motors. Points are bad enough, but by the time the motors have been installed, it seriously adds to the cost. This means that a simple layout can be operated at a much lower cost and for much less effort. Thank you.
Thanks Don. It's a method I stumbled across a while back and have used it ever since. Never will I ever go back to point motors. I could buy a whole layouts worth if stuff needed to do all the wire in tube for the cost of one Peco point motor. It's very simple as well so incredibly easy to fault find unlike point motors.
I've just come back to N Gauge and it's all changed so much in 30 years, things are so complicated now ! So I love using the simplest method for doing something. This is great advice Luke, thank you.
No problem Shaun. Sometimes the simplest methods are the best. I've been using this method for over 18 months now and not one single switch/point wire has failed. It's a fool proof method.
Your a man after my own heart Luke, I love doing things like that. Why pay loads of money when you can do it cheaper. well done mate. I shall be doing a point with the wire soon. Thanks for showing it. all the best Duncan.
I have been thinking about doing this for some time and have watched a few videos recently. I built my layout without point motors as I thought the wiring etc would be too complicated and costly. It is a pain when I forget to change a point, especially when I do a live broadcast, maybe this is the way to go. Thanks for sharing
Just came across this excellent video. I've been considering electrofrog points but have been put off by the expense of motors, switches and (to me), the wiring complexity. This looks so much easier and cheaper! Thanks!
Well thought out, I've only ever used wire in tube - for the last 50 yeas at least! (shows my age!) But I like your idea of the switch. I drill a hole under the point with the wire running under the board, in various odd bits of tube I've found, with just a pull at the baseboard edge, your switch for live frogs has given me an idea of using old Triang Yellow levers which are on - off - on so might prove a possible variation which look a bit like a real signal box too.
It's certainly a robust method! Interesting to hear how you've done it. This method means that it's fairly easy to introduce the wire in tube control after you've laid all the track which is why i chose to use it
Hi Luke, Very useful video. I live in New Zealand and I use a similar system for my wire in tube turnout operation I have used the American brand K&S brass tube and piano wire for my home made turnout operating units. I have used exactly the same DPDT sliding switches as you, which has enable me to change the turnout polarity at the same time as I change the point blades. I can operate turnouts up to 1 metre from the slide switches. Don't know about you, but I have found wire in tube turnout operation to be 100% reliable and very, very cheap. Well done Luke Barry
Thanks Barry. As you say it's a very reliable method and I've only ever had one failure and that was a broken switch which was easy to remove and replace for a few pence. I'll never go back to point motors
Hi Luke, I have found that normally there is sufficient pressure on the point blades from the action of the slide switch. Only on one turnout did I found it necessary to dismantle the slide switch, and with a fine needle file increase the throw of the slide switch to ensure that the point blades stay locked to the stock rails. Regards Barry
Hi Luke, just watched this vid and like your style of DIY. With all the money you've saved you can buy another loco or set of wagons eh !!! I have electrofrog points and linked the insulated rail to another rail of same polarity and not connected the frog to anything and it works fine. I am switching them manually but have thought about rods coming to the edge of the board to save stretching over. Same principle of using a rod, but without switching polarity, as the line after the IRJs are live because of the link wires.
Thanks Dave, I'm glad you found this helpful. It's a very simple yet incredibly cheap and affective form of point control I thought was worth talking about.
I love your switches. I will do somewhat of the same but I found that instead of brass tubing or plastic (the stuff you get from the hobby shop) I found that a box of cocktail straws will do the trick very well...They are smaller and I attach them with "super glue". I'm lucky that I don't have to worry about wiring the point s as there is no power in my track. I use a battery rum engine and am completely free of any track wiring.
Excellent tutorial, might have a go at this on my N gauge layout as im trying to find a way of changing the points, I also need to do an update on the layout as its been a year since i last done one.
Hi James I'm glad you enjoyed the tutorial. This method is very good for all scales so best of luck with your n gauge project. I look forward to your video. :)
Hi Luke, Thanks for the video, I was planning on doing something similar. Could you please tell me what the switches were again, I listened to the video a couple of times but I couldn’t make out what you called them. Also your switches appear to be on the top of your layout, I’m wondering that if you extended the wire and switch through the scenic board onto a small ledge it would work better. I am thinking more about the scenery and the switches getting in the way, or do you need to have access to the wire and tube? Thanks, Mel
Hi Luke, thanks for the clear tutorial, which I found very useful! I can't see where you connected the wire to the frog of the point - I guess you just soldered it on the side that is not in view? Cheers!
@@lukenoble3319 Thanks for the prompt response Luke. I'm still in the planning stages of my layout-in-a-box and your vids and advice are super useful. Cheers!
Fabulous design and a superb explanation / demonstration of your completed assembly. Thanks for the share!!! BTW, are you using PECO Code 83 switches? If yes, might you know the item number?
Hi Luke, It looks like you and I have used slightly electrically different slide switches, though I think that they are both physically the same size. I model in P4/S4 and hand make all my track and turnouts, consequently all the turnouts end up with "live frogs", therefore I need a DPDT slide switch to operate the point blades at the same time changing the frog polarity. I did have a small problem with operating turnouts over a metre from the slide switch due to puckering of the piano wire in the brass tube, but solved this problem by using a slightly larger piano wire. I am now experimenting with angle cranks to reduce sharpe bends in the brass tube. Regards Barry
Sounds good! Do you get the point blades to lock in place with the switch and there is sufficient resistance in the point or have you sprung your point? I've often wondered about its comparability with hand built track.
Do you have to isolate the frog with your method? Have insulated rail joiners at the frog like you have if you use frog juicers and electrofrog? Great method though. I have some of my turnouts operated by servos but they are mostly insulfrog in my TMD. I have 4 electro frog operated by servos with frog juicers. I also have two code 100 symetric three ways which are very close to the edge of the board and your method would solve the question of wiring them which has my head spinning! I will give it a go although having three frogs would I need two switches to change the polarity?
I only insulate the frogs with plastic fish plates and that works fine for me. For the 3 way point you would need to change the polarity for the seperate frogs.
@@lukenoble3319 This may take some explaining on my part. If I have another turnout connected to one of the 3 way frogs would it have to be electrofrog as I imagine an insul frog one would have no power at the frog connected to the electrofrog 3 way. To answer my own question why don't I just try it out! Sorry but the electrics on my DCC layout are a step up from my previous hand of god layout, also DCC but no powered turnouts.
Trying it out is probably a good idea. Insulfrog points will still carry the power to the rail beyond the frog when the point is in the right position it's just the frog itself isn't live.
a novice here. and looking to use this as i like the manual aspect. but you mentioned wiring to change polarity etc.. does the switch require power? or am i being a bit dumb
Hello Luke, I realise this is quite some time since you produced the video and am not quite sure if you are still available and willing to give me some technical advice relating to the electrofrog polarity. I found your video just what I was lookling for inasmuch that it is manual operation with a frog polarity switch but I am not quite sure on a couple of things although I could understand what you were saying. Hope to hear from you if you can.
@@lukenoble3319 Thank you for your quick response, it is appreciated. Referring to the electrofrog polarity switch when a pair of points (left hand & right hand) are joined to form a crossover, can the same switch be used for the frog, I am not referring to the changing of the point just the polarity connection?
@@lukenoble3319 Thank you, sorry for being so slow I got interupted. So does it mean that I only need one pair of connections to the two terminals on the switch as long as both frogs are connected to that switch or should I have two seperate leads from each point to the one switch? Sorry for being a little "thick" but it takes a time to sink in and understand. Also when connecting other points to a switch, as long as the switch position is how I want it and the lead from the R/H terminal connects to the rail furthest away this should be ok! Do I assume the positive and negative rails are not relevant when connecting the leads to the switch.?
@@lawrencehassall3105 no problem! So you would only need one pair of connections from the rails to the switch as long as the frogs are wired together. In regards to the positive/negative wires on the switch, you wire the closest rail to you to the closest terminal on the switch to you.
These switches are on/on. They go by the name of sdpt switches and are really cheap and really available. They basically have 3 prongs out of the bottom, 1 common/return and 2 others which can be seen as positive and negative
@@lukenoble3319 It sounds like you're saying (on the video) STPT and those switches don't exist. Here's you've written SDPT and they don't exist, either. It's actually: SPDT. Good video, but speaking very quickly and getting your letters mixed up (in writing and verbally) cost me at least an hour of searching. ;)
@@lukenoble3319 Hi Luke another little thing I discovered. If you're using peco Flexi track and points, you can give points a bespoke look by judiciously and cautiously cutting away some, not too many, of of the stiffeners away under the sleepers as in the straight track. This allows a small amount of bend to be put into a point and makes them look more individual. Stay safe matey.
