# Automatic switch control for unpowered track?



## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

Does anyone know of an automatic switch control that does not require track power to operate? 

Here's my situation. I want to put in a reverse loop in a remote area and I need something to be able to switch the track for me. I run battery power so I don't have and don't want to put power through my rails. I haven't had much luck with spring switches either. I was just wondering if anyone made any other type of automatic switch? Or any ideas other people have?

Thanks for any help.
Terry


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

You need air power! I'm not sure who is making it right off hand. Check the ads in GR, or wait for the next guy to tell us. I hear it is very reliable, but have not personally tried it. Although I guess it wouldn't be automatic, just remote controlled.


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## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

For this application air wouldn't work out that well. The switch will be about 100' from my compressor as the crow flies. But that would take it through the driveway and the house. In reality there would be about 300' of hose to feed the one switch. Plus, the prices on the air switch equipment are outrageous. 

Terry


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## dtetreault (Jan 23, 2008)

Terry, 
I use the YardMaster by RR Concepts for my reverse loops and it works well. You still need to run wires to it and have magnets on your locos. 
http://www.rr-concepts.com/YardMaster.shtml 
Dennis


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

You just need to use an LGB switch motor and power it from a 12 volt battery pack of your choosing placed near the turnout. You can use a reed switch to trip it.


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By paintjockey on 11 Apr 2011 06:13 PM 
For this application air wouldn't work out that well. The switch will be about 100' from my compressor as the crow flies. But that would take it through the driveway and the house. In reality there would be about 300' of hose to feed the one switch. Plus, the prices on the air switch equipment are outrageous. 

Terry 
But you don't need to run tubing to the layout. Just charge a one liter pop bottle as your reservoir. They say that's all you need. Again, I don't have experience.

A friend of mine is planning on going this route, so I guess I'll know more when he does.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

The tubing is small and cheap... the air motor is not super expensive, $20 for the air motor... I run mine a couple hundred feet. 

Don't know how it could get much cheaper... 

llagas and sunset valley both carry them.. 

Greg


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By toddalin on 11 Apr 2011 06:52 PM 
You just need to use an LGB switch motor and power it from a 12 volt battery pack of your choosing placed near the turnout. You can use a reed switch to trip it. 

That's pretty simple...hard to think of something simpler.


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## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

Greg, the air isn't automatic. I need something I don't have to tend to. Plus, the air switch is about $20 and the piston is about $20. $40 to to modify one switch is too much right now. But FYI do a web search, you can buy the parts at a fraction of the cost of what llagas and sunset valley are asking. For $40 you could outfit close to 10 switches. I think I may look into the LGB route, I want something that will do the switching on it's own. 

Terry


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

You may want to look at South Bend's web site at some of their IR sensors. Rather than fitting a magnet to each loco to trigger a magnetic reed switch, the IR could probably be adapted to throw the points. Probably be able to power the whole thing (switch motor and IR sensors) off of the same battery. 

I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with. I've got a similar situation; no track power, but two reverse loops controlled by spring switches. They work okay, but I've had to do fairly significant work on many of my pilot trucks to get them to push the points over instead of riding over and derailing. (And that's with very light springs, too.) It's not enough of a headache to make me want to do the research, but if someone else were to come up with a simple, passive solution (i.e., nothing placed on the locomotive itself to trigger) I'd sure entertain it myself. 

Later, 

K


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By East Broad Top on 12 Apr 2011 09:06 AM 
You may want to look at South Bend's web site at some of their IR sensors. Rather than fitting a magnet to each loco to trigger a magnetic reed switch, the IR could probably be adapted to throw the points. Probably be able to power the whole thing (switch motor and IR sensors) off of the same battery. 

I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with. I've got a similar situation; no track power, but two reverse loops controlled by spring switches. They work okay, but I've had to do fairly significant work on many of my pilot trucks to get them to push the points over instead of riding over and derailing. (And that's with very light springs, too.) It's not enough of a headache to make me want to do the research, but if someone else were to come up with a simple, passive solution (i.e., nothing placed on the locomotive itself to trigger) I'd sure entertain it myself. 

Later, 

K 

You can do it with the "Bump A.S.S." track gaps. Then no reeds or magnets are required.

Power is placed into the track around the gap and when a wheel spans the gap, the connection is made to activate the turnout. Each metal wheel that passes over the gap will reactivate the turnout, but no big deal once its in the position it is to attain anyways, (and I could probably come up with a way to ignore these just using a relay or maybe even the EPL until the other reed switch is activated). To throw the turnout the other direction, you would place another gap outside of the loop.

With the magnet/reed and an LGB supplemental EPL DPDT, you could use just one gap within the loop and each time it activates, it throws the opposite polarity so it always toggles from one position to the other.


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## mack505 (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't know what you tried for spring switches, but I'd go back and look at them again. The other suggestions may work fine, but they all require some sort of power. I'm not into batteries, transformers, miles of wire, or remote air reservoirs. If all you want is an automatic, non-powered reversing loop, try piano wire. 

Drill a hole in one tie and a hole in the bar connecting the switch points. Fabricate a wire 'staple' slightly larger than the distance between the holes and put a slight bend in the middle of it. With a bit of adjustment it will hold the points against either rail, and a loco passing in the trailing direction will move the point to the proper direction. _Voila! _ Automatic reversing loop.

OT, but I've had a problem with squirrels eating my delrin ground throws. All of my switches from this point forward will have wire springs.


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