4
4. A switch stand lined
and locked for the normal
(straight) position. The
target is parallel to the
fascia.
Realistic switch control - 3
(actually, a rod and a sleeve) used in the radio-controlled air-
craft hobby. They would work beautifully with the Sunset Valley
switch stands.
The switch stands provide positive locking at both extremes
of the throw, and I control frog polarity on my layout using
Frog Juicers
from Tam Valley Depot
I
built the BullFrogs without the microswitch or ball and spring
that provide those functions in the switch machine itself. I
gave those parts back to Fast Tracks owner Tim Warris the
next time I saw him.
5. The same switch
stand unlocked and
lined for the diverging
route. The target is now
perpendicular to the
fascia.
5
6. The modified mechanism of the switch stand
projects below the shelf to connect to plastic control
rods. The lock is an inexpensive luggage lock.
My initial thought was to connect the control cable directly to
the bottom of the stand, using a piece of steel wire between
two head blocks to represent the head bar (throw bar) on a
switch. This wire could run through a hole in the fascia to con-
nect to the control rod. But we realized this would present
some challenges.
The biggest challenge was that such an arrangement would
only give us about ¼” of throw, which wouldn’t be enough
for the BullFrog; we wanted the BullFrog’s throw to be long
enough to provide positive pressure on the points of a switch,
to hold them securely against the stock rails.
Modifying the switch stand
Chris solved the problem by fabricating an extension for the
bottom of the switch stand with brass shapes from K&S Metals
Here’s how to modify the stands:
6
MRH-Aug 2014
